'Support' Biden's Gaza Ceasefire Proposal, Says Watson Coleman

PRINCETON, NJ — Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman (NJ-12) issued a statement Friday afternoon, saying she supported President Joe Biden's Gaza ceasefire proposal.

Biden laid out the three-phase proposal for the ceasefire on Friday, and invited Hamas to accept it saying"it's time for this war to end."

According to White House officials, Hamas has responded "positively" to the proposal.

“I strongly support the pathway to a permanent ceasefire laid out by President Biden this afternoon. It is reasonable, it is tenable, it is necessary for lasting peace to take hold. Crucially, it sets the foundation for rebuilding Gaza — an issue I have been raising since the early days of this conflict when I first called for a permanent ceasefire," Watson Coleman said in a statement.

“It has always been my position that the safe return of the hostages is necessary for any peaceful end to this war. This proposal brings us closer to that reality than at any point in the nearly eight grueling months since they were violently taken from their homes, their families, and their friends."

The ceasefire involves Israeli forces withdrawing from populated areas in Gaza, with some hostages being freed in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners. Around 600 trucks will be allowed to bring in humanitarian aid to the devastated enclaves in Gaza.

“This proposal is also our best hope to finally end the unimaginable suffering that innocent Palestinians have been subjected to during this war, by ensuring a full withdrawal of Israeli troops from the Gaza Strip, and entry of humanitarian aid to relieve the starving and wounded families and children still trapped there. These conditions must be met so the Palestinian people can begin to rebuild their cities, bury their loved ones, and finally determine their future for themselves," Watson Coleman said.

“This has been an agonizing conflict for everyone involved. I am praying that negotiators can come to an agreement in principle from this proposal and finally secure, once and for all, a lasting peace.”