[Peace-discuss] Rep. Keith Ellison: End the Gaza blockade to achieve peace

Fri Aug 1 14:12:42 EDT 2014

you'll have to forward it, if you want, I'm not on all those lists.

http://ellison.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/rep-ellison-statement-on-passage-of-resolution-condemning-hamas-and-the

===

Robert Naiman
Policy Director
Just Foreign Policy
www.justforeignpolicy.org
naiman at justforeignpolicy.org
(202) 448-2898 x1

On Fri, Aug 1, 2014 at 12:58 PM, C. G. Estabrook <carl at newsfromneptune.com>
wrote:

> Would you post Ellison's statement?
>
>
> On Aug 1, 2014, at 12:47 PM, Robert Naiman via Peace-discuss <
> peace-discuss at lists.chambana.net> wrote:
>
> The resolution passed by voice vote. The progressive wing of the
> progressive caucus decided not to fight it on the grounds that it was going
> to pass overwhelmingly no matter what they did and putting up a quixotic
> struggle against it would only draw more attention to it. That's how they
> generally view such things.
>
> Ellison put out a statement attacking the resolution.
>
> Right now we are trying to get more Members of Congress to join Ellison in
> publicly calling for an end to the blockade.
>
>
>
> Robert Naiman
> Policy Director
> Just Foreign Policy
> www.justforeignpolicy.org
> naiman at justforeignpolicy.org
> (202) 448-2898 x1
>
>
> On Fri, Aug 1, 2014 at 12:19 PM, C. G. Estabrook <carl at newsfromneptune.com
> > wrote:
>
>> It seems that even Rep. Ellison joined the unanimous vote in the House of
>> Representatives to support a resolution reaffirming full U.S. support for
>> Israel’s “defense of its citizens” and condemning Palestinian “unprovoked
>> rocket fire”.
>>
>> Meanwhile State Secretary John Kerry is said to work assiduously to
>> arrange a cease-fire - while in fact the Obama administration resupplies
>> Israel with ammunition for what it's expended killing people in Gaza.
>> Naturally the US would like to have the fighting stop - it's an
>> embarrassment - but not unless "the croppies lie down," as the Irish say.
>>
>> The child-killer in the White House could of course order the Israelis to
>> stop the massacre, with a serious threat of cutting off military and
>> economic aid. But the value of Israel as an agent and ally of US imperial
>> policies in the Mideast and elsewhere outweighs many more deaths in the
>> Mideast, with which Obama has shown himself to be perfectly complacent.
>>
>>
>> On Jul 30, 2014, at 1:53 PM, Robert Naiman via Peace-discuss <
>> peace-discuss at lists.chambana.net> wrote:
>>
>> Please help spread this all around. It doesn't matter if you don't think
>> it's perfect; spreading it around doesn't mean you agree with every word.
>> What matters is that we don't have anything else like this in mainstream
>> U.S. political discourse. Rep. Ellison has moved the ball. Rally around
>> him!
>>
>>
>> http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/keith-ellison-end-the-gaza-blockade-to-achieve-peace/2014/07/29/e5e707c4-16a1-11e4-85b6-c1451e622637_story.html
>>
>> By Keith Ellison July 29
>>
>> Keith Ellison, a Democrat, represents Minnesota’s 5th District in the
>> House of Representatives.
>>
>> It seems as though each day brings new horrors and heartbreaks in the
>> Holy Land. More than 1,000 dead. Gazan children blown up on the beach. A
>> U.N. shelter hit. Two-thirds of Israelis living in fear from indiscriminate
>> rocket fire launched by Hamas. But as the calls for a cease-fire gain
>> momentum, it is important to understand that many Gazans who have no
>> association with Hamas view the return to the way things were as
>> unacceptable.
>>
>> These people aren’t rocket shooters or combatants. For the past several
>> years they have lived in dreadful isolation. The status quo for ordinary
>> Gazans is a continuation of no jobs and no freedom. This is not an
>> attractive future. Gazans want and deserve the dignity of economic
>> opportunity and freedom to move. This can be accomplished only with an end
>> to the blockade of the Gaza Strip, which must be considered within the
>> framework of a cease-fire. Israelis likewise deserve to live free of rocket
>> fire and terror attacks. In order for Israelis to live safely and securely
