Jewish lawmakers urge Biden to be more involved in deescalating Israel-Palestine conflict
A group of Jewish House Democrats
New York Rep. Jerry Nadler and 11 co-signers sent a letter to Biden on Friday urging the administration to work toward an “immediate ceasefire and lead efforts to facilitate de-escalation.”
They condemned the “abhorrent rocket attacked” from Hamas, a U.S.-designated foreign terrorist organization that operates in Gaza, and “other terrorist groups,” but they noted that they’re “horrified by the loss of dozens of Palestinian civilian lives in Gaza.”
The fighting intensified over the past week with rocket fire, even though the friction had been building up for weeks.
Since the escalation of tension between the two sides, 139 people, 39 of them children, were killed during Israeli airstrikes, the Gaza Health Ministry said, according to the New York Times, though the numbers couldn’t be independently verified. Seven Israelis have been killed as well, including one child.
Hamas launched about 2,300 rockets from Gaza over the past week, though about 1,000 of them were intercepted by Israel’s missile defense system known as the Iron Dome, Reuters reported. About 380 rockets failed and detonated inside the Gaza Strip.
Prior to the exchange of rocket fire, protests occurred over Israeli officials’ attempt to evict a handful of Palestinian families from their homes in East Jerusalem.
“We also remain deeply concerned by the violence in Jerusalem, including Israeli police violence, which preceded these attacks. We urge all parties to exercise restraint and encourage the Israeli. Government to permanently halt the unjust eviction of Palestinian families from their homes in East Jerusalem,” the lawmakers wrote.
The other lawmakers who signed the letter are Reps. Jamie Raskin, Jan Schakowsky, Suzanne Bonamici, David Cicilline, Kim Schier, Sara Jacobs, Steve Cohen, Dean Philips, Alan Lowenthal, Andy Levin, and John Yarmuth.
Biden spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Saturday and “reaffirmed his strong support for Israel’s right to defend itself against rocket attacks,” but he noted that “this current period of conflict has tragically claimed the lives of Israeli and Palestinian civilians, including children,” according to a readout of the call from the White House.
“They discussed the current tensions in Jerusalem and expressed their shared desire for Jerusalem to be a place of peaceful coexistence for people of all faiths and backgrounds. The President voiced his concern about violent confrontations in the West Bank,” the readout added. “He expressed his support for steps to enable the Palestinian people to enjoy the dignity, security, freedom, and economic opportunity that they deserve and affirmed his support for a two-state solution.”
The president also spoke with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas to discuss the escalating tension.
They spoke about “their shared desire for Jerusalem to be a place of peaceful coexistence for people of all faiths and backgrounds,” according to a readout of that call.
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Source: By Mike Brest | The Washington Examiner