1. United States
2. Calif.
3. Letter

From IMEU on November 12: On October 13, Secretary of State Blinken and Secretary of Defense Austin sent a letter to the Israeli government warning Israel that it was violating US law by blocking aid into Gaza. The Biden administration gave Israel 30 days to comply with specific demands made to increase the flow of aid into Gaza or face potential consequences. Instead of Israel complying with the modest improvements as the Biden administration requested, the amount of aid Israel let into Gaza reached its lowest point in over a year as the Israeli military cut off aid into northern Gaza entirely. The global community recognizes Israel’s genocide of Palestinians and erasure of Palestine. The global community recognizes US support of this genocide. We want action immediately. President Biden’s administration continues to supply and fund Israel while knowing since October 2023 that Israel has been targeting civilians. Secretary Blinken knew that Israel was blocking aid from entering Gaza and lied about it. This is continued participation in Israel’s genocide of Palestinians and a violation of Leahy Law, which prohibits our government from funding foreign forces who are implicated in gross human rights violations, including targeting civilians and deliberately preventing access to humanitarian assistance. 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 and massacres in Lebanon by calling for no more weapons or funding to the Israeli military. I support Senator Sanders’ Joint Resolutions of Disapproval to block arms sales to Israel. The ICJ ruled that Israel should do everything in its power to prevent genocide. Never again means never again for anyone. All people - including 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, Muslim people, and Lebanese people are intertwined. There can only be true safety when we are all free from oppression.