>> in their homes, Hamas must give up its rockets and other weapons.
>>
>> I have traveled to Gaza three times since 2009 and have visited hospitals
>> and schools there. As I have talked with ordinary Gazans, I have not
>> encountered anyone representing Hamas. During one visit, I had the
>> opportunity to meet Scott Anderson, deputy director of the U.N. Relief and
>> Works Agency (UNRWA). Anderson, a 21-year veteran of the U.S. Army, said it
>> best when I spoke to him again this week: “Unless there is material change
>> to the status quo, you’re just resetting the clock for another cycle of
>> violence.” Continuing to block goods and services to and from Gaza keeps
>> the keys to opportunity away from the people who just want to live, work
>> and travel.
>>
>> The vast majority of Gazans do not support firing rockets into Israel or
>> killing Israelis. In fact, the majority of people in Gaza are women and
>> children. During my first visit to the region, this fact was clear: There
>> were kids everywhere. This week, I also spoke with Yousef Moussa, chief
>> area operations officer at the UNRWA office in Rafah. He puts this
>> observation in context, noting, “50 percent of Gazans are under the age of
>> 18. Seventy percent of Gazans are women and children. 80 percent of Gazans
>> live below the poverty line. Relatively few Gazans are associated with
>> Hamas.”
>>
>> So how can the international community support those Gazans who don’t
>> support indiscriminate rocket fire? We could take steps to allow for the
>> safe flow of goods and services into Gaza and the export of goods and
>> services to neighboring countries. We could advocate for Gazans to have
>> freedom of movement. Now, if you’re a Gazan traveling in the West Bank, the
>> Israeli military can forcibly return you to Gaza. Being able to import
>> goods such as food, fuel and medicine would mean that Gazans would not be
>> forced to buy necessities from a tunnel economy controlled by extremists.
>> International actors should be involved in the process to address Israel’s
>> security concerns about lifting the blockade.
>>
>> The blockade prevents development in Gaza. Egypt and Israel argue that
>> the blockade is designed to cut off resources from terrorists, but really
>> it has brought those who want a better life to their knees while the bad
>> actors still have their rockets. Before the blockade, the United Nations
>> provided food to 80,000 in Gaza; today it provides food to 830,000 .
>>
>> Israel and Egypt also view the blockade as a success because it pushed
>> Hamas into a financial crisis. This is short-term thinking. It ignores the
>> fact that the economic devastation from the blockade weakens the public and
>> private sectors in Gaza and strengthens extremists and smuggling
>> enterprises. Repression and deprivation fuel terrorism; economic
>> development and inclusion can fuel long-term peace.
>>
>> A viable path beyond the current crisis would empower Gazans and weaken
>> extremists who benefit from their suffering. The international community,
>> especially nations in the region, should help Gazans rebuild their
>> demolished homes and businesses. But who will invest if war will
>> predictably break out every two years?
>>
>> There is no military solution to this conflict. The status quo brings
>> only continued pain, suffering and war. Promoting economic development and
>> social interaction in Gaza is in the long-term security interest of Israel
>> and the rest of the region. The relative calm that existed during Secretary
>> of State John Kerry’s extended diplomatic talks between Israel and the
>> Palestinians during 2013-14 shows that engaging in dialogue is the first
>> step toward stopping the violence.
>>
>> Ultimately, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict must be resolved with a
>> final status agreement, and ending the violence and the blockade is a first
>> step toward a permanent solution.
>>
>> ===
>>
>> Robert Naiman
>> Policy Director
>> Just Foreign Policy
>> www.justforeignpolicy.org
>> naiman at justforeignpolicy.org
>> (202) 448-2898 x1
>>
>>
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>>
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