Urge Congress and the Senate to call for a ceasefire in Gaza, oppose military aid to Israel, and support humanitarian aid to the Palestinian people
Tensions in the Middle East continue to rise. The policies that the Biden Administration continues to pursue are only helping to build this tension to an untenable height with the Israeli bombing of the Iranian Embassy in Syria, and the retaliation of missiles and drones launched towards Israel from Iran and Yemen.
As a result of the continued failure of the Israeli government and Hamas to agree to a ceasefire, Israeli military action continues in Gaza. The Palestinian death toll since has now reached over 30,000 casualties. Under this continued bombardment, Israeli military actions continue to breach conventions of war grounded in International Law.
A permanent ceasefire is necessary to create the right conditions for the release of all those held captive and in prison, deescalate growing tensions in the region, and greatly expand the dire need for humanitarian aid. Parallel to a ceasefire, shifts in U.S. policy need to include the immediate halting of current and future shipments of weapons and aid to Israel.
Faith-based organizations continue to advocate for a ceasefire and a shift in U.S. Middle East policy including the conditioning of the military aid to Israel. A recent poll showed that the majority of Americans agree that the U.S. should halt weapons shipments to Israel until it stops its attacks on Gaza.
International human rights organizations including Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International have called on the United States to implement an arms embargo. The Biden administration has consistently refused to take any concrete actions to end U.S. complicity in what the International Court of Justice is investigating as a “plausible case of genocide”. The Biden administration and Congress must act with moral courage and take urgent proactive measures to halt the flow of U.S. weapons to Israel. Hundreds of thousands of Palestinian lives are at stake, at risk of death from disease, bombings, and famine.
Please join the Disciples Center for Public Witness, Global Ministries, and other partners within the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in the United States and Canada in calling on congressional and senate leaders to uphold the U.S. obligation to prevent a genocide in Gaza as well as any military aid. Together, we can urge the immediate and permanent ceasefire, and support continued humanitarian support to Palestinians in Gaza.
