1. United States
2. Calif.
3. Letter

From Al Jazeera on September 5: "I had a seven-year-old child that had most of his nose blown off." Dr Victoria Rose has just returned to the United Kingdom after working at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis. She says children are increasingly suffering life-altering wounds in Israeli attacks compared with her stint in Gaza in March. "What shocked me the most is that about 80 percent of everyone I treated was under the age of 16," Rose told Al Jazeera. "All of the injuries were explosive-related and burns. I saw a lot of limb trauma, children losing their legs and arms. A lot of facial injuries." According to Data For Progress, the majority of America - 56% of Republicans and 86% of Democrats - support a permanent ceasefire. 70% of Democrats support restricting weapons funding to Israel. Are you going to listen to the people? Are you going to center humanity? President Biden’s administration continues to supply and fund Israel while knowing since October 2023 that Israel has been targeting civilians. This is continued participation in Israel’s genocide of Palestinians, erasure of Palestine, and a violation of Leahy Law, which prohibits our government from funding foreign forces who are implicated in gross human rights violations. What will presidential candidate Kamala Harris do differently? International scholar and lawyer, Francesca Albanese, has documented how Israel’s gross human rights violations and war crimes are genocidal acts, including their targeting of hospitals and healthcare workers, targeting journalists and civilians, using starvation as a weapon, etc. Israeli government officials have repeatedly expressed genocidal intent. Sites of learning, culture, and historical memory — universities, mosques, churches, museums — have been decimated. The Gaza Strip's ability to produce food and clean water has been severely destroyed by Israeli airstrikes and bulldozers which have razed farms and orchards. People have unearthed mass graves with evidence of torture. As people of conscience, we will not ignore this. I am demanding you to take immediate steps to stop Israel’s genocide of Palestinians by calling for 1) a total and permanent bilateral ceasefire, 2) humanitarian aid allowed to enter Gaza, 3) an end to Israel's siege on Gaza, 4) the release of all Palestinian and Israeli hostages, 5) no more weapons or funding to the Israeli military, 6) the reinstatement of UNRWA funding. A permanent ceasefire is an absolutely critical step to ensuring everlasting liberation and peace. The ICJ ruled that Israel should do everything in its power to prevent genocide. Never again means never again for anyone. Palestinians deserve to live with freedom and safety which means first stopping this genocide and then ensuring liberation from occupation and apartheid. The liberation and safety of Palestinians, Israelis, Jewish people, and Muslim people are intertwined. There can only be true safety when we are all free from oppression.