Good afternoon, Senator Kim,
Since I am not able to join Meera Jaffrey, representatives of NJ Peace Action, CAIR and others today, I am sending you the following documents in support of restoring UNRWA funding and opposing any deployment of US military assets to Gaza.
As you know, since 1949, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) is the main supplier of medical care, medicines, food, shelter and other aid to Gazans, although its ability to provide aid was sharply curtailed in January 2024 when all US funding-30% of the total amount- was halted.
As is well known and documented, Gazans are struggling to find even minimal water and food needed to sustain life or sanitation and so most, including infants, the sick and elderly, are on the brink of starvation while many have starved to death or been sickened by cholera and other diseases. This humanitarian disaster has been exacerbated recently by Israel’s cutting off electricity and all humanitarian aid in the midst of a ceasefire that had brought some temporary relief.
I must add that our government, through its failure to restore funding to UNRWA has not only contributed to, but has amplified and made an already inhumane situation worse. And as if these victims of war had not suffered enough, our government has now offered to “resettle”, “relocate”, in fact to expel Gazans one way or another including by force. Although these threats, couched in euphemism, strain credulity, as they emanate from the administration, they carry the full weight of our nation’s government. This ongoing cutting off of funding humanitarian aid, coupled with threats of expulsion, aimed at people who are either refugees or their descendants who have been killed or maimed and have witnessed mass death must end. We cannot, if we have any conscience, continue to be complicit in their suffering and death.
We Americans, and those we elect, say we stand for justice, peace, and humanity; if we truly do, we would do what needs to be done to end this war on the innocents.
I’m old enough to remember the Vietnam War and served in the marines from 1966-68. I remember what we and the public were told and that what we were told was true was not reality, but rather distortions and lies, couched in euphemisms. Our country finally turned from that atrocity of a war after many years, but not until millions of Vietnamese and almost 60,000 US soldiers were killed, and uncounted numbers on both sides were wounded while many are still suffering from the effects of Agent Orange and unexploded remaining ordnance that still kills and maims.
If we are what we say we are we must work to end suffering and this war in Gaza. At the very least we can restore UNRWA funding and end threats to expel Gazans. The following links examine and explain UNRWA’s role and refute claims that its mission was compromised by some of its employees and that it therefore should be defunded.
https://www.un.org/sites/un2.un.org/files/2024/04/unrwa_independent_review_on_neutrality.pdf
https://www.unrwa.org/newsroom/notes/lancet-unrwas-work-risk-again
I urge and implore you to join Senator Welch and others and co-sponsor S-898 to restore funding to UNRWA, and also join Senator Kaine in co-sponsoring Resolution R-68 opposing deployment of U.S. forces to “take over” Gaza.
Thank you for your time and attention,
Joe Attamante
JVP North Jersey Member Joe Attamante wrote this letter to Sen. Kim when he was unable to attend an in-person meeting as described in the first paragraph. He got a thank-you from Sen. Kim’s staff and compliments from other attendees, so we proudly publish the letter here for the community at large.
—NNJ JVP Webweaver