Rep. Dingell on Israel and Palestine: “We’ve Got to Address the Drivers of This Conflict”

Rep. Debbie Dingell says the U.S. needs to be proactive in preventing human rights abuses and ensuring children are safe from violence.

Hamas and the Israeli government have agreed to a cease-fire to stop a recent escalation in violence. During the height of the violence and amid mass protests against Israel and the United States’ support for its government, President Joe Biden visited Dearborn, the most densely Arab American populated area in the United States. 

“I think that diplomacy matters and trying to bring people together … a lot of times, isn’t done in public.” –Rep. Debbie Dingell, (MI-12)

Rep. Debbie Dingell was one of Michigan’s members of Congress who spoke with Biden at that event about how the United States should respond.


Listen: Rep. Debbie Dingell discusses Israel-Palestine violence and other issues in Washington.


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Rep. Debbie Dingell is a Democrat representing Michigan’s 12th Congressional District. Dingell lives in and represents Dearborn.

Dingell says diplomacy is key in a situation like this. However, when it is such a delicate issue, that diplomacy is often a more invisible aspect of conflicts because it does not play out on the front page of papers. “I think that diplomacy matters, and trying to bring people together … a lot of times, isn’t done in public,” she says. 

She says both Congress and the Biden administration need to act proactively to stop human rights violations. “We’ve got to support humanitarian efforts. And quite frankly, we’ve got to address the drivers of this conflict, so we can reach long-term peace and security for all the communities in this region.”

Dingell says the U.S. has a responsibility to help create peace between Israel and Palestine. She says that everything is on the table for a solution to the violence. “Children, no matter who you’re children of, I think deserve the right to grow up feeling safe and not worrying,” she says. “We cannot ignore this problem. We have to stay at the table and I am one of the people committed to the table.”

Web story written by Dan Netter

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