To: President Donald Trump, The United States House of Representatives, and The United States Senate

Stand With Ellison, Lee, and Davis: End #Gaza Blockade With Diplomacy

We urge you to make a public statement calling for an end to the blockade of Gaza.

Why is this important?

Three Members of Congress have publicly called for an end to the blockade of Gaza: Reps. Keith Ellison, Barbara Lee, and Danny Davis —and we want more Congressional representatives to to join them.

This is a critical moment. Israeli and Palestinian officials are scheduled to resume talks on Gaza at the end of October. Hamas has already agreed to hand control of the Gaza crossings to the Palestinian Authority. European countries are ready to help monitor the crossings. European donors want the blockade to be lifted with a diplomatic agreement before committing reconstruction aid, so they can be sure to get materials into Gaza in a timely way and so things they build won’t later be destroyed. The political and diplomatic situation is ripe to finally end the blockade with a diplomatic agreement.

Last month, beloved actor and social justice activist Danny Glover publicly called on Members of Congress to stand with Ellison and Lee in speaking out for an end to the blockade. [1] United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has said, “The blockade of Gaza must end; Israel’s legitimate security concerns must be addressed.” He has warned, “Any peace effort that does not tackle the root causes of the crisis will do little more than set the stage for the next cycle of violence.” [2]

Palestinian civilians in Gaza need and deserve to live a normal life: free to travel, free to work, free to study, free to trade. Urge your representatives in Congress to speak out now by signing and sharing our petition.

References:
1. http://www.justforeignpolicy.org/act/moc-end-blockade
2. http://www.nytimes.com/2014/08/27/world/middleeast/israel-gaza-strip-conflict.html