Gaza, February 15, 2010 (Pal Telegraph) - The United States should break Israel's blockade of Gaza and deliver badly needed supplies by sea, a U.S. congressman told Gaza students yesterday.

Rep. Brian Baird, a Democrat from Washington state, also urged U.S. President Barack Obama's Middle East ambassador, George Mitchell, to visit Gaza to get a firsthand look at the destruction caused by Israeli's military offensive last year.

Baird, who has announced his retirement from Congress, told a group of Gaza students Sunday evening that the United States should not condone the blockade.

"We ought to bring roll-on, roll-off ships and roll them right to the beach and bring the relief supplies in, in our version of the Berlin airlift," he said, adding that the supplies could be delivered to UN aid agencies.

Baird represents the district that is home to Cindy and Craig Corrie, parents of Rachel Corrie, who was killed in Gaza by the Israelis when she was volunteering for the International Solidarity Movement. Rachel was attempting to stop a bulldozer from razing a home, and was run over.

Photo: Mohammed Asad

Agencies