1. United States
2. Va.
3. Letter

I'm writing to express my deep concern about the ongoing conflict in Gaza and to urge you to support Senator Bernie Sanders's joint resolution blocking the sale of offensive arms to Israel. Before I talk about the joint resolution, I must first bring up this Haaretz article because their journalism and findings have helped bring the conclusion that there must be some form of arms embargo. Haaretz has exposed the Israeli military's use of Palestinians as human shields, a blatant violation of international humanitarian law. An anonymous senior officer described the procedure: "Innocent Palestinians are forced to enter houses in Gaza and 'clear' them, to make sure there are no terrorists or explosives". This inhumane practice has been normalized by the higher ups in the Israeli military. The Israeli military's attempt to cover up these incidents is equally disturbing. The Military Police Criminal Investigation Division's decision to open only six investigations is grossly inadequate. As the same officer noted, "If the MPCID wanted to do its job seriously, it would have to open far more than even a thousand investigations". The officer then goes on to say that the six investigations are being done to “find a scapegoat” so that the MPCID can claim that it is already investigating itself. Senator Sanders's joint resolution aims to block the sale of $8.8 billion in offensive arms to Israel. I urge you to consider the long-term implications of these arms sales and support the resolution. I request that you: - Support Senator Sanders's joint resolution blocking the sale of offensive arms to Israel. - Demand a thorough investigation into the Israeli military's use of human shields and other alleged war crimes. - Advocate for not sending anymore offensive weapons until an unbiased investigation is completed. - Support humanitarian aid to Gaza to alleviate the suffering of Palestinian civilians. Source: "In Gaza, Almost Every IDF Platoon Keeps a Human Shield, a Sub-Army of Palestinian Slaves." Haaretz, 30 Mar. 2025. (https://www.haaretz.com/opinion/2025-03-30/ty-article-opinion/.premium/in-gaza-almost-every-idf-platoon-keeps-a-human-shield-a-sub-army-of-palestinian-slaves/00000195-e627-deaf-a397-f6674e390000)