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‘Genocide Is a Bad Investment’: Passover Seder Protests NYC Comptroller Plan to Reinvest in Israel
"Passover, our festival of liberation, compels us to ensure that our city’s funds do not underwrite the Israeli government carrying out genocide," said an activist with Jewish Voice for Peace.
Apr 09, 2026
More than 500 New Yorkers gathered for an "emergency Passover Seder" outside the office of New York City comptroller Mark Levine on Wednesday, where they called for him to divest the city's pension fund from bonds tied to Israel.
The city's former comptroller, Brad Lander, chose not to renew the nearly $40 million worth of investments in 2023. But in January, Levine reversed course, announcing plans to resume investment in the bonds, describing them as sound assets.
After Israel helped pressure the US to launch a war against Iran and began a new invasion of Lebanon—campaigns that have collectively killed more than 3,000 people—the city's chief fiscal officer is facing renewed pressure to stop what Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP) described as a "plan to fund Israeli bombs with city pensions."i
Protesters with the group stood outside the comptroller's office holding signs reading "Apartheid is chametz" and "Genocide is a bad investment."
"Passover, our festival of liberation, compels us to ensure that our city’s funds do not underwrite the Israeli government carrying out genocide in Gaza, enabling rampant settler violence in the West Bank, bombing Iran, and destroying entire villages in Southern Lebanon," said Jay Saper, an activist with JVP who works as a children's teacher and Yiddish translator. "Comptroller Levine’s plan goes against the will of New Yorkers who do not want our city's money to be used to fund genocide and war."
Levine took office in January after Lander left the post to challenge Democratic Rep. Dan Goldman for his seat representing New York's 10th congressional district.
Mayor Zohran Mamdani has been a vocal opponent of using any city funds to support Israel. But while he has publicly pushed back against the decision to resume purchasing Israeli bonds, he lacks the power, as mayor, to personally overrule it.
"I don’t think we should purchase Israel bonds,” Mamdani said in January. “We don’t purchase bonds for any other sovereign nation’s debt, and the comptroller has also made his position clear, and I continue to stand by mine.”
Though Levine has expressed strong support for Israel, saying he has "very deep personal ties" to the country, the attendees at Wednesday's Seder said the money spent on Israeli bonds could be better used to help New Yorkers.
"New Yorkers deserve to have their city funds in bonds that prioritize financial stability, accountability, and the long-term security for city workers," said New York City Public Advocate Jumaane Williams. "They should invest in life and the livelihoods of our communities, not the complete opposite. We cannot go backward to something financially unstable and, more importantly, morally bankrupt."
Last year's JVP Seder was held to call for the release of Columbia student Mahmoud Khalil, who was imprisoned by immigration agents and threatened with deportation by the Trump administration for activism on campus against Israel's genocide in Gaza. More than 100 JVP activists were arrested after occupying Trump Tower in Manhattan to demand his freedom last spring.
This year, Khalil—released from detention after a judge's order last June—was in attendance at the Seder.
“Just as you prayed for my freedom last year, today let us all pray together that by next Seder the Israeli genocide will have ended,” said Khalil.
(Video by Jewish Voice for Peace)
The Seder comes amid a public reckoning for Israel, including among many American Jews. A Pew Research poll released on Tuesday found that an unprecedented 60% of American adults view Israel negatively, compared to just 37% who view it positively.
A majority of American Jews have expressed disapproval of the war launched by President Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu in Iran. Meanwhile, a poll last year found that around 4 in 10 American Jews believed Israel's actions in Gaza constituted genocide.
Rabbi Abby Stein of the Jewish Voice for Peace Rabbinic Council said the hundreds of Jewish people in attendance on Wednesday were “reclaiming our beautiful, ancient liberation holiday from those who would weaponize it, and Judaism itself, as tools of colonialism and supremacy—ideas that have been historically, and are, the opposite of what Judaism is and should be."
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'Stop Arming Israel,' Jewish-Led Groups Tell DNC Leaders at Party Summit
"The American public is demanding decisive action to end US complicity in the Israeli government’s war crimes by stopping the flow of weapons to Israel."
