Independent Senator Calls for Ending Aid to Israel as It Starves Kids

A staunch Senate moderate on Monday issued a remarkable statement regarding the hunger crisis in Gaza, saying he will not back U.S. support for Israel so long as its campaign of starvation continues.

The centrist Senator Angus King, an independent of Maine, stated, “I cannot defend the indefensible. Israel’s actions in the conduct of the war in Gaza, especially its failure to address the unimaginable humanitarian crisis now unfolding, is an affront to human decency.”

King, who has previously been critical of Israel’s actions, said the starvation gripping Gaza is “a deliberately induced famine among a civilian population—including tens of thousands of starving children” and “can never be an acceptable military strategy.”

The October 7, 2023, attack by Hamas, King said, “cannot in turn justify the enormous toll on Palestinian civilians caused by Israel’s relentless bombing campaign and its indifference to the current plight of those trapped in what’s left of Gaza.” While condemning Hamas in no uncertain terms, King noted that “recent events have placed a moral burden on Israel to ameliorate the current crisis, a burden it has thus far totally failed to meet.”

“For these reasons, I am through supporting the actions of the current Israeli government and will advocate—and vote—for an end to any United States support whatsoever until there is a demonstrable change in the direction of Israeli policy. My litmus test will be simple: no aid of any kind as long as there are starving children in Gaza due to the action or inaction of the Israeli government.”

King’s statement comes amid horrific images and reports of starvation in Gaza thanks to Israel’s blockade. Meanwhile, the tide appears to be slightly turning, domestically and internationally, against Israel’s actions—which B’Tselem, a leading Israeli human rights organization, on Monday deemed a genocide, joining other organizations such as Amnesty International.