This letter is in response to “Sen. King says he no longer supports providing U.S. aid to Israel” (Portland Press Herald, July 29).

What type of corrupt moral calculus are Sen. Susan Collins and Rep. Jared Golden following that puts the responsibility for stopping the starvation of Palestinian children on Hamas?

Israel, not Hamas, controls the flow of aid. Israel, not Hamas, controls the borders. And it is Israel, not Hamas, that — according to every major human rights organization and scholar of international law — is committing genocide by starving the civilian population of Gaza.

Sen. Angus King deserves our support for loudly, if lately, calling for an end to America’s supporting role in this crime. Rep. Chellie Pingree deserves a commendation as the voice of conscience of our congressional delegation. Collins and Golden, however, deserve our outrage for shifting the blame away from a criminal Israeli government that has the power to end the starvation of children today, and instead chooses not to.

Israel had the world’s sympathy and support in October of 2023. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu traded it, along with tens of thousands of innocent Palestinian lives, in exchange for his political survival. I’m thankful for King’s moral clarity. We must stop aiding and abetting Israel’s crime against humanity. Palestinian children should not suffer for the crimes of their cruel and terrible Islamist leaders.

Wells Lyons
Brunswick