Urgent Appeal to Rep. McGovern: Stop the US-Israeli Starvation of Gaza

On July 21, I and other constituents of Democratic U.S. Rep. James McGovern of Massachusetts who are active with three community organizations—River Valley for Palestine, Demilitarize Western Mass., and Leahy Fast for Palestine—sent an emergency email regarding the engineered starvation in Gaza to two staff members responsible for foreign policy issues in Mr. McGovern's Washington D.C. office. The full text of the letter is provided below. We received a response that did little more than list a few of Mr. McGovern's votes. It was Capitol Hill boilerplate.

Congress is due to begin its "summer recess" on July 25, though House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) may begin the break early to spare U.S. President Donald Trump further embarrassment regarding his involvement with Jeffrey Epstein, Ghislaine Maxwell, and fellow pedophiles. As Gaza enters what experts call the "Fifth Phase" (most acute and deadly) of the deliberate Israeli-U.S. designed starvation, and people collapse in the streets, members of Congress will hit U.S. beaches, campgrounds, and cookouts.

We urge all Common Dreams readers to immediately contact their members of Congress to demand that Congress remain in session throughout the summer and reverse all U.S. policies supporting Israel. (On July 18, Rep. McGovern voted AGAINST an amendment that would have prevented the provision of $500 million in weapons to Israel. This vote makes our member of Congress complicit in genocide.)

Open Letter to Staffers of U.S. Congressman James McGovern, 7/21/25:

Dear ---,

We are writing to you, with utmost urgency, as constituents of Rep. McGovern and as members of Northampton-based organizations: River Valley for Palestine, Demilitarize Western Mass., and Leahy Fast for Palestine. Mr. McGovern knows some of us on a first-name basis. Since October 7, 2023, we have been in steady contact with him and with [former senior staffer] regarding the genocide in Gaza.

We understand that [former senior staffer] has moved on, and that you are assuming her responsibilities covering foreign policy for the congressman. We wish you the very best and look forward to building a relationship with you.

In another email, we would like to address a number of issues about Israel-Palestine and provide some background about our efforts in communicating with Representative McGovern. But in this message, we are operating under an urgent need to get to the immediate point of the matter: Israel's deliberate, systematic policy of starvation of the entire 2-million-plus population of the Gaza Strip and U.S. collaboration in this horrific criminal enterprise.

We need Mr. McGovern to use his "bully pulpit" NOW, in 2025 and to bring equal passion and visibility to the desperate needs of the people of Gaza.

We're sure you're aware that the complete blockade of all goods and services entering the Gaza Strip has been enforced by the U.S.-supported Israel Defense Forces since March 2 of this year; that the population of Gaza had already been worn down by over a year and a half of partial blockade, heavy bombardment, etc, as well as years of blockade, deprivation, and warfare before that; that the U.S.-Israeli "Gaza Humanitarian Foundation" is a "mousetrap" whereby more than 1,000 Gazans have been gunned down and over 7,000 wounded in attempting to receive food aid at a few militarized sites in the far southwest corner of the territory; that United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), which had operated over 400 food-aid sites throughout the Gaza Strip, has been prohibited from operating for a long period of time; that nearly all food markets and community kitchens are now closed due to lack of food; that Israel and the U.S. have deliberately created a situation in which there are violent gangs, a black market, and astronomically high prices for the few available goods; that there is no fuel to run water desalination plants or for other critical needs; and that Israeli-U.S. policy has systematically and by design destroyed Gaza's healthcare system.

The resultant situation is predictable, indeed, planned: People are now dying in the streets, too weak to rise to their feet. As Alex de Waal, international famine expert, said on Democracy Now's program July 21, "There is no case since World War II of starvation that has been so minutely designed and controlled." United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food Michael Fakhri said in March of 2024 that in his expert opinion, "Israel's starvation of Gaza is genocide."

Are we expected to observe this genocide through starvation being conducted with our tax dollars, with our own government's full partnership, before our eyes, minute-to-minute, and do nothing?

Congressman McGovern is the founder and cochair of the House Hunger Caucus. He is cochair of the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission. We know of the congressman's commendable actions during the Darfur genocide when he was arrested three times protesting the crimes against humanity in western Sudan. We need Mr. McGovern to use his "bully pulpit" NOW, in 2025 and to bring equal passion and visibility to the desperate needs of the people of Gaza.

We ask that you convey to Congressman McGovern our immediate and urgent request that he speak on the House floor TOMORROW, in his capacities as cochair of the Hunger Caucus and Tom Lantos Commission, and demand: 1) that the U.S. government inform Israel that the blockade must end immediately; 2) that Gaza's borders and coastline must be opened immediately; 3) that all of the aid sitting at Gaza's borders must be allowed in immediately—UNDER UNRWA SUPERVISION AND AUSPICES; and 4) that the U.S. take the lead in shipping, via U.S. military cargo aircraft and naval vessels, food and other humanitarian provisions to the people of Gaza on an ongoing basis.

Vis-à-vis No. 4 above: To be clear—we are not asking Congressman McGovern to call for airdrops of food or humanitarian supplies by the U.S. or any country into Gaza. This is NOT the correct approach. The correct approach is permanently opening the borders of Gaza, allowing aid to enter via trucks. Aid should also be delivered via U.S. and E.U. navies at the Gaza coastline. All aid deliveries must be overseen by UNRWA, as previously.

Beyond this speech from the floor of the House, we ask that Congressman McGovern work assiduously and daily to use his public microphone, private powers of persuasion, and media contacts to get other members of Congress to join him in these demands, including exercising his right to employ nonviolent civil disobedience for the people of Gaza, as he so admirably did on behalf of the people of Darfur on three separate occasions in 2006, 2009, and 2012.

A final note: On July 19, 2024, the International Court of Justice issued a groundbreaking Advisory Opinion about Israel's illegal occupation of Gaza and all the Occupied Territories, and pointed out the legal jeopardy of governments, private organizations, and individuals in supporting Israel's actions or failing to take immediate steps to stop them, since they are in flagrant contravention of many international laws and norms. As you know, the U.S. is breaking many domestic laws in supporting Israel's genocide as well.

We would appreciate hearing from you on an emergency basis. Thank you.

Sincerely,

River Valley for Palestine