1. United States
2. N.Y.
3. Letter

I am writing to you with utmost urgency and condemnation regarding the bill S.1504, the “Ensuring Peace Through Strength in Israel Act.” This bill, which aims to enhance Israel’s military capabilities through annual assessments and stockpiling of munitions, is a blatant endorsement of genocide. Israel’s ongoing actions against the Palestinian people are not isolated incidents but calculated, systematic acts of genocide. Over 40,000 Palestinians have been brutally murdered, burned, and maimed, including more than 18,000 women and children, and 2,100 babies under the age of two. These numbers are not mere statistics; they represent the lives of innocent human beings who have been subjected to unimaginable cruelty. The international community, through the United Nations (UN), the International Criminal Court (ICC), and the International Court of Justice (ICJ), has repeatedly documented Israel’s war crimes and crimes against humanity. These include the illegal blockade of Gaza, the relentless settlement expansions, and the extrajudicial killings. These are not defensive measures but acts of terror against a defenseless population. In supporting S.1504, the United States not only complicates its own Leahy Laws, which prohibit military assistance to foreign units involved in gross human rights violations, but also actively participates in these war crimes. The United States cannot, in good conscience, continue to fund and arm a regime actively engaged in genocide. The Palestinian genocide must be halted, and the United States must cease its unwavering support for Israel’s criminal actions. Passing S.1504 would be a disgrace to the principles of justice, human rights, and democracy that this country claims to uphold. I implore you to reject this bill and any further military assistance to Israel until it ends its occupation, dismantles its apartheid policies, and faces full accountability for its crimes against humanity. History will remember those who stood by and allowed these atrocities to persist. I urge you to be on the right side of history by standing up against this genocide and protecting the lives of innocent individuals.