Senate Candidate From NJ Calls For Ceasefire In Israel-Gaza War

ESSEX COUNTY, NJ — A U.S. Senate candidate from New Jersey is calling for a “ceasefire” in the Israel-Hamas war.

Lawrence Hamm, who is running for the post currently occupied by Sen. Robert Menendez in 2024, is the latest community leader in Essex County to take a stance on the ongoing conflict in Israel and the Gaza Strip.

Hamm – a Montclair resident with a long history of activism in Newark and the region – is chair of the People’s Organization For Progress, the group that led a massive protest in the wake of George Floyd’s murder in 2020. The longtime activist ran for U.S. Senate against Cory Booker that year – nabbing nearly 119,000 votes along the way.

More than 1,400 Israelis were killed after Hamas launched their now-infamous coordinated attack on Oct. 7, including civilians and children. Dozens of the deceased are U.S. residents, including some from New Jersey. It’s estimated that nearly 200 Israeli soldiers and civilians were also seized by Hamas and taken into Gaza as hostages. Read More: Hamas Attacks Deadliest Day For Jews Since The Holocaust, Biden Says

Meanwhile, Palestinian authorities say thousands of people have been killed in Gaza due to Israel's retaliatory air strikes – also including civilians and children. Israel has cut off water and electricity in Gaza, raising an outcry from advocates, some of whom have called Israel’s order for Palestinians to evacuate to the southern part of the Gaza Strip an “impossible” task.

Among those advocating for the Palestinian people was Hamm.

“This war must stop,” Hamm said Wednesday, adding that the safe return of Israeli hostages should be among the most urgent goals.

But there are also many people suffering in Gaza, he said, many of whom are in desperate need of food, water, fuel, electricity and medicine.

“The conflict is leading to a genocidal catastrophe for Palestinians living there, and drawing other countries into wider regional hostilities that could potentially trigger world war,” Hamm said.

“I call upon President Joe Biden and Congress to alter their current military course and utilize diplomacy and negotiation to deescalate the conflict,” he continued. “If the U.S. continues down the path we are on, it will have disastrous consequences.”

Hamm also said the Biden administration should free up an immediate and unrestricted flow of humanitarian aid into Gaza. The “trickling in of aid” occurring now is totally inadequate for the level of need that exists, he said.

Another key to helping the region achieve peace? Recognizing the right of Palestinians to self-determination and a viable Palestinian state,” Hamm said.

“A few years ago, the Biden administration ended the U.S. war in Afghanistan,” Hamm continued. “That war lasted 20 years and cost the nation trillions of dollars. I urge the administration not to plunge the United States into what may turn out to be a more costly and disastrous debacle.”

Meanwhile, Sen. Menendez has been unwavering in his support of Israel and its right to “defend itself from the existential threat posed by Hamas,” which he called an “Iran-backed terrorist organization hellbent on destroying Israel.”

After the Senate passed a bipartisan resolution in support of the State of Israel last week, Menendez said it shows the United States of America “unequivocally” stands with its ally.

“Congress must act swiftly to provide Israel with all the necessary resources to ensure it can properly protect its people, deter Iran’s nefarious efforts in the region, and effectively wipe Hamas off the face of the Earth,” Menendez said.

“The barbaric atrocities are an affront to humankind itself,” the former chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee recently remarked on that chamber’s floor.

Read some of our recent coverage in Essex County below (click headlines to read the article).

• See Related: Israel-Hamas: Essex County Divided As Death Toll Grows (UPDATED)
• See Related: Israel-Hamas: How To Talk To Your Kids, Practice Self-Care
• See Related: People Fleeing Israel Arrive At Newark Airport After Harrowing Journey

Send local news tips and correction requests to eric.kiefer@patch.com. Learn more about advertising on Patch here. Find out how to post announcements or events to your local Patch site.