54 House Dems Call For End to Gaza Blockade

This is big. 54 House members have signed on to a letter to President Obama circulated by Representatives Keith Ellison, Betty McCollum and Jim Oberstar (all from Minnesota) urging the President to pressure Israel to end the blockade of Gaza.

The letter asks that Obama press Israel to allow:

• 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; and

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

Click HERE to see the full text of the letter along with a list of all 54 signers.

The 54 deserve credit for doing the right thing and for doing it in the face of AIPAC's strong support for the blockade.  If 54 had the chutzpah to actually stand up and be counted, it is safe to assume that three times that many Democrats (and some Republicans too) agree with their braver colleagues but fear antagonizing the lobby.

Both J Street and Americans for Peace Now supported the Minnesota-led Gaza effort.