January 27, 2010

Congressman Keith Ellison

The Muslim Public Affairs Council today applauded 54 members of Congress who signed a letter to President Obama asking his Administration to lift the blockade on Gaza.

SEE: "Ellison, McCollum and Oberstar Urge Obama to Lift Gaza Blockade" (Minnesota Independent)

Led by Congressmen Keith Ellison (D-MN) and Jim McDermott (D-WA), the letter to the President reads in part, "The unabated suffering of Gazan civilians highlights the urgency of reaching a resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and we ask you to press for immediate relief for the citizens of Gaza as an urgent component of your broader Middle East peace efforts."

"Ending the situation in Gaza is absolutely necessary to achieving a sustainable Mideast peace," Executive Director Salam Al-Marayati. "We recognize and applaud these elected officials for seeking to end the ongoing humanitarian crisis. We must continue to support our elected officials who uphold the human rights of the Palestinian people and hold those officials accountable who do not uphold those rights."

MPAC today also released a white paper "One Year After 'Operation Cast Lead': No Change, No Accountability" examining the devastation caused by Israel's 22-day military assault code-named Operation Cast Lead. In the year that has passed, the people of Gaza have remained under a suffocating economic siege, their movement has been further restricted, virtually no re-building has taken place, and their humanitarian crisis has further expanded. The impediment of humanitarian aid by both Egypt and Israel is only aggravating the dire conditions under which people are living.

REQUESTED ACTIONS:

1. Contact and thank these 54 members of Congress for their leadership.
   Below is a list of the 54 Congressional signatories and their phone numbers.
2. Contact your Congressional Representative and ask them to support the letter.