By Iclal Turan
WASHINGTON (AA) - A US congressman on Wednesday said he is "very disappointed" by the US approach to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, adding that his country should step up and do the right thing.
"I remain hopeful. And I'm also very disappointed because America has to become the moral leader that we claim to be," Jamaal Bowman, a Democrat Congressman representing areas of New York near Manhattan, told Anadolu in an exclusive interview.
"And we're not being that (moral leader) right now," he added.
Bowman said a number of his colleagues in Congress, including Rashida Tlaib, Cori Bush, Summer Lee, Ilhan Omar, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Ayanna Pressley, Delia Ramirez, and other progressive Democrats who called for a cease-fire, and he are "speaking up and speaking out."
"Because we want to center our democracy in our humanity, not in our militarism," he said.
Bowman was among 24 Democratic members of Congress who on Nov. 15 sent a letter to President Joe Biden urging him to end “grave violations of children’s rights” by pushing for an immediate cease-fire in Gaza.
"You know, it's unfortunate, because for so long, we would have one conversation … (saying) we stand with Israel, no matter what," he said.
But later, he added, due to its treatment of the Palestinians, "Israel was labeled an apartheid state. There's a military occupation of the Palestinian people, we can't ignore that."
"So to say we stand with Israel while erasing Palestinians, it's dehumanizing them. And so we have to be able to stand up for Israel as a state and hold it accountable to do the right thing," he explained.
If Israel is not doing the right thing, the US – a longtime ally of Israel – has to do something about that, Bowman said.
"And at the same time, we have to do the urgent policy and diplomatic work to build a Palestinian state," he said.
"And we haven't done that work. We've been lying to ourselves. We've only given it lip service.We haven't done the work necessary to make that happen," he added.
When the US does that, there will no longer be any need for Hamas to exist, he stressed.
- Hunger strike calling for cease-fire
Jamaal Bowman, along with fellow members of Congress Rashida Tlaid, Jonathan Jackson, and Cori Bush, this week visited a vigil by a group of activists who have been taking part in a five-day hunger strike in front of the White House since Monday, demanding a permanent cease-fire.
Asked about the hunger strike, he said: "The message (they’re sending) is we need a permanent cease-fire now. We need to end the mass murder of Palestinian civilians and Palestinian children. We need a pathway to peace and the pathway to a Palestinian state."
"That is the only way to ensure the continued safety and security for both Israelis and Palestinians, for both the Jewish people and the Muslim and Christian people who live in that region," he added.
The US needs to make sure that it is doing everything in its power to find a political and diplomatic solution, not a military one, according to Bowman.
"We're not going to bomb our way to peace, that never happens," he stressed.
The strike came amid a multi-day humanitarian pause in fighting between Israel and Hamas that was first extended two days to six days total, than to seven, under which further prisoner exchanges are being carried out and humanitarian aid supplied.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Wednesday that the US will be focused, in the days ahead, on efforts "to extend the pause so that we continue to get more hostages out and more humanitarian assistance in (Gaza)."
Activists taking part in the hunger strike say pauses are not enough, and are urging President Biden to call for a permanent cease-fire in Gaza.
More than 15,000 people, including 6,150 children and 4,000 women, have been killed in Gaza since Israel launched a massive military campaign in response to a cross-border attack by Hamas.
The official Israeli death toll stands at 1,200.
- High costs, tragic results
Asked if he hopes more Democratic Congress members joining the progressive lawmakers in their call for a cease-fire, he responded: "Not just Democrats, I'm hopeful that Democrats and Republicans come together and call for a permanent cease-fire."
He also decried the enormous costs of the US wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, saying: "We killed millions of people, and spent trillions of dollars, and the situation is still unstable and not good there for the people who live there."
"I think that's informative in terms of how we should conduct ourselves as a diplomatic democracy, not as a nation that supports and condones just the slaughter of tens of thousands of civilians," he added.
"It's inhumane, and we have to demand better than that," he added.
- Worldwide protests for Gaza
On the global protests calling for a cease-fire in Gaza, Bowman said they are "inspiring" and "empowering" while adding that more such protests are needed, not only for Gaza but for Ethiopia and Sudan, which have also faced destructive conflicts.
"We need for our elected officials to do the right thing for the people not for power, not for privilege, not for money, not for natural resources, not for trade, not for oil, not for gold, not for precious metals, (but) for humanity, for people, for babies," he said.
"We are allowing babies to be killed because of our policies," he added.