In a significant political development, U.S. Senator Angus King (I-ME) issued a public statement severing ties with the current Israeli government and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, citing Israel’s complicity in the deepening humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza.

Senator King, a centrist independent known for his measured tone, condemned Israel’s conduct in the ongoing war, calling the situation in Gaza “an affront to human decency.”

In a statement posted on his website, he specifically pointed to what he described as an apparent “deliberately-induced famine” affecting tens of thousands of starving children, stating unequivocally that “this can never be an acceptable military strategy.”

“I cannot defend the indefensible,” King said. “While clearly justified in responding to the horrific attack by Hamas on innocent Israeli citizens, that tragic event cannot in turn justify the enormous toll on Palestinian civilians caused by Israel’s relentless bombing campaign and its indifference to the current plight of those trapped in what’s left of Gaza.”

Although reaffirming his rejection of Hamas and its actions, King said the current moral burden rests squarely on Israel, which he accuses of totally failing to mitigate the crisis.

King’s statement marks a rare and bold break from decades of near-unanimous U.S. Congressional support for Israeli military actions. He announced he would no longer support U.S. aid to Israel unless “there is a demonstrable change in the direction of Israeli policy.”

“My litmus test will be simple: no aid of any kind as long as there are starving children in Gaza due to the action or inaction of the Israeli government,” he concluded.

The senator’s announcement comes amid as Gaza is being on the brink of full-scale famine, with aid access severely restricted and infrastructure devastated by months of Israeli bombardment and blockade.