US Congress members visit hunger strike calling for permanent cease-fire in Gaza

By Iclal Turan

WASHINGTON (AA) - A group of US Congress members visited activists, state legislators and actors including Cynthia Nixon on Wednesday on the third day of a five-day hunger strike they launched in front of the White House demanding a permanent cease-fire in Gaza.

Speaking at the candlelight vigil in front of the White House, Representative Rashida Tlaib, the only Palestinian-American member of Congress, said millions of Americans are calling for an end to the violence.

“There is nothing humanitarian, my friends, about giving innocent civilians a few days of rest before they are bombed again,” she said.

“We are calling for a permanent end to the violence and not a break in the violence,” she said. “The temporary pause is not enough. We need a permanent cease-fire now.”

Recalling that White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre called a group of progressive Democrats, including herself, “repugnant and disgraceful” when they first called for a cease-fire in Gaza, Rep. Cori Bush responded: “Well, let me say this: the bombing of innocent civilians and children is repugnant and disgraceful.”

“The refusal to support a cease-fire and an end to violence and the killing is repugnant and disgraceful,” she added.

Noting the growing calls for a cease-fire in the US and around the world, Tlaib said: “We will continue to demand a permanent cease-fire, demand immediate delivery of enough humanitarian aid to Gaza, demand the release of all hostages and those arbitrarily detained, and demand that every American, those who are left, come home and demand that the Palestinian people live free from occupation.”

Illinois Democratic Representative Jonathan Jackson thanked all the activists who are participating in the hunger strike for their courage and moral clarity.

“Too many children have died. Too many innocent are suffering as we speak. We're demanding an end to this,” he said.

“We do not believe people are born to be enemies. We have seen too much bloodshed.”

Rep. Bush, representing Missouri, said without a permanent cease-fire, their grief and mourning will increase as more lives are taken.

“There are Palestinians who will be taking their last meal, that will be taking that last moment of time with their family members if we don't enact a permanent cease-fire,” she said.

Recalling that a group of progressive lawmakers in Congress introduced a resolution on Oct. 16 calling for “an immediate de-escalation and cease-fire, Bush said the “resolution is clear.”

“There are a lot of people who are trying to stigmatize the word ‘cease-fire’ as if it's something radical,” she said, adding it is the “obvious” and “critical step” that needs to be taken.

“Our movement is working. They feel our energy in the White House. They hear our demands. They see us marching in the streets,” she said. “We are moving closer and closer to that permanent and lasting cease-fire.”

Congressman Jamaal Bowman, representing New York, also joined the calls for a permanent cease-fire

“We've all read about mass murders, and I cannot believe I'm living through one,” he said. "And the US government is condoning it and being complicit."

Calling for a cease-fire does not mean supporting the Palestinian group Hamas, he said.

“We're calling for a cease-fire because we don't want anyone else to die. We don't want Israelis to die. We don't want Jews to die. We hate anti-Semitism and we condemn it. But every life is precious,” he added.

Actor Denee Benton called on President Joe Biden to stop US support for the destruction in Gaza and instead move those funds “towards repair.”

Actor Cynthia Nixon read a poem by Palestinian-American poet Zeina Azzam titled “Write My Name,” noting that Palestinian parents are writing their children’s names on their arms and legs so they can be identified if they are killed in airstrikes.

Those who are participating in the vigil later read the names of some of the more than 15,000 Palestinians who have been killed since the start of the Israel-Palestine war on Oct. 7.