SANTA CRUZ — A group of congressional representatives, co-led by Rep. Jimmy Panetta (D-Carmel Valley) and Rep. Brad Schneider (D-Illinois), have sent a letter to President Joe Biden urging continued negotiations to bring about peace in the Middle East, according to a release from Panetta’s office.
Signing onto the letter were 29 members of Congress who were encouraged by Biden’s recent comments expressing cautious optimism that a temporary cease-fire in Gaza that could pause the fighting and bring home hostages may soon be reached.
“A temporary pause in fighting will not only help release the hostages and give desperately needed relief to the millions of civilians displaced by this war, it can also open a path to permanently ending the conflict,” reads the letter. “To achieve this outcome, the United States must work with Palestinians, Israelis, Egyptians, and our allies to create a provisional recovery administration to secure Gaza until a permanent government can be established. The people of Gaza and Israel, and across the region, deserve hope for a chance to create a renewed, reimagined future for themselves and their children.”
According to the release, Biden has said an agreement could be reached in the coming days before the start of Ramadan.
Included within the letter is a continued call for Hamas to release all hostages, sustained entry of substantial humanitarian relief into Gaza, creation of a “provisional recovery administration to secure Gaza until a permanent government can be established,” diminishment of terror groups and a call for Israel to recognize the “legitimacy of Palestinian aspirations for self-determination and freedom in the West Bank and Gaza.”
The current conflict began after 1,200 people, mostly civilians, were killed and 250 hostages were taken by Hamas-led militants on Oct. 7 after they rushed across the southern Israeli border. Since that attack almost five months ago, more than 30,000 Palestinians have been killed and more than 70,000 wounded in the Gaza Strip, health officials in the area have said, according to a report from the Associated Press.
According to the release from Panetta, who represents most of Santa Cruz County aside from the city of Watsonville and surrounding area, he was among the first members of Congress to visit the Middle East in the wake of the Oct. 7 attack. Since the attack, Panetta’s office wrote that he has traveled to the region as part of two bipartisan, bicameral congressional delegations to meet with Israeli and Arab leaders and push for the release of hostages and peace negotiations.
“We resolutely believe that peace is possible — that a Jewish democratic state of Israel can live with in safety and security alongside a viable, democratic Palestinian state,” the members wrote in the letter. “As was true with previous agreements, the path to peace requires an agreement directly negotiated between Israelis and Palestinians, supported and reinforced with U.S. leadership. We are fully committed to work with your Administration, Israel, and the Palestinians to move toward that dream.”
The letter also comes a few days after Michigan’s primary election, where more than 100,000 Democratic voters cast ballots for “uncommitted” in the presidential race. The vote was meant to protest Biden’s support for Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza amid the swelling death toll and was enough to earn the “uncommitted” campaign two primary delegates.
Still, Biden won the state by a large margin with more than 618,000 votes and 115 delegates.
The Associated Press contributed to this story
