Pelosi pushes for independent commission to investigate World Central Kitchen strike

Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) this week urged an independent commission to investigate the Israeli attack that killed seven aid workers from the charity World Central Kitchen (WCK) earlier this month. .

Pelosi said in an interview with MSNBC on Wednesday that she had signed a letter with more than 50 other Democrats calling for the weapons to be withheld until an independent commission can investigate the WCK attack.

“The letter is simple: it should be withheld until an investigation is conducted,” she said. “I think it’s a very meaty letter. There are people who have different standards for what we should do when it comes to assault weapons.”

Frustration is growing within the Democratic Party over Israel’s war against the Palestinian militant group Hamas in the Gaza Strip, which has killed more than 33,000 people in just over six months of fighting.

Other Democrats have also called for an independent investigation into the WCK strike, including Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.), a key ally of President Biden.

However, the White House has indicated it will not respond to calls for an independent investigation into the strike.

Israel fired two police officers last week, determining the attack should not have happened. A preliminary investigation revealed that the Israeli military responsible for the attack mistakenly believed the WCK convoy was transporting Hamas fighters.

Biden held a tense phone call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu after the attack, and just hours later, Israel announced the opening of a new border crossing in northern Gaza.

Israel has been accused of withholding aid from Gaza, and Pelosi on Wednesday reiterated calls for more food and water to come into the Gaza Strip.

“There are ways to do this without becoming dehydrated and without withholding food, nutrition, or leftovers from children and families,” she says.

In a separate interview on MSNBC on Tuesday, Pelosi was asked about arms deliveries to Israel and cited the Leahy Act, which prohibits military aid to foreign countries that violate human rights.

“If we give you aid, you cannot prevent us from providing humanitarian assistance,” she said.

Still, Pelosi said she does not support outright restrictions on aid to Israel and reiterated that her letter pertains only to an independent investigation into the WCK attack.

Pelosi has also joined other Democrats, including Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York, in criticizing Netanyahu’s leadership during the war, and she doubled down on that point Tuesday. She agreed with Schumer that Israel should hold new elections.

“He’s only interested in his own political survival,” she says. “Prime Minister Netanyahu is a tragedy.”