Dear John,

Last night, Israel issued a 24-hour warning to 1.1 million people in northern Gaza that they need to leave. The problem is, the Israeli military doesn't allow Palestinians to leave Gaza through the ONE opening that it controls. The southern crossing, controlled by Egypt, remains closed. Infrastructure in Gaza has been destroyed by Israeli bombs and Gazans have been without power for days. The 1.1 million people in northern Gaza (half of them children) will NOT be able to leave and Israel knows this. Let’s be clear: This is ethnic cleansing by the Israeli military!

We need to act now. If you live in the U.S. write to your member of Congress, and if you live outside of the U.S., sign our petition to stop arming Israel and to call for an immediate ceasefire!

Whatever is left of Gaza’s healthcare infrastructure now struggles even more to take care of people injured from the bombings. The hospitals in northern Gaza must be evacuated. How are Palestinians on life support supposed to evacuate? This "notice" is a death sentence. It's an abhorrent and disgusting violation of international law.

To date, Israel’s indiscriminate killings have resulted in the murder of 11 UN staff and personnel, and at least 30 students at UN schools in Gaza. Among them are teachers, a gynecologist, an engineer, and a counselor. Gazans are desperate for the services they could have provided. Israel threatened aid deliveries to Palestinians and Israeli officials are referring to Palestinians as “human animals” to justify their horrific human rights violations. 

We mourn every innocent civilian lost in this past week. We must work together to pressure the United States to demand that Israel negotiate a ceasefire. To stop the violence, the United States must stop arming Israeli apartheid and occupation.

Take Action Now:

1. Write to your member of Congress if you live in the United States
2. Sign the petition, especially if you live outside the U.S. Our thanks to the thousands of you who have already signed!
3. Share our message on Facebook and Twitter
4. Donate to support our Emergency Fund for organizations working in Palestine
5. Join our  Emergency CODEPINK Congress webinar on Tuesday, October 17, to discuss the misinformation and lies

We know that the constant information barrage can be hard to sift through—and we know this is a contentious issue to discuss with friends and family. We are constantly confronted with propaganda and if we aren’t careful, we may fall for it in part or in entirety. We know well what happens when we can’t see through propaganda. We can’t be used by the oppressors in these moments. When Colin Powell got in front of the United Nations and knowingly lied to the international community about weapons of mass destruction, we found ourselves in an endless war in Iraq that killed over a million people. When President Bush got in front of the nation and declared a war on terror, the United States deployed troops, drones, and bombs that caused immense suffering in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Yemen, and elsewhere. We owe it to ourselves to not fall victim to war-mongering propaganda— we owe it to the Palestinian people and their movement for freedom and return. 

It’s our responsibility to uplift peace, show up at protests in solidarity, and have difficult conversations with people around us about how our leaders have been supporting apartheid, occupation, and ethnic cleansing in Palestine. We will work hard over the coming weeks to update you, answer your questions, and give you the tools to take action. 

In peace and solidarity,
Ann, Danaka, Cale, Farida, Grace, Jasmine, Jodie, Marcy, Medea, Melissa, Michelle, Nancy, Nour, Nuvpreet, Paki, Terry, Tian, Tim, and Ysa