Dec 12, 2025
Jewish Voice for Peace Action on Friday led a coalition of groups demanding that the Democratic Party stop providing arms to the Israeli government.
Speaking outside the Democratic National Committee’s Winter Meeting in Los Angeles, Jewish Voice for Peace Action (JVP Action) held a press conference calling on Democrats to oppose all future weapons shipments to Israel, whose years-long assault on Gaza has, according to one estimate, killed more than 100,000 Palestinian people.
While carrying banners that read, "Stop Arming Israel," speakers at the press conference also called on Democrats to reject money from the American Israeli Political Action Committee (AIPAC), which has consistently funded primary challenges against left-wing critics of Israel.
JVP Action was joined at the press conference by representatives from Health Care 4 US (HC4US), Progressive Democrats of America, and the Council on American-Islamic Relations Action (CAIR Action), as well as a retired teacher and former member of the United Teachers of Los Angeles Board of Directors.
Estee Chandler, founder of the Los Angeles chapter of Jewish Voice for Peace, warned Democrats at the press conference that they risked falling out of touch with public opinion if they continued to support giving weapons to Israel.
"The polls are clear,” Chandler said. "The American public is demanding decisive action to end US complicity in the Israeli government’s war crimes by stopping the flow of weapons to Israel, and the Democratic Party refusing to heed that call will continue to come at their own peril."
The press conference came a day after the progressive advocacy group RootsAction and journalist Christopher D. Cook released an "autopsy" report of the Democratic Party's crushing 2024 losses, finding that the party's support for Israel's assault on Gaza contributed to last year's election results.
Chandler also called on Democrats to get behind the Block the Bombs Act, which currently has 58 sponsors, and which she said "would block the transfer of the worst offensive weapons from being sent to Israel, including bombs, tank rounds, and artillery shells that are US-supplied and have been involved in the mass killing of Palestinian civilians and the grossest violations of international law in Gaza."
Although there has technically been a ceasefire in place in Gaza since October, Israeli forces have continued to conduct deadly military operations in the enclave that have killed hundreds of civilians, including dozens of children.
Ricardo Pires, a spokesperson for the United Nations Children’s Fund, said last month that the number of deaths in Gaza in recent weeks has been "staggering" given that they've happened "during an agreed ceasefire."
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Stefanik Backs Far-Right Israeli Push for West Bank Control at Confirmation Hearing
The U.N. ambassador nominee also shrugged off the Nazi salutes made by Elon Musk on Inauguration Day.
Jan 21, 2025
As U.S. Rep. Elise Stefanik faced questioning by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Tuesday regarding her nomination for a top diplomatic position, the rights group Jewish Voice for Peace Action called on lawmakers to consider her "record of antisemitic, anti-Palestinian, anti-immigrant, and anti-democracy rhetoric and policy" and block her confirmation.
Stefanik's (R-N.Y.) record was reinforced at the hearing as she was asked about her views on Palestine, expressions of antisemitism in the United States, and far-right Israeli leaders' political agenda, with Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) recalling a meeting he had with the congresswoman after President Donald Trump nominated her to be the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations.
At the meeting, Van Hollen said, Stefanik had expressed support for the idea that Israel has a Biblical right to control the entire West Bank—a position that is held by Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and former National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, but runs counter to the two-state solution that the U.S. government has long supported.
"Is that your view today?" asked Van Hollen, to which Stefanik replied, "Yes."
Van Hollen noted that Stefanik's viewpoint also flies in the face of numerous U.N. Security Council resolutions and international consensus about the Middle East conflict.
"If the president is going to succeed at bringing peace and stability to the Middle East, we're going to have to look at the U.N. Security Council resolutions," said the senator. "And it's going to be very difficult to achieve that if you continue to hold the view that you just expressed, which is a view that was not held by the founders of the state of Israel."
Stefanik also refused to answer a direct question from Van Hollen regarding whether Palestinian people have the right to self-determination, saying only that she supports "human rights for all" and pivoting to a call for Israeli hostages to be released by Hamas.
