Palestinians have lived under Israeli military occupation and apartheid for decades. And the U.S. government has forced U.S. taxpayers to give Israel tens of billions of dollars in military funding along the way. In its April 2021 report, Human Rights Watch stated that "Israeli authorities are committing the crimes against humanity of apartheid and persecution ... based on an overarching Israeli government policy to maintain the domination by Jewish Israelis over Palestinians..." As documented in the Human Rights Watch report, Israeli apartheid and persecution includes: - "The suspension of basic civil rights to millions of Palestinians." - "Confiscation of more than a third of the land in the [Occupied Palestinian] West Bank." - "The forcible transfer of thousands of Palestinians out of their homes." Apartheid itself is defined by the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court as “Inhumane acts ... committed in the context of an institutionalized regime of systematic oppression and domination by one racial group over any other racial group or groups and committed with the intention of maintaining that regime.” The U.S. has long been a major funder of Israeli apartheid, forcing taxpayers in the U.S. to give billions of dollars to Israel's military. Meanwhile, the Israeli government uses its military to confiscate Palestinian land and enable the building of Jewish-only settlements. Palestinians who dare to oppose these policies are often arrested, imprisoned, tortured, or even killed by Israeli soldiers and police. What can be done? The Human Rights Watch report says, “The Israeli government should dismantle all forms of systematic domination and oppression that privilege Jewish Israelis and systematically repress Palestinians, and end the persecution of Palestinians.” It is time for the U.S. to stop funding Israel's crimes against humanity. President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris must immediately end all U.S. funding for the Israeli military. Sources: 1. “Abusive Israeli Policies Constitute Crimes of Apartheid, Persecution,” Human Rights Watch, April 27, 2021. https://www.hrw.org/news/2021/04/27/abusive-israeli-policies-constitute-crimes-apartheid-persecution. 2. “A Threshold Crossed: Israeli Authorities and the Crimes of Apartheid and Persecution,” Report, Human Rights Watch, April 27, 2021, https://www.hrw.org/report/2021/04/27/threshold-crossed/israeli-authorities-and-crimes-apartheid-and-persecution. 3. “Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court,” Article 7 - 2(h); https://legal.un.org/icc/statute/romefra.htm. * The artwork above is by Shirien.Creates. You can see more of her beautiful work on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shirien.creates/

On Sunday, May 16, Senator Jon Ossoff led 29 Senators in calling for an immediate ceasefire in Israel & Palestine to prevent further killing of civilians. On Monday, May 17, the Washington Post reported that members of the House Foreign Affairs Committee [HFAC] had just learned that Biden had approved a new weapons deal with Israel, even though the deal had been notified to the committee as required by law on May 5. These are offensive weapons similar to those that Saudi Arabia has used to kill civilians in Yemen. In response, Texas Rep. Joaquin Castro and other HFAC members expressed concern about the weapons deal and the message it would send about the urgency of a ceasefire and urged that the weapons deal be delayed so Congress could review it. But House Speaker Nancy Pelosi & Majority Leader Steny Hoyer overruled them and insisted the weapons deal would go forward without Congressional review. Senators don't work for Nancy Pelosi & Steny Hoyer. If even one Democratic Senator would speak up about this, it would give House Democrats more courage to insist on reviewing the weapons deal before it goes forward. In addition, under the Arms Export Control Act, a single Senator can introduce can introduce a resolution of disapproval on the arms deal and force a floor vote, as Senators Murphy and Paul did on Saudi arms deals in September 2016 & June 2017 in opposition to unconstitutional U.S. participation in the Saudi war in Yemen. Urge Members of Congress, especially Senators Sanders & Warren, to speak up about this weapons deal, demand that it be delayed & reviewed, and introduce legislation to force a floor vote, by signing our petition. References: Sen. Ossoff leads 29 Senators to call for immediate ceasefire: https://www.ossoff.senate.gov/press-releases/sen-ossoff-leads-28-senators-urging-immediate-ceasefire-in-middle-east/ WaPo article on House Dem opposition in arms deal https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2021/05/17/power-up-biden-administration-approves-735-million-weapons-sale-israel-raising-red-flags-some-house-democrats/ Rep Castro's statement demanding delay and review: https://twitter.com/AlexWardVox/status/1394369401420488708 House Dems demanding delay & review overruled by Pelosi & Hoyer: https://twitter.com/AlexWardVox/status/1394680891088285699

The characterizations by Knotts and the GOP are designed to shut down important dialogue and run counter to free speech principles. Education systems must welcome diverse opinions.

