1,000 signatures reached
To: President Biden, the Biden Administration, Members of Congress
NO to funding Netanyahu’s war crimes!
Every ten minutes, a child is killed by Israeli military airstrikes led by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Gaza. This means that every ten minutes, there is a child who will never get to fulfill their dreams. A child who will never get to fulfill their childhood, their teenage years, or their adult years, and a family that will never get to watch their kid grow up.
Children represent the bulk of deaths in this latest violence - whether by Israeli bombs and heavy artillery, or Hamas’ violence on October 7th.
And it’s not just children, over 11,000 Palestinians (70% of whom are women and children) have been killed and tens of thousands injured in Gaza by Netanyahu’s escalating military campaign of airstrikes (and violations of international law) targeting and bombing civilians in refugee camps, hospitals, homes, mosques, churches, and schools.
Did you know that our U.S. taxpayer dollars are being used to fund the relentless indiscriminate bombing of Palestinian civilians? It’s heartbreaking and wrong, and we can do something about it.
Will you join in solidarity and sign the petition to say NO to using our tax dollars to kill and bomb innocent civilians in Gaza?
Why is this important?
Netanyahu and his far-right government, the farthest right in Israel’s history, are leading a campaign of indiscriminate bombardment, breaking international law both by targeting civilians and using white phosphorus on civilian populations. These attacks have exacerbated the existing humanitarian crisis caused by the Israeli government’s air, land, and sea blockade that has caused catastrophic loss of life.
And what’s more, Netanyahu does not have the support of the Israeli people to lead the country. In the latest poll, two-thirds of Israelis polled said they’d vote for literally anyone else over Netayahu. Yet the United States is financially supporting Netanyahu’s war crimes and enabling his failed leadership
The reality is that the U.S. government is Netanyahu’s largest supplier of weapons, and every year for the next five years, the U.S. is already sending $3.8 billion in Israeli military aid. And on top of this, the Biden administration proposed sending an additional $14 billion of taxpayer dollars in military aid, which will include military weapons such as bombs and tens of thousands of 155mm artillery shells, which have been the Israeli military’s weapon of choice on the ground in Gaza.
In the past few weeks, a rising majority of Israelis andAmericans have been speaking out against Netanyahu and the violent attacks that led to this devastating humanitarian crisis in Gaza. And a recent poll showed a staggering 70-80% expect him to resign following this war due to his brutal and ongoing response, with calls from the opposition leader for his immediate resignation. Netanyahu, facing mounting pressure and polling the lowest among Israeli voters, has led decades of policies that have resulted in no more peace or safety for Israelis.
More than 1,200 Israelis were killed and over 240 taken hostage in the Hamas attacks on October 7 and 240 taken hostage. And the brutal response and incessant airstrikes launched by Netanyahu following Hamas’ attacks have not only escalated the violence and failed to prioritize the return of those held hostage, they have created an unprecedented humanitarian crisis with one in 200 Palestinians killed in Gaza by Netanyahu’s military since October 7. Entire multi-generational Palestinian families have been killed and erased from the registry. Entire lineages have been wiped out.
Nearly half of Gaza's residents are under the age of 16, and 65% are under the age of 25, effectively meaning that Palestinian children are bearing the brunt of the Israeli government’s collective punishment. This unacceptable, inhumane, unjust, collective punishment is also a violation of international law. It must end now.
Netanyahu’s bombardment of Palestinians has also drawn criticism from the international community. Ione Belarra, Spain’s Minister of Social Rights, has said that the International Criminal Court should investigate Netanyahu for war crimes. And Colombia’s president, Gustavo Petro, said that his foreign minister will formally charge Netanyahu of war crimes.
Calls for a ceasefire are also growing: the majority of Americans—76% of Democrats, and 61% of Americans overall, according to a new poll by Data for Progress—support the ceasefire and want to move toward a peaceful solution that values human rights. More than 400,000 MoveOn members have signed the petition to demand a ceasefire, and have raised nearly $500,000 in aid for Palestinians.
“Gaza won’t return to what it was before. We will eliminate everything.” “Let them die badly. Gaza should be wiped off the map.” “The children of Gaza have brought this upon themselves.” These are some of the words from Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, MK Galit Distel-Atbaryan, and MK Meirav Ben-Ari. It’s horrifying.
A United Nations human rights expert has confirmed that Palestinians are facing mass ethnic cleansing at the hands of the Israeli government and occupation forces. United States leaders have the massive power to step in and stop it.
If we come together, we can make a huge difference. Our collective calls for a ceasefire are working, and demanding that our tax dollars won’t be used to fund Netanyahu’s war crimes is another big step that we can take. And the time is NOW to come together and demand it.
Will you add your name to the petition?