Speaks Regarding Ongoing Humanitarian Situation in Gaza
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Congressman Mark Pocan (WI-02), spoke on the House Floor about the ongoing war in Gaza after the Israeli military targeted a World Central Kitchen humanitarian aid convoy killing seven, including an American citizen. Pocan highlighted a letter he led, along with 55 of his colleagues, to President Biden and Secretary Blinken calling for future offensive arms transfers to Israel to be withheld until a full investigation into the World Central Kitchen airstrike has been completed and to continue withholding arms transfers if Israel fails to sufficiently mitigate civilian harm and facilitate the delivery of humanitarian aid.
Click here to watch the full speech and find the transcript of Rep. Pocan’s remarks below.
Rep. Mark Pocan
April 9, 2024
Floor Remarks on the Ongoing War in Israel and Gaza
Remarks as Delivered
I’ve been attending town halls and meetings across my district over the last two weeks. Smaller communities in Wisconsin like Edgerton, Sauk City, Monroe, Mazomanie, and Darlington. Smaller communities with hard-working people with a strong work ethic and upper Midwestern values like fairness and compassion.
And at those meetings, I’ve heard a common thread. They don’t like what they are seeing in Gaza and Israel. The vast majority recognize that the attack on October 7th was horrific, and Israel had a right to respond. But they didn’t have a right to collectively punish 2.3 million people stuck in Gaza.
They know that 1,200 people are dead in Israel from the attack, and over 130 people are still being held by Hamas. But they also know that nearly 34,000 people are dead in Gaza, 70% of which are women and children – clearly not members of Hamas.
They know that 2 million people have been displaced in Gaza, and the majority of the buildings and infrastructure have been demolished or damaged by Israeli bombs.
They know that the people are dying of starvation because almost every entry point to Gaza is through Israel, and not enough supplies and aid are getting through. And, they understand that the United States is trying to help with aid, but we have to drop it from the air or bring it in by sea because our friend Israel won’t allow us to bring it in through easier, safer ways like by truck and transport.
They know that aid workers are being killed – 200 plus to date – including some from Chef Jose Andres’s World Central Kitchen. The limited food, water, and supplies that are being let in have to be distributed, but aid workers are too often killed in the process of delivering humanitarian aid, making alleviating suffering even more difficult.
And they don’t understand how we can both provide armaments and aid to the same area, as that doesn’t make sense to people with Midwestern sensibilities.
They tell me it looks like punishment for being Palestinian. They tell me it appears Benjamin Netanyahu wants people to leave Gaza for good. They tell me it looks too much like what genocide would look like – and that concerns them greatly.
And the bombings of the World Central Kitchen workers – the seemingly targeted and repeated bombings, despite the Israeli military knowing their location and purpose – has been one more step too far by Netanyahu’s government’s handling of this war.
Enough is enough.
The indiscriminate killing must stop. The aid must flow. The hostages must be released. A ceasefire must hold to protect every child in Gaza and Israel.
The devastation has been severe, far more severe than it ever needed to be. The world would have understood a response going after Hamas killers. But the Netanyahu government has gone too far, way too far, in its response.
That’s why I helped lead a letter, signed by 56 members of Congress, to the President, to stop any additional offensive arms transfers to Israel without a thorough investigation of the World Central Kitchen killings and a plan for aid and assistance to get to starving Palestinians.
The United States has long supported two nations, existing side-by-side, in peace – a two-state solution. But Benjamin Netanyahu doesn’t support that reasoned path to peace. And that, along with his punishing innocent Palestinians while allegedly going after Hamas, has made it time to get a divorce from Benjamin Netanyahu.
I support the overwhelming majority of Israelis who want peace. They want to live safely without bombs raining on them from extremists in Gaza. They too don’t like the direction and mistakes of the Netanyahu administration. And they want the hostages returned immediately.
And the overwhelming majority of Palestinians want peace as well. They just want to live their lives with dignity and independence, as they should. But they need to be treated as equals with human rights, which too often they are not.
I urge our government to do more to help distribute aid, utilizing great groups like the World Central Kitchen and UNRWA and others that are doing this work. And our government must stop supplying any offensive weapons or equipment that damages Gaza further, especially in regards to any invasion of Rafah.
Let’s take this awful current situation and make some good come out of it. We need to double down on a two-state solution that recognizes the many, many good people of Israel and Palestine that want to live in peace.
It is achievable. And the United States is crucial to that peace. That’s what I’m hearing in my district.
I yield back.