An immediate, unconditional cease fire is necessary, and requires U.S. support. According to U.N. Special Rapporteur for Human Rights in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, Richard Falk, the truce was maintained by Hamas despite the failure of Israel to fulfill its obligation under the agreement to improve the living conditions of the people of Gaza.

In short, Hamas and other factions in Gaza will respect a cease fire, Israel is the party that requires persuasion. The U.S. should call for unimpeded access for humanitarian aid into Gaza. While Israel is allowing limited humanitarian aid into Gaza, recent U.N. reports suggest Israel is not allowing enough fuel to restart Gaza's only power plant, resulting in a lack of adequate sanitation, reduced capacity at hospitals, and slowed rescue efforts for civilians in bombed areas. The U.N. also reports that less than one third of the needed food aid is being allowed into Gaza. Israel is starving Gazans dependent on international aid and creating a humanitarian crisis. Israel is breaking international law.

Under the Geneva Conventions, Israel is required, as an occupying power, to provide for the well-being of occupied civilians in Gaza. Instead of protecting and providing for the people of Gaza, Israel is bombing their schools and Mosques, assassinating police officers and other civil servants, and preventing the free flow of humanitarian aid.

International law dictates that military force must be necessary and proportionate. Dropping hundreds of bombs on densely populated civilian areas is never an appropriate response, especially to a few dozen rockets. The U.S. has sent Israel almost $3 billion in military aid every year since George W. Bush came into office. It is illegal, under the U.S. Arms Export Control Act, for U.S. weaponry to be used against civilian populations; we should stop sending this military aid to Israel as long as it ignores U.S. and international law.

Mahmoud Saleh

Hinsdale