SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
Can Congress Speak Out Against Gaza Violence? Yes, They Can!
Jan 07, 2009
If you're a Member of Congress, and your name doesn't happen to be
Dennis J. Kucinich, can you still speak out in opposition to the
carnage that President Bush and Secretary of State Rice are actively
promoting in Gaza?
Yes, you can!
There are two key issues. Should the U.S. support an immediate
ceasefire (international opinion) or should the U.S. insist
that the violence continue (Bush Administration position.) Should the
blockade on Gaza end (international opinion) or
should it continue (Bush Administration position.) Of course,
the blockade is also an act of war.
J Street reports
(emphasis mine):
Congresswoman Donna F. Edwards (Jan. 2): "the United States must work
actively for an immediate ceasefire that ends the
violence, stops the rockets, and removes the blockade of
Gaza."
Congressman Joe Sestak (Jan. 2):
"...beginning with bringing a swift end to this
ongoing conflict..."
Congresswoman Lois Capps (Dec. 29):
"...the current military operation in Gaza represents a vastly
disproportionate response that will further destabilize the
region... The numbers of dead and injured in Gaza, and the televised
images of the humanitarian crisis now unfolding are truly shocking...
I believe an immediate ceasefire is necessary."
Congressman Earl Blumenauer (Dec. 30):
"I was particularly discouraged that the U.S. did not try to broker an
extension of the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas
or improve the humanitarian situation on the ground... I strongly urge
all parties to usher in the New Year with a renewed
ceasefire agreement."
Congresswoman Betty McCollum (Dec. 31):
"The time has come for both sides to end the rockets, end the
bombings, and end the restrictions on food, medicine and
fuel - all of which inflict intolerable harm on innocent
civilians on both sides."
Congressman Keith Ellison (Dec. 31):
"I believe the following actions must be taken at
once... restore the ceasefire... The
Israeli and Egyptian borders must be opened at once to allow the
innocent civilians caught in this violence to seek refuge, and for the
flow of food, water and medical supplies into Gaza.... I
agree with those who demand strict observance of international
humanitarian law, which must be observed immediately and
without exception."
What about Dennis J. Kucinich? Dec. 29:
"The attacks on civilians represent collective
punishment, which is a violation of Article 33 of the Fourth
Geneva Convention... Israel is leveling Gaza to strike at Hamas, just
as they pulverized south Lebanon to strike at Hezbollah. Yet in both
cases civilian populations were attacked, countless innocents killed
or injured, infrastructure targeted and destroyed, and civil law
enforcement negated. All this was, and is, disproportionate,
indiscriminate mass violence in violation of international
law... The attack aggravated a humanitarian
crisis wrought by the Israeli-imposed
blockade of food, fuel, and medical supplies."
Can Congress speak out against the Gaza violence? Yes, they can!
But Brit Tzedek v'Shalom reports that AIPAC is preparing a
Congressional resolution that would endorse the continuation of the
Israeli assault. Don't whine that Congress is "Israeli-occupied
territory" if you haven't exerted the minimal effort to ask Congress
to behave differently. You can do so in 5 seconds here.
An Urgent Message From Our Co-Founder
Dear Common Dreams reader, It’s been nearly 30 years since I co-founded Common Dreams with my late wife, Lina Newhouser. We had the radical notion that journalism should serve the public good, not corporate profits. It was clear to us from the outset what it would take to build such a project. No paid advertisements. No corporate sponsors. No millionaire publisher telling us what to think or do. Many people said we wouldn't last a year, but we proved those doubters wrong. Together with a tremendous team of journalists and dedicated staff, we built an independent media outlet free from the constraints of profits and corporate control. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. Building Common Dreams was not easy. Our survival was never guaranteed. When you take on the most powerful forces—Wall Street greed, fossil fuel industry destruction, Big Tech lobbyists, and uber-rich oligarchs who have spent billions upon billions rigging the economy and democracy in their favor—the only bulwark you have is supporters who believe in your work. But here’s the urgent message from me today. It's never been this bad out there. And it's never been this hard to keep us going. At the very moment Common Dreams is most needed, the threats we face are intensifying. We need your support now more than ever. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. When everyone does the little they can afford, we are strong. But if that support retreats or dries up, so do we. Will you donate now to make sure Common Dreams not only survives but thrives? —Craig Brown, Co-founder |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
Robert Naiman
Robert Naiman is Policy Director at Just Foreign Policy. Naiman has worked as a policy analyst and researcher at the Center for Economic and Policy Research and Public Citizen's Global Trade Watch. He has masters degrees in economics and mathematics from the University of Illinois and has studied and worked in the Middle East.
If you're a Member of Congress, and your name doesn't happen to be
Dennis J. Kucinich, can you still speak out in opposition to the
carnage that President Bush and Secretary of State Rice are actively
promoting in Gaza?
Yes, you can!
There are two key issues. Should the U.S. support an immediate
ceasefire (international opinion) or should the U.S. insist
that the violence continue (Bush Administration position.) Should the
blockade on Gaza end (international opinion) or
should it continue (Bush Administration position.) Of course,
the blockade is also an act of war.
J Street reports
(emphasis mine):
Congresswoman Donna F. Edwards (Jan. 2): "the United States must work
actively for an immediate ceasefire that ends the
violence, stops the rockets, and removes the blockade of
Gaza."
Congressman Joe Sestak (Jan. 2):
"...beginning with bringing a swift end to this
ongoing conflict..."
