1. United States
2. Letter

Israel's blatant disregard for international law and human rights in Gaza is a grave threat to global peace and security. The excessive use of force, wanton destruction of civilian infrastructure, and staggering civilian casualties have reached a level that can only be described as genocide. States have a legal obligation to employ all available means, including embargoes, to prevent such atrocities from continuing. As a party to the Arms Trade Treaty, our nation must immediately halt all arms transfers to Israel that risk facilitating further violations of international humanitarian law. An arms embargo is a lawful and necessary step to cut off Israel's supply of weapons used to commit war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza. It would also send a strong message that the international community will not tolerate Israel's defiance of the International Court of Justice's provisional measures and the UN Security Council's ceasefire resolution. Failure to act allows Israel's settler colonial agenda to persist unabated, prolonging the Palestinian people's denial of self-determination and fueling broader regional instability. We cannot be complicit through inaction. An arms embargo on Israel is a critical first step towards upholding our legal duties and moral imperative to prevent further escalation of this catastrophic situation. The credibility of the international rules-based order is at stake.