November XX, 2015
His Excellency Mahmoud Abbas
President
Palestinian National Authority
His Excellency Benyamin Netanyahu
Prime Minister of Israel
Dear President Abbas and Prime Minister Netanyahu:
We write in anguish and grief at the latest outbreak of deadly violence in Jerusalem and the West Bank. We appreciate your willingness to engage with Secretary Kerry and King Abdullah and hope you will build on that dialogue by doing everything in your power to avoid language and actions that increase fear, hatred, and violence. This moment calls on all of us to take actions that promote peace.
This violence is a familiar symptom of the underlying problem: the lack of a political solution that creates two states for two peoples, living side-by-side in peace and security. We know from experience in the region that when leaders make a commitment to the peace process, violence decreases.
Securing a lasting peace requires a commitment to humanizing the Israeli and Palestinian experience. Divisive rhetoric dehumanizes people and undermines the prospect of a two-state solution and long term peace.
We are committed to making this same plea to our colleagues in Congress. Members of the United States House of Representatives – and the American people — have wanted peace and prosperity for Israelis and Palestinians for decades. In order to be an effective voice for peace, we should pursue an approach the urges both sides to live up to their obligations under the Oslo Accords.
As we commemorate the twentieth anniversary of Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin’s death, we are reminded that leadership committed to peace saves lives. Prime Minister Rabin’s spirit lives on in Israeli citizens like Robi Damelin, a mother who devoted her life to peace and coexistence after her son was killed by a Palestinian sniper. The spirit of peace also lives on in Palestinians like Bassam Aramin, who devoted his life to peace after his daughter was shot by Israeli border police. And there is hope for lasting peace between Israel and Palestine because Robi and Bassam continue to work side by side to end violence.
We owe it to Robi, to Bassam, to the memory of Yitzhak Rabin, and to every Israeli and Palestinian to stop divisive rhetoric and work toward a meaningful peace.
Sincerely,
Keith Ellison
Member of Congress
John Yarmuth
Member of Congress
Debbie Dingell
Member of Congress