Jenin Younes, a civil liberties attorney, said Stefanik expressed "religious fanaticism, pure and simple" at the confirmation hearing—which was held as Israeli settlers and soldiers ramped up attacks on Palestinians in the West Bank.
"That [Stefanik] will now play a major role with respect to our foreign policy in the region is terrifying," said Younes.
Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP) Action noted that in addition to supporting "the Israeli government's brutal genocide of Palestinians," Stefanik has also "amplified the antisemitic Great Replacement theory"—which claims the influence and power of white Christian Americans is being deliberately diminished by Jewish Americans and immigration policy.
Despite her support for the debunked conspiracy theory, Stefanik made headlines last year for her accusations against college students, faculty, and administrators over the pro-Palestinian demonstrations that exploded across campuses as Americans spoke out against Israel's U.S.-backed assault on Gaza. The congresswoman said the protests were expressions of antisemitism and pushed for the resignation of university leaders who declined to discipline students who spoke out against Israel.
The hearings where Stefanik lambasted college leaders "were part of a broader campaign to silence anti-war activism and dissent on college campuses while forwarding the MAGA culture war campaign against [diversity, equity, and inclusion], critical race theory, and LGBTQ+ rights," said JVP Action.
An exchange between Stefanik and Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) on Tuesday also raised questions over Stefanik's views on antisemitism. Murphy asked the nominee about the Nazi salute twice displayed by billionaire Trump backer Elon Musk—whom the president has named to lead his proposed Department of Government Efficiency—at an event Monday night.
" Elon Musk did not do those salutes," Stefanik asserted.
Murphy countered by reading several comments from right-wing commentators who applauded Musk's "Heil Hitler" salute.
"Over and over again last night, white supremacist groups and neo-Nazi groups in this country rallied around that visual," said Murphy.
JVP Action said Stefanik has "deeply embraced Trump's anti-democratic agenda."
"Her nomination must be blocked," said the group.
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Despite Gaza War Crimes Accusations, Biden Sends Israel More 500-Pound Bombs
Since October, the U.S. has sent Israel more than 20,000 heavy bombs, which have been used in some of the deadliest massacres in Gaza.
Jul 10, 2024
The Biden administration has ended a two-month pause on the shipment of 500-pound bombs to Israel despite the frequent use of U.S.-supplied weapons by Israeli forces to commit alleged war crimes and genocide in Gaza.
Citing an unnamed Biden administration official, The Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday that the bombs "are in the process of being shipped" to Israel and should arrive in the coming weeks.
In May, the Biden administration suspended transfers of 500- and 2,000-pound bombs manufactured by aerospace giant Boeing over fears the devastating munitions would be used in airstrikes on Rafah, the southern Gaza city where more than a million Palestinians had sought refuge.
By that time, Israel had already dropped hundreds of 2,000-pound bombs—which the U.S. military avoids using in civilian areas because they can destroy entire city blocks—on Gaza, including in an October 31 attack on the densely populated Jabalia refugee camp that killed more than 120 civilians.
"This is what U.S. funding and weapons do."
Last month, the United Nations Human Rights Office said Israel's use of 2,000-pound bombs and other U.S.-supplied weapons likely violated international law by deliberately targeting civilians in disproportionate attacks. Israeli military commanders have also been criticized for using artificial intelligence-based target selection to approve bombings they know will cause high civilian casualties.
The Biden official told the Journal that the pause on 2,000-pound bomb shipments will remain in effect.
"Our main concern had been and remains the potential use of 2,000-pound bombs in Rafah and elsewhere in Gaza," they said. "Because our concern was not about the 500-pound bombs, those are moving forward as part of the usual process."
But Israeli forces have killed many civilians with smaller bombs too. The New York Times reported Wednesday that multiple weapons experts including a a former U.S. Army explosive ordnance disposal technician identified a fragment from a Boeing-made GBU-39 250-pound bomb used in Tuesday's attack on a refugee tent encampment outside the al-Awda school in southern Gaza that killed and wounded scores of civilians, including many women and children.
Palestinian and international agencies say Israel's 278-day Gaza assault and siege have left at least 137,500 Palestinians dead, maimed, or missing. Israel's conduct in the war is the subject of an International Court of Justice genocide case. International Criminal Court Prosecutor Karim Khan is also seeking to arrest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, and three Hamas leaders for crimes including extermination.
