1. United States
2. Calif.
3. Letter

I am writing to urge you to refuse all financial support from pro-Israel PACs, their independent expenditure campaigns, and the major donors and bundlers who fund them. California’s two U.S. senators have collectively accepted more than $10 million from these sources–a sum that cannot help but compromise their independence on Middle East policy. Accepting contributions through any of these channels creates an undeniable conflict of interest for any representative who claims to stand for human rights and the equal dignity of all people. The moral stakes are clear. Israel’s ongoing treatment of Palestinians meets widely accepted definitions of apartheid, as affirmed by Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and numerous legal scholars. Accepting money from entities that lobby in support of those policies makes our elected officials complicit in perpetuating them. There are also serious unresolved questions about some of these donors’ connections to the broader network of political corruption and abuse of power exemplified by Jeffrey Epstein. I urge you to publicly pledge to refuse these funds, return any already received, and demonstrate that your loyalty belongs to the people of California–not to well-financed foreign policy interests.