"All of the people of the Holy Land need to live in peace and security. We need to support and elect candidates that are willing to stand up for the rights of the citizens of Israel and Palestine. These candidates support measures to stop violence, increase economic and humanitarian aid, actively engage in negotiation, and promote co-existence among these two Peoples." - A Dream of Peace: Justice and Equality For The People Of Israel And Palestine ActBlue fundraising page
Today, Congressman John Olver (MA-01) sent a "Dear Colleague" letter to Secretary Of State Hillary Clinton requesting that the State Department release funds to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) for reconstuction and humanitarian assistance in Gaza. The letter was signed by a total of 60 Democratic House members. The text of the letter can be found in this TPM article
The list of the signatories inlcudes:
John Olver (MA-01) David Price (NC-04) Lois Capps (CA-23)
Keith Ellison (MN-05) Sam Farr (CA-17) Maurice Hinchey (NY-22)
Barbara Lee (CA-09) Jim Moran (VA-08) Earl Blumenauer (OR-03)
Lloyd Doggett (TX- 25) James McGovern (MA-03) Gwen Moore (WI-04)
Jim McDermott (WA-07) Raul Grijalva (AZ-07) Pete Stark (CA-13)
Michael Capuano (MA-08)Peter Welch (VT-AL) Dennis Kucinich (OH-10)
Donald Payne (NJ-10) Lynn Woolsey (CA-06) John Dingell (MI-15)
Maxine Waters (CA-35) Diane Watson (CA-33) Andre Carson (IN-07)
Donna Edwards (MD-04) John Lewis (GA-05) Carolyn Kilpatrick (MI-13)
Glenn Nye (VA-02) Henry Johnson (GA-04) Joe Sestak (PA-07)
Bob Filner (CA-51) Stephen Lynch (MA-09) John Tierney (MA-06)
Rush Holt (NJ-12) Betty McCollum (MN-04) George Miller (CA-07)
Nick Rahall (WV-03) Yvette Clarke (NY-11) William Delahunt (MA-10)
Loretta Sanchez (CA-47)Rosa Delauro (CT-03) Mike Thompson (CA-01)
Brian Baird (WA-03) Peter Defazio (OR04) Christopher Murphy (CT-05)
Mary Jo Kilroy (OH-15) Thomas Perriello(VA-05)John Conyers, Jr. (MI-14)
Neil Abercrombie(HI-01)Gerald Connolly (VA-01)Earl Pomeroy (ND-AL)
Anna Eshoo (CA-14) Jackie Speier (CA-12) Michael Honda (CA-15)
John Yarmuth (KY-03) Bruce Braley (IA-01) Tammy Baldwin (WI-02)
James Oberstar (MN-08) Eric Massa (NY-29) Michael Michaud (ME-02)
Besides the large number of signatories, one of the more positive aspects of this letter is the inclusion of many first year members. These include Reps. Nye, Murphy, Kilroy, Perriello, Connolly, and Massa.
These Congressmembers are all strong supporters of both the Israeli and Palestinian peoples. They are speaking out to help lessen the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and to commend President Obama on his early committment to the peace process in the Holy Land. We need to help these candidates as they face pressure from the anti-peace community. Please visit our fundraising page and contribute to any (or all) of our candidates.
In peace.