ACTION ALERT: Support the UNRWA
Emergency Restoration Act of 2024
New Hampshire Peace Action

(September 18, 2024) — We have an update on one of the bills we brought to your attention last week. The UNRWA Emergency Restoration Act will be introduced tonight by Reps. Carson, Jayapal and Schakowsky. There is still time for House members to sign on as original co-sponsors. Chris Pappas and Ann McLane Kuster have so far chosen not to co-sponsor this bill, but it’s not too late for them to join 60 other US Representatives in doing so.

Key points you can mention:

• Over two million Palestinian civilians face one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises, with famine and disease spreading. Despite this reality, the Biden administration and Congress halted all U.S. funding for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), the largest and most effective aid operation in Gaza, until March 2025.
• The U.S. suspended its support in response to Israeli allegations that a dozen UNRWA employees (out of 13,000 working in Gaza), were directly involved in Hamas’ attacks on October 7. As the facts continue to come in, it has become clear there was an unjustified rush to judgment against UNRWA. After prompt action by UNRWA and the UN, and after investigations, 15 countries that suspended support to UNRWA have resumed funding, including the UK, European Union, Canada, France, Germany, Japan, and Australia.

Ask both our Senators and Congressmembers to support a return to funding this life-saving agency. Tell all our reps that you want your tax dollars to support saving lives, not ending them.

October 7 is just a few weeks ahead of us, marking the first anniversary of the Hamas attacks on Israel and Israel’s ensuing and ongoing devastation of Gaza and the West Bank. As always, the next days and weeks will be a good time to work toward peace in Palestine, as well as peace everywhere else where wars are going on.

Sen. Maggie Hassan: Call (202) 224-3324 / (603) 622-2204

Sen. Jeanne Shaheen: Call (202) 224-2841 / 603-647-7500

Rep. Chris Pappas (NH-01): Call (202) 225-5456 / (603) 285-4300

Rep. Ann McLane Kuster (NH-02): Call (202) 225-5206 / (603) 226-1002

President Biden and VP Harris: (202) 456-1111 and https://www.whitehouse.gov/contact/ or https://www.whitehouse.gov/contact/vicepresident/