Sen. Elizabeth Warren spoke at the Islamic Center of Boston on Friday and stated that she believes there is “ample evidence” of genocide being committed by Israel in Gaza. She criticized the actions of Israel, including the starvation of children and the dropping of bombs in civilian areas as a means to control the population. Warren emphasized that it is important to focus on the behavior that is occurring and whether it is right or wrong rather than engaging in a legal argument about what constitutes genocide.
Warren faced pushback from the audience for not giving a clear yes or no answer to whether she believes Israel is committing genocide. She explained that while she personally believe Israel’s actions are wrong, she prefers to focus on the behavior rather than getting caught up in labels. She acknowledged that there is a possibility that Israel may be found guilty of genocide by the International Court of Justice in the Hague due to the evidence against them. Warren wants people to look at the actual actions on the ground rather than getting caught up in semantics.
The senator’s initial support for Israel following an attack drew criticism from the left, leading to protests and demands for her to call for a cease-fire in Gaza. Warren began to backtrack on her support for Israel in January, expressing concerns about the right-wing government’s treatment of Palestinian lives. She announced that she would move to block the sale of US fighter jets to Israel after the deaths of several aid workers in an Israeli airstrike in Gaza, citing violations of US laws related to humanitarian relief.
Israel has stated that they will continue their military campaign against Hamas until the group is eliminated and hostages are freed from Gaza. The Gaza Health Ministry claims that over 33,000 Palestinians have been killed since the outbreak of the conflict, though it does not differentiate between civilian and terrorist casualties. Warren believes that Congress has a responsibility to act in response to the situation in Gaza, including blocking arms sales to countries in violation of US laws and regulations related to humanitarian relief. She emphasized the need for accountability and adherence to international laws.
