John,

Today marks a year of devastation, of slaughter, of brokenness for so many of us.

With support from the United States, Israel’s government has killed 16,750 children in Palestine over the past year, and 90 children in Lebanon in the past two weeks.  

More than 50,000 Palestinian children under the age of four urgently need treatment for malnutrition, and many have already starved to death. We grieve for them, and for the Israeli and Yemeni and Syrian children who also fear for their lives. We grieve with the families of Palestinians and Israelis held captive, and we continue demanding our government end the massacres.

This spring, President Biden said his red line was the invasion of Rafah in Gaza. The Israeli military invaded and destroyed Rafah along with the rest of Gaza, and then invaded the West Bank. But our government kept sending weapons and billions of dollars in military aid, in violation of international law and U.S. law. Israel’s government continues to escalate with the full backing of the United States, invading Lebanon and bombing Lebanon, Syria, and Yemen. The Biden administration has openly supported these attacks, even sending U.S. troops to the region.

Our government can and must stop the bloodshed, rather than continuing to allow the Israeli government to operate with impunity as they carry out war crimes and threaten millions of lives in the region. As I’ve said since last October, the cries of Israeli and Palestinian children calling out for their parents sound no different to me… but so many U.S. government officials don’t see Palestinians as human beings worthy of life.

We should be saving lives no matter people’s faith or ethnicity. We should be using our leverage to demand a ceasefire. How many more have to die before our country stops sending more U.S. bombs and funding this madness? Why is it that our country always has enough money to bomb people, but never enough to provide people with healthcare, housing, clean water, and enough food to feed their families?

As we see U.S. weapons manufacturers’ stock prices soar, remember that members of Congress are permitted to own stock in war manufacturing. So when they vote to send more bombs or send our loved ones to war, they profit personally. That’s why I introduced the Stop Politicians Profiting from War Act to ban members of Congress from investing in weapons contractors.

As the only Palestinian American in Congress, I will keep speaking up and urging people in power to recognize our shared humanity. We all deserve to dream, to play, to grow old, to live with dignity. As the U.S. Jewish group IfNotNow writes: “Our tears are abundant enough, and our hearts are big enough, to grieve for every life taken—every universe destroyed.”

Right now our Jewish neighbors are in the holiest time of the Jewish year, during the High Holidays of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. Our movement for a ceasefire includes people of all backgrounds, including countless Jewish Americans who are standing up and saying: Not in our names. We’ve heard from Israeli relatives of hostages taken last year on October 7 who have been condemning the Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu’s refusal to consider a ceasefire. Some came to the U.S. to protest Netanyahu’s speech in Congress, where many were arrested.

Our movement for a ceasefire and equal human rights aims to protect everyone in the region, no matter their faith or ethnicity. We’re also trying to protect marginalized communities in the United States, including Arab Americans and Muslim Americans who are experiencing a frightening rise in violent hate crimes as elected officials and the media keep spreading racist, Islamophobic hate. Our communities are also facing rising antisemitism and xenophobia.

My heart breaks for all of us. Together, our hearts keep breaking. Together, we will continue to work for real lasting peace that upholds human rights and dignity for all people and centers peaceful coexistence between Israelis and Palestinians. We will keep pushing back against dehumanization and reminding one another of our shared humanity.

In love, sorrow, and solidarity,

Rashida