From China to Russia to the United States, we’re witnessing troubling moves to build nuclear weapons that push us all toward global catastrophe. Even a “small” nuclear war — where just three percent of the world’s current nuclear arsenal is deployed — would have apocalyptic effects. Millions would be killed on impact, followed by environmental destruction, famine, and more death in the fallout. There’s one thing we all deserve to know: How will the President of the United States respond in the face of this rising threat? President Joe Biden and Donald Trump could tell us how they’d act at their first debate later this month. The problem? We don’t know if CNN moderators Jake Tapper and Dana Bash will ask. That’s where you come in. We have just a narrow window of opportunity to urge the presidential debate moderators to pose a crucial question about nuclear weapons at the first Presidential Debate on June 27.  The good news is that they can’t ignore a call from tens of thousands of activists from across the country urging them to do it. Sign now if you agree: Debate moderators must ask President Biden and Donald Trump about any nuclear plans!

Right now, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu continues to wage a devastating war in Gaza, while undermining diplomacy and ignoring calls and protests from thousands of Israelis, including hostages’ families, to accept a ceasefire that can end the violence, bring their loved ones home, and build true security. None of this is a one-off for PM Netanyahu, who has built a career on impunity and sabotaging peace processes. His current resume includes everything from domestic corruption charges to accusations of empowering Hamas to weaken a two-state solution. Despite all this, House Speaker Mike Johnson — with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries in tow — has officially invited PM Netanyahu to address a joint session of the U.S. Congress later this summer. No matter your politics, one thing is clear: Granting PM Netanyahu a congressional platform will come at the expense of peace. Nothing will change if leaders who continuously choose violence over peace are given huge megaphones and political cover, especially by the U.S. government. This speech is scheduled for July 24, and that’s why we’re working fast to pile on the pressure to urge members of Congress to RSVP ‘No’.

Many members, in recent months, have repeatedly raised concerns and resolutions to leadership and specific pediatric sections. However, we often meet significant resistance and are told calling for a ceasefire is too divisive of a statement to make. Humanitarian groups and international organizations have consistently pushed for Israel to make stronger efforts to increase humanitarian assistance and prevent civilian casualties, as well as call for a ceasefire, but there is instead more targeting of civilians and humanitarian aid workers.  The International Court of Justice has pushed for Israel to take actions to prevent acts of genocide in Gaza. There has been, to date, little-to-no adherence to this ruling. Al-Shifa Hospital, the largest hospital in Gaza, was completely destroyed after an Israeli military operation. Humanitarian aid workers, of any nationality, are also not protected: 7 individuals from the World Central Kitchen were killed in an Israeli attack on their convoy after coordinating their movements with the Israeli military. The purported last safe place in Gaza, Rafah, is already being invaded by Israeli forces, killing dozens of civilians, including children, despite American and international warnings to halt the Israeli offensive in the enclave. The Academy has already released statements asking the United States government to consider the unique needs of Gazan children in conflict, and to refrain from putting children at risk of death. While commendable, we believe these aims will only be achieved by a permanent end to the ongoing violence.  We also note that in 2022, in the face of similar violence in the Ukraine, the Academy called for members to donate to UNICEF to care for Ukrainian children in the face of the Russian invasion, a push that has not occurred for the children affected by the Israel-Hamas war. The starvation rates that affect children in Gaza, has reached a catastrophic point, with 1.1 million civilians at risk of imminent famine. If war and siege continue, deaths will occur at an even more frequent rate. Our concern, as that of many members of the Academy, should be that of children who are at imminent risk of dying because of war. 

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has overseen the Israeli military as it’s caused catastrophic suffering in Gaza, including needlessly killing tens of thousands of people. Right now, families are starving amidst a famine his government created. That’s not all: He’s also allegedly given quotes to journalists to undermine ceasefire talks and repeatedly ignored requests from the families of hostages to get their loved ones home safe. He’s vowed to continue it ALL. Yet, despite a growing list of potential war crimes, House Speaker Mike Johnson has drafted Netanyahu an invitation to address a joint session of Congress — and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer is reportedly ready to sign on. Netanyahu does not deserve the honor of speaking on the congressional stage. Especially as powerful decision-makers, from the President to the House Foreign Affairs Committee, seem finally willing to use their influence to end the horrific violence in Israel, Palestine, and beyond. Inviting Netanyahu to speak at the U.S. Capitol would not only undermine our values — it could undo the ongoing efforts to secure a ceasefire. U.S. credibility — and hundreds of thousands of lives — are on the line. The decision is a no-brainer: Sen. Schumer must say ‘No.’ The good news? The chance that he does increases if he hears from thousands of people across the country now. For the sake of justice, peace, and basic human decency, will you add your name to our petition to Sen. Schumer and urge him to refuse Netanyahu this prestigious platform?

