Rep. Hoyle Statement on Cosponsoring Block the Bombs Act

By The office of Rep. Val Hoyle

WASHINGTON, D.C. – On August 22nd, U.S. Representative Val Hoyle (OR-04) cosponsored the Block the Bombs Act (H.R. 3565), to end offensive weapons sales to Israel, unless explicit conditions are met.

In response to her cosponsorship and the deteriorating humanitarian crisis in Gaza, Rep. Hoyle released the following statement:

“The humanitarian crisis, famine, and ethnic cleansing of Gaza is a policy choice by the Israeli government that we are complicit in. Something must change. The Block the Bombs Act reflects a simple principle: any country receiving U.S. weapons or military aid must use them in accordance with U.S. and international law.

“Just as I will not defend Hamas’s actions or its ideology in anyway, I cannot support the policy choice to starve and ethnically cleanse a civilian population to get a terrorist group to comply. The pathway to peace cannot involve endless violence, and all hostages must be released. I am still committed to a two-state solution, but that cannot happen if there is no population left to live in Palestine.

“Until we can verify that Israel has changed course, I will not support any further offensive weaponry to enable Netanyahu’s ethnic cleansing campaign in Gaza.”

Background: Block the Bombs Act (H.R. 3565)

The Block the Bombs Act prohibits the President from selling, transferring, or exporting certain classes of weapons to Israel, expect for in certain circumstances. Those weapons include:

The bill only allows these munitions to be sold, transferred, or exported if;

The full text of the bill can be found here.