1. United States
2. Letter

The human spirit endures, it fights, it weeps, but it doesn't rest while any fellow human withers under the weight of undue injustice. We can no longer remain silent, passive observers to the heart-wrenching crisis unfolding in the Israeli-Palestinian territories. There is an urgent need for ceasefire, a ray of peace-filled calm in the storm of violence that has been fueled by not merely a disregard for human rights, but by more tangible, deadly tools. It's time we stand up to condemn, and more importantly to dismantle, the machinery of this conflict being run on U.S. funds and arms. Our conscience questions the morality behind our taxes being funneled into an aggravating situation that bears a haunting resemblance to crimes against humanity. Is it right for us to display shock at unspeakable horrors while we simultaneously fund military aid towards it? Every dollar given, every weapon consigned is a stamp of endorsement to a thousand mourners growing every day. The damage inflicted upon Palestinian civilians, the casualties that dare not be speak their number, demand that we pause to reflect, lest we lose our humanity amidst this staggering loss. Every policy, every action, every decision is a testament to our values. The present crisis is by no means an exception, and neither ought our response to be. It is critical, now more than ever, to distinguish between supporting a nation's right to exist and feeding a cycle of violence, giving power to oppression. Let's ring the bell of ceasefire, let's make our plea echo in the hallowed halls: the U.S. must stop funding Israel's oppressive actions against Palestinian civilians, and the provision of arms exacerbating this cycle of violence. We owe it to ourselves, to our shared human spirit, and to our fellow beings caught in the festering wound of conflict. It begins now, not a moment later. The harrowing urgency of human lives hanging in the balance does not afford us the leisure of time, only the grim reminder of our shared responsibility. In our hands, stagnates the power to initiate change; how we wield it, will be our lasting legacy.