WASHINGTON, DC— Congresswoman Carol Shea-Porter (NH-01) today released the following statement on the killings in Gaza and the US decision to move its embassy to Jerusalem:
“The situation in Gaza is one of the worst humanitarian crises in the world and has been for some time. Israel, the US, and the international community have not done nearly enough to end this crisis, and Hamas, which controls the territory, is more than complicit in continuing and furthering this suffering. The people of Gaza are imprisoned in what can only be described as one of the worst places on earth. That anger and suffering is driving mass protests at the border and was predictably exacerbated by the Trump Administration’s misguided decision to move the US Embassy to Jerusalem and to open it yesterday, on the day that Palestinians mark as the beginning of their exile from their homeland. This move should have happened in the context of a peace agreement after all borders and the status of Jerusalem had been settled by the two parties.
“The lack of action to reach a peace deal and the absence of efforts to address the humanitarian crisis have led to an untenable situation that was made worse by the ill-timed opening of the US Embassy in Jerusalem. Israel has the right to defend its borders. No country would ever allow its borders to be breached by protesters. But the use of live fire on unarmed people and the killing of over 60 unarmed protesters are unacceptable. Israel, the US, the Palestinians, and regional stakeholders must renew earnest diplomatic efforts to end this conflict that has devastated communities and innocent people on all sides.”