Action Alert: Funding for Palestinian Healthcare

[beatrice_otter]

It has long been difficult to get healthcare in Gaza and the West Bank, and that has only gotten worse in the last few years. And the more complicated or specialized your need, the harder it is to get in Gaza. Cancer treatments and so many other treatments are often difficult if not impossible to get in Gaza.

So when Palestinians need advanced healthcare, they turn to the East Jerusalem Hospital Network. This has been the case for many decades, with the Palestinian Authority working to ensure access and funding for treatment in the EJHN. This hospital network always runs at a major financial deficit because most Palestinians can't pay, or can only pay a fraction of the cost of their care. The US government has given this hospital system money to make up the difference for the last 15 years--and this has had bipartisan support in congress.

As they're putting together the 2027 budget and voting on it, it would be really helpful if people in congress knew their constituents cared about Palestinian Healthcare.

The ELCA has a handy widget to email your congresspeople. Yes, the ELCA is a Christian group, but you can delete the word "Christian" from the letter you send. Please modify the letter so it looks like you put time into it; this makes it more likely to be counted by your congress people.

Comments

[petra]

Workshopping this version with a friend, and sharing it for any of your readers who want a wholly secular letter:

I am writing to ask you to continue Congress's bipartisan funding of the East Jerusalem Hospital Network. This five-hospital system provides vital healthcare in Gaza and the West Bank. The residents of these areas deserve high-quality healthcare, and the East Jerusalem Hospital Network, long funded by the United States, is the sole source for essential tertiary care, specialized treatments including cancer treatment, and high-quality training for health professionals for many residents of Gaza and the West Bank due to security constraints.

We should not abandon these people in their hour of need. If the United States can spend 60 million dollars on a Flag Day celebration, our massive budget can certainly encompass life-saving treatment for people who depend on our assistance.

[petra]

Also, addressing feedback from another friend: relevant to my letter is that I am in NY, so my reps are all either a) literally Chuck Schumer or b) besties with him, so criticism of Israel is a non-starter.

[beatrice_otter]

Thanks, I like it!

[labingi]

Letter sent. Thanks for sharing this.

[beatrice_otter]

Thank you for taking the time to do it!