The NAACP, a 115-year-old civil-rights organization headquartered in Baltimore, is calling on U.S. President Joe Biden to stop sending weapons to the Jewish state and to those who support the Hamas terror organization.
“Draw the red line and indefinitely end the shipment of weapons and artillery to the State of Israel and other states that supply weapons to Hamas and other terrorist organizations,” Derrick Johnson, president and CEO of the NAACP, said in a statement on Wednesday directed at Biden.
It is the NAACP’s responsibility “to speak out in the face of injustice” and to hold elected officials to their promises, “as the nation’s leading civil rights organization,” Johnson said.
“Over the past months, we have been forced to bear witness to unspeakable violence, affecting innocent civilians, which is unacceptable,” he added. “The most recent statement from the Biden administration is useful but does not go far enough. It is one thing to call for a ceasefire. It is another to take the measures necessary to work towards liberation for all.”
The NAACP leader stated that “decades of conflict reflect that factions inside Israel and Hamas actively work against resolution of the conflict.”
“The latest proposal must clarify the consequences of continued violence,” he said. “The United States and the international community must be willing to pull the levers of power when appropriate to advance liberation for all.”
Johnson called on Hamas to “return the hostages and stop all terrorist activity,” saying that Israel “must commit to an offensive strategy that is aligned with international and humanitarian laws.”
“Peace and security for Israelis and Palestinians can only align when the humanity and common needs of people within the region are respected,” he added. “Centuries of conflict reflect that violence results in more violence. The spillover effect in the United States is more racism, antisemitism and Islamophobia.”
B’nai B’rith International called the NAACP leader’s statement “a historic betrayal of Jews’ devotion and solidarity in fighting for civil rights for all.”