NAACP urges Biden to halt weapons to Israel and help end Gaza war

The NAACP in a new letter has called on President Joe Biden to stop sending weapons to Israel and use the United States’ influence to end the war in Gaza.

The letter from the civil rights organization comes days after Biden said on May 31 that Israel had proposed a new cease-fire plan and urged Hamas to accept it, saying, “It’s time for this war to end and for the day after to begin.” He said in the surprise announcement that he was outlining a truce proposal from Israel that had been passed along to Hamas.

“The most recent statement from the Biden administration is useful but does not go far enough,” NAACP officials said in a statement. “It is one thing to call for a ceasefire, it is another to take the measures necessary to work towards liberation for all. It is imperative that the violence that has claimed so many civilian lives, immediately stop.”

Biden-Harris campaign spokesperson Sarafina Chitika said in an e-mailed statement, “The President shares the goal for an end to the violence and a just, lasting peace in the Middle East, and he’s working tirelessly to that end.”

“The stakes of this election couldn’t be higher, and with our communities, our democracy, and our freedoms on the line, our campaign is putting in the work to earn — not ask for — every vote,” she said.

More than 36,500 people have been killed in Gaza, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, since Israel launched its offensive after Hamas’ Oct. 7 attacks. Nearly 2 million Palestinians have been displaced, The Associated Press reported. About 1,200 people had been killed in Israel as of April, according to the AP. Israeli officials have said some 120 people remain held captive in Gaza, with at least a third believed to be dead.

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