Democratic senator suggests putting conditions on funding for Israel
Chris Murphy joined the growing group of Democrats expressing unease over the scale of civilian casualties in Gaza
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Your support makes all the difference.A US senator who sits on the Foreign Relations Committee has become the latest Democrat to signal unease over Israel's devastation of Gaza.
Chris Murphy, who represents Connecticut, told CNN on Sunday that he was open to putting conditions on US aid to Israel in order to limit civilian casualties.
His remarks highlight the growing divisions among Democrats over their party's normally staunch support of Israel, which has agreed a temporary truce with the Palestinian militant group Hamas.
Last week, a group of left-wing Democrats led by Bernie Sanders called on Congress to end its "blank cheque approach" and impose strict conditions on the billions of dollars it sends to Israel each year.
“We regularly condition our aid to allies based upon compliance with US law and international law," said Mr Murphy.
"So I think it’s very consistent with the ways in which we have dispensed aid, especially during wartime, to allies, for us to talk about making sure that the aid we give Ukraine or the aid we give Israel is used in accordance with human rights laws."
"That’ll be a conversation we will all be engaged in when we get back to Washington on Monday.”
Mr Murphy previously said that the level of harm to civilians inside Gaza had been "unacceptable and unsustainable", and could end up strengthening Hamas in the long run.
The crisis began on 7 October with an unprecedented surprise invasion of southern Israel by Hamas, killing an estimated 1,200 Israelis, including 846 civilians.
Israel responded by laying waste to Gaza with airstrikes and artillery, killing an estimated 14,800 Palestinians – including a reported 6,000 children – and triggering a humanitarian crisis.
It comes after polling earlier this month found that American public support for Israel's war in Gaza had dropped by nine per cent since mid-October, from 41 per cent to 32 per cent.
Those numbers stood in stark contrast to the position of both Democratic and Republican legislators, most of whom had rejected calls for a ceasefire.
US president Joe Biden has called for an extra $14.3 billion in aid for Israel, on top of the roughly $3.8 billion the US sends each year.
Democratic divisions over Israel have been bitter and intense, including accusations of antisemitism or, conversely, abetting a genocide.
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