Despite overwhelming evidence of Israeli war crimes, the Biden administration remains Israel's most steadfast supporter, providing billions of dollars in military aid, approving more than 100 arms shipments, and offering diplomatic cover in the form of United Nations Security Council vetoes and what critics call genocide denial.
Reuters reported last month that since October the U.S. has sent Israel 14,000 2,000-pound bombs, 6,500 500-pound bombs, 3,000 Hellfire missiles, 1,000 bunker-buster bombs, 2,600 air-dropped small-diameter bombs, and other munitions.
Citing the al-Awda massacre, Jewish Voice for Peace Action said Wednesday that "this is what U.S. funding and weapons do."
"Arms embargo NOW," the group added.
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Biden 'Moving the Goal Post' With Threat to Withhold Bombs From Israel
"Now Israel has a green light to destroy Rafah in slow motion," said one critic.
May 08, 2024
While some Palestine defenders on Wednesday welcomed U.S. President Joe Biden's threat to withhold bombs and artillery shells from Israel if it launches a major invasion of Rafah, critics noted that an invasion is already underway and accused the American leader of walking back a previous "red line" warning against an Israeli assault on the southern Gaza city.
Biden said for the first time that he'll stop sending bombs, artillery shells, and other arms to Israel if Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu orders a major invasion of Rafah, where more than a million Palestinians forcibly displaced from other parts of the embattled Gaza Strip are sheltering alongside around 280,000 local residents.
Referring to Israel's use of U.S.-supplied 2,000-pound bombs—which can destroy an entire city block and have been used in some of the war's worst atrocities—Biden told CNN's Erin Burnett that "civilians have been killed in Gaza as a consequence of those bombs and other ways in which they go after population centers."
Even the U.S. military—which has killed more foreign civilians than any other armed force on the planet since the end of World War II—won't use 2,000-pound bombs in urban areas. But Israel does, including when it launched a strike to assassinate a single Hamas commander by dropping the munitions on the Jabalia refugee camp last October, killing more than 120 civilians.
"If they go into Rafah, I'm not supplying the weapons that have been used historically to deal with Rafah, to deal with the cities," Biden said Wednesday.
Israeli forces have already gone into Rafah, and it was reported Tuesday that Biden was taking the unusual step of delaying shipments of two types of Boeing-made bombs to Israel to send a message to the country's far-right government. It was, however, a mixed message, as the president also earlier in the day reaffirmed his support for Israel's war on Gaza. In January, the International Criminal Court ruled that a genocide case against Israel by South Africa was plausibly brought and ordered Israel to "take all measures within its power" to uphold its obligations under Article II of the Genocide Convention.
Critics noted the shifting and subjective language used by Biden—who previously said that any Israeli invasion of Rafah would constitute a "red line" resulting in unspecified consequences.
"He said invading Rafah was a red line. Israel invaded Rafah anyway, bombing buildings, burning and crushing children to death," political analyst Omar Baddar said on social media. "Biden is now moving the goal post by adding a completely subjective descriptor: 'Major.' Now Israel has a green light to destroy Rafah in slow motion."
During the course of the seven-month Israeli assault on Gaza—which has killed, maimed, or left missing more than 124,000 Palestinians—Biden has said Israel has killed "too many civilians" with its "indiscriminate bombing," even as he's pushed for more and more military aid for the key ally.
Wednesday's interview came on the heels of Biden's approval of a $14.3 billion emergency military aid package to Israel, multiple moves to sidestep Congress to fast-track armed assistance, nearly $4 billion in previously authorized annual military aid, and diplomatic cover in the form of several United Nations Security Council vetoes.
Reporting that the Biden administration will delay a highly anticipated report on whether Israel is using U.S. military aid in compliance with international law also drew backlash Tuesday from human rights advocates.
Referring to Israel's U.S.-funded anti-missile system, Biden continued his supportive rhetoric during Wednesday's CNN interview, telling Burnett that "we're going to continue to make sure Israel is secure in terms of Iron Dome and their ability to respond to attacks."
