Representative Pramila Jayapal (D-WA) said Sunday on CNN’s “State of the Union” that the United States was allowing Israel to “indiscriminately bomb hospitals.”
Jayapal said, “Fifteen thousand Palestinians to date to have been killed. Three-quarters of whom are women and children, and say that that is going to help us in the long-term. Morally, Dana, morally, but also, strategically, for Israel, the only way through this is to create a situation where there is a political solution that involves a Palestinian state and an Israeli state.”
Anchor Dana Bash said, “I think, ideally, what you’re talking about could make sense. It’s just unclear how you get from here to there. Who’s going to get rid of Hamas if, I mean, if there’s no continued war and I think what you’re relying on is the pressure from Arab states, and they haven’t been willing to do that?”
Jayapal said, “Well, part of the reason they haven’t been willing to do that is because we have been allowing Israel to really indiscriminately bomb hospitals, violate international humanitarian law.”
Bash said, “You have seen the information and intelligence that Hamas have used their own civilians. The death of civilians are, it’s horrendous, but Hamas has used its own civilians as human shields. Those hospitals and so forth are places where Hamas keeps weapons and keeps its Hamas leadership, that they have their headquarters there.”
Jayapal said, “Dana, international humanitarian law says that you cannot attack a hospital unless there is some circumstances. If rockets are fired from that hospital, that is one thing, but hospitals are protected. We have had refugee camps that are bombed. Right now, the only pediatric hospital in Gaza is not operating. If we want to defeat terrorists, we have to abide by international humanitarian law. That is just my fundamental belief.”
Follow Pam Key on Twitter @pamkeyNEN
