Dear President Biden and Vice President Harris,
Representing the entirety of its over 50,000 Palestinian American Christian members in the American Federation of Ramallah Palestine (AFRP), I am issuing this urgent appeal, requesting you pressure Israel to open the Rafah crossing to avoid further catastrophe.
Since May 7, 2024, Israel has closed the Rafah crossing, the primary route for medical and civilian evacuations, as well as the entry point for humanitarian aid and essential services, isolating an already vulnerable population. Freedom of movement is entirely restricted, food is severely limited or absent, and ongoing physical and psychological warfare is experienced 24/7 by Palestinians, including hundreds of thousands of children. Gaza is experiencing “apocalyptic” conditions and will continue to deteriorate if you allow Israel to continue blocking this vital aid route. Our complicity in these actions as Americans has contributed to the making of the world’s largest open-air prison. The closure of the Rafah crossing underscores this reality and stands in stark contradiction to American values and interests. The urgency of the Rafah crossing’s reopening has escalated dramatically in the wake of the latest Israeli airstrikes targeting the tents within the designated “safe zone” in Rafah.
As American citizens, we have the right to request the reopening of the Rafah border crossing to facilitate the delivery of humanitarian aid and the evacuation of civilians due to our substantial financial and material contributions we provide to Israel. By advocating for the reopening of the Rafah crossing, we, American citizens, are exercising our civic duty to ensure that our resources are used to alleviate suffering, uphold international humanitarian standards, and foster stability in the region. With each passing hour of inaction, the toll mounts in human suffering and loss of life as a direct result of the Rafah crossing closure, rendering any military objective morally unjustifiable. Israel’s closure of the crossing is also placing the lives of Americans in Gaza at risk of death; Americans who you represent. The pier alone is not enough to remedy this dire situation.
Just one phone call stands between death and life, and it starts with opening the Rafah crossing. Please be advised that we request your formal acknowledgment within the next seven days to confirm your awareness of the matter we’ve raised.
Sincerely,
Chuck Farah
President, The American Federation of Ramallah, Palestine (AFRP)
Sources:
https://gisha.org/en/volume-of-aid-to-gaza-plummets-as-israels-rafah-offensive-continues/
https://apnews.com/article/israel-palestinians-gaza-hamas-war-05-07-2024-
113bf4ee5dad87dc5c003d76ed2785bf
https://www.rescue.org/article/crisis-palestine-what-you-need-know
https://www.theguardian.com/world/article/2024/may/19/un-humanitarian-chief-delivers-
apocalyptic-warning-over-gaza-aid
https://www.hrw.org/news/2022/06/14/gaza-israels-open-air-prison-15
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/liveblog/2024/5/29/israels-war-on-gaza-live-tent-cities-
attacked-as-tanks-roll-into-rafah
https://www.cnn.com/2024/05/16/middleeast/american-medics-trapped-in-gaza-intl/index.html