June 21 - US Senator McCaskill participates in state-wide tele-conference on Palestine-Israel

On Monday June 21, at approximately 3 pm, several concerned citizens from Kansas City, St. Louis, and Columbia met via teleconference with Missouri Senator Claire McCaskill from her Washington office. The teleconference was organized by St. Louis resident Michael Berg. Present at the meeting were several Kansas City area residents, as well as a group of St. Louis residents led by Hedy Epstein, Holocaust survivor who has tried to get into Gaza four times now. Several activists from Columbia also joined the conference.

The meeting was approximately 20 minutes long and focused on two main points: demanding a impartial investigation of the attack on the Mavi Marmara ship [see photo] and a call to end the siege on Gaza. Hedy Epstein recounted details of what happened on the Mavi Marmara that night and the attacks on the unarmed civilians from the air. Senator McCaskill asked many questions and inquired further into the details of that night, saying that her intent was to transmit her concerns to the Foreign Relations Committee and other committees who are currently investigating the Mavi Marmara attack. The Senator also said that there are several investigations currently underway, and not just the investigation led by the Israeli government.

Secondly, the illegal siege on Gaza was discussed. Concerned citizens explained to the Senator how the siege was only hurting innocent civilians and pushing them further away from the American people because America fully and blindly supports the siege. One key point made was that Hamas’s power is only being strengthened further in Gaza because they control all goods smuggled in and they ultimately find a way to carry on their agenda financially, siege or no siege. Another key point made to Senator McCaskill was that the use of American weapons against innocent civilians violates our own Arms Export Act, and that Israel should be held accountable for violating our laws. Lastly, Senator McCaskill agreed with the group that one must speak to everyone, including enemies, in order to reach a solution to the Middle East question. She confirmed that Obama is supportive of this notion, although the group was concerned that the President is not fully standing by his word when it has come to other enemies, such as Iran and Syria.

Overall, it was a productive meeting, and Senator McCaskill listened to the group’s concerns and did try to explain the situation from the eyes of Washington. Hopefully, more meetings like this in the future will keep a channel of communication running between the Senator and her constituents on topics such as the Gaza siege, Palestine-Israel, and wars abroad.

See May 31, 2010 St. Louis news article on Hedy Epstein "St. Louis Activist Accuses Israeli Commandoes of Shooting Unarmed Civilians"