But the president added that Israel's use of devastating weaponry against civilians is "just wrong," and that "we're not going to supply the weapons and artillery shells."
Some peace groups welcomed Biden's threat to withhold bombs and artillery shells from Israel, even while urging him to do more to stop his ally's genocidal onslaught.
"Biden's statement is as necessary as it is over overdue," Jewish Voice for Peace executive director Stefanie Fox said in a statement. "The U.S. already bears responsibility for months of catastrophic devastation: The nearly 40,000 Palestinians that the Israeli military has killed, the two million Palestinians being intentionally brought to the brink of famine, the decimation of all universities and almost every hospital in Gaza."
"Today's statement shows that Biden can no longer ignore the will of the majority of Americans who want a permanent cease-fire, release of all hostages, and an end to U.S. complicity in Israeli war crimes," Fox added.
Correction: This article has been updated to clarify the International Justice Court's findings on the genocide case brought against Israel.
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Rabbis for Palestinian Rights Counter 'Warmongering' AIPAC in DC
"We refuse to be bystanders as the Israeli government wages a genocidal campaign in our name," one rabbi said.
Mar 13, 2024
As lobbyists with the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, or AIPAC, went to the nation's capital on Tuesday to push for more money for Israel as it continues its lethal onslaught in Gaza, 17 rabbis and rabbinical students showed up on the hill with a counter-proposal: negotiate a permanent cease-fire and stop unconditionally funding and arming the Israeli military as it commits war crimes.
The rabbis and rabbinical students, who were affiliated with Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP) Action, wore black shirts reading "Rabbis for Palestinian Rights" and met with members of Congress including Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.), Rep. Jahana Hayes (D-Conn.), Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.), and Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.).
"AIPAC is warmongering and pro-apartheid," Rabbi May Ye with JVP Action, who is also a member of the Jewish Voice for Peace Rabbinical Council, said in a statement. "They do not represent Jewish people or the Jewish tradition."
"If you want to know one large reason why more members of Congress still aren't calling for a cease-fire—even though a cease-fire is overwhelmingly popular among their constituents—look no further than groups like AIPAC."
"We are rabbis representing hundreds of thousands of Jews affiliated with Jewish Voice for Peace Action imploring our leaders to end their complicity in the Israeli military's genocidal campaign in the name of tzedek (justice) and real safety for all people," Ye added.
Also on Tuesday, JVP Action members occupied the office of Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.), one of the lawmakers who receives the most money from AIPAC.
The mobilizations come at a perilous moment in Israel's invasion of Gaza, which the International Court of Justice (ICJ) has already deemed a plausible genocide. Israel's offensive, which has already killed more than 31,000 Gazans, could escalate further as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu plans to invade the southern city of Rafah, where more than 1.5 million displaced Palestinians are now sheltering following Israeli orders to evacuate the north.
"Our Jewish communities are rising up to say 'never again is now,'" said Rabbi Leora Abelson with JVP Action and member of the Jewish Voice for Peace Rabbinical Council. "We refuse to be bystanders as the Israeli government wages a genocidal campaign in our name.
"We need our politicians to listen to Americans, including the hundreds of thousands of Jewish Americans who are urgently calling for a cease-fire," Abelson added.
According to a recent poll, 67% of all U.S. voters back a cease-fire, as do 77% of Democratic voters. Yet only around 15% of all members of Congress have called for a cease-fire.
"If you want to know one large reason why more members of Congress still aren't calling for a cease-fire—even though a cease-fire is overwhelmingly popular among their constituents—look no further than groups like AIPAC," Beth Miller, director of Jewish Voice for Peace Action, said in a statement. "AIPAC and other pro-genocide lobby groups use massive amounts of money and racist bullying to ensure congressional complicity in Israel's unfolding genocide of Palestinians."
