Talkingpointsmemo's Rosenberg: Rep. Donna Edwards Stands Up, Calls For Immediate Gaza Cease-fire

[flpoljunkie]

Rep. Donna Edwards (D-MD) Stands Up, Calls For Immediate Gaza Cease-fire

By M.J. Rosenberg - January 2, 2009, 7:03PM

Donna Edwards is one of the up-and-comers of the new Congress. A young African-American, she knocked out the lobby's favorite, incumbent Al Wynn, in a primary. She ran to Wynn's left on every issue and creamed him.

And she's already making waves. Her Silver Spring district is just a few blocks from where I live in Chevy Chase. Paging Chris Van Hollen.

"I am deeply disturbed by this week's escalation of hostilities in the Gaza Strip, as I have been by the ongoing rocket fire into southern Israel. To support Israel and to ease the humanitarian crisis facing the people of Gaza, the United States must work actively for an immediate ceasefire that ends the violence, stops the rockets, and removes the blockade of Gaza.

"Israel has a right to protect its citizens, but I remain convinced that military measures have only a limited role to play -- a political and diplomatic resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is the only way to stop the violence permanently and bring long-term stability to the region. As Americans, we too have a strong interest in ensuring peace, stability, and security in the Middle East and that is why I am committed to supporting active American diplomacy in the region, working together with partners in the international community, from the earliest days of President-elect Obama's administration. America should not sit on the sidelines, as we are doing today -- this does a disservice to our own national interests and security and is unhelpful in bringing stability and security to Israel and the Middle East."

http://tpmcafe.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/01/02/rep_donna_edwards_d-md_stands/

[madfloridian]

1. Good for her.

:hi:

[ROakes1019]

2. Israel's right to protect itself

We hear this all the time, but how does four Israelis dead compared to over four hundred Palestinians demostrate that Israel is only protecting itself? It's not about the rockets fired willy-nilly into Israel. It's about the suppression and imprisoning of all those Palestinians into tiny pockets of land in what was once Palestine.

[TomClash]

3. It's to make up for the mediocre Israeli performance

in Lebanon in 2006. Israel is worried that no one is duly fearful of a nation with 200 nuclear weapons, the largest military in the region and two weak, bought off neighbors. :sarcasm:

[PBS Poll-435]

4. You really seem to like posting articles related to the I/P conflict

Do you have an opinion on the matter?

:-)

[Yukari Yakumo]

5. And just what do you propose, outside of diplomacy? {nt}