NY Congress on temporary ceasefire in Gaza; truce holding
The temporary four-day humanitarian ceasefire between Israeli forces and Hamas is holding as of this Tuesday. There were over 80 men, women, children, and foreign nationals released by Hamas as well as 150 prisoners freed by Israel. Many are hoping to make the truce permanent.
Locally and abroad, Palestinian and Jewish groups have called for governments to immediately work towards a permanent ceasefire.
“We believe the current pause in the fighting is a positive development in that it has brought about the release of hostages held by Hamas and Palestinians held by Israel,” People’s Organization For Progress (POP) Chairman Lawrence Hamm said in a statement. “However, it is not enough.”
Rabbi Abby Stein echoed this sentiment. “Watching Israeli and Palestinian families reunite with their loved ones over the past two days has shown us what every human being deserves as a basic human right. The only way we can get there for everyone is a permanent ceasefire,” Stein said in a statement.
Protesters are collectively still opposed to Congress providing billions in aid to the Israeli military earlier this month.
U.S. Rep Gregory Meeks, a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, commended the negotiated agreement and subsequent releases as well as the Qatari and Egyptian governments for their partnership in the negotiations. “It is past due and urgently necessary for Congress to pass a bipartisan emergency supplemental with funding for Israel’s defense, humanitarian relief, Ukraine, and Taiwan,” said Meeks. “Neither Israelis fighting to eliminate Hamas, Gazans running out of critical supplies, or Ukrainians preparing for a hard winter can afford to wait.”
U.S. Rep Adriano Espaillat said that he is grateful for Biden’s “steadfast leadership” that led to 50 individuals, including four-year-old Abigail Mor Edan, being released. Through these efforts, this humanitarian pause and extension has allowed much needed relief and critical aid to innocent Palestinian civilians in Gaza and permit ongoing negotiations safely.
“As we continue to urge for the safe return of the remaining 200 hostages, including several Americans, we must do all that it takes to ensure their safe return and reunification with their families,” said Espaillat.
Meanwhile, there’s been a disturbing rise in harassment, assault, and outright violent incidents of islamophobia and anti-semitism across the country and in the city.
“Violence and crimes of hate must never be tolerated, and we have witnessed an unprecedented rise in antisemitism and Islamophobia here in the U.S,” said Espaillat. “I was deeply saddened by the senseless targeted attack of three college students of Palestinian descent that occurred over this past weekend, and others who have been violently targeted.”
In New York City, 64-year-old Stuart Seldowitz, who was an advisor to former President Barack Obama, was arrested for aggravated harassment and a hate crime of a 24-year-old Muslim street vendor. Seldowitz repeatedly visited the man multiple times at his cart, hurling racial and anti-Islamic remarks.
Councilmember Julie Menin, who represents the district where the incident took place, said that there is no place for hate in the community. Her focus has been on educating the district about the steps to reporting a hate crime and collaborating with police.
“This is something that we really need to be vigilant about. It’s happening more and more, both islamophobic and antisemitic incidents around the city,” said Menin. “We’ve been obviously in touch with the 19th Precinct when we see these incidents. Report them immediately and make sure that they are being addressed.”
Ariama C. Long is a Report for America corps member and writes about politics for the Amsterdam News. Your donation to match our RFA grant helps keep her writing stories like this one; please consider making a tax-deductible gift of any amount today by visiting .
