John,

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s increasingly bloody one-sided war against the civilian population of Gaza continues unchecked. So far over 37,000 people, including over 15,000 children, have been killed in Gaza in response to the Hamas attack that killed 1,200 Israelis and took 250 hostage last October.

It seems Natanyahu is single-mindedly bent on the destruction of the Palestinian people. He has ignored calls for a ceasefire from the UN, members of NATO, and even from the families of Israeli hostages.

Gazans are trapped, unable to flee the territory, and must endure severe shortages of food and medical supplies in the midst of continuous bombings and attacks.

Meanwhile in the U.S., House Speaker Mike Johnson knows a good wedge issue when he sees one. He knows that inviting Netanyahu to speak to a joint session of the U.S. Congress will unite Republicans who back the one-sided war, while dividing Democrats who have serious human rights concerns.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has agreed to the invitation despite his deep objections to Netanyahu, saying the U.S.-Israel relationship “transcends” any one leader. True, but that doesn’t mean this leader deserves the honor and international platform of the United States Congress either. There seems to be no way to prevent Netanyahu from making this joint address, so we need to encourage our members of Congress to make their objections clear by refusing to attend.

Demand that Congress stand up against Prime Minister Netanyahu’s brutal war against Gaza. Urge our elected representatives in the House and Senate to skip Netanyahu’s speech now.

Netanyahu is cruelly using Biblical rhetoric to create a ruthless attitude amongst Israelis. In his speeches, he has repeatedly said: “You must remember what Amalek has done to you, says our Holy Bible.” In Samuel 15:3, God instructs King Saul to commit a genocidal invasion of the Amalekites, and God is displeased with Saul when some animals survive:

“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 knows that In a religious war, no compromise is possible, so he uses this revered scripture to justify wiping out an entire population.

The bloodshed in Gaza is so relentless, the killing of women and men, babies and children, that the United Nations has declared that “reasonable grounds to believe the threshold indicating Israel’s commission of genocide” have been met.

This excessive brutality against the civilian population of Gaza must come to an end. Join in urging our U.S. Congress members to refuse to attend Netanyahu’s upcoming speech.

Thank you for calling on Congress to make these views known to Prime Minister Netanyahu.

- DFA AF Team