1. United States
2. Letter

With each passing day, images of innocent lives lost and homes destroyed invade our living rooms, compelling our souls into a relentless tug of war between despair and anger. The catastrophic war between Israel and Palestine is gravely violating every known human rights creed, and the United States of America, far from intervening, is actually perpetuating the crisis with continuous funding and arms provision. As a taxpayer of this great nation, I feel neither pride nor security in knowing that my hard-earned contributions indirectly finance this war machinery leading to unspeakable atrocities against Palestinian civilians. Cutting through divisive rhetoric, we must not lose sight of the naked, horrifying truth: Every bullet fired, every bomb dropped, every building annihilated is blighting the lives of men, women, and children who just wish to live, love, learn, and let live. The devastating cycle of violence, fuelled by an incessant stream of weapons, is a disturbing testament to our collective apathy towards the basic principles of human dignity and peacekeeping we all purport to uphold. Let’s not mistake ourselves - complacency in such blatant crimes against humanity is as condemnable as the acts themselves. This begs the question: Is humanity tethered to territorial lines? Is a child born in Palestine less deserving of the right to a peaceful existence than one born on this side of the world? We must break the shackles of indifference and demand an immediate ceasefire; demand a halt to the US funding and arms supply that feeds this devastating conflict. The spirit of our nation isn't defined by the atrocities we can fund but rather by the compassion we extend towards all beings. Today, let's choose to be the beacon of peace we claim to be, rather than the fuel to the fire of war.