{"id":29770,"date":"2023-11-09T12:28:48","date_gmt":"2023-11-09T20:28:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/?p=29770"},"modified":"2023-11-09T12:28:49","modified_gmt":"2023-11-09T20:28:49","slug":"100-congressional-staffers-stage-walkout-demanding-their-bosses-back-gaza-cease-fire","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/2023\/11\/09\/100-congressional-staffers-stage-walkout-demanding-their-bosses-back-gaza-cease-fire\/","title":{"rendered":"100+ Congressional Staffers Stage Walkout Demanding Their Bosses Back Gaza Cease-Fire"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.commondreams.org\/media-library\/over-100-congressional-staffers-demand-a-gaza-cease-fire-outside-the-u-s-capitol.jpg?id=50425584&amp;width=1200&amp;height=400&amp;quality=90&amp;coordinates=0%2C1063%2C0%2C272\" alt=\"Over 100 congressional staffers demand a Gaza cease-fire outside the U.S. Capitol.\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>More than 100 congressional staffers walked off the job and attended a vigil outside the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. on November 8, 2023 to demand a Gaza cease-fire.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>(Photo: Celal Gunes\/Anadolu via Getty Images)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">&#8220;We demand our leaders speak up: Call for a cease-fire, a release of all hostages, and an immediate de-escalation now.&#8221;<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.commondreams.org\/author\/brett-wilkins\">BRETT WILKINS<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Nov 08, 2023 (CommonDreams.org)<a href=\"https:\/\/giving.commondreams.org\/-\/XKQWGZVR\"><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>More than 100 U.S. congressional staffers walked off the job Wednesday afternoon to hold a vigil for the more than 10,000 Palestinians killed by Israeli forces over the past month and to demand their bosses listen to constituents and support an immediate Gaza cease-fire.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWe are congressional staffers on Capitol Hill, and we are no longer comfortable being silent,&#8221; one legislative employee declared.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;We were horrified by the brutal October 7th attacks on Israeli civilians, and we are horrified by the overwhelming response by the Israeli government that has killed thousands of innocent Palestinian civilians in Gaza,&#8221; said another. &#8220;Our constituents are pleading for a cease-fire, and we are the staffers answering their calls every day.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">HAPPENING NOW: Congressional staffers are walking out to demand a <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/CeasefireNOW?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#CeasefireNOW<\/a> in Gaza.<br><br>Israel has killed over 10,000 Palestinians in Gaza, including more than 4,200 children, in the past month. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/H3T4Ymz1tZ\">pic.twitter.com\/H3T4Ymz1tZ<\/a><\/p>&mdash; IMEU (@theIMEU) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/theIMEU\/status\/1722311556040630634?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">November 8, 2023<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;Most of our bosses on Capitol Hill are not listening to the people they represent,&#8221; added a third. &#8220;We demand our leaders speak up: Call for a cease-fire, a release of all hostages, and an immediate deescalation now.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The staffers then observed a moment of silence and interfaith prayer to remember &#8220;those we have lost&#8221; while the three speakers laid down flowers in honor of the more than 1,500 Israelis and 10,000 Palestinians killed during the war.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Wednesday&#8217;s walkout follows the\u00a0<a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.commondreams.org\/news\/congressional-staffers-letter\" target=\"_blank\">publication<\/a>\u00a0last month\u00a0of an\u00a0<a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.documentcloud.org\/documents\/24041700-hill-staff-ceasefire-open-letter\" target=\"_blank\">open letter<\/a> from hundreds of Muslim and Jewish congressional staffers urging\u00a0lawmakers to demand a cease-fire in Gaza.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Democracy looks like this! Congressional staff are responding to the demands of the people, better than their bosses. <br><br>Doing the bidding of super PACs and refusing to speak out or take a stand because they line your campaign pockets with dark money is NOT democracy. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/KZf48askNm\">https:\/\/t.co\/KZf48askNm<\/a><\/p>&mdash; Courtney Rose Laudick (@LaudickCourtney) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/LaudickCourtney\/status\/1722337784340381751?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">November 8, 2023<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Just 18 House Democrats are sponsoring a&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.congress.gov\/bill\/118th-congress\/house-resolution\/786\/all-info\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">resolution<\/a>&nbsp;introduced last month by Rep.&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.commondreams.org\/tag\/cori-bush\">Cori Bush<\/a>&nbsp;(D-Mo.) urging President Joe Biden to push Israel for an immediate cease-fire. Several others,&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/mcgovern.house.gov\/news\/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=400035\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">including<\/a>&nbsp;Reps. Jim McGovern (D-Mass.), Joaquin Castro (D-Texas), Veronica Escobar (D-Texas), and&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/iqconnect.house.gov\/iqextranet\/view_newsletter.aspx?id=105787&amp;c=ca43mw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Maxine Waters<\/a>&nbsp;(D-Calif.) have separately called for a cease-fire.