US Democratic Rep. Cori Bush poses for a portrait after beating incumbent Rep.William Lacy Clay in their primary election, in St Louis, Missouri, US, Aug. 5, 2020. Photo: REUTERS/Lawrence Bryant

Seven members of the so-called “Squad” of far left members of the US House joined with a number of fellow progressive Democrats on Monday to introduce a resolution calling for an “an immediate deescalation and cease-fire in Israel and occupied Palestine.”

Led by Rep. Cori Bush (D-MO), the resolution notes that, since Hamas’ surprise invasion of Israel last weekend, “armed violence has claimed the lives of over 2,700 Palestinians and over 1,400 Israelis” and urges US President Joe Biden to call for a ceasefire and send humanitarian aid to Gaza.

The resolution does not mention Hamas, the Palestinian terrorist group in control of Gaza, by name or single it out for responsibility for the Oct. 7 slaughter of 1,400 people in Israel. It also accepts without question the casualty figures of the Gaza-based Palestinian Health Ministry, which is controlled by Hamas and typically includes terrorists in its publicly announced death tolls. 

The resolution also makes no mention of the more than 150 hostages believed to be being held by Hamas in Gaza.

Bush was joined by 12 co-sponsors, among them several of Israel’s most consistent critics in the House of Representatives including Reps. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI), Ilhan Omar (D-MN), Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), Jamaal Bowman (D-NY), Chuy Garcia (D-IL), and André Carson (D-IN).

The resolution is also endorsed by dozens of activist groups including the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR), Black Lives Matter Global Network, and the Transgender Law Center.

In her comments on the resolution, Bush did not mention Hamas, but she did claim that Gaza was part of “Occupied Palestine.”

“Today I am introducing the Ceasefire Now Resolution, vital legislation that calls for de-escalation and an immediate ceasefire in Israel and Occupied Palestine, and for humanitarian assistance to urgently be delivered to the 2.2 million people under siege and trapped in Gaza,” Bush said. “The United States bears a unique responsibility to exhaust every diplomatic tool at our disposal to prevent mass atrocities and save lives. We can’t bomb our way to peace, equality, and freedom.”

Israel withdrew its troops and all settlers from Gaza in 2005. Still, the United Nations and many human rights activists insist that Gaza remained “occupied” despite the withdrawal. These groups have also criticized Israel for imposing a blockade on Gaza. The blockade, put in place after Hamas took power, has been designed to prevent the terror group, whose leaders routinely call for the destruction of Israel and fire rockets at the Jewish state, from building up its military capabilities to attack.

Bush and her colleague’s cease-fire resolution puts her out of step with US President Joe Biden and the vast majority of congressional Democrats and Republicans.

Biden said in an interview on Sunday that he supported Israel’s military efforts against Hamas, which so far have not included ground forces, and rejected calls for a ceasefire. However, he said he believed Israel re-taking control of the Gaza Strip would be “a big mistake.”

“Israel is going after a group of people who have engaged in barbarism that is as consequential as the Holocaust,” Biden said. “And so I think Israel has to respond. They have to go after Hamas. Hamas is a bunch of cowards.”

Biden added that he supported Israel destroying Hamas in its entirety, but said that there needs to be “a Palestinian authority” in Gaza after Hamas is extirpated.