Hundreds of students have recently been arrested for participating in protests against the Israeli government’s war in Gaza at dozens of universities across the country. But blue lights and zip ties aren’t making students on any campus safer, and sending in armed troops will only increase the tensions — and the potential for tragedy. We don’t have to guess what that looks like because we already know: At Kent State on May 4, 1970, 28 National Guard soldiers fired into a crowd of thousands protesting the Vietnam War. They killed four students and wounded nine others. Those protests weren’t so different from the ones we are seeing today. From Columbia to the University of Texas-Austin to the University of California, Berkeley, and back again, young people across the country are exercising their constitutionally protected rights to free speech and assembly to protest horrific violence in Gaza. President Biden has an opportunity to show the kind of leadership necessary to meet this moment of crisis. As the protests spread, Republican governors could act unilaterally to bring more military presence to college campuses across the country. That’s why your voice is urgently needed today: Will you help us send the president a clear and crucial reminder that dissent is not a crime, and protest is patriotic?

Whistleblowers have reported that detainees are being strapped to beds, or restrained in inhumane positions for so long that they are subject to botched amputations. And this isn’t the first time reports of this kind of abuse have surfaced. In April, an Israeli doctor reported that there were routine amputations at Sde Teiman—sometimes leading to health complications and even death—from detainees being held too long in handcuffs and restraints. The doctor himself called the conditions “deplorable” and said that it violated “medical ethics and the law.” CNN on May 11 released a comprehensive investigative report, “Strapped down, blindfolded, held in diapers: Israeli whistleblowers detail abuse of Palestinians in shadowy detention center,” detailing the whistleblowers’ accounts and other reports or torture coming out of Israel detention centers.The journalist detailed heartbreaking, terrifying stories of abuse and humiliation.  Reports of Palestinians being forced to stand in prolonged stress positions, sometimes even zip tied to fences. Physical beatings. Botched medical procedures without anesthesia. At night, dogs are let loose to run over detainees, barking and terrifying them. Palestinians are subject to prolonged and even constant blindfolding over the course of weeks and months, a form of psychological torture. Dr. Mohammad al-Ran, a Palestinian detainee who was released after 44 days, was asked by a fellow detainee if Dr. al-Ran could find his wife and kids and deliver a message. He said, “Tell them that it is better for them to be martyrs. It is better for them to die than to be captured and held here.”  The leaked photos and stories hark back to Abu Ghraib, where, in 2004, leaked photos revealed abhorrent abuse at a U.S. military base in Iraq with smiling U.S. soldiers torturing detainees, some of whom were never even charged with a crime. Already comparisons are being made, calling the Sde Teiman detention center "Israel’s 'Abu Ghraib.'" We can’t sit back and allow history to repeat itself as human rights violations and torture transpire in real time. We must act now.  Sign and share the petition.

