Congresswoman Stacey E. Plaskett released the following statement:
“My thoughts and prayers continue to be with the families of the thousands of innocent Israelis and Palestinians who have been killed in recent days, as well as those who have been displaced and are currently living in fear in the Middle East.
“As a member of the U.S. House of Representatives Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, I have leveraged the opportunity to speak with the U.S. State Department and officials from the U.S. Departments of Defense and Homeland Security this week, advocating and receiving updates on the safe exit for American Palestinians living in Gaza as well as impressing the need to keep peace in the West Bank and support innocent people during this time. I am grateful that American officials were able to reach an agreement with Egypt to provide safe evacuation. I and many colleagues in Congress continue to urge the U.S. government to pressure Egypt to live up to the agreement, and for Egypt and Israel to open passage to provide critical support to those living in Gaza.
“It is imperative to take immediate action to address the worsening humanitarian crisis unfolding in Gaza. This conflict has left millions of people in that area without access to electricity, water, food, medicine, and other critical resources. We cannot lose sight of the fact that there are millions of innocent Palestinians caught in the balance of attacks—initiated by Hamas this week and the military actions by Israel—who are in dire need of aid and who are not responsible for the atrocities of Hamas that have taken place the past several days. I support providing aid immediately to people living in these areas. I and my office continue to remain in discussions with the U.S. government, Congress, and international agencies to support the provision of immediate humanitarian relief to those impacted by the war. Simultaneous discussions must begin on creating true equality of all people living in the region – Israel, the West Bank and Gaza.
“I am thankful that through discussions in the last day with the leadership of the Congressional Black Caucus, which consists of 58 members, the Caucus has issued a strong statement and is working to support President Biden’s call for the United Nations and governments in Israel and surrounding Arab nations to provide immediate humanitarian relief to those impacted by this war. The events of this week represent a stain on humanity. We must pray for peace and a better way forward as we recognize the humanity and equality of all God’s children.”
Please visit www.plaskett.house.gov or call our D.C. office at 202-225-1790 for more information and updates for U.S. citizens in Israel, Gaza and the West Bank.
