The Fifth District Report

Ellison Praises Egyptian President for Gaza Ceasefire

Ellison had previously decried the violence.

As Israel and the Palestinian faction Hamas accepted a ceasefire four days ago and stood down their respective armed forces after a multi-day exchange of rockets and bombs, Rep. Keith Ellison (D-MN) expressed cautious hope for the future. "If Hamas & Israel can negotiate ceasefire, prisoner exchange, they can negotiate peace. W/o negotiation for durable peace, we'll be back," his campaign tweeted last week. As the violence began to spiral out of control a week before, Ellison had denounced both sides and called for an immediate ceasefire, according to the Huffington Post. "I urge both sides to practice restraint and take immediate action to reduce hostilities. I have been to Sderot, Israel and the Gaza Strip, and conditions for ordinary …

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Carrie Ritchie

8:04 am on Thursday, November 29, 2012

Very good points indeed.   more ›

(VIDEO) Elmo Joins Ellison on the House Floor

Rep. Keith Ellison used the Sesame Street character to argue that Congress should release money for 'Sesame Street in Palestine.'

Rep. Keith Ellison (D-MN) had a unique partner in the U.S. House on Tuesday: Elmo. "I brought a friend to the floor with me today," Ellison said. "As we all know, this is Elmo. This guy taught us our 1-2-3s, but he also taught us tolerance and understanding. For the past several years, he's been doing the same thing for children in the Palestinian territories." Ellison used the Sesame Street character to argue that Congress should release money it already approved for programs that support positive development in Palestine—including Sesame Street in Palestine. Money for the program, called Sharaa Simsim there, was halted in October when Congress froze the transfer of nearly $200 million to the U.S. Agency for International Development—a …

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