Your decision to cut off funding from UNRWA is absolutely horrific. The World Food Program and other non-political international organizations have made it clear that this action will contribute significantly to the starvation of Palestinians in Gaza. UNRWA is the largest distributor of aid and their presence is desperately needed now more than ever. If the allegations that a handful of employees out of thousands were involved with attacks on October 7th are true, that does not justify the collective punishment of an entire organization that exists to try and serve a group of people actively experiencing a genocide.
Per the World Food Program, "No other entity has the capacity to deliver the scale and breadth of assistance that 2.2 million people in Gaza urgently need." Your actions guarantee the deaths of thousands.
I demand that you:
- Call for an immediate and permanent ceasefire in Gaza, the West Bank, and all areas the Israeli military is murdering or otherwise violating the human rights of Palestinians
– Secure the safe release of Mansour Shouman, a Palestinian Canadian independent journalist and humanitarian worker who was recently illegally abducted by Israel in Khan Younis on 1/23 while trying to evacuate to Rafah from the Nasser Hospital on a “safe route” as directed by Israel
- Call for the immediate end of genocide, apartheid, and occupation, and support Palestinians in their fight for freedom, peace, and their human rights
- Call for the immediate release of Palestinian “prisoners” (hostages) held captive in Israeli military prisons
- Permanently end all monetary and military aid given to Israel by correcting our budget and enforcing Leahy Law
- Reallocate all funds given to Israel to ongoing humanitarian relief for Palestinians to help them rebuild, care for the sick & injured, bury the dead with dignity, and ensure all of their basic needs are taken care of
- Repeal all federal anti-BDS laws and pass legislation that voids all state-level anti-BDS laws
- Restore my right to free speech and the freedom of the press by condemning all discrimination or harassment for criticizing any government or political ideology (including zionism) and by doing everything possible to prevent future assaults to my rights, including governmental control and/or censorship of the Internet
