Senator Baldwin Calls for Ceasefire After
Meeting With World BEYOND War/Madison
World BEYOND War
(December 22, 2023) — As documented in various previous articles, World BEYOND War’s chapter in Madison, Wisconsin, and many friends and allies, have been urging US Senator Tammy Baldwin to support a ceasefire in Gaza, and she finally has.
See:
- Wisconsin Journal-Sentinel:“Baldwin Calls for Resumption of Humanitarian Cease Fire in Gaza”
- Fox News:“Dem Senator calls for cease-fire shortly after meeting with group pushing to cut aid to Israel” (Remember that “aid” is Fox News’s term for deadly weapons.
- Wisconsin State Journal:“Baldwin Calls for Ceasefire”
Baldwin Calls for Ceasefire
Mitchell Schmidt / Wisconsin State Journal
(December 20, 2023) — Citing the ongoing war and growing humanitarian crisis in Gaza, US Sen. Tammy Baldwin, D-Madison, on Thursday called for “the resumption of a humanitarian ceasefire.”
Baldwin’s comments come as she faces pressure from some liberal groups demanding she endorse a ceasefire in the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas.
“As I have said before, I support Israel’s right to defend itself against Hamas, bring hostages bring hostages back home, and end the terrorist organization’s threat — but it does not have the right to go to war against innocent Palestinian people,” Baldwin said in a statement.
“Eliminating the threat posed by Hamas and protecting civilians are not mutually exclusive aims.”
Baldwin made her call for a ceasefire about a day after Hamas’ top leader arrived in Egypt for talks aimed at brokering a temporary cease-fire and a new deal for Hamas to swap Israeli hostages for Palestinians imprisoned by Israel.
Israeli leaders have vowed to press ahead with the two-month old offensive, launched in response to a bloody cross-border attack by Hamas in October that killed some 1,200 people and saw 240 others taken hostage.
The offensive has devastated much of northern Gaza, killed nearly 20,000 Palestinians, and driven some 1.9 million people — nearly 85% of the population — from their homes, according to the Hamas-controlled Ministry of Health. The widespread destruction and heavy civilian death toll has drawn increasing international calls for a ceasefire.
“I support the resumption of a humanitarian ceasefire, in order to accelerate the delivery of humanitarian aid, protect innocent civilians and civilian sites, and negotiate the release of the hostages taken on October 7th,” Baldwin said. “This is only possible if both Hamas and the Israeli government cooperate.”
In addition to a ceasefire, Baldwin has called for the unconditional release of all hostages and unfettered access for humanitarian aid into Gaza, the protection of all civilians and civilian areas, efforts to increase the delivery of basic essentials into areas of need, immediate humanitarian aid to those in Gaza from the US, and access to medical attention for sick and wounded civilians.
Wisconsin rally calls for ceasefire in Gaza.
GOP Response
The Republican Party of Wisconsin was quick to respond to Baldwin’s call for a ceasefire.
“It is disgusting, yet unsurprising, that Tammy Baldwin is again catering to the demands of Hamas and the Council on American-Islamic Relations,” Matt Fisher, the state party’s spokesman, said in a statement. “Wisconsinites deserve a senator who believes terrorists should be eliminated, not accommodated.”
Baldwin is seeking her third term in office in the November 2024 election in what many expect to be one of the most closely watched Senate races in the country next year.
So far, Republicans Stacey Klein, Trempealeau County Board supervisor, and Rejani Raveendran, a 40-year-old college student and chair of the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point College Republicans, have announced plans to run next year.
Other Republicans considering joining the race include Madison businessman and 2012 Senate candidate Eric Hovde, Franklin businessman Scott Mayer and former Milwaukee County Sheriff David Clarke.
Mark Pocan, Barbara Lee and Rashida Tlaib
Other Voices
US Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Oshkosh) has previously said Israel “has every right to defend itself against Hamas’ horrific terrorist attacks.”
Johnson, who was reelected to another term in 2022, told Wisconsin Public Radio in October he wants to avoid a humanitarian crisis for Palestinians in Gaza who do not support Hamas. He added he supports some level of humanitarian aid for Palestinian people in Gaza.
“It’s a matter of getting the water flowing,” Johnson told the outlet. “It’s a matter of getting the support in there where it can be inspected, so these truckloads of humanitarian aid don’t contain weapons, as well. You have got to be careful about this but also understand who the aggressor was and the right of Israel to defend itself and, hopefully over time, be able to destroy Hamas so they can’t do this again.”
US Rep. Mark Pocan (D-Black Earth) has also joined several members of Congress to publicly call for a ceasefire.
“I know that the requests for a ceasefire seem to be for Israel to stop,” US Rep. Gwen Moore (D-Milwaukee) told CBS 58 earlier this week when asked if she supports a ceasefire. “I don’t know that they’re speaking to Hamas. You can’t clap with just one hand.
“I do know that I want an enduring peace, not just a ceasefire for tonight or a couple of years,” Moore said.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
