[Peace-discuss] Chicago Rep. Danny Davis joins the A team on ending Gaza blockade now!

[Robert Naiman via Peace-discuss]

That makes 3 by my count: Keith Ellison, Barbara Lee, Danny Davis.

http://www.suntimes.com/opinions/letters/29762211-474/letter-writers-logic-offbase-on-births-out-of-wedlock.html#.VBBfGmPQorY
<http://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.suntimes.com%2Fopinions%2Fletters%2F29762211-474%2Fletter-writers-logic-offbase-on-births-out-of-wedlock.html%23.VBBfGmPQorY&h=HAQGqPRem&enc=AZOnXKstTFgmaMvmbY0tbjKO6Tm1_G_d7ZPctDe7uPuB_jwoUl2AysylinDQ3lQ6JjBcEvT_dq02sZc9KC45066gGwCJPQZDEl9dYp6eyN4S_qr5h_PZu7azGuHUxU25HQ49RhsbB3X8gZ2LImqw3Zn4&s=1>
(2nd letter down):

Blockade of Gaza must be lifted

The cease-fire between the Israeli and Palestinian forces seems to be
holding . . . for the time being. That is a very good thing, but it is
clear that the cease-fire itself is not a blueprint for a sustainable
peace. If there is to be a sustainable peace, and there must be one, then
the process must move forward, in the first place by the parties
themselves. The more time passes, the more likely that hostilities will
re-emerge.

There are so many tragedies and horrors in this conflict that it is
difficult to single out one or even two or three for urgent attention;
nevertheless, it is impossible to ignore the fact that this conflict is so
costly, so painful, so inhumane for civilians, for non-combatants. The
rocket fire, the shelling, the bombs and missiles have stopped for now, but
for the people of Gaza, 50 percent of whom are under the age of 18, 70
percent of whom are women and children and 80 percent of whom live below
the poverty line according to the U.N. Relief and Works Agency, daily life
conditions are intolerable due, in the first place, to the ongoing blockade.

There is an urgent need to lift the blockade, to restore free movement of
people and goods to and from Gaza through Israel, Egypt and the sea. As a
part of the cease-fire Israel did, in fact, agree to an opening of the Gaza
crossings and an expansion of the fishing zone.

This is the right thing to do for urgent humanitarian reasons, but it is
also a critical step in moving the peace talks forward. The blockade only
feeds and encourages the movement of goods and people via tunnels and other
means dominated by military forces while suppressing the growth of normal
civilian institutions and activity so critical to democracy and
sustainability. The international community can play an important role in
facilitating the transparent, expedited, movement of goods and people.

The crushing blockade of Gaza has lasted more than seven years. Now would
be a good time, the right time, to end the blockade.
Danny K. Davis,
U.S. representative, 7th District

===

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