Indian American Congressman Ro Khanna’s political director has resigned after just two weeks on the job because the Silicon Valley representative would not support a resolution calling for a ceasefire in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
In a post on his private X account, Adam Ramer wrote, “Personal note: I resigned my job on Monday because of a refusal to call for a ceasefire.I will be doing everything in my power to stand against war & for Palestinian justice. So please continue to dm for any volunteering/organizing needs that I can assist with in NY/DC.”
“I have great respect for Adam’s conviction and he is a passionate voice for human rights for Palestinians,” Khanna told Ryan Grim, the DC bureau chief for The Intercept. “I will continue to call for protecting civilian life, humanitarian aid, and living up to the standards of the Geneva convention.”
Ro Khanna's political director has resigned after just two weeks on the job.
He wanted Khanna to co-sponsor Tlaib's ceasefire resolution, but Khanna has not done so.
Khanna tells me: "I have great respect for Adam’s conviction…/1
— Ryan Grim (@ryangrim) October 19, 2023
The House resolution in question calls for “an immediate de-escalation and cease-fire in Israel and occupied Palestine,” according to Timcast News. It was authored by Rep. Cori Bush and is co-sponsored by Rep. Rashida Tlaib, the only Palestinian in Congress.
The resolution explains that “between October 7 and October 16, 2023, armed violence has claimed the lives of over 2,700 Palestinians and over 1,400 Israelis, including Americans, and wounded thousands more” and says that “hundreds of thousands of lives are at imminent risk if a cease-fire is not achieved and humanitarian aid is not delivered without delay.”
With that in mind, the resolution calls on the Biden administration to “immediately call for and facilitate deescalation and a cease-fire to urgently end the current violence” and “promptly send and facilitate the entry of humanitarian assistance into Gaza.”
“We need legislation that saves as many lives as possible, no matter one’s faith or ethnicity,” Tlaib said in a statement. “I am proud to join my colleagues and a coalition of human rights advocates in calling for de-escalation, ceasefire and a strong humanitarian response that prevents more devastating civilian casualties across the region.”
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The congresswoman has asked her colleagues to see the Palestinian people as “human beings” so that they “see that these are war crimes.”
“I don’t know what else to say (to American officials) other than please turn on the TV, see what’s happening, don’t turn away,” Tlaib said Monday. “All they have to do is see the Palestinians as human beings to see that these are war crimes.”
It is unlikely that the resolution will pass as many Democrats have expressed strong support for Israel and Republicans control the House, Timcast noted.
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Democrats on Capitol Hill are furious over Tlaib’s refusal to retract or add new context to her statements blaming Israel for the deadly blast that devastated a Gaza hospital, killing hundreds of people and setting off a regional backlash against the US and Israel, according to CNN.
The dispute has laid bare long-standing and increasingly passionate disagreements among congressional Democrats over the party’s relationship with Israel – and, now, how to position the party as the deadly conflict in Israel and Gaza escalates, the news channel said.
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Mainstream Democrats, led by President Joe Biden, continue to insist on staunch support for Israel, while some progressive House members are becoming more insistent that the US aggressively push for a ceasefire and hold Israel accountable for alleged war crimes against Palestinians, it said.