U.S. Rep. Betty McCollum calls for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza

U.S. Rep. Betty McCollum of the 4th District sent a letter to President Joe Biden Wednesday calling for an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and a new strategy going forward. 

“Without an immediate cessation of hostilities and the establishment of a robust bilateral ceasefire, this war will lead to a further loss of civilian life and risk dragging the United States into dangerous and unwise conflict with armed groups across the Middle East,” McCollum wrote with her co-authors, including U.S. Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., and Mark Pocan, D-Wisconsin. The letter is co-signed by 21 other members, including U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar of the 5th Congressional District.   

The Hamas attack on October 7 left 1,200 dead and over 200 held hostage, rallying widespread support for Israel from President Joe Biden as well as both Republicans and Democrats in Congress. Biden has already sent $14.3 billion in aid to support Israel and later announced he would be allocating $100 million in humanitarian aid to Gaza.

A House resolution reaffirming Israel’s right to defend itself against terrorism passed Congress Oct. 25 in a 412 to 10 vote. Despite her historic criticism of Israel, McCollum voted for the resolution. Omar voted against it. 

The letter signals that Biden —  who has thus far staunchly defended Israel while counseling prudence in the face of the worst mass murder of Jews since the Holocaust — is facing increasing pressure from fellow Democrats to change course.

McCollum is a longtime critic of the Israeli occupation, but also a key figure in defense policy on Capitol Hill, having first chaired and now serving as ranking member of the defense subcommittee of the Committee on Appropriations. She sponsored a bill in May designed to protect the rights of Palestinian families living under Israeli occupation. The bill would ban U.S. aid from being spent on human rights violations.

She and her co-authors emphasize the importance of protecting children.

“Since the brutal attacks by Hamas, which took the lives of innocent Israeli civilians, including children, it has been deeply disturbing to see children continue to bear the awful toll of this war. Thousands of children in Gaza have been killed and thousands more are suffering without access to food, water, medical care, or safe shelter. Humanitarian aid is urgently needed in Gaza,” they write.

Of the 2.2 million people living in the Gaza Strip, nearly half are children. The United Nations reported Wednesday that over 4,900 children have been killed and over 9,000 injured since the war began.

“Israel’s response must be proportional and consider the innocent Palestinian lives at stake in Gaza. In the past two weeks, we have seen an escalating wave of violence across the region. It is clear that a broader conflict must be prevented,” McCollum said.

The 24 members of Congress who signed the letter to Biden and his Secretary of State Antony Blinken also question the administration’s “lack of an apparent and clear strategic plan.”