FCNL in the News

This year, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees anticipates more than 130 million people will experience forcible displacement or statelessness, a tragedy exacerbated by renewed violent conflict and atrocities, persecution, human rights violations, and climate and environmental disasters. The Americas are also experiencing unprecedented migration. As Congress navigates record-breaking human suffering, the conversation needs to center on effective solutions that both prevent forced migration and respond to displacement and resettlement needs. The United States can lead the world with conviction on proven humane migration solutions that uphold national prosperity and community interests.

As the UN gears up to launch a massive polio vaccination drive, Hassan el-Tayyab — the legislative director for Middle East policy at the Friends Committee on National Legislation, a nonprofit — said the inability to deliver basic necessities could compound the health crisis. “A 10-month-old baby in Gaza is now paralysed in one leg: This is the first polio case in Gaza in 25 years. This is a massive threat,” el-Tayyab told Al Jazeera.

FCNL’s Hassan El-Tayyab speaks with Al Jazeera on August 28, 2024, about a pending agreement with the Houthis to recover an oil tanker, avoiding ecological catastrophe. El-Tayyab also speaks of the urgency for a permanent ceasefire in Gaza to relieve the humanitarian crisis and de-escalate tensions across the region.

Recently, I interviewed grassroots activists from organizations that work to deliver transformational advocacy to their members. Lisa Jordan, an associate teaching professor at Drew University, joined her local chapter of the Friends Committee on National Legislation during Covid. After numerous Zoom meetings with congressional offices, she went to D.C. for the first time. “That was a total thrill,” she told me.

Therefore, in the delicate work of building peace and reconciliation, one critical thread often overlooked is the representation of disabled individuals. Their voices, their experiences, their needs — all are integral components to weaving a lasting peace.

Congress must stop doubling down on militarism and get serious about investing in tools that can effectively reduce violence, prevent war and promote sustainable peace.

These lists contribute to ballooning military spending and compound an already dysfunctional Congressional budget process.

As militarism increasingly demonstrates that it is incapable of resolving conflict with non-state armed groups, the need to reevaluate the approach to such violence is as pressing as ever.

In Pennsylvania, cities like Pittsburgh, Philadelphia and Allentown are grappling with a grim reality: gun violence is snuffing out lives at an alarming rate. Roughly 557 Pennsylvanians die in gun homicides each year. Of all homicides statewide, 76 percent involve a gun (slightly higher than the national average of 74 percent), highlighting the urgent need for action.

Meanwhile, outside the offices of the Friends Committee on National Legislation, a Quaker group, a cadre of interfaith demonstrators gathered holding signs that read “ceasefire now” and “no more arms to Israel.”