Calls for Ceasefire Grow in Month Following Introduction of Ceasefire Now Resolution
Washington D.C. (Nov. 17, 2023) — On October 16, 2023, Congresswomen Cori Bush (MO-01) and Rashida Tlaib (MI-12), alongside André Carson (IN-07), Summer Lee (PA-12), Delia C. Ramirez (IL-03), introduced H. Res. 786, the Ceasefire Now Resolution, which urges the Biden Administration to call for an immediate de-escalation and ceasefire in Israel and occupied Palestine, and to send humanitarian assistance to Gaza. Upon introduction, this resolution had 13 cosponsors, marking the first group of Members of Congress to demand a ceasefire. One month later, this resolution has 18 cosponsors and has served as a springboard for a growing coalition of 34 Members of Congress, including a United States Senator, across 21 states who have come out in support of a ceasefire to save lives.
In the four weeks since the introduction of the Ceasefire Now Resolution, hundreds of thousands of constituent calls have been made to Congress and the White House, and dozens of Ceasefire Now marches, rallies, and direct actions have been organized across the world. Heads of state, the United Nations, domestic and international organizations, faith leaders, labor unions, veterans, municipal and world leaders, activists, Holocaust survivors, celebrities, and other public officials have all joined the call for a ceasefire. Recent polling has indicated a majority (68%) of the American public, including 75% of Democrats and 50% of Republicans support the call for a ceasefire.
“As the devastation in Israel and Gaza continues to claim more lives and displace more people, our calls for a ceasefire grow wider, louder, and stronger every day across the world,” said Congresswoman Bush. “In the month since we introduced the Ceasefire Now Resolution and in the days following the horrific October 7th attack, we have seen enough pain, death, and destruction for a lifetime. The violence must end. The only way to ensure a stop to the violence, deploy humanitarian aid, and safely release all hostages is to mediate a negotiated bilateral ceasefire that ends bombing and air strikes on both sides and the ground invasion in Gaza.”
“Our movement for a ceasefire is growing every single day,” said Congresswoman Tlaib. “The majority of Americans, including over 70% of Michigan Democrats want a ceasefire. While there are growing attempts to silence the diverse coalition of people advocating for peace, fighting to save lives no matter their faith or ethnicity should not be controversial. We will not be intimidated, we will not be silenced, and we will not stop calling for an end to this violence. I urge my colleagues to listen to their constituents and call for a ceasefire now to save innocent lives.”
Upon the introduction of the Ceasefire Now Resolution, Congresswomen Bush and Tlaib hosted a press call where they spoke about their push for an immediate ceasefire. In the days that followed, the Congresswomen participated in several events and actions to continue their push for a ceasefire. On November 9th, Congresswoman Bush and Congresswoman Tlaib met with veterans who traveled to DC to advocate and call for a ceasefire ahead of Veterans Day. The Congresswomen joined Rabbis 4 Ceasefire in a press conference calling for a ceasefire in Gaza and urging Congress to support the Ceasefire Now resolution to save lives.
A full list of members of Congress who have called for a ceasefire in the one month since the Ceasefire Now Resolution was introduced includes: Representatives Cori Bush (MO-01)*, Rashida Tlaib (MI-12)*, André Carson (IN-07)*, Summer Lee (PA-12)*, Delia C. Ramirez (IL-03)*, Jamaal Bowman (NY-16)*, Bonnie Watson Coleman (NJ-12)*, Jesús “Chuy” García (IL-04)*, Jonathan Jackson (IL-01)*, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (NY-14)*, Ilhan Omar (MN-05)*, Ayanna Pressley (MA-07)*, Nydia Velázquez (NY-07)*, Barbara Lee (CA-12)*, Pramila Jayapal (WA-07)*, Greg Casar (TX-35)*, Alma Adams (NC-12)*, Maxwell Frost (FL-10)*, Jim McGovern (MA-02), Joaquin Castro (TX-20), Veronica Escobar (TX-16), Betty McCollum (MN-04), Al Green (TX-09), Maxine Waters (CA-43), Kweisi Mfume (MD-07), Don Beyer (VA-08), Mark Pocan (WI-02), Mary Gay Scanlon (PA-05), Raúl Grijalva (AZ-07), Hank Johnson (GA-04), Becca Balint (VT), and Gabe Vasquez (NM-02), Mark DeSaulnier (CA-10), and Senator Dick Durbin (D-Ill.).