Since this conflict initiated, nearly 40,000 Palestinians (according to other sources, this number could reach close to 200,000, see information below) have been killed, over 90,000 wounded, and more than 1.7 million have been displaced from their homes, out of which numbers and for all categories above, nearly 50% are children including those under the rubble, and together 70% are women and children. The number of Palestinian children killed during this conflict since October 7th has been greater than the number of children killed in conflicts around the globe from 2019 to 2022 and it stands alongside the currently ongoing war in Sudan which began in April 2023, as it is also reminiscent of the killing rate since Rwanda in 1994 when comparing the total number of killed and injured civilians per day since the conflict began. The attack on children and women of this conflict is atrocious. It should not be allowed at this time of our human history and must be stopped immediately. On Wednesday 24th of July as Netanyahu prepared to address Congress, thousands of people gathered to protest his visit. Please read below: >"Over 130 Representatives and Senators decided not to attend Netanyahu’s address to Congress, including former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and the likely Democratic nominee for President, Vice President Kamala Harris — far exceeding the 58 members of Congress who skipped his speech in 2015. As Netanyahu attempted to justify the slaughter of tens of thousands of Palestinians in Gaza, asking Congress for bipartisan support to “finish the job,” the lone Palestinian American representative in Congress, Rashida Tlaib, defiantly held up a sign that read “Guilty of genocide.” https://www.jewishvoiceforpeace.org/2024/07/25/thousands-shut-down-the-capitol-to-protest-israels-genocide/?sourceid=1001761&emci=500e7860-a04a-ef11-86c3-6045bdd9e096&emdi=ea3eed58-a74a-ef11-86c3-6045bdd9e096&ceid=905615  From PalestinianSolidarityCC: • Based on Ministry of Health data, 351 martyrs and 893 injured arrived at hospitals from July 18-24. The Lancet estimates that roughly 186,000 Gazans have died due to the ongoing genocide since Oct. 7. Resistance News Network The Lancet • The virus which causes polio has been detected in six wastewater samples collected in Khan Younis and Deir al-Balah. (ScienceInsider) • Poliovirus is highly infectious and has a 15-30% fatality rate. Putting thousands of Gazans living in crowded displacement camps at-risk amidst an overwhelmed and destroyed health system. (Resistance News Network) • The Israeli military is building infrastructure along the “Philadelphi Corridor” which indicates plans for a long-term occupation of the Rafah crossing. (The Cradle) • Monday morning, Israel launched a new massacre in Khan Younis killing at least 70 and injuring more than 200. • The attack by tanks, aircraft and artillery came minutes after the IOF ordered an evacuation of the area.  Hundreds of thousands were forced to flee with nowhere to go. (Aljazeera), (The Cradle) https://www.instagram.com/palestinesolidarity.cc/?hl=en

Ron DeSantis, Florida Republicans, and Vertol Systems didn’t stop with the Martha’s Vineyard flight. In June, 36 Latin American migrants were deceived and promised work, housing, and food if they agreed to be flown to California on a chartered flight organized by Vertol Systems. And just last month, DeSantis floated the idea of flying Haitian migrants to Martha’s Vineyard. Enough is enough! We have to stop these flights before it’s too late. The migrants who were trafficked to Martha’s Vineyard have since sued Vertol Systems, and a federal judge has allowed the lawsuit to proceed and said that there was evidence to support that the migrants were targeted because they were Latinx. The federal judge recognized these sham flights as a political stunt asserting that DeSantis was exploiting migrants "in a scheme to boost the national profile of Defendant DeSantis and manipulate them for political ends,” and ruled that the treatment of these migrants was "extreme, outrageous, uncivilized, intolerable, and stunning.” It’s shameful that instead of treating asylum-seekers with the due process, dignity and care they deserve, Vertol Systems and Republican governors like Ron DeSantis are exploiting them and using them as political pawns. These are not isolated incidents. They are deliberate actions relentlessly carried out by anti-immigrant Republicans. It’s completely unacceptable, and there is no excuse for Vertol Systems to continue profiting off of deceived migrants. They must stop organizing the flights NOW. Will you take action and sign the petition?

More than 33,000 people have been killed in Gaza since October 7. And according to the U.N. and world humanitarian organizations, this catastrophe is going to rapidly become a man-made famine because the Israeli government continues to block critical humanitarian aid from entering Gaza. The United Nations’ World Food Program estimates that at least 300 trucks are needed to enter Gaza every single day here on out to be distribute food to meet the most basic of needs for civilians. and distribute food to meet only the basic hunger needs. Organizations have been trying to enter Gaza for months to meet the needs of civilians and have been blocked at every step of the way. Recently the Israeli security cabinet approved the opening of the Erez crossing with the Gaza strip for the first time since the October 7 attack, but that’s not nearly enough to account for the mass devastation that has already happened to more than 33,000 civilians in Gaza. We acknowledge that humanitarian aid will be life-changing for people on-the-ground, but a lack of security and instability will still consume the region and the civilians. The humanitarian needs should be met first, followed by an immediate ceasefire to create and sustain peace for all.