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In the Senate, 13 lawmakers\u2014Sens.&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.commondreams.org\/tag\/ed-markey\">Ed Markey<\/a>&nbsp;(D-Mass.), Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Mark Warner (D-Va.), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), Peter Welch (D-Vt.),&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.commondreams.org\/tag\/Elizabeth-Warren\">Elizabeth Warren<\/a>&nbsp;(D-Mass.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Tina Smith (D-Minn.), Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), and Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.)\u2014earlier this month&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.commondreams.org\/news\/senators-cessation-hostilities-gaza\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">urged<\/a>&nbsp;a &#8220;cessation of hostilities.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Notably absent from the list is Sen.&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.commondreams.org\/tag\/bernie-sanders\">Bernie Sanders<\/a>&nbsp;(I-Vt.), who has refused to call for a cease-fire, a stance that has&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.commondreams.org\/news\/aipac-bernie-sanders\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">prompted praise<\/a>&nbsp;from the lobby group American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC)\u2014which&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.opensecrets.org\/industries\/indus.php?ind=q05\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">heavily contributes<\/a>&nbsp;to the campaign coffers of pro-Israel Democrats and Republicans alike.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Right now, 100+ congressional staffers are walking out, demanding a <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/CeasefireNOW?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#CeasefireNOW<\/a> to stop the killing. Israel has killed 10,000+ Palestinians in Gaza.<br><br>NOW is the moment to pressure Congress to listen to the people. CALL NOW, and keep calling!<br><br>CALL NOW: <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/JhaVYfJtP9\">https:\/\/t.co\/JhaVYfJtP9<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/6WwApJjwNu\">pic.twitter.com\/6WwApJjwNu<\/a><\/p>&mdash; USCPR #DefendMasaferYatta (@USCPR_) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/USCPR_\/status\/1722333031141192160?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">November 8, 2023<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Biden\u2014who has been&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.commondreams.org\/news\/gaza-death-toll\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">accused<\/a>&nbsp;of genocide denial for rejecting Palestinian casualty figures\u2014has also resisted growing calls to back a cease-fire, instead favoring a &#8220;humanitarian pause,&#8221; while his administration&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.commondreams.org\/news\/biden-leverage-israel\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">prepares<\/a>&nbsp;to send more than $14 billion in new U.S. military aid to Israel. The country already receives nearly $4 billion in annual armed assistance from Washington.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Furthermore, the U.S. used its veto power at the United Nations Security Council to&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.commondreams.org\/news\/us-vetoes-brazil-resolution\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">block<\/a>&nbsp;a Brazil-sponsored cease-fire resolution last month.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Recent polling has&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.commondreams.org\/news\/voters-support-cease-fire\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">shown<\/a>&nbsp;that two-thirds of Americans support a cease-fire, while participants in massive\u2014and ongoing\u2014<a href=\"https:\/\/www.commondreams.org\/news\/gaza-protests\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">protests<\/a>&nbsp;across the country, including many led by Jewish Americans, are resoundingly demanding an end to the killing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.commondreams.org\/author\/brett-wilkins\">BRETT WILKINS<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Brett Wilkins is a staff writer for Common Dreams.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>More than 100 congressional staffers walked off the job and attended a vigil outside the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. on November 8, 2023 to demand a Gaza cease-fire.&nbsp; (Photo: Celal Gunes\/Anadolu via Getty Images) &#8220;We demand our leaders speak up: Call for a cease-fire, a release of all hostages,&#8230; <a class=\"continue-reading-link\" href=\"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/2023\/11\/09\/100-congressional-staffers-stage-walkout-demanding-their-bosses-back-gaza-cease-fire\/\"> Continue reading <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr; <\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[1388],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29770"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=29770"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29770\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":29771,"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29770\/revisions\/29771"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=29770"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=29770"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=29770"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}