Why Contact Congress?

Amid global calls for a ceasefire and US condemnation of indiscriminate attacks on civilians, By May 15th, the overall Palestinian death toll rose to 53,010, with another 119,998 people wounded. At the same time, Israel has launched provocative raids on Palestinian villages throughout the West Bank that have killed at least 915 Palestinians and wounded hundreds more, destroying scores of homes, roads and water supplies. There is mounting evidence that Israel is using the world’s preoccupation with the atrocities in Gaza to displace Palestinians in the West Bank and pave the way for its annexation, which is illegal under international law.

Meanwhile our nation's global prestige has suffered immeasurably since we are widely perceived as sustaining a humanitarian catastrophe that many are labeling a genocide. The US has stood increasingly alone at the United Nations in opposing the recognition of a Palestinian state, though it has stated repeatedly that it endorses a two-state solution. It has also vetoed three ceasefire resolutions, despite near unanimous international support. Israel's prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu has defied requests from the United States to bring an end to the conflict in Gaza, and a CIA intelligence assessment in June 2024 suggested he will continue to ignore US requests, while demanding that US taxpayers maintain their funding for his wars.

President Trump said in March that he had already approved $12 billion in major foreign military sales to Israel in just six weeks. He reversed the Biden Administration’s hold on certain weapons used against civilians in violation of international law. One example was 2000-pound bombs, which Israel has used to attack Palestinians in so-called “safe zones,” killing many Palestinians. Another example is cluster bombs used by Israel in Lebanon and Gaza, despite them being banned for use in densely populated areas. After these shipments resumed, Israel broke a ceasefire with Hamas and resumed massive bombings that have killed hundreds of civilians. Our tax dollars directly enable these attacks. The Leahy Law, passed by Congress in 1997, forbids the U.S. Government from funding foreign militaries if there is credible information they are violating human rights. This law needs to be enforced by Congress.

Israel has blocked all delivery of humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip, and has banned UNRWA, the main agency for refugee assistance, from working in the area. Israeli claims against UNRWA were never substantiated, leading the European Union and other U.S. allies to restore funding. Congress needs to act urgently to restore funding to UNRWA and to insist that US funding for Israel’s weapons cease until its mass killings of civilians and violations of international law come to an end. It is ridiculous for Americans to keep bearing the cost of Netanyahu's defiance and his influence over US lawmakers.