President Barack Obama 


The White House 


1600 Pennsylvania Avenue 


Washington,

DC 20500 



Dear President Obama, 



Thank you for your ongoing work to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict 
and for your commitment of $300 million in U.S. aid to rebuild the Gaza 
Strip. We write to you with great concern about the ongoing crisis in Gaza. 



The people of Gaza have suffered enormously since the blockade imposed 
by Israel and Egypt following Hamas´ coup, and particularly following 
Operation Cast Lead. We also sympathize deeply with the people of 
southern Israel who have suffered from abhorrent rocket and mortar 
attacks. We recognize that the Israeli government has imposed restrictions 
on Gaza out of a legitimate and keenly felt fear of continued terrorist action 
by Hamas and other militant groups. This concern must be addressed 
without resulting in the de facto collective punishment of the Palestinian 
residents of the Gaza Strip. Truly, fulfilling the needs of civilians in Israel 
and Gaza are mutually reinforcing goals. 



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. The current blockade has 
severely impeded the ability of aid agencies to do their work to relieve 
suffering, and we ask that you advocate for immediate improvements for 
Gaza in the following areas: 



* Movement of people, especially students, the ill, aid workers, journalists, 
and those with family concerns, into and out of Gaza; 



* Access to clean water, including water infrastructure materials, 



* Access to plentiful and varied food and agricultural materials; 



* Access to medicine and health care products and suppliers; 



* Access to sanitation supplies, including sanitation infrastructure materials; 



* Access to construction materials for repairs and rebuilding; 



* Access to fuel; 



* Access to spare parts; 



* Prompt passage into and out of Gaza for commercial and agricultural 
goods; 



* Publication and review of the list of items prohibited to the people of Gaza. 



Winter is arriving and the needs of the people grow ever more pressing. For 
example, the ban on building materials is preventing the reconstruction of 
thousands of innocent families´ damaged homes. There is also a concern 
that unrepaired sewage treatment plants will overflow and damage 
surrounding property and water resources. 



Despite ad hoc easing of the blockade, there has been no significant 
improvement in the quantity and scope of goods allowed into Gaza. Both 
the number of trucks entering Gaza per month and the number of days the 
crossings have been open have declined since March. This crisis has 
devastated livelihoods, entrenched a poverty rate of over 70%, increased 
dependence on erratic international aid, allowed the deterioration of public 
infrastructure, and led to the marked decline of the accessibility of essential 
services. 



The humanitarian and political consequences of a continued near-blockade 
would be disastrous. Easing the blockade on Gaza will not only improve the 
conditions on the ground for Gaza´s civilian population, but will also 
undermine the tunnel economy which has strengthened Hamas. Under 
current conditions, our aid remains little more than an unrealized pledge. 
Most importantly, lifting these restrictions will give civilians in Gaza a 
tangible sense that diplomacy can be an effective tool for bettering their 
conditions. 



Your Administration´s overarching Middle East peace efforts will benefit 
Israel, the Palestinians, and the entire region. The people of Gaza, along 
with all the peoples of the region, must see that the United States is 
dedicated to addressing the legitimate security needs of the State of Israel 
and to ensuring that the legitimate needs of the Palestinian population are 
met. 



Sincerely, 



Members of Congress 



Arizona
Raul Grijalva

California
Lois Capps
Sam Farr
Bob Filner
Barbara Lee
Loretta Sanchez
Pete Stark
Michael Honda
Lynn Woolsey
Jackie Speier
Diane Watson
George Miller

Connecticut
Jim Himes

Indiana
Andre Carson

Iowa
Bruce Braley

Kentucky
John Yarmuth

Maryland
Elijah Cummings
Donna Edwards

Massachusetts
Michael Capuano
William Delahunt
Jim McGovern
John Tierney
John Olver
Stephen Lynch

Michigan
John Conyers
John Dingell
Carolyn Kilpatrick

Minnesota
Keith Ellison
Betty McCollum
James Oberstar

New Jersey
Donald Payne
Rush Holt
Bill Pascrell

New York
Yvette Clarke
Maurice Hinchey
Paul Tonko
Eric Massa

North Carolina
David Price

Ohio
Mary Jo Kilroy
Marcy Kaptur

Oregon
Earl Blumenauer
Peter DeFazio

Pennsylvania
Chaka Fattah
Joe Sestak

Vermont
Peter Welch

Virginia
Jim Moran

Washington
Jim McDermott
Adam Smith
Jay Inslee
Brian Baird

West Virginia
Nick Rahall

Wisconsin
Tammy Baldwin
Gwen Moore

Virginia
Glenn Nye


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