John,
Today a ceasefire and hostage deal was reached by Israeli and Hamas negotiators. Above all else, this is a monumental step toward saving lives and ending over a year of deep pain and suffering. Too many lives have been lost since the horrific October 7th attack, and today I thank the negotiators from the United States, Egypt, and Qatar who have worked tirelessly to broker this deal.
I first called for a ceasefire 10 days after Hamas’s horrific attack on Israel. It was clear to me then that innocent civilians on all sides would continue to pay the price for this war — and that has sadly been the case as hostages have been killed and others held for over a year, more than 46,000 Palestinians have been killed, Gaza has been pushed to famine, entire families have been killed, and rising regional tensions have threatened more civilians throughout the Middle East.
I have made it a priority to meet with families impacted by this horrible conflict, both of hostages, including in my own district, and those who have lost loved ones in Gaza and the West Bank to hear their stories and bear witness to their grief. Today I celebrate with the families who will be reunited with their loved ones, and mourn with those who will not have that opportunity.
We must make clear that even with this ceasefire framework, our work is not done. We must do everything in our power to ensure that both sides uphold their commitments, and the violence comes to a permanent end. We must commit to rebuilding Gaza and to quickly and urgently getting humanitarian aid to the thousands on the brink of starvation. We must condemn and prevent the rising antisemitism and Islamophobia that we have seen as a result of this conflict. We must also ensure that those responsible for war crimes and violations of international law are held fully responsible.
This is a hopeful day after more than a year of horror. Let us lead with our hearts, to move forward and commit to a true and sustained peace for Israelis and Palestinians.
In solidarity,
Pramila Jayapal
 |
 |
 |
Email us: [email protected]
This email was sent to [email protected]. Email is the most important way we keep in touch with people like you, and small-dollar contributions sustain our movement for transformative change. To contribute by check, please address to Pramila for Congress, PO Box 21912, Seattle, WA 98111.
Paid for by Pramila for Congress