Congressmen call for opening Gaza borders

Today, Rep. Keith Ellison (D-Minn.) and Rep. Brian Baird (D-Wash.) held a discussion on their recent trip to Israel, the West Bank, and Gaza strip. They shared footage of the destruction they witnessed and people they spoke to in the Gaza strip. Rep. Rush Holt (D-N.J.) stated, “There clearly is a role for outside help… The United States is not helping enough. We should have been involved in stopping the rockets… The United States could and should be doing more to stop that. The United States could and should be doing more to help with the communication on the reconstructive aid.”

After their trip to the region, the Congressmen are recommending that Israel open the five crossings from Israel into Gaza to allow more transfer of goods and necessities in order for Gaza to rebuild. Rep. Ellison gave two reasons for this recommendation: “If we open up the crossings, we can cut down on the traffic in the tunnels and therefore make sure that nothing goes through those tunnels that will endanger Israeli security, or, by the way, Gazan security… But also, to address the desperate humanitarian conditions we saw in Gaza.” Their conclusion in this discussion was that the cycle of violence is not good for security or prosperity, and that with the opening of the borders, improvements in Gaza residents’ lives would bring pressure against Hamas from its own constituency which it currently does not feel.