Over 175 elected officials from state and local offices across the United States signed an open letter to President Joe Biden urging him to immediately call for and work to facilitate a permanent ceasefire in Gaza. The letter was led by Illinois State Representative Lilian Jiménez and Delaware State Representative Madinah Wilson-Anton, and continues collecting signatures from more elected officials.
The letter comes as the Israeli government’s deadly airstrikes and suffocating siege on Gaza have killed over 23,000 Palestinians, including over 9,600 children and as the Biden administration continues thwarting efforts at the United Nations to call for a ceasefire and sending more weapons to the Israeli government.
The lawmakers close the letter by saying: “We cannot bomb our way to peace. We must demand a ceasefire now and then work to build a future without Israeli military occupation and siege. A future in which all Palestinians and Israelis can live in freedom and dignity.”
Illinois State Representative Lilian Jiménez: “As the mother of a small child, witnessing the death and suffering of so many children in Gaza has shaken me to my core. I will never forget their faces and I will not stand by as the continued bombardment and lack of access to food and basic healthcare leads to more suffering. As an elected State Representative, I call on President Biden to stop sending weapons to the Israeli government and instead center human rights and work to ensure a lasting ceasefire.”
Delaware State Representative Madina Wilson-Anton: “As elected officials, it’s important for us to use our voices to push for a lasting peace. I’m proud to stand together with other people of conscience to urge the Biden administration to demand a ceasefire and stop arming Israel’s war crimes. I can only hope that as more and more Americans speak up that the Biden administration will listen and stop funding these atrocities.”
Illinois State Representative Abdelnasser Rashid: “I’m heartened to see so many state and local elected leaders join the call for ceasefire and human rights. These individuals will be remembered for their moral clarity. Israel’s leaders have made it clear, over and over, that they are intent on destruction. It’s time for President Biden and Secretary Blinken to push for an immediate ceasefire and ensure that our taxpayer dollars are not funding the indiscriminate killing of Palestinian civilians.”
Beth Miller, Political Director of Jewish Voice for Peace Action: “Americans are horrified by the mass atrocities being carried out by the Israeli military against Palestinians in Gaza. With every passing day, more of us are demanding an end to U.S. complicity in these war crimes. The state and local officials joining this letter are speaking out on behalf of their constituents across the country to demand that the Biden administration call for an immediate and lasting ceasefire now.”
The letter continues to collect signatures from elected state and local officials. Full text of the letter is available here.
Lilian Jiménez, Madinah Wilson-Anton, and Beth Miller are available for media requests.