Tuesday's counter-lobbying comes amid an increased mobilization against AIPAC by anti-war and progressive groups. More than 20 groups, including JVP Action, launched Reject AIPAC on Monday to encourage lawmakers to decline endorsements and donations from the group. Members of the coalition point out that AIPAC takes significant donations from right-wing billionaires and backs candidates that take a far-right stance in U.S. domestic politics as well, as it endorsed more than 100 legislators who voted to decertify the results of the 2020 presidential election. At the same time, it has pledged more than $100 million to unseat lawmakers who have called for a cease-fire, who are also some of Congress' most progressive members, and also to target moderate Democrats who it deems insufficiently supportive of Israel.
The rabbis also met with many of the lawmakers who have called for a cease-fire, including Reps. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.), Cori Bush (D-Mo.), Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.), Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.), Delia Ramirez (D-Ill.), Jamaal Bowman (D-N.Y.), Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), and Summer Lee (D-Pa.)
"Our Jewish tradition calls upon us to stand up for justice and for peace. Saving a soul, 'pikuach nefesh,' is the most holy commandment in all of Judaism," Rabbi Brant Rosen, a member of JVP Action, a co-founder of the Jewish Voice for Peace Rabbinical Council, and Rabbi at Tzedek Chicago, said in a statement. "We are here asking our representatives to call for a lasting cease-fire, to save lives in Gaza now, and thanking the representatives and senators who are already taking this stance."
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Jewish Progressives Stage Sit-In at Hakeem Jeffries' Office to Protest AIPAC Influence
"Our Jewish communities are rising up to say, 'Never again is now,'" said organizers.
Mar 12, 2024
Sharpening their focus on the influence that pro-Israel lobbyists have had for decades on U.S. policy regarding Palestinians, Jewish progressives on Tuesday held a sit-in at the Capitol Hill office of U.S. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, one of the largest recipients of campaign funds from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee.
The protesters, who are members of Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP) Action, prominently displayed a sign reading, "AIPAC gave $829,835 to Hakeem Jeffries, who opposes cease-fire," before proceeding to the New York Democrat's office.
The sign referred to AIPAC's contributions to Jeffries throughout his career.
"Our Jewish communities are rising up to say, 'Never again is now,'" said JVP Action. "We refuse to be bystanders as the Israeli government wages a genocidal campaign in our name and funding by U.S. tax dollars."
At the sit-in, the organizers held signs saying, "AIPAC funds genocide" and, "Jeffries: Reject AIPAC."
Israel has killed at least 31,184 Palestinians since it began its U.S.-backed bombardment of Gaza in October, and at least 25 people have died of starvation due to Israel's blockade on nearly all humanitarian aid. The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East said Tuesday that more children have been killed in Gaza in the last four months than the number of children killed worldwide in wars over the last four years.
JVP Action is among several rights groups that announced a new coalition, Reject AIPAC, on Monday. AIPAC and its political action committee are planning to spend $100 million this election year to unseat lawmakers it views as insufficiently supportive of Israel.
As JVP Action noted Tuesday, while Democratic lawmakers who continue to back Israel's assault on Gaza may retain the support of AIPAC, they are out of step with Democratic voters, 77% of whom are demanding the U.S. call for a cease-fire in Gaza.
"If members of Congress vote to send Israel more bombs and weapons now, it's because AIPAC demands it," Justice Democrats, another member of the coalition, said Monday. "Reject AIPAC because Palestinian lives should matter more to our leaders than campaign checks."
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AOC Leads New Cease-Fire Push as Gaza Children Suffer
"We are profoundly shocked by the grave violations of children's rights in the context of armed conflict in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territory," a letter from 24 lawmakers to Biden said.
Nov 15, 2023
Twenty-four House members led by Democratic Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Mark Pocan, and Betty McCollum sent a letter to President Joe Biden Wednesday renewing calls for a cease-fire in Gaza.
The letter writers emphasized in particular how Israel's ongoing bombardment has impacted Gaza's 1 million children. The attack has killed 4,506 children and injured at least 7,695, while at least 1,755 are missing, most likely trapped beneath rubble. Israeli soldiers and settlers have also killed at least 51 children in the West Bank in the last 39 days.
"We are profoundly shocked by the grave violations of children's rights in the context of armed conflict in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territory," the representatives wrote. "International norms require that all parties to an armed conflict protect children and prevent the commission of grave violations against them, including killing and maiming, attacks on