For months now, after the brutal Hamas attack on October 7th that claimed 1,200 lives, the world has watched in horror as the crisis in Gaza has worsened daily.
Now, more than six months later, 34,000 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces. Every day that goes by without a ceasefire is another day that Palestinians are subjected to violence, starvation, death, and destruction. And every day that we do not de-escalate the region, more lives are put at risk.
That’s why I stood on the House floor last week and condemned the Iranian military’s recent attack on Israel and the Israeli military’s attack on the Iranian consulate in Syria. These escalations are dangerous. And we now find ourselves at a critical inflection point.
Here’s how I see it: We can either leverage diplomacy to de-escalate tensions and push for peace, or we can stand idly by as this spirals into a broader regional conflict that will result in more loss of life — Palestinian, Israeli, and American.
The U.S. must immediately halt sending offensive weapons to the Israeli military against the backdrop of Palestinians in Gaza being starved, bombed, tortured, and executed.
Generations of Palestinian families have been wiped out. Over 2 million are displaced from homes that have been razed to the ground.
We know that we cannot bomb our way to peace. The U.S. must stop using our tax dollars to arm the Israeli military with more bombs and bullets. The same bombs and bullets that have been used to kill over 14,000 Palestinian children in Gaza.
We see momentum across the globe in support of a ceasefire. Last week, 37 Democratic colleagues joined us in voting no on a bill to send more bombs and bullets to the Israeli military. Millions are marching peacefully in the streets. A ceasefire is the mandate. To surge humanitarian aid. To bring all the hostages home. To save lives — Palestinian, Israeli, and American.
Yours in service,
Ayanna