20th September 2023 | Advocacy

On September 21st, Representatives Dean Phillips (D-MN) and Bill Johnson (R-OH) led a bipartisan letter to Secretary of State Antony Blinken, along with 58 of their colleagues, calling for the U.S. to work with the international community and private sector to prevent the closure of the last humanitarian demining program in the West Bank.


Though only three minefields still require humanitarian clearance, a lack of funding threatens to close HALO’s demining program. Only $1 million is required to keep this program open through 2024, which would ensure that demining assistance can continue to provide relief for the 53,000 people impacted by the presence of mines.

 

The program is supported by both Israeli and Palestinian authorities, representing an area of cooperation in the region. Further, the program supports safety and would allow many families to farm their land for the first time in over 50 years.

 

Read the letter and see the signatories here.

 

The Representatives who signed the letter include: Rep. Dean Phillips, Rep. Bill Johnson, Rep. Colin Allred, Rep. Ami Bera, Rep. Don Beyer, Rep. Sanford Bishop, Rep. Earl Blumenauer, Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester, Rep. Cori Bush, Rep. André Carson, Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, Rep. Judy Chu, Rep. Steve Cohen, Rep. Gerry Connolly, Rep. Madeleine Dean, Rep. Adriano Espaillat, Rep. Dwight Evans, Rep. Lois Frankel, Rep. John Garamendi, Rep. Chuy García, Rep. Al Green, Rep. Raúl Grijalva, Rep. Jim Himes, Rep. Chrissy Houlahan, Rep. Sara Jacobs, Rep. Pramila Jayapal, Rep. Sydney Kamlager-Dove, Rep. Bill Keating, Rep. Dan Kildee, Rep. Derek Kilmer, Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi, Rep. Barbara Lee, Rep. Susie Lee, Rep. Steve Lynch, Rep. Betty McCollum, Rep. Jim McGovern, Rep. Grace Meng, Rep. Kevin Mullin, Rep. Jerrold Nadler, Rep. Donald Norcross, Rep. Eleanor Norton, Rep. Ilhan Omar, Rep. Mark Pocan, Rep. Aumua Amata Radewagen, Rep. Jamie Raskin, Rep. Linda Sánchez, Rep. Jan Schakowsky, Rep. Adam Schiff, Rep. Brad Schneider, Rep. Adam Smith, Rep. Greg Stanton, Rep. Dina Titus, Rep. Rashida Tlaib, Rep. Jill Tokuda, Rep. Lori Trahan, Rep. David Trone, Rep. Michael Turner, Rep. Nydia Velázquez, Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, Rep. Nikema Williams