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AOC leads Democrats urging Biden to call for Gaza ceasefire over children’s rights [1]
['David Smith']
Date: 2023-11-15
Twenty-four Democrats in Congress have urged Joe Biden to end “grave violations of children’s rights” by pushing for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza.
In a letter to the US president seen by the Guardian, representatives led by Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, Mark Pocan of Wisconsin and Betty McCollum of Minnesota say at least 4,500 children have been killed and at least 1,700 reported missing during Israel’s withering offensive.
“We write to you to express deep concern about the intensifying war in Gaza, particularly grave violations against children, and our fear that without an immediate cessation of hostilities and the establishment of a robust bilateral ceasefire, this war will lead to a further loss of civilian life and risk dragging the United States into dangerous and unwise conflict with armed groups across the Middle East,” the letter begins. “Further, we write urging clarity on your strategic objectives for achieving de-escalation and stability in the region.”
It is co-signed by congressmen and women including Jamaal Bowman, Cori Bush, Joaquin Castro, Pramila Jayapal, Barbara Lee, Summer Lee, Ilhan Omar, Ayanna Pressley and Rashida Tlaib. Notable among the signatories are Raúl Grijalva and Mary Gay Scanlon, who have neither previously called for a ceasefire nor signed on to a recent ceasefire resolution in the House of Representatives.
Displaced Palestinians arrive in a safer zone south of Gaza City on 12 November. Photograph: Mahmud Hams/AFP/Getty Images
Biden has been unwavering in his support for Israel since Hamas’s terrorist attack on 7 October killed more than 1,200 Israelis and foreign nationals. But as the death toll in Gaza mounts the president, under pressure from his left flank, is now asking the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, to restrain some tactics to ease civilian suffering.
Last week Israel agreed to put in place four-hour daily humanitarian pauses in its assault on Hamas in northern Gaza but so far the White House has resisted demands for a ceasefire, contending that it would give Hamas time to regroup. John Kirby, a spokesperson for the national security council, told reporters on Tuesday: “I want to be clear, when we’re talking ceasefire versus pause, there’s a difference. So, we don’t support a ceasefire. We think that’s going to benefit Hamas.”
The issue has also divided Democrats in Washington, where the Senate majority leader, Chuck Schumer, and the House Democratic leader, Hakeem Jeffries, joined a “March for Israel” on the National Mall on Tuesday.
Wednesday’s letter reaffirms the 24 members’ “unequivocal condemnation” of the attacks on Israel on 7 October and notes that Israeli authorities so far have confirmed the identities of 516 civilians killed, including 31 children, and at least 20 children who have been abducted by Palestinian armed groups.
But the signatories say they have “dire concerns” about the scale and scope of Israel’s response in which the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) have now killed more than 11,078 Palestinians, nearly half of whom were children.
Citing UN figures, the letter says at least 4,500 children have died and at least 7,695 have sustained injuries in Gaza over the past 30 days. In addition, about 3,250 Palestinians in Gaza, including at least 1,700 children, have been reported missing and are presumed to be trapped or dead under the rubble, awaiting rescue or recovery. And during the same period Israeli forces or settlers have killed 51 Palestinian children in the occupied West Bank.
“We are profoundly shocked by the grave violations of children’s rights in the context of armed conflict in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territory,” the members write. “International norms require that all parties to an armed conflict protect children and prevent the commission of grave violations against them, including killing and maiming, attacks on schools and hospitals, recruitment and use of children, abduction of children, and denial of humanitarian access.”
The letter notes that nearly half the 2.2 million Palestinians living in Gaza are children. They are imperiled by Israeli airstrikes on residential buildings and civilian infrastructure as well as Israel’s restrictions on food, water, fuel and other humanitarian assistance.
Internally displaced Palestinian children light a fire to boil a kettle after overnight rainstorms in Khan Younis, in the southern Gaza Strip on 15 November. Photograph: Mahmud Hams/AFP/Getty Images
The letter also commends White House efforts to expand humanitarian supplies but warns that these have had limited impact on the ground and risks undermining US credibility in the region. “We urge an immediate cessation of hostilities in order to stop the bombing and provide much-needed relief to Palestinian civilians.”
The members welcome Biden’s past remarks acknowledging US mistakes in the aftermath of the 11 September 2001 terrorist attacks on New York and Washington DC and thank him for calling for a humanitarian pause for the sake of aid and diplomacy.
“However, given the present lack of an apparent and clear strategic plan, we encourage a redoubling of efforts to achieve rapid de-escalation through a ceasefire and robust, regional engagement that includes international humanitarian organizations.
“We understand that the Administration has serious concerns regarding the objectives and consequences of a large-scale ground offensive, and we urge you to press this case directly.”
The letter is endorsed by organisations including MoveOn, Amnesty International, Center for Jewish Nonviolence, Churches for Middle East Peace, Oxfam America, Working Families Party, the Institute for Policy Studies’ New Internationalism Project and Jewish Voice for Peace Action.
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[1] Url:
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/nov/15/democrats-biden-israel-ceasefire-letter-childrens-rights
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