Seventeen employees in U.S. President Joe Biden's election campaign have warned of losing voters due to his stance on Israel's war against Gaza. In a message published on "Medium," Biden's campaign staff outlined five points they are urging Biden to implement:
- Publicly call for and use financial and diplomatic influence to achieve an immediate and permanent ceasefire.
- Call for de-escalation in the region, including demanding that Hamas release all hostages and that Israel free over 2,000 Palestinians held administratively without charge.
- End unconditional military aid to Israel.
- Investigate whether Israel's actions in Gaza violate the Leahy Law, which prohibits U.S. military aid from financing foreign military units involved in gross human rights violations.
- Take concrete steps to end the conditions of apartheid, occupation, and ethnic cleansing that are the root causes of this conflict.
The message stated: "The Biden campaign staff have witnessed volunteers withdrawing in large numbers, and those who have voted blue (Democratic Party) for decades are feeling uncertain about doing so for the first time ever, due to this conflict." It emphasized that "every minute that passes without a ceasefire is another life lost, a life that could have been saved through the political action you are capable of. As your staff, we believe it is your moral and electoral duty to publicly call for an end to the violence."
