WASHINGTON – Sens. Chris Van Hollen of Maryland and Jeff Merkley of Oregon on Thursday condemned the United States’ role in the “strategy of ethnic cleansing in Gaza.”
The senators recently returned from a visit to the Middle East, including war-ravaged Gaza. At a joint press conference, the lawmakers issued a report on the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and what they called the Benjamin Netanyahu government’s “systematic destruction of civilian infrastructure.”
“We have effectively given the Netanyahu administration a blank check,” Van Hollen said.
Van Hollen accused the Israeli prime minister of utilizing “food as a method of population control” against civilians in Gaza. He also claimed that Netanyahu’s actions amounted to “collective punishment” for Hamas’ attack on an Israeli kibbutz on Oct. 7, 2023.
“Israel has the right and the duty to defend its people after the horrific terror attacks by Hamas on October 7th,” Van Hollen said. “But…it’s clear that the Netanyahu government has gone far beyond targeting Hamas.”
The senators’ 21-page report details their findings following a trip to the Middle East from Aug. 24 to Sept. 1, particularly outlining issues of food and humanitarian assistance.
Merkley said that “food is deliberately restricted by the Netanyahu government.”
The Oregon senator criticized Israel’s strategy to replace the UN food distribution network in Gaza. The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, a non-governmental organization backed by Israel and the United States, replaced the UN’s hundreds of distribution sites with only four.
Three of the distribution sites are in southern Gaza and there are none in northern Gaza. Merkley charged this was a deliberate tactic in the displacement of Gazans. According to Merkley, 1,373 people have been killed in the aftermath of Israel’s blockade of humanitarian assistance, with the bulk of deaths around the four food distribution sites.
The report echoes findings from Doctors Without Borders, claiming that Israel’s humanitarian strategy represented an “orchestrated killing” of Palestinian civilians.
The senators’ report details efforts by the Israeli government to deliberately delay and restrict aid from entering Gaza, including new restrictions creating a bottleneck at the port of Ashod. The UN World Food Programme had to change screening practices: the agency formerly was able to screen hundreds of containers in a day, but it is now only able to screen 20 to 30 daily.
The senators called on the Trump administration to “draw a red line right now” against supporting Israel’s actions, and to use U.S. leverage to “create a permanent ceasefire now.”
Trump last Sunday said that “we’re working on a solution that may be very good.”
But Israel on Tuesday conducted a surprise attack on a Hamas meeting in Doha, Qatar. That nation has been neutral negotiating ground for Hamas, the United States and Israel. The Israeli strike, which killed six people, made prospects for future talks uncertain.
While Israel told the United States about the attack, Trump later said he was “very unhappy” about Israel’s action.
“Netanyahu has played Donald Trump beautifully through all of this,” Van Hollen said.
Van Hollen said that Netanyahu is uninterested in peaceful negotiation, calling him a “servant” to far-right extremism.
Van Hollen added: “We will be looking at opportunities to hold the Netanyahu government accountable.”
In May, Merkley and Van Hollen joined 43 other senators in co-sponsoring a resolution advocating “the urgent delivery of humanitarian aid to address the needs of civilians in Gaza.”
“The United States needs to play its leadership role in the world,” Van Hollen said, “This is the time to use that influence to end the war and bring the hostages home.”