Issues & Issues Archive

National Peace Action: Act Now !

On the day after Christmas, Senator Bernie Sanders  introduced S. Res. 504, a resolution that would investigate Israel’s indiscriminate bombing campaign in Gaza. Since then, it's been reported that about one in every 100 people in Gaza have been killed since October 7th. And last month, the Israel Defense Forces said it believed that it had killed two Palestinian civilians for every Hamas militant. [1] On top of that, U.N. emergency relief chief reported last week that famine was "around the corner" as people in Gaza face the "highest levels of food insecurity ever recorded." We cannot allow U.S. aid to continue to be used in such malicious violations of human rights.

In breaking news, Senator Sanders has just announced that this resolution will come up for a vote next week! [2] Sanders’s bill requires a report on Israel's human rights practices under Section 502B of the Foreign Assistance Act, which prohibits providing U.S. military assistance to any country whose government engages in a consistent pattern of gross violation of internationally recognized human rights. It’s a powerful tool that Congress has been too timid to use - but Senator Sanders's bill could change that!

While we continue to call for a full ceasefire, we also must demand accountability for any military assistance the U.S. has already provided. 

Second, should the supplemental military funding bill come to a vote in January, I urge you to vote for Senator Van Hollen’s amendment to put conditions on the aid that ensure that it is not used in violations of human rights. I support any measures to condition aid to Israel to protect human rights and save civilian lives.

Please write your Senators today. Urge them to force the administration to report on how U.S. weapons are being used, and whether they are being used in human rights violations.

Thank you for everything you are doing to end this horrific war,

Jon Rainwater
Executive Director
Peace Action

Sources:

[1] https://www.cnn.com/2024/01/08/middleeast/gaza-death-toll-population-intl/index.html

[2] https://www.sanders.senate.gov/press-releases/prepared-remarks-sanders-on-the-humanitarian-disaster-in-gaza-and-his-intention-to-bring-502bc-resolution-to-the-floor-next-week/