DNC Chair Ken Martin: ‘The Crisis in Gaza Is Urgent’

EXCERPT:

MARTIN: “One thing all of us in this room agree on is that the crisis in Gaza is urgent. This resolution is focused on the humanitarian crisis and makes clear that it must be addressed as the emergency that it is. As I’ve always said, we have to center humanity in this conversation. Thousands and thousands of innocent lives have been lost in this conflict. It has now become commonplace, unacceptably, to accept civilian lives as a casualty of conflict. One innocent life lost is one too many. My resolution calls for the secure and unrestricted flow of aid to Gaza, which is absolutely essential, and is the position of 44 Senate Democrats, who signed a letter recently calling for a large-scale expansion in aid. The resolution also recognizes the complexity of the conflict in the Middle East and calls for a long-term peace through a two-state solution negotiated through direct bilateral negotiations. As I’ve written in this resolution, the long-standing Israeli-Palestinian conflict is a complex dispute between two peoples with historic claims to the land, and the Democratic Party recognizes the worth of every is way Israeli and every Palestinian and affirms that both peoples have the right to security, to dignity and to self-determination, free from violence, extremism and hatred in all forms. Mr. Chair, Madam Chair, I submit this resolution for consideration by this committee."