CNN and The New York Times are two major news outlets who largely control narratives and public perceptions on any given topic. We deserve fair and honest coverage. CNN and The New York Times must stop the journalistic malpractice NOW. Recently, a freelance Israeli journalist for The New York Times was exposed for liking a social media post that called for Israel to turn the Gaza Strip “into a slaughterhouse” and other horrific content. This exposes a clear bias in traditional news media, and they must do better. And The New York Times' language to describe the killing of Israeli people versus Palestinian people has been damningly passive. The words "slaughter," "horrific," and "massacre" have been used in relation to Israelis 86 times but only three times for Palestinians. And when discussing the prisoner exchanges, The New York Times referred to “Israeli women and children” being exchanged for “Palestinian women and minors.” Since October 7, news outlets have been partially responsible for messaging to the American people about what's happening, and some of the facts are just not adding up. CNN agreed to terms that condition that in order to enter Gaza, they'd have to submit all materials and footage to the Israeli military for review prior to publication, giving the Israeli military the opportunity to suppress content and materials that might showcase Palestinian suffering. CNN also hired a former Israeli military soldier, who was a member of the IDF’s Spokesperson Unit which is responsible for public relations, to report on CNN’s war coverage. There are record reports of increased acts of hate against Muslim, Arab, and Jewish communities throughout the country. Outlets’ choice to publish articles that inflame tensions and increase hatred against communities already experiencing a record number of hateful threats is irresponsible and dangerous. The media plays a huge role in public perception and opinion. Media outlets have a responsibility to publish factual articles and to act with journalistic integrity that promotes the peace and safety of all peoples. CNN and The New York Times have staff that are sounding the alarm about journalistic malpractice. We must come together in solidarity to hold CNN and The New York Times accountable and to demand that they report fairly and honestly. Will you take action now and sign the petition?

The UNRWA is one of the largest U.N programs with over 30,000 staff. The U.S. rashly halted funding in January after Israel officials accused a handful of UNRWA staff members of involvement with Hamas and the attacks on October 7, 2023. Despite the lack of evidence, UNRWA swiftly launched an independent investigation and increased standards for transparency and accountability. Still, dozens of countries followed the U.S. in pausing aid, pushing UNRWA to a breaking point and exacerbating the starvation and dehydration crisis facing innocent civilians. In March, Sweden and Canada announced they would be resuming funding after reviewing the interim report of the UN Office of Internal Oversight Services (OIOS) and observing the immediate measures taken by the UNRWA to strengthen transparency and accountability. Hundreds of thousands of people in Palestinian are on the brink of famine. The U.S. provides more funding to the UNRWA than any other country. Without assistance, the UNRWA may not be able to keep up humanitarian efforts in the region and many more innocent people will die from hunger—disproportionately affecting women and children in Gaza. Cutting off access to food and water is inhumane and violates international humanitarian law. As we continue to push for a ceasefire, we must make sure that civilians receive aid IMMEDIATELY to stop starvation and dehydration, and that means funding the UNRWA so they can continue to provide necessary services. PHOTO: AP Photo/Nasser Nasser

The IDF has a pattern of targeting and killing Palestinian journalists, according to media rights groups. Add your name to call for an independent investigation into the killing of journalists in Gaza. Media reports from Gaza are one of the few ways information comes out of the strip, with restrictions on media in place by the IDF and limited or no internet and phone access in Gaza. Meanwhile, Palestinian journalists share that they are having to choose between dying with their loved ones or reporting the news from a human catastrophe unprecedented in modern history. Netanyahu’s siege of Gaza is already the deadliest period for journalists since the Committee to Protect Journalists began collecting data in 1992. More than 79 journalists have been killed in Gaza, 72 of whom were Palestinian. By one estimate, 1 out of every 10 journalists in Gaza has been killed, making it the single-biggest death toll for journalists in a conflict zone in years. Media and human rights organizations are calling for an independent investigation into the targeting of journalists in Gaza. Reporters without Borders has filed multiple war crimes complaints with the International Criminal Court (ICC) regarding the deaths of journalists in Gaza. In a CPJ report, titled "Deadly Pattern," the media rights group concluded that a "routine sequence" occurs when a journalist is killed by the IDF. Despite all evidence, the CPJ reported that “no one has ever been charged or held accountable for these deaths.” Journalists must be protected. Their coverage and reporting from inaccessible and often ignored places are one of the only ways to reveal the truth in an otherwise contentious or controlled narrative.