As of November 28th, over 15,000 Palestinians have been murdered by the Israeli Occupation, backed by the United States. More than 6,000 are children, 4,000 are women, and hundreds of elderly individuals. In addition to this, 7,000 are missing, presumed to be still under the rubble of their destroyed homes and cities, including 4,700 women and children. Millions are displaced from their homes, forced to flee South to “safe zones” that are still bombed, on routes where they are sniped at by the IDF, forced to walk across the strip on foot, even those who are disabled and unable to do so. They are left to die. This does not include the 250+ killed in the West Bank.
During the supposed truce, violence has continued against those in the West Bank, and those in Gaza continue to suffer from not having adequate shelter in the winter rain and flooding. There are over 10,000 Palestinian prisoners in Israeli prisons, many of them held without being charged. Every year 500+ children are detained by Israel, some as young as 12 years old, or even younger.
I am sure you already knew these numbers, and simply do not care. As your constituent, I demand you not only call for a permanent ceasefire—not a truce, a ceasefire—but call for an end to U.S. Military funding of Israel, an end to the 75 year occupation, the apartheid, the destruction of the land and its people. Across party lines, Americans agree that a ceasefire must be called for and enforced. As a tax-paying citizen, I refuse for my own money to be used for violence against Palestine, for taxation without representation. Humanitarian aide must also be provided to Palestine, without attempting to interfere and take control of their governing and self determination as a nation.
Furthermore, any monetary encouragement representatives receive, such as from AIPAC, or the lucrative resources of the Middle East and Palestine—like the outline for the Ben Gurion Canal Project—must end, or else be used as a reason why they are unsuitable to be holding office. Bribery should be illegal. It is a conflict of interest with the people of America, whom you are meant to represent. The anti-BDS laws in multiple states must also be repealed.
It is day 52 of the attack on Gaza. Do not let any more innocent civilians be part of this cruel collective punishment. Israel must face consequences for their repeated war crimes.
