Kucinich Introduce Ceasefire Resolution

On January 15th Dennis Kucinich (no surprise) introduced House Resolution 66 to call for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza. I urge all of you to contact your representatives and senators to ask them to support the measure. It is certainly just a symbolic act, but I believe it is important to signal to world as well as to Israel that, while the US fully supports Israel's (or any country's) right to self defense, the incursion into Gaza has exceeded any legitimate self defense actions and has produced unacceptable civilian casualties. Notice that the resolution calls upon both Hamas and Israel to ceasefire.

The text of the resolution is included below.

Mr. KUCINICH (for himself, Mr. CONYERS, Mr. ELLISON, Mr. HINCHEY, Ms. KAPTUR, Mr. MCDERMOTT, Mr. RAHALL, Ms. WATSON, and Ms. WOOLSEY) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs

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RESOLUTION

Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives concerning the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

Whereas over 95 percent of the deaths incurred since the escalation of violence in Gaza beginning December 27, 2008, have been Palestinians;

Whereas over 50 percent of the population of Gaza is under the age of 14;

Whereas on January 7, 2009, the United Nations found that over one-third of the Palestinians killed in Gaza were civilians, while over 1,300 of the injured are children;

Whereas on January 6, 2009, 40 civilians were killed and 55 civilians were injured when the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) bombed two United Nations facilities, including a school, where Palestinians were seeking shelter;

Whereas nearly the entire population of Gaza has no access to potable water or functioning water systems, and sewage and wastewater systems have seized due to lack of water and electricity, causing sewage overflows in some residential neighborhoods, creating a public health crisis, according to the World Bank;

Whereas reports indicate that since the beginning of the Israeli imposed blockade in February 2006, approximately 200 Palestinians in Gaza have died due to lack of access to medical goods and aid;

Whereas on January 7 and 8, 2009, the International Committee of the Red Cross found a total of up to 65 bodies in two separate locations, both of which included a number of emaciated children, in houses bombed in the south of Gaza after four days of lack of ambulance access;

Whereas the United Nations Relief and Works Agency and the International Committee of the Red Cross were temporarily forced to halt all aid shipments, following the death of two United Nations aid truck drivers; and

Whereas Articles 55 and 56 of the 4th Geneva Convention require `ensuring the food and medical supplies of the population' and `ensuring and maintaining . . . the medical and hospital establishments and services, public health and hygiene': Now, therefore, be it

Resolved, That the House of Representatives calls on the Government of Israel and representatives of Hamas to implement an immediate and unconditional ceasefire and to allow unrestricted humanitarian access in Gaza.

Links to NC senators and representatives sites can be found here:
http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm?State=NC
https://writerep.house.gov/writerep/welcome.shtml