ANGELO LYNN

Vermont’s U.S. Senators Bernie Sanders and Peter Welch, with a handful of other Democratic senators, are right to urge President Joe Biden to use the Foreign Assistance Act to stop providing offensive weapons to Israel in its war with Hamas. The act bars U.S. military support from going to any nation that restricts the delivery of humanitarian aid, which Israel has clearly been doing.

Along with the indiscriminate bombing of civilians, mass forced migration of millions of Gazans out of their homes and into makeshift shelters, and now denying food aid to tens of thousands of children, men and women who are facing starvation, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has become the pariah of the Middle East. Unfortunately, Netanyahu has committed many of these crimes against Gaza civilians with U.S. supplied weapons and early tacit support.

That must change. Sens. Sanders and Welch have been among the earliest voices urging President Biden to pull back his support of Netanyahu and find ways to stop Israel’s merciless killing of Gazan civilians — but to little effect. President Biden has certainly voiced his concerns to Israel’s rightwing president and has drawn a “red line in the sand,” but has yet to pull the plug on supplying weapons used to overrun Gaza.

Put the hammer down, Joe. The Foreign Assistance Act is a means to stop the flow of weapons to Israel now. Once vital food aid is restored throughout Gaza, and defenseless civilians have enough to eat and shelters to stay in, then the U.S. can begin talks with Israel on what types of aid may be restored. Such bold action seems to be the only way to get Netanyahu’s, and the nation’s, attention.

Angelo Lynn