Congresswoman Lois Capps (Dec. 29):
"...the current military operation in Gaza represents a vastly
disproportionate response that will further destabilize the
region... The numbers of dead and injured in Gaza, and the televised
images of the humanitarian crisis now unfolding are truly shocking...
I believe an immediate ceasefire is necessary."
Congressman Earl Blumenauer (Dec. 30):
"I was particularly discouraged that the U.S. did not try to broker an
extension of the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas
or improve the humanitarian situation on the ground... I strongly urge
all parties to usher in the New Year with a renewed
ceasefire agreement."
Congresswoman Betty McCollum (Dec. 31):
"The time has come for both sides to end the rockets, end the
bombings, and end the restrictions on food, medicine and
fuel - all of which inflict intolerable harm on innocent
civilians on both sides."
Congressman Keith Ellison (Dec. 31):
"I believe the following actions must be taken at
once... restore the ceasefire... The
Israeli and Egyptian borders must be opened at once to allow the
innocent civilians caught in this violence to seek refuge, and for the
flow of food, water and medical supplies into Gaza.... I
agree with those who demand strict observance of international
humanitarian law, which must be observed immediately and
without exception."
What about Dennis J. Kucinich? Dec. 29:
"The attacks on civilians represent collective
punishment, which is a violation of Article 33 of the Fourth
Geneva Convention... Israel is leveling Gaza to strike at Hamas, just
as they pulverized south Lebanon to strike at Hezbollah. Yet in both
cases civilian populations were attacked, countless innocents killed
or injured, infrastructure targeted and destroyed, and civil law
enforcement negated. All this was, and is, disproportionate,
indiscriminate mass violence in violation of international
law... The attack aggravated a humanitarian
crisis wrought by the Israeli-imposed
blockade of food, fuel, and medical supplies."
Can Congress speak out against the Gaza violence? Yes, they can!
But Brit Tzedek v'Shalom reports that AIPAC is preparing a
Congressional resolution that would endorse the continuation of the
Israeli assault. Don't whine that Congress is "Israeli-occupied
territory" if you haven't exerted the minimal effort to ask Congress
to behave differently. You can do so in 5 seconds here.
Robert Naiman
Robert Naiman is Policy Director at Just Foreign Policy. Naiman has worked as a policy analyst and researcher at the Center for Economic and Policy Research and Public Citizen's Global Trade Watch. He has masters degrees in economics and mathematics from the University of Illinois and has studied and worked in the Middle East.
If you're a Member of Congress, and your name doesn't happen to be
Dennis J. Kucinich, can you still speak out in opposition to the
carnage that President Bush and Secretary of State Rice are actively
promoting in Gaza?
Yes, you can!
There are two key issues. Should the U.S. support an immediate
ceasefire (international opinion) or should the U.S. insist
that the violence continue (Bush Administration position.) Should the
blockade on Gaza end (international opinion) or
should it continue (Bush Administration position.) Of course,
the blockade is also an act of war.
J Street reports
(emphasis mine):
Congresswoman Donna F. Edwards (Jan. 2): "the United States must work
actively for an immediate ceasefire that ends the
violence, stops the rockets, and removes the blockade of
Gaza."
Congressman Joe Sestak (Jan. 2):
"...beginning with bringing a swift end to this
ongoing conflict..."
Congresswoman Lois Capps (Dec. 29):
"...the current military operation in Gaza represents a vastly
disproportionate response that will further destabilize the
region... The numbers of dead and injured in Gaza, and the televised
images of the humanitarian crisis now unfolding are truly shocking...
I believe an immediate ceasefire is necessary."
Congressman Earl Blumenauer (Dec. 30):
"I was particularly discouraged that the U.S. did not try to broker an
extension of the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas
or improve the humanitarian situation on the ground... I strongly urge
all parties to usher in the New Year with a renewed
ceasefire agreement."
Congresswoman Betty McCollum (Dec. 31):
"The time has come for both sides to end the rockets, end the
bombings, and end the restrictions on food, medicine and
fuel - all of which inflict intolerable harm on innocent
civilians on both sides."
Congressman Keith Ellison (Dec. 31):
"I believe the following actions must be taken at
once... restore the ceasefire... The
Israeli and Egyptian borders must be opened at once to allow the
innocent civilians caught in this violence to seek refuge, and for the
flow of food, water and medical supplies into Gaza.... I
agree with those who demand strict observance of international
humanitarian law, which must be observed immediately and
without exception."
What about Dennis J. Kucinich? Dec. 29:
"The attacks on civilians represent collective
punishment, which is a violation of Article 33 of the Fourth
Geneva Convention... Israel is leveling Gaza to strike at Hamas, just
as they pulverized south Lebanon to strike at Hezbollah. Yet in both
cases civilian populations were attacked, countless innocents killed
or injured, infrastructure targeted and destroyed, and civil law
enforcement negated. All this was, and is, disproportionate,
indiscriminate mass violence in violation of international
law... The attack aggravated a humanitarian
crisis wrought by the Israeli-imposed
blockade of food, fuel, and medical supplies."
Can Congress speak out against the Gaza violence? Yes, they can!
But Brit Tzedek v'Shalom reports that AIPAC is preparing a
Congressional resolution that would endorse the continuation of the
Israeli assault. Don't whine that Congress is "Israeli-occupied
territory" if you haven't exerted the minimal effort to ask Congress
to behave differently. You can do so in 5 seconds here.
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.
To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good.
News & Opinion
Trending
Common Dreams, Inc. Founded 1997. Registered 501(c3) Non-Profit
Privacy Policy