Independent Sen. Says He Will Not Support The Israeli Govt. Unless There Is a 'Demonstrable Change' In Its Gaza policy

An independent U.S. senator said he will stop voting to support the Israeli government until he sees a "demonstrable change" in its Gaza policy as the humanitarian situation in the enclave continues to be dire.

Angus King, from Maine, issued a statement saying he cannot "defend the indefensible," claiming that "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."

He went on to say that the current situation appears to be a "deliberately-induced famine among a civilian population," which "can never be an acceptable military strategy."

"While clearly justified in responding to the horrific attack by Hamas on innocent Israeli citizens, that tragic event 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," King added.

Therefore, he said, even though he does not "accept or condone the actions of Hamas," Israel's failure to "ameliorate the current crisis," led him to decide he is "through supporting the actions of the current Israeli government."

King, then 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 is among the latest shows of condemnation to Israel's policy in Gaza, exacerbated over the past days as images of starvation multiply. In this context, two human rights organizations based in the country labeled the military's actions as a genocide.

B'Tselem and Physicians for Human Rights-Israel (PHRI) pleaded to the international community to use any and all tools to help "stop the genocide" being carried out by their home country, B'Tselem said in a press release.

The human rights group concluded that Israel "is taking coordinated action to intentionally destroy Palestinian society in the Gaza Strip," in a report published Monday after examining statements made by Israeli officials, the policies used in Gaza and their outcomes.

B'Tselem warned that if the Israel continues on their path and if they are not held accountable, "there is a real risk the genocide will spread beyond the Gaza Strip," based on the statistics, personal testimonies and documentation in their report.