Palestinian people have the right to live in peace and with dignity. They have the right to control their land and natural resources. They have the inalienable right to be free. We, everyone committed to justice, must commit ourselves to freedom for all: "Freedom is indivisible...." June Jordan

Devastating videos of Israeli forces attacking Muslim Palestinians praying in Al-Aqsa Mosque during the holy month of Ramadan began to proliferate on social media late last week. In one such video, Palestinian women in the mosque are seen screaming and running from stun grenades fired by Israeli soldiers. This is in one of the holiest places of worship in one of the holiest months for Muslims around the world. Israeli forces injured hundreds of Palestinians, including medics treating injuries nearby, and the Israeli government has used airstrikes, rockets, and rubberized steel bullets to inflict violence against any resistance from the Palestinians. These troubling videos followed the decision of the Israeli government to forcibly evict families from the Palestinian neighborhood of Sheikh Jarrah in East Jerusalem. Although the Israeli Supreme Court stepped in to pause the evictions, this is part of a larger decades-long pattern of forced evictions, home demolitions, and displacement of Palestinians. The violence that started in Jerusalem has continued and spread, leading to massive unrest in the region and the worst escalation of violence in seven years between Israel and Palestine. Potential increased military action will only exacerbate the current situation with daily air strikes by the Israeli military in Gaza, Hamas launching over a thousand rockets to Southern and Central Israel, and growing violence on the streets already plaguing communities across the region. Morally courageous American leaders, including a slew of members of Congress, have already come out in support of the Palestinian people and called for an immediate ceasefire and an end to the Israeli policies of occupation and displacement of Palestinian families. The Biden administration must immediately do the same by leveraging its longstanding relationship with the Israeli government to call for an immediate ceasefire. In contrast, Biden and top cabinet officials seemingly offered support to the Israeli government to continue its policies precipitating the current crisis. In a call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Biden offered “unwavering support” for Israel’s “right to defend itself,” and made no mention of Netanyahu’s responsibility in inflaming and perpetuating violence as a political ploy to distract from his own diminishing power to govern. The United States even blocked the UN Security Council’s attempts to reduce tensions between Israel and Palestinians. With nearly $4 billion a year in U.S. military aid to Israel, the Biden administration has a responsibility to hold the Israeli government accountable. Before more violence ensues, the U.S. government must denounce the recent violence and call on the Israeli government to stop forced evictions, mass arrests, and other policies meant to harm and escalate tensions. We urge the Biden administration to forcefully advocate for an immediate ceasefire before many more civilians -- who will disproportionately be Palestinian --lose their lives.

India is in the midst of the world's worst COVID outbreak. Hospitals in India are stretched beyond their breaking point. Mass crematoriums cannot keep pace with the constant stream of the dying. Helping India in its hour of crisis is the right thing to do morally – but it's also the right thing for America. None of us are safe until the entire world is rid of COVID.

Landmines don’t understand a ceasefire. That means, even years after hostilities have ended, they can be triggered by a cow or a child and explode everyone and everything within a 27-meter radius. It’s a no-brainer that these abhorrent weapons should’ve NEVER gone into the ground in the first place. On the campaign trail, President Biden agreed, stating a commitment to "promptly roll back Trump’s deeply misguided decision" to continue their use. But the toing and froing since he’s taken office is not a great sign. That means we need to get LOUD to tell him that we demand an end to the use of landmines — for good. Will you add your name demanding President Biden end Trump’s reprehensible landmine policy?

President Biden is breaking promises he made on the campaign trail to follow in Trump’s footsteps and keep the U.S. refugee cap at an all time low. It’s abhorrent. Earlier this year, Biden pledged to raise the refugee cap for the next fiscal year to 125,000. Yet not even 100 days in office and his administration is backpedaling from that goal at a breathtaking pace — keeping the cap at 15,000 for the time being — and slamming the door shut on thousands of people who urgently need our help. If President Biden does not raise this cap immediately, the current pace of admissions will mean just 4,510 refugees will be resettled this year — far below the current limit and the lowest of any president ever. The U.S. has an obligation to open its doors to refugees. In fact, it’s a failed violence-first U.S. foreign policy that has driven displacement around the globe — exacerbating violence, systemic inequality, and the effects of the climate crisis — for decades. Congress must save the U.S. refugee resettlement program. Add your name to tell Congress to act immediately and stop Biden from further dismantling the U.S. refugee program.

