Plane Returned--RA's Statement

Last week, the Senate Ethics Committee approved five Senate Staff to travel on Rebuilding Alliance’s Leadership Learning Mission to Jerusalem and the West Bank, scheduled for Oct. 7-15th. The five Senate Staff, along with a group of constituent accompaniers, were scheduled to arrive at TLV on Sunday Oct. 8th.

Friday on a United Flight, my plane was just past Greenland when the pilot announced, “Israel is at war and we are returning to San Francisco.” Because there was no Internet, people gathered in the aisles as those receiving cell phones texts conveyed what was happening, many in shock and in tears.

As we heard of the onset of war, we at Rebuilding Alliance shared grave concerns about what it would entail: loss of innocent civilian lives on both sides, destruction, deadly humanitarian crises in Gaza, derailed efforts to assure justice, safety, and peace.

Rebuilding Alliance condemns the targeting of Israeli and Palestinian civilians. We echo the Carter Center in calling for genuine dialogue as well as international collective action to halt hostilities in the region. Rebuilding Alliance urges all to show restraint, uphold international humanitarian law by extending safety to the civilian population and infrastructure including residential buildings, schools, and places of worship, and take steps towards de-escalation.  

I'm now home. The airlines canceled all flights. In the interest of safety, RA canceled the Leadership Learning Mission 6.0. Thankfully, our travelers were still safely at home.

Yesterday, Israel’s Minister of Defense, Yoav Galant, ordered a complete siege of the Gaza Strip, saying, “There will be no electricity, no food, no fuel, everything is closed.” Per the UNOCHA Flash Update, mass displacement has escalated in the past 24 hours across the Gaza Strip, reaching over 187,518, and is expected to increase further. Over 137,427 of the displaced are taking shelter in UNRWA schools. Colleagues are describing the total destruction of their neighborhoods.

Rebuilding Alliance and our Palestinian Non-Governmental Org partners are once again asking your help to provide emergency food, blankets, hygiene supplies, and solar lights to the thousands of families in Gaza now taking refuge in private homes.

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Gaza Emergency Appeal

To get started, 50 families in Rafah received a bag of staple foods on Monday. We can ramp-up to help families who are taking refuge in UNRWA schools too. Rebuilding Alliance learned how to provide immediate aid during the 51 days of bombing in 2014 and provided emergency aid accordingly during the bombings in May 2021 and May 2023.

Also, families in distress need hot meals. The all-women team at Mrs. Najah's Kitchen: Gaza Emergency Meals resumed delivering protein-rich dinners today, Tuesday Oct. 10th.

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Mrs. Najah's Kitchen: Gaza Emergency Meals

I ask you to hold everyone in Gaza, in Israel, and throughout the region in the light, in your prayers. Quoting a donor who wrote to us, “There is no winner in this war… I want to help those who are suffering and do anything that will work towards peace.”

In this time of sorrow, danger, and loss, we’ll do all we can to help. I know you will too.

Sincerely,

Donna Baranski-Walker

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Rebuilding Alliance

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Redwood City, CA 94061