3rd Thursday Action Alert: Call on Congress to support the delivery of aid in Gaza and to hold Israel accountable for denying Palestinians food security
More than one month into the US-brokered ceasefire, Palestinians in Gaza have experienced very little relief beyond the welcome de-intensification of Israel’s two-year assault. Israel continues to kill Palestinians, militarily occupy more than half of Gaza, and control access for the delivery of essential and urgent nutritional and health-related supplies.
According to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, even as more aid is getting into Gaza and at least three crossing points are consistently open (with alternating schedules of operation), “stringent scanning procedures” have hindered the delivery of aid via the Ashdod Port, and access within Gaza is still a challenge with more than three-quarters of Gaza’s roads damaged or obstructed. The amount and quality of aid needed in Gaza remains high, and the free flow of such desperately needed provisions is necessary, especially as winter is coming. Just this past week, more than 13,000 households were affected by heavy rains and flooding, further impacting the trying conditions Palestinians in Gaza must face, such as “leaving households exposed to harsh weather, loss of belongings, and heightened protection and health risks, particularly for people with disabilities, older persons, and other vulnerable groups.”
In Gaza, as a result of the sustained Israeli military campaign, 86% of agricultural wells, more than 79% of greenhouses, and 87% of crop lands have been damaged, with only 4% of Gaza’s croplands undamaged or accessible. Such conditions – war and destruction, Israeli prevention of access, blockade, and occupation – mean that the people of Gaza rely and are dependent upon access to food via humanitarian delivery and imports, subject to Israeli controls, instead of developing an economy that can provide more for itself.
Conditions in the West Bank have deteriorated further as well, with settler attacks on Palestinians reaching record highs in October and the Israeli government not addressing such violence. Palestinians have felt this violence to be especially pronounced during this fall’s olive harvest season, reducing economic viability of the harvest, on which many Palestinian farmers depend.
In this season of Thanksgiving, when many US families enjoy a bounteous meal, take a moment to remember those Palestinians, including children, who do not have access to basic nutritional needs let alone food security, and contact your elected Senators and Congressional representative to support urgent humanitarian aid in Gaza (S.Res.224, H.Res.473), and to urge them to look beyond basic needs to support for a long-term viable economy for Palestinians that includes food security without restrictions imposed by, or dependence on, Israeli policies and practices.
[You may also wish to join the “Let the Children Live” campaign this season. More information is available here. The campaign encourages us to remember, “More than two million children live under brutal oppression in Gaza and the West Bank. Their lives are too often reduced to statistics. But Jesus reminds us: Every child is beloved by God.”]
Sample letter:
Dear Senator,
Dear Rep. ____,
More than one month into the US-brokered ceasefire, Palestinians in Gaza have experienced very little relief beyond the welcome de-intensification of Israel’s two-year assault. Israel continues to kill Palestinians, militarily occupy more than half of Gaza, and control access for the delivery of essential and urgent nutritional and health-related supplies.
In Gaza, as a result of the sustained Israeli military campaign, 86% of agricultural wells, more than 79% of greenhouses, and 87% of crop lands have been damaged, with only 4% of Gaza’s croplands undamaged or accessible. Such conditions – war and destruction, Israeli prevention of access, blockade, and occupation – mean that the people of Gaza rely and are dependent upon access to food via humanitarian delivery and imports, subject to Israeli controls, instead of developing an economy that can provide more for itself.
Conditions in the West Bank have deteriorated further as well, with settler attacks on Palestinians reaching record highs in October .
As a person of faith, I write in this season of Thanksgiving, when many US families enjoy a bounteous meal, conscious of Palestinians who do not have access to basic nutritional needs let alone food security. I urge you to support the resolution that calls for urgent Gaza humanitarian aid (S.Res.224, H.Res.473), and that you work to support a long-term viable economy for Palestinians that includes food security without restrictions imposed by, or dependence on, Israeli policies and practices.
Sincerely,