The bill cites humanitarian groups such as the U.N., Médecins San Frontières (Doctors Without Borders), and other NGOs that have been accused by NGO Monitor of employing Hamas terrorists or staff vetted by Hamas. By Dinah Bucholz, Jewish Breaking NewsSen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), who has previously not been a vocal critic of Israel and did not vote to block arms sales, nevertheless proposed a law on Wednesday that would condemn the Israeli government for alleged widespread starvation in Gaza and includes a proposal that would authorize sanctions against Israeli officials.The proposed legislation comes more than a week after the United Nations issued a statement declaring that, for the first time since Oct. 7, 2023, 100 percent of Gaza’s food needs have been met.Other studies, including a 311-page report from the Begin-Sadat Center for Strategic Studies titled “Debunking the Genocide Allegations: A Reexamination of the Israel-Hamas War (2023-2025),” found that Israel not only met but exceeded humanitarian regulations on providing aid, with enough food for each Gazan to receive about 3,000 calories per day, well above both humanitarian guidelines and nutritional guidelines.Much of the aid failed to reach the local population because of collusion between Hamas and the United Nations, as well as Hamas commandeering aid convoys as they entered the Gaza Strip.Even the two-month halt in aid flows from March to May last spring was based on an Israeli government calculation showing that enough aid remained in Gaza to last six months.The Israeli government failed to account for Hamas stealing that aid as well—a claim the U.N. denied despite the disappearance of aid from its warehouses by April.Called the Accountability for Withholding Aid and Relief Essentials (AWARE) Act, Wyden’s legislation stipulates that “any covered persons acting on behalf of a government found to be restricting, diminishing, undermining, or preventing the delivery and distribution of sufficient humanitarian assistance to protected persons, including protected persons residing in a territory under the government’s control, are in violation of the policy” and will be subject to sanctions, including visa restrictions and financial penalties.While this language appears broad, the text of the legislation specifically singles out Israel with regard to the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.The bill cites humanitarian groups such as the U.N., Médecins San Frontières (Doctors Without Borders), and other NGOs that have been accused by NGO Monitor of employing Hamas terrorists or staff vetted by Hamas.Reports by the watchdog say this has enabled Hamas to control aid flows and redirect resources to the group.In a statement, Wyden said, “The United States must send a clear message to Benjamin Netanyahu and any other leader who would deny food, medicine, and shelter to vulnerable people: If you are complicit in denying humanitarian assistance to Palestinians or others in need, you will face personal consequences.”“As Jews, we have a duty to moral leadership,” the statement continues.“Netanyahu has failed this duty by all counts, and his policies have led to the horrific situation in Gaza. My bill seeks to prevent governments from restricting aid anywhere in the world going forward and to hold senior government and military officials accountable with tough sanctions if they withhold humanitarian assistance in the future.”“As a lifelong champion for Israel’s security, I believe the actions of the Netanyahu government have made Jews less safe and contributed to horrific suffering in Gaza. Withholding aid demands accountability,” he concluded.Muslim leaders and Jewish progressive activists from the New Jewish Narrative and J Street welcomed the move.“It is welcome news that Senator Wyden and his colleagues have taken this important and bold step toward accountability,” said Hassan El-Tayyab, legislative director for Middle East policy at the Friends Committee on National Legislation.“The humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza is not an accident. It is the result of deliberate and unacceptable restrictions on life-saving aid and humanitarian access by the Israeli government.”“Humanitarian aid should never be used as a weapon of war,” said Hadar Susskind, president and CEO of New Jewish Narrative.“Nor should the suffering of a people be exploited for diplomatic leverage. Unfortunately, the current Israeli government has a demonstrable record of doing just that.”“Our Jewish values compel us to stand up against the continued oppressive restrictions on humanitarian aid into Gaza, which exacerbate the destruction inflicted on civilians by two years of war,” said Jeremy Ben-Ami, president of J Street.“J Street applauds Senator Wyden’s moral leadership on the AWARE Act and hopes it sends a clear message: Those who impede the flow of humanitarian aid will be held accountable.”The post Oregon senator proposes law to sanction Israeli government officials appeared first on World Israel News.