One day after Congress thought they killed off any discussion of the mass murder of Palestinians in Gaza, with the naked censure of Rep. Rashida Tlaib, over 100 U.S. congressional staffers walked off the job today, holding a vigil for more than the 10,000 Palestinians killed in Gaza, and demanding that, as Common Dreams news outlet put it, “their bosses listen to constituents and support an immediate Gaza ceasefire.”
Common Dreams’ report quoted various participants. One: “We are congressional staffers on Capitol Hill, and we are no longer comfortable being silent.” Another: “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. Our constituents are pleading for a ceasefire, and we are the staffers answering their calls every day.” A third: “Most of our bosses on Capitol Hill are not listening to the people they represent. We demand our leaders speak up: Call for a ceasefire, a release of all hostages, and an immediate deescalation now.”
Previously, on Oct. 19 an open letter from hundreds of Muslim and Jewish congressional staffers had urged lawmakers to demand a ceasefire in Gaza.
