Fifty-four members of the U.S. Congress have signed a letter asking President Obama to press Israel to ease the blockade of the Gaza Strip. The letter was initiated by Representatives Jim McDermott of Washington and Keith Ellison of Minnesota. McDermott and Ellison, both Democrats, wrote that they understand the threats facing Israel from the ongoing Hamas terror activities against Israeli citizens but that “this concern must be addressed without resulting in the de facto collective punishment of the Palestinian residents of the Gaza Strip.... We ask you to press for immediate relief for the citizens of Gaza as an urgent component of your broader Middle East peace efforts.” They added that the blockade has hampered the ability of aid agencies to do their work in Gaza.
Congress Members Urge End to Blockade
Show Comments (
)
Comments are automatically closed two weeks after an article's initial publication. See our comments policy for more.
The latest from america
In Los Angeles, people stay for the movie credits. After the awful images of these fires are gone, they will stay to rebuild their city, too.
Catholic Charities USA is now accepting donations to its Los Angeles Wildfire Relief initiative, and the L.A. archdiocese has created a dedicated relief fund.
Warning of “the increasingly concrete threat of a world war,” Pope Francis called for “the diplomacy of hope” in his address to the ambassadors of the 184 countries that have diplomatic relations with the Holy See.
Pope Francis has appointed Cardinal Robert McElroy as Archbishop of Washington, D.C., and Sister Simona Brambilla, an Italian Consolata missionary, as prefect of the Dicastery for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life.