John,

In March, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer gave a speech condemning Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as one of “four obstacles to peace” in Gaza -- the others being Hamas, the far-right Israeli government, and the Palestinian Authority president.

“And if we fail to overcome them,” said Schumer, “then Israel and the West Bank and Gaza will be trapped in the same violent state of affairs they’ve experienced for the last 75 years.”

Now, entering the eighth month of the Netanyahu government’s invasion of Gaza, Speaker of the House Mike Johnson has prepared an invitation for Netanyahu to address a joint session of the U.S. Congress. It’s up to Sen. Schumer to send another clear message against the unnecessary killing in Gaza and deny the honor and worldwide megaphone of this platform to Netanyahu.

Since the terrorist attack by Hamas that killed 1,200 Israelis and took hundreds of hostages in October 2023, Netanyahu’s invasion has killed at least 35,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, in the asymmetric warfare targeting innocent civilians who are unable to escape.

Netanyahu has undermined ceasefire talks, denied access to humanitarian aid, and ignored requests from hostage families. The relentless targeting of civilians and aid workers in Gaza has lead the United Nations Special Rapporteur to determine that “reasonable grounds to believe the threshold indicating Israel’s commission of genocide” have been met.

As the widespread targeting and death of civilians in Gaza reaches the genocide level, Netanyahu must not be invited to speak to a joint session of Congress. Call on Senator Schumer to refuse to extend Netanyahu an invitation to speak now.

To be clear, Netanyahu’s rhetoric itself echoes Biblical injunctions invoking genocide. Upon declaring the invasion, he exhorted Israelis, “You must remember what Amalek has done to you, says our Holy Bible.” But a reading of 1 Samuel 15:3 conveys a chilling message in the context of the violence in Gaza, as the text instructs King Saul to invade the Amalekites:

“Now go and smite Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and spare them not; but slay both man and woman, infant and suckling, ox and sheep, camel and ass.”

Netanyahu uses the resonance of these scriptures among the faithful to cynically justify the annihilation of an entire population, “man and woman, infant and suckling.” Such thinking leads directly to atrocities.

President Biden and the House Foreign Affairs Committee are now urging Netanyahu to start working toward a ceasefire. Giving Netanyahu a platform to make his arguments for continued aggression would be counterproductive in negotiating the ceasefire that the majority of Americans.

In his speech, Sen. Schumer said his intention was to show “you can still love Israel and feel strongly about Israel and totally disagree with Bibi Netanyahu and the policies of Israel.” Now is the time to let Sen. Schumer know he has our full support in refusing to invite the Prime Minister to speak to Congress.

Let Sen. Schumer know we have his back as he refuses to invite Netanyahu to speak to Congress by demanding he stand strong now,

Thank you for all your work for peace and justice.

- DFA AF Team