1. United States
2. Ill.
3. Letter

As of yesterday, 4/27, another grim milestone is passed in Israel's genocide - every single person in Gaza has no clean water. This includes all hospitals, all refugee encampments - everyone everywhere is now exposed to the already rapidly spreading water-borne illnesses. Cholera and other diseases like this are 100% preventable when proper water sanitation systems are in place. It is not antisemitic to rightfully call Israel what it is - a genocidal apartheid state, violently occupying Palestine with the sole aim of genocide, ethnic cleansing, and taking all of Palestine. This false equivalency you've been making is made more clear than ever with the recent university protests across the country. At Columbia specifically, many in the movement are Jewish activists, some even being Orthodox Jews. Countries, governments, organizations, and other entities don't have the right to exist - people do. The call for the end of Israel's genocide and occupation is not a call to murder, harm, or hate Jewish or Israeli people. Your conflation of a political ideology with an ethnicity and religion is absurd. We will not stop using every single avenue at our disposal to demand divestment, sanctions, and for international and domestic law to be enforced to hold Israel to account for their gross violations of human rights throughout this genocide. I demand that you:  – Hold Israel accountable for a permanent, immediate ceasefire, their violations of the Genocide Convention, and gross human rights violations by any means necessary – Call for the immediate end of Israel’s occupation and apartheid and support Palestinians in their fight for freedom and peace – Secure the immediate release and safety of all Palestinians who have been abducted and held captive by Israel, including those whose indefinite detention began prior to 10/7 – Permanently end all monetary, diplomatic, and military aid given to Israel and enforce Leahy Law – Reallocate all funds given to Israel and commit additional resources for ongoing humanitarian relief for Palestinians starting with immediately resuming funding of UNRWA – Immediately withdraw all U.S. troops, military assets, and all other assets deployed throughout the Middle East and cease all actions that further escalate a larger regional conflict – Pass legislation that voids all anti-BDS laws at the federal level – Vote no on H.R. 7521 and any similar legislation proposed * * *