By Servet Gunerigok
WASHINGTON (AA) - US Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib, a Muslim of Palestinian descent, strongly criticized a planned House bill that proposes a new aid package worth $26 billion for Israel.
"This week, my colleagues want to vote and send more money to genocidal (Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin) Netanyahu, who absolutely wants no conditions on upholding human rights," Tlaib said during a press briefing outside the Congress building on Wednesday.
"Our country is not just complicit in this genocide -- we're actively participating in it," she said.
Tlaib accused Netanyahu of escalating the risk of a regional war by violating international law and bombing Iran's diplomatic compound in Syria.
"This is why we must achieve an immediate permanent cease-fire that includes an end to the genocide and the release of all hostages and those arbitrarily detained by the Israeli government and to end the very risk of escalation into an even larger war," she added.
The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mike Johnson, has said that separate bills providing aid to Ukraine and Israel were being prepared.
President Joe Biden signaled strong support Wednesday for Johnson's plan to usher additional funding for Ukraine and Israel through the chamber.
The proposed aid package for Israel amounts to $26 billion.
The bills are slated for discussion in the House of Representatives on Saturday and will be sent to the Senate if passed. Biden has pledged to sign the bills immediately upon approval.