US activist launches hunger strike over Gaza genocide

WASHINGTON

American activist Hazami Barmada entered the third day of her hunger strike near the US State Department and the White House on Wednesday, calling for an immediate end to Israel's starvation of Palestinians in Gaza.

Speaking to Anadolu, Barmada criticized the Biden administration, particularly Secretary of State Antony Blinken, for enabling the humanitarian crisis in Gaza by sending US weapons to Israel in violation of US and international law.

"The State Department supposedly stands for human rights, for women’s rights, for gender equity, for child welfare, for education, and all of these things are under attack in Gaza and in the occupied West Bank, with full support and endorsement by the US Secretary of State," she said.

"The US Secretary of State has continued to violate American law, to continue to provide weapons that are being used to mass murder innocent civilians, to forcibly starve children in Gaza," she added.

Barmada’s hunger strike also comes as the Biden administration faces mounting calls to halt weapons shipments to Israel, citing its failure to implement measures outlined in Washington’s Oct. 13 letter to improve the humanitarian situation in Gaza

She emphasized that the current administration has 56 days remaining in office before President-elect Donald Trump’s team takes over.

"There is still so much time to act,” she said, expressing frustration over the administration’s inaction.

“Scapegoating Trump and saying it’s no longer this administration’s problem when for 417 days, they have not only enabled the genocide but funded it, supported it, endorsed it and normalized it. It’s time to say enough. There’s nothing to lose,” she added.

Since starting her hunger strike, Barmada said she has already lost 12 pounds, and the toll on her body is becoming severe.

“When people go into starvation, your organs start to shut down. Your body starts to shut down. For children, starvation takes hold much, much quicker. Every single day matters,” she warned.

In her demand for immediate action, Barmada called on the US to sanction Israel for its violations of international law, including the targeting of humanitarian aid workers, nurses and ambulances. She also called for an end to shipments of American-made weapons to Israel, citing violations of US law.

Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on Oct. 13 sent a letter to their Israeli counterparts demanding some steps to improve the humanitarian situation in Gaza within 30 days or risk the supply of US weapons to Israel being affected.

The letter outlined specific demands, including a requirement for a minimum of 350 aid trucks to enter Gaza daily and a directive to refrain from adopting a controversial law that would ban all activities of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) in Israel and the occupied territories.

But according to a recent report from eight humanitarian organizations, including Oxfam and Anera, Israel has not met the US criteria for supporting humanitarian efforts in Gaza and in some cases has worsened the crisis, particularly in northern Gaza.

The State Department has determined that Israel is not in violation of US law and has not announced any policy changes regarding US military aid to Israel. It said that Israel had made “some progress” in allowing additional aid into the besieged territory but emphasized that the US “would like to see some more changes happen.”

The International Criminal Court (ICC) last week announced arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant "for crimes against humanity and war crimes committed from at least 8 October 2023 until at least 20 May 2024.”

The court said it “found reasonable grounds” to believe that Netanyahu and Gallant "bear criminal responsibility" for "the war crime of starvation as a method of warfare; and the crimes against humanity of murder, persecution and other inhumane acts."

Under the US Foreign Assistance Act, military aid must be restricted if a country, like Israel, obstructs the entry of US humanitarian aid or violates international law unless national security exemptions apply. The Leahy Law, named after former Senator Patrick Leahy, also requires the US to withhold military assistance from foreign military or law enforcement units if there is credible evidence of human rights violations.