NAACP calls on Biden-Harris to stop arms to Israel, push for ceasefire | Israel-Gaza War

In a rare move Thursday, the NAACP appealed to the Biden-Harris administration to stop arms shipments to Israel and push for an immediate and permanent ceasefire. The 115-year-old civil rights organization also called on Hamas to return Israeli hostages and “end all terrorist activity.” This statement comes as the Biden campaign struggles to generate enthusiasm among black voters.

A recent poll showed that only 33% of black voters aged 18 to 40 said they would vote for Biden if the election were held today. Only 15% of black voters thought Biden could handle Israel's war in Gaza.

The lack of enthusiasm for Biden does not suggest an apolitical outlook, however, as more than 90% of Black voters reported participating in political activities, including protesting, attending speeches or dinners, and making donations.

“The NAACP calls on President Biden to draw the red line and indefinitely end arms and artillery deliveries to the State of Israel and other states that supply weapons to Hamas and others terrorist organizations,” the statement said. “It is imperative that the violence that has cost so many civilian lives ends immediately. »

After the May 26 massacre in the Rafah refugee camp, in which Israel launched airstrikes in a safe zone, killing 45 Palestinians and injuring more than 200, Israel was widely condemned. The attack came just days after the United Nations court ordered Israel to cease its military operations in Rafah.

Although the NAACP issued statements in support of students' rights to protest and condemned Hamas following the October 7 attack, it had not previously made any statements regarding a ceasefire. That changed Thursday afternoon.

“As the nation’s leading civil rights organization, it is our responsibility to speak out against injustice and work to hold our elected officials accountable for the promises they make,” said the president and CEO of the NAACP, Derrick Johnson. bed. “Over the past few months, we have been forced to witness unspeakable violence, affecting innocent civilians, which is unacceptable. »

An estimated 36,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza since October 7, and another 500 in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. On May 31, Biden detailed a three-phase deal that he said would see the release of remaining hostages in Gaza and an end to the eight-month war.

“The Biden administration's most recent statement is helpful but does not go far enough,” Johnson wrote. “It is one thing to call for a ceasefire, it is another to take the necessary measures to work towards liberation for all… The latest proposal must clarify the consequences of continued violence .”

Biden generally has a positive relationship with the NAACP. He called himself a “life member of the NAACP” when he spoke at its annual dinner in Detroit last month. And on Tuesday, the organization invited the president and Harris to its national convention — which Biden has attended consistently during his term.

But Johnson told Reuters the organization was compelled to speak out because young black Americans were “horrified” by the images of dead Palestinians: “It raises a lot of questions about why our tax money is used to harm civilians. »