Beyond the United States, international heads of state and world leaders have also called for a ceasefire, including: French President Emmanuel Macron, Indonesian President Joko Widodo, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Colombian President Gustavo Petro, UN Secretary-General António Guterres, and Pope Francis.
Several human rights, racial justice, faith-based organizations, and labor unions have also come out in support of a ceasefire in the past month, including: Amnesty International, Doctors Without Borders, Oxfam, the King Center, the Carter Center, World Health Organization, United Nations Children's Fund, World Food Programme, Save the Children, Center for Constitutional Rights, Rabbis for Human Rights, American Postal Workers Union, Chicago Teachers Union, Restaurant Workers United, Unemployed Workers United, Massachusetts Teachers Association, American Federation of Teachers - Oregon and more.
A growing coalition of over 100 organizations has also endorsed H.Res 786, the Ceasefire Now Resolution. Endorsing organizations include: 350.org, About Face: Veterans Against the War, ActionAid USA, Action Center on Race & the Economy, Adalah Justice Project, American Center for Justice, American Federation of Ramallah, Palestine (AFRP), American Muslims for Palestine, American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee, American Friends Service Committee (AFSC), Americans for Justice in Palestine Action, Amnesty International, Arab American Civil Rights League (ACRL), Arab American Institute, Arab Resource & Organizing Center (AROC), Avaaz, Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation, Center for Civilians in Conflict (CIVIC), Center for Constitutional Rights, Center for Jewish Nonviolence, Center for Popular Democracy Action, Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), Churches for Middle East Peace, Common Defense, Communities United for Status & Protection (CUSP), Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR), Defense for Children International - Palestine, Demand Progress Action, Democracy for the Arab World Now (DAWN), Democratic Socialists of America, Detroit Action, Dream Defenders, Emgage Action, Freedom Forward, Friends Committee on National Legislation (FCNL), Gen Z For Change, Grassroots Global Justice Alliance, Highlander Research & Education, Hindus for Human Rights, The House of the Lord Churches, IfNotNow, Institute for Middle Eastern Understanding (IMEU), International Refugee Assistance Project (IRAP), IRAP Osgoode Hall Law School, IRAP Rutgers, IRAP UVA Law, IRAP University of Virginia School of Law Chapter, IRAP The George Washington Law School Chapter, Institute for Policy Studies New Internationalism Project, International Refugee Assistance Project at Berkeley Law, Islamic Foundation of Greater St. Louis, The Jerusalem Fund for Education and Community Development, Jewish Voice for Peace Action, Just Foreign Policy, Justice Is Global, Leadership Conference of Women Religious, MADRE, Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns, Michigan United, Migrant Roots Media, Movement for Black Lives, Movement Law Lab, Movement Generation, MoveOn, MPower Change Action Fund, Muslim Advocates, Muslim Public Affairs Council (MPAC), Muslims for Progress, National Campaign for Human Dignity, National Domestic Workers Alliance, National Iranian American Council Action, National Lawyers Guild, Detroit & Michigan Chapter, National Network for Arab American Communities (NNAAC), NYC-DSA, Pax Christi USA, Peace Action, Peace Action Montgomery, Peace, Justice Sustainability NOW!, Progressive Democrats of America, Progressive Jews of St. Louis (ProJoSTL), Project on Middle East Democracy (POMED), Project48, Rainbow PUSH Coalition, Refugee Council USA, ReThinking Foreign Policy, Rising Majority, RootsAction.org, Samuel DeWitt Proctor Conference, Sisters of Mercy of the Americas Institute Justice Team, Southeast Asian Freedom Network, Sunrise Movement, Transgender Law Center, UndocuBlack Network, Union of Palestinian American Women, Unitarian Universalist Association, United Church of Christ, United We Dream Network, Until Freedom, US Campaign for Palestinian Rights (USCPR), US Council for Muslim Organizations, Vietlead, Women Cross DMZ, Women for Weapons Trade Transparency, Working Families Party, Zero Hour.
* cosponsors of H.Res 786, the Ceasefire Now Resolution
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