Global Ministries offers support for a resolution in Congress calling for the urgent delivery of humanitarian aid
Global Ministries of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and United Church of Christ has joined tens of religious and other civil society organizations in supporting House Resolution 473, a resolution which calls on the Trump Administration to use all diplomatic tools at its disposal to bring an end to the blockade of food and lifesaving humanitarian aid to address the needs of civilians in Gaza. The resolution was introduced on June 4 by U.S. Representatives Pramila Jayapal (WA-07), Jamie Raskin (MD-08), Bill Keating (MA-09), Valerie Foushee (NC-04), and Becca Balint (VT-AL). The full list of sponsors and organizational supporters can be viewed here, with the announcement of the resolution’s introduction.
The resolution:
- Recognizes the entire population of the Gaza Strip, an estimated 2,200,000 people, is facing acute levels of hunger;
- Expresses concern with the humanitarian crisis and suffering of the Palestinian civilians in Gaza; and the suffering of the hostages and hostage families; and
- Calls on the Trump Administration to use all available diplomatic tools to bring about the release of the hostages, an immediate cessation of the blockade on food and humanitarian aid for Palestinian civilians, and a durable end to the conflict in Gaza.
Despite the fact that Israel has begun allowing some food and medicine into the Gaza Strip after a nearly 2 1/2-month blockade on aid, United Nations agencies and aid groups, which ran out of food to distribute weeks ago, say the promised aid is nowhere near what’s needed.
This is a nearly identical companion resolution to Senate Resolution 224 that is supported by 45 Democrats in the Senate.