[New post] Davis peace group urges Congressman Thompson to call for cease-fire in Gaza
Gerardo Zavala posted: "In an attempt to coerce Congressman Mike Thompson, D-Yolo, to call for a cease-fire in the conflict between Israel and Hamas, 12 members of the Davis Peace Network held a peaceful demonstration Tuesday afternoon outside of his downtown Woodland District O" Daily Democrat
In an attempt to coerce Congressman Mike Thompson, D-Yolo, to call for a cease-fire in the conflict between Israel and Hamas, 12 members of the Davis Peace Network held a peaceful demonstration Tuesday afternoon outside of his downtown Woodland District Office located at 622 Main St.
In a letter to Thompson, Davis Peace Network member Scott Steward said his group condemns the escalation of hostilities between Israel and Hamas and argued that many Yolo County residents are working for peace.
"Americans know we are at a tipping point of starting another decades-long multinational war and they want the U.S. government – your office, the office of the President – to act now," Steward emphasized in his letter. "Our nation has the power to make Israel stand down and sit at the peace table. The American people do not agree with the continued siege of Gaza, it has become a scene of ethnic cleansing and genocide."
Thompson, who was in Washington at the time of the demonstration, sent a statement that was presented to the demonstrators thanking them for expressing their right to free speech and explaining his commitment to Palestinians' right to self-determination and dignity.
"Jan and I have been heartbroken by the tragic loss of Palestinian life and I believe we cannot ignore the humanity of innocent Palestinians in Gaza who want to live in peace," Thompson's statement read.
Thompson then said he was "heartened" by the "successful humanitarian aid" the United States has been sending to Gaza and that he strongly supports President Biden's supplemental budget request for additional humanitarian aid for the region.
Steward noted after the demonstration that although demonstrators were appreciative of Thompson's words, they said little to address the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
"In reality, the reports from Gaza are that people have ¼ the total resources required for that population and that people are going to die of thirst and from lack of medical care," he stressed.
Steward then argued that it seemed as if the Congressman was "looking to delay voices of opposition to the Israeli policy."
"We need to stop bombing people who are held in a prison-like circumstance and it is impossible to operate as Americans with that kind of cognitive dissonance constantly hammering at us," he asserted.
In a Wednesday interview following the demonstration, Thompson said he was sorry some demonstrators felt that his letter was an appeasement effort and noted that he was trying to explain where he stands on the issue.
"What Hamas did was evil," Thompson stressed. "They killed young people and old people, they raped young women, they took hostages, they shot up people's homes. It was just a brutal attack by terrorists and that can't be overlooked.
"I believe we should be constantly working for peaceful solutions, but right now the number one priority is to get these hostages back," he continued. "I believe we still have American and Israeli hostages, so I think it'd be pretty tough, from a strategic perspective, and say cease-fire. I think you want to make sure that we get these hostages back before we have that possibility."
When asked if he believed the $100 million in aid to Gaza – only %1 of a $10 billion supplemental request Biden made to address humanitarian needs across Israel, Ukraine, Gaza and "other global areas"– is appropriate considering the $14.2 billion in funds being requested for Israel's military, Thompson said the United States needs to first make sure the money being provided to Gaza is reaching its people and not being "pilfered" by Hamas terrorists.
"I think that's the first tranche of funding," he added. "I don't think this thing is going to be over in a couple of days so there's going to be, I believe, many opportunities to provide help."
Thompson said he's been to Israel and Gaza several times and has even met with Yasser Arafat, former president of the Palestinian National Authority, in his Gaza bunker.
"My belief is that the two-state solution is the best way forward and my hope is that what Hamas did doesn't stop that from happening," he remarked. "I understand the frustration, I understand the anger and I believe we need to keep focused on a peaceful solution."
Public opinion
The latest NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist poll shows that 65% of Americans believe the U.S. government should publicly support Israel while only 8% believe it should publicly criticize Israel.
However, the poll is based on interviews conducted on Oct. 11, early into Israel's response to the invasion.
As Israel's bombings have continued killing and displacing thousands of Palestinians in Gaza, public demonstrations in support of Palestinians have spread across the country and world with demonstrations in large cities including Sacramento.
Antisemitism and Islamaphobia on the rise
The Associated Press reported that London's Metropolitan Police Force said it has seen a 13-fold upsurge in reports of antisemitic offenses in October compared to last year while reports of anti-Muslim crimes have more than doubled.
Furthermore, the FBI recently released data showing that hate crimes across the country have reached record highs "with anti-Jewish hate crimes at a number not seen in decades."
"At a time when the Jewish community is already reeling in the wake of a terrorist attack that constituted the deadliest day for Jews since the Holocaust, the reality of this data is incredibly sobering," Jonathan Greenblatt, Anti-Defamation League CEO, argued.
Jewish hate crimes accounted for more than half of all religion-based hate crimes last year with 1,122, up from 817 in 2021, according to the FBI.
Additionally, an Illinois landlord accused of fatally stabbing a 6-year-old Muslim boy and wounding his mother was accused of a hate crime for singling out the victims in response to the war, according to the Associated Press.
During a Friday, Oct. 20 rally and march for Palestine, Yassar Dahbour, chair of the Palestine in Sacramento American League, held a photo of the 6-year-old while calling for a cease-fire in Gaza.
"Wade Al-Fauyoume was killed two days ago because of the incitement and the hate," Dahbour emphasized. "It's but one more payment for our place in this country. We are here to stay and we're not going anywhere."
In response to the 25% rise in hate crimes from 2021 to 2022, Biden said he has asked members of his team including Homeland Security Secretary Mayorakas and Attorney General Garland, to prioritize the prevention and disruption of any threats that could harm Jewish, Muslim, Arab-American or other communities.
"My administration will continue to fight Antisemitism and Islamaphobia," Biden assured.
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