Cynthia Nixon and Activists Launch Hunger Strike for Gaza Ceasefire
Muslim Girl founder and editor-in-chief Amani Al-Khatahtbeh joined prominent Hollywood actor Cynthia Nixon and a coalition of senators and activists, including Assemblymember Zohran Mamdani (D-N.Y.), Rep. Madinah Wilson-Anton (D-Del.), Director of Strategy and Communications at Adalah Justice Project and Activist Sumaya Awad, Director of Advocacy and Organizer at the U.S. Campaign for Palestinian Rights Iman Abid-Thompson, and Organizer and Former Congressional candidate (N.Y.-12) Rana Abdelhamid, outside the White House on Nov. 27 to initiate a 5-day hunger strike, demonstrating solidarity and emphasizing the urgent need for a permanent ceasefire in Gaza.
Nixon, a mother of Jewish children whose grandparents are Holocaust survivors, passionately stated, “As a mother of Jewish children whose grandparents survived the Holocaust, my son has urged me to use my platform to emphasize that ‘never again’ means just that — for everyone.”
“As an American, I am here to demand that our President cease funding the mass killing and starvation of thousands of innocent Palestinians, a majority of whom are children and women.” Nixon is just one in the tsunami of 260 artists who signed a letter urging President Biden and the U.S. Congress to call for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza.
The 5-day initiative aims to highlight that a temporary cessation of violence falls short. The hunger strike began during a tenuous pause in the aggression on Gaza, with concerns looming that Israel intends to escalate its bombing once the pause comes to an end.
“Israel has made it abundantly clear that it has no intention of stopping its bombing of Gaza as long as it enjoys the full backing of the U.S. government. We will not allow the Biden administration to continue to fund the killing and starvation of Palestinians with impunity. We need a permanent ceasefire to save lives, and we need it now,” said Abdelhamid.
The hunger strike is led by a coalition of Jewish, Palestinian, and racial justice organizations, including the U.S. Campaign for Palestinian Rights (USCPR), Adalah Justice Project (AJP), Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP), IfNotNow Movement, Dream Defenders, Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), Institute for Middle East Understanding (IMEU), and American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC).
As an American, I am here to demand that our President cease funding the mass killing and starvation of thousands of innocent Palestinians, a majority of whom are children and women.
Cynthia Nixon
Assemblymember Mamdani highlighted the repercussions of President Biden’s policies: “If Palestinians manage to survive Israel’s bombing, they are then subjected to Israel’s use of starvation as a weapon of war. We embark on this hunger strike to bring attention to the consequences of his policies at his doorstep — to make visible the dehumanization of Palestinians he has perpetuated. We hunger strike for a permanent ceasefire.”
The U.N.’s World Food Programme (WFP) recently cautioned of the “immediate possibility of starvation” in Gaza, with only 10% of necessary food supplies entering the region since the onset of the genocide of Gaza. Critical shortages of food, water, and fuel have led to a dire humanitarian catastrophe, compounded by the closure of bakeries and the functional collapse of the food infrastructure.
“By every measure, this moment is the greatest loss of life and devastation in the history of the Palestinian people. We have been calling on Congress and President Biden to demand a total ceasefire since the beginning of October,” said Abid-Thompson. “While we welcome the 48 statements of support from Members of Congress who have called for a total ceasefire, it is not enough. Time is of the essence. We know that Congress and President Biden could have called for a ceasefire weeks ago, but they haven’t.”
“We have all watched the destruction of Gaza and seen entire families, every generation, buried in mass graves. We cannot escape the images of children lying lifeless and in pieces. We are haunted by the dead and the living, and we will never forget what we have witnessed.”
Awad stressed the gravity of the situation, condemning the U.S. government for supporting “the mass murder of tens of thousands of Palestinians in Gaza.”
“No one is spared by Israel’s bombs — journalists, doctors, children, and [Neonatal Intensive Care Unit] NICU babies. We hunger strike to demand that President Biden call for a permanent ceasefire. Without it, Israel will persist in the unfolding genocide in Gaza. Palestinians in Gaza deserve to be grieved, and it’s astonishing that we even have to say this — they deserve to live,” she added.
Muslim Girl Founder and Activist Al-Khatahtbeh said that the Biden administration “can no longer feign interest in women and children when [its] foreign policy is actively decimating families in Palestine.”
“Our administration’s dehumanization of Palestinian lives has even made its way onto U.S. soil with the rise in hate crimes and attacks on Palestinian Americans. Human decency demands a full and permanent ceasefire as the bare minimum,” she added.
The initiative is in light of the newest poll that has revealed that 68% of all American voters support a Gaza ceasefire. A ceasefire has been endorsed by 80% of The Democratic Party, 56% of the GOP, and 57% of non-partisans. Only 31% of voters support providing weapons to Israel. Despite the consensus for a cease-fire, Democratic leaders and members of Congress have declined to call for a permanent ceasefire. Worse still, the current ceasefire coincides with Thanksgiving, Black Friday, and Cyber Monday — all harboring the potential of giving further support to Israel from a financial standpoint.
Rep. Wilson-Anton (D-Del.) echoed the sentiment of the majority of American voters: “Our communities reject war. We do not consent to our government using our tax dollars to starve and murder tens of thousands of people in Gaza. It’s past time for President Biden and Democratic Leadership in Congress to listen to the demands of its base and end this devastation now.”
The hunger strike, taking place daily outside the White House on Lafayette Square, features diverse programming led by the participating organizations. Throughout the week, additional activists, elected officials, and allies, including Activist Linda Sarsour, Rep. Mauree Turner (D-Okla.), and Rep. Sam Rasoul (D-Va.), will join the hunger strike to amplify the call for a permanent ceasefire in Gaza.
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