The NAACP is now calling on the Biden administration to halt its supply of weapons to Israel and to pressure the country to end its war in Gaza. The message from the civil rights organization comes after months of protests and discontent with the Biden administration over its support for Israel in the war that has killed tens of thousands of Palestinians.
The statement calls to cut off arms supply and pushes for ceasefire.
In a statement dated June 6, 2024, NAACP President and CEO Derrick Johnson appeals to the Biden administration to take more concrete and assertive actions to end the conflict that has been going on in Gaza since the Oct. 7 attack on Israel by Hamas. “As the nation’s leading civil rights organization,” Johnson says of the NAACP in his statement, “it is our responsibility to speak out in the face of injustice and work to hold our elected officials accountable for the promises they’ve made.” Johnson points to “unspeakable violence, affecting innocent civilians,” which he deems “unacceptable.”
While acknowledging that the Biden administration has recently issued a proposal to bring an end to the conflict, Johnson states that the Biden proposal “is useful but does not go far enough.” Johnson specifically urges the administration to indefinitely halt the supply of arms to Israel and to states that give weapons to Hamas. While calling for Hamas to release its hostages and for Israel to limit its actions based on international law, the statement additionally “calls for an immediate and permanent ceasefire so that resolution of the conflict towards a two-state solution can begin.”
Discontent for Gaza policy may have impact on the presidential election.
In a statement emailed by the Biden-Harris campaign to NBC News, spokesperson Sarafina Chitika responded that “the President shares the goal for an end to the violence and a just, lasting peace in the Middle East, and he’s working tirelessly to that end.” The campaign statement did not seem to indicate a shift from the administration’s current policies, which include continuing support for Israel as well as a ceasefire plan that top Biden officials continue to push.
The NAACP’s letter putting pressure on the Biden administration comes as the president’s strong pro-Israel stance has divided Democrats, a split that is being seen in primary elections and could carry over to November’s presidential and congressional elections. Biden himself has faced criticism and protests, as was the case when he delivered a commencement address at Morehouse College this year.
With this election poised to be tight, the Biden-Harris campaign is seeking to shore up its support among Black voters and young people, even as these demographics remain highly critical of the administration’s support for Israel as the death toll in Gaza exceeds 30,000 people. The coming months will reveal whether Biden will succeed in securing a ceasefire in Gaza and whether events in the Middle East will change the outcome of the U.S. election.
