ACTION ALERT: Send hospital ships USNS Comfort and USNS Mercy to Gaza immediately!

The Arab American Institute (AAI) :: January 23, 2009

Thank President Obama for sending a clear message to the world that Middle East peace is a top priority for his administration, and for selecting former Senator George Mitchell, a known and respected statesman of Irish and Lebanese descent, to serve as Special Envoy to the Middle East.

The President recently spoke with compassion for the plight of those in the Gaza Strip: “Our hearts go out to Palestinian civilians who are in need of immediate food, clean water, and basic medical care, and who've faced suffocating poverty for far too long.”

But after three weeks of violence and devastation, humanitarian aid is still stalling at the borders; too few trucks are passing into Gaza.

Ask President Obama to deliver urgent humanitarian assistance to the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. The United States has the capacity to send immediate help to the region with the U.S. Naval ships USNS Mercy and USNS Comfort.

The USNS Comfort and USNS Mercy are committed to providing "full hospital service... for use by other government agencies involved in the support of relief and humanitarian operations worldwide." Both the Comfort and the Mercy have undertaken humanitarian missions before, bringing medical relief to thousands and renovating hospitals and schools. They can be deployed off the Gaza Coast.

Additionally, army hospitals can be placed on the Egyptian border, and we can make a dramatic airlift of medical supplies via helicopter into Gaza City itself. Quick action at this time can make an enormous difference, not only in the lives of Palestinians, but also in their belief in our commitment to support them.

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