1. United States
2. Calif.
3. Letter

From Al Jazeera on May 12: “Mohammed Tahir, an orthopaedic surgeon from London volunteering in Gaza with the charity FAJR Scientific, says it has been ‘quite horrific’ to witness some of the injured victims that arrive at the European Gaza Hospital in Rafah. ‘You have some really horrific injuries where people come and are not recognisable as a human being any more; they are simply lumps of flesh who have obviously died,’ he told Al Jazeera. “This not only exists for adults, but also children. It is horrific to witness firsthand. I’d only ever seen this level of trauma in photos; seeing it in the flesh is quite horrific. I’ve seen women and children as well as men all being cut down, with no preference for one demographic or the other. Many victims are dead on arrival and go immediately to the mortuary. Ambulances cannot evacuate many of the injured. The strikes happen often at night when people are gripped with fear and no one can get to them.’ He urged the world to ‘please try to bring this conflict to an end.’” President Biden 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 and a violation of Leahy Law, which prohibits our government from funding foreign forces who are implicated in gross human rights violations. U.N. human rights expert, 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. Sites of learning, culture, and historical memory — universities, mosques, churches, museums — have been decimated. The U.S. continues to ignore the U.N. resolution on March 25 for a ceasefire. 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 (which is what a ceasefire is), 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 I.C.J. 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.