President Biden is breaking promises he made on the campaign trail to follow in Trump’s footsteps and keep the U.S. refugee cap at an all time low. It’s abhorrent. Earlier this year, Biden pledged to raise the refugee cap for the next fiscal year to 125,000. Yet not even 100 days in office and his administration is backpedaling from that goal at a breathtaking pace — keeping the cap at 15,000 for the time being — and slamming the door shut on thousands of people who urgently need our help. If President Biden does not raise this cap immediately, the current pace of admissions will mean just 4,510 refugees will be resettled this year — far below the current limit and the lowest of any president ever. The U.S. has an obligation to open its doors to refugees. In fact, it’s a failed violence-first U.S. foreign policy that has driven displacement around the globe — exacerbating violence, systemic inequality, and the effects of the climate crisis — for decades. We have to get loud NOW. Add your name to let President Biden know your disgust with his decision to keep refugee admissions at an all time low and urge him to increase the cap as quickly as possible.

The US-backed Saudi-led coalition has been killing Yemenis for since its “intervention” 6 years ago. Recently, and out of desperation, the US-backed coalition escalated its tactics, implementing blockade on fuel entering the country. This effectively dismantles the supply chain in Yemen, leaving millions without food and medicine. It leaves hospitals and homes without power as fuel is required to power generators. This blockade is starving millions of Yemenis and the UN estimates 400,000 Yemeni children could die from starvation if the blockade is not lifted. Now a child dies every 75 seconds. Yemenis have been deprived of their basic human rights of water, food, electricity, and life at the hands of the US-funded onslaught. This is a preventable, man-made humanitarian crisis. We will not stand by the deaths of our families and people. President Biden and the United States must publicly condemn the blockade on Yemen & end all US support for the Saudi blockade.

In 2015, President Obama negotiated the Iran Deal -- an agreement that blocked Iran’s pathways to nuclear weapons in return for lifting sanctions that had devastated the Iranian economy. The deal provided unprecedented access to Iran’s nuclear program and created the most instructive nuclear inspections that any country has ever voluntarily accepted. The Iran deal was the result of years of painstaking negotiations and is one of the strongest and most significant nuclear nonproliferation arrangements in history. With this deal, we peacefully eliminated the threat of a nuclear armed Iran and strengthened our own national security. Without it, we face yet another avoidable disastrous conflict in the Middle East. In 2018, Trump reneged on the Iran deal and imposed sanctions on Iran. With the U.S. out of the deal, Iran has had little incentive to abide by the deal and has reduced its compliance.Trump undermined American credibility for future international agreements, further isolated the U.S. from major allies, and impoverished the Iranian people. Now is the time for the United States to salvage the Iran nuclear deal. President Biden campaigned on the promise of reviving the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, and we must hold him to that. Returning to the Iran deal is a necessary requirement for effective, broader diplomacy with Iran. The United States, along with people worldwide, deserve a long-term diplomatic approach to Iran and the wider region that minimizes human suffering and fosters lasting peace. The U.S. has yet to reenter the agreement and this historic diplomatic opportunity is at risk of being lost. President Biden must ignore attacks from warhawks and take bold steps to jumpstart diplomacy with Iran. Sign the petition: Demand President Biden to reenter the Iran nuclear deal.

As we continue to grapple with a pandemic, we must not forget our ongoing gun violence epidemic — and we must treat it like the national security priority it is. With so many factors fueling it, we know it’s not going to be solved overnight. BUT Congress could act NOW to mitigate the extent of mass shooting injuries and deaths. One place to start is by finally passing a federal ban on all assault weapons. With your help, we can make sure Congress hears us loud and clear when we say weapons of war do not belong in our streets. Together, we can push Congress to do their job — that means representing AND and protecting us with legislation that will ban assault weapons from our streets.