HAMILTON, Canada
US Congressman Ro Khanna on Thursday criticized former President Joe Biden's handling of Gaza and called for a major shift in US policy toward Israel and Palestine.
"We have to start with the truth. President Biden mishandled Gaza. He was wrong. We should never have given a blank check," US Congressman Ro Khanna said at an event in Washington, DC.
"There were 37 Democrats who voted against the $14 billion aid to (Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin) Netanyahu. That should have been every person in the Democratic caucus."
"Those who voted for that aid made as much of a blunder as those who supported the war in Iraq," he affirmed.
Urging the Congress to halt arms sales to Israel, he said: "We need to say no military sales to Israel and Netanyahu, and get on Delia Ramirez's no bombs act."
The act, led by Illinois Rep. Delia Ramirez, focuses on the most destructive weapons systems used in Gaza and demands that the US halt arms transfers to Israel amid its genocide in the enclave.
Khanna also called for recognition of international law, saying: "We need to say that we will recognize what the UN, what the ICJ (International Court of Justice) is, recognizing that what happened, there was a genocide."
"We need to say very clearly that the United States should follow 150 other countries and recognize Palestinian self-determination and a Palestinian state with a secure Israel," he stressed.
Expressing the frustration of young Americans, he said: "Here is what I know. You may disagree with where I stand, but young people are tired of the platitudes. They're tired of people saying, 'We want peace, we want justice, we want human rights.' What does that mean? Where do you stand? Where do you stand? Specifically, enough of the word salads, enough of the platitudes."
"We need to be a party of moral courage," he said.