Rep. Valerie Foushee, who represents Duke and Durham in Congress, signed on to a letter Friday calling for President Joseph Biden to work towards a bilateral cease-fire in the Israel-Hamas war.
Foushee, a Democrat, was joined by 10 other Democratic members of Congress in signing the letter, which started by thanking the Biden Administration for working towards a temporary cease-fire between Israel and Hamas.
The cease-fire, which prompted the release of 105 hostages taken by Hamas in exchange for 240 Palestinians detained in Israeli prisons, ended Friday morning.
The letter’s signatories called for “an extension of this pause and building on these negotiations toward a permanent two-state solution,” while continuing to release those held hostage by Hamas.
“By rejecting hate, terrorism, prioritizing the protection of innocent lives, providing humanitarian assistance and engaging in meaningful dialogue, we can lay the groundwork for a better future for all people in the region,” the letter continued. “We call upon all parties involved to demonstrate the humanity, courage, empathy, and commitment necessary to achieve a comprehensive and sustained peace in the region.”
The Hamas-led attack on Oct. 7 killed more than 1,200 people in southern Israel, according to the Israeli prime minister’s office. As of Tuesday afternoon, more than 16,000 people have died in Gaza from Israeli retaliatory attacks, according to the Hamas-controlled Gaza Health Ministry.
As of Tuesday, Foushee has not publicized her signing on social media, and her office did not respond to a Tuesday request for comment in time for publication. The signing marks a departure from her earlier stance on the conflict, having previously resisted calls for weeks to back a cease-fire though supporting calls for humanitarian aid sent to Gaza.
After dozens of protestors blocked traffic on a Durham freeway for hours on Nov. 2 to demand Foushee support a cease-fire, her office released a statement in response.
“Under international law, Israel has the right to defend itself in the aftermath of Hamas’s terrorist attacks,” Foushee’s November read. “The current humanitarian crisis must be addressed urgently and I stand with the Biden Administration on ensuring that clean water, food, medicine and aid is delivered to any civilian affected by this conflict.”
While running for office, Foushee previously told The Chronicle that she supported a two-state solution to the Israel-Palestine conflict and wanted to assure that human rights were protected in the region.
Her campaign attracted controversy after Federal Election Commission records showed that 54% of her campaign’s fundraising during the primary came from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, a political action committee that supports pro-Israel candidates.
When pressed on the issue, Foushee told The Chronicle at the time that her campaign did not take funding from AIPAC.
“There were AIPAC members who donated to my campaign. That situation was not something I could control,” Foushee said.
“[There] were supporters … that I learned who were members of AIPAC who have supported me since I was a school board candidate. Should I not have taken money from those same individuals who supported me as a school board candidate or a county commissioner or a state senator because I was not aware that they were supporters of this one issue organization?”
Foushee’s primary election was the most expensive Democratic congressional primary in North Carolina’s history, with Super PACs spending nearly $2.7 million to advertise on behalf of Foushee. Between donor bundling and Super PAC spending, AIPAC spent nearly $2 million on Foushee’s campaign.
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Jazper Lu is a Trinity senior and centennial/elections editor for The Chronicle's 120th volume. He was previously managing editor for Volume 119.