Media Advisory: Senator Helmy to Deliver Floor Speech on Humanitarian Crisis in Gaza, the West Bank, and Lebanon

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator George Helmy (D-NJ), a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and the only Arab American senator in the 118^th Congress, will today deliver a speech on the Senate Floor regarding the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, the West Bank, and Lebanon due to the Israel-Hamas conflict.

Senator Helmy recently returned to the United States following a three-day official trip to Jordan. During his trip, Senator Helmy engaged with key regional stakeholders to address the escalating humanitarian crisis in the Middle East. A consistent advocate for life-saving humanitarian aid, Senator Helmy has emphasized the need to support vulnerable populations in Gaza, the West Bank, and Lebanon. He maintains that any lasting resolution to the conflict in the Middle East must be rooted in a strategy that protects innocent civilians and ensures that they have hope for their future.

Upon return from his official trip to Jordan, Senator Helmy issued a statement in response to Israel’s passage of two laws to ban the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) operations in Gaza and the West Bank, stating that, “UNRWA is the sole humanitarian agency that has the capacity, mandate, and manpower to immediately serve the millions of innocent civilians who are in dire need of humanitarian aid and protection.”

Today’s speech will be a continuation of his efforts to support the urgent delivery of desperately-needed humanitarian aid to innocent civilians in Gaza, the West Bank, and Lebanon.

WHEN: 4:15 p.m. on Monday, November 19, 2024

WHERE: United States Capitol Senate Chamber

PRESS: Open, availability

Those unable to attend can watch the speech live here.