ST. LOUIS — A group of organizations on Tuesday released a letter of support for Missouri Congresswoman Cori Bush and her calls for a ceasefire in Gaza.
The letter is signed by more than 30 faith and social justice groups, including Progressive Jews of St. Louis, Jewish Voice for Peace-St Louis, Freedom Community Center, Epiphany United Church of Christ and American Muslims for Palestine - Missouri (St. Louis). In the letter, the groups voice their support for Bush and call for "an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and an end to the use of our tax dollars to fund ethnic cleansing and genocide."
The letter is a response to one sent by dozens of leaders in the St. Louis Jewish community less than a week ago that called for Bush to apologize for her statements on Israel and Gaza that they claimed were "insensitive, incorrect and fanning the flames of antisemitism."
"The Jewish community leaders who recently denounced Congresswoman Cori Bush’s brave statements calling for a ceasefire do not speak for all Jewish St. Louisans,” Hannah Rosenthal, the co-founder and organizer of Progressive Jews of St. Louis, said in a news release. “The letter attacking Cori Bush falsely conflates criticism of Israel’s government with antisemitism."
The Associated Press reported Friday that Israeli President Benjamin Netanyahu pushed back against growing U.S. pressure for a “humanitarian pause” in the war to protect civilians and allow more aid into Gaza, insisting there would be no temporary cease-fire until the roughly 240 hostages held by Hamas are released. In an interview with ABC News that aired late Monday, Netanyahu expressed openness to “little pauses” in the fighting to facilitate the release of some of them, the Associated Press reported Tuesday.
The Palestinian death toll has surpassed 10,000, the Health Ministry of the Hamas-run Gaza Strip said Monday, including over 4,100 children. More than 2,300 people are missing and believed to be buried under the rubble of destroyed buildings, the ministry said. The ministry does not distinguish between civilians and combatants, and Israel says it has killed thousands of fighters.
About 1,400 people in Israel have died, mostly civilians killed in the Oct. 7 incursion by Hamas that started the war. Israel has vowed to remove Hamas from power and crush its military capabilities.
Bush has taken a lot of heat following her comments regarding the bloodshed between Israel and Hamas in recent weeks. She was also one of 10 members of Congress who voted against a resolution to support Israel following attacks by Hamas.
In an Oct. 13 post to Bush's X account, she said she strongly condemned Hamas and "their appalling violations of human rights" but said the attacks did not justify "more human rights violations in retaliation." The majority of her posts on both of her personal and congressional X accounts have not mentioned Hamas, and she has called various actions from the Israeli military "ethnic cleansing" and "war crimes."
On Oct. 16, Bush introduced a resolution calling for an immediate de-escalation and ceasefire and to send humanitarian assistance to Gaza. The resolution has 17 cosponsors now.
In Tuesday's letter, the groups said Bush has reflected their values in Congress through her first two terms and they will continue to support her.
"Join us in thanking Congresswoman Bush for the brave stance she has taken against state violence, and in ensuring she can continue her important work for many years to come," the letter said.
The organizers said 450 individuals also signed on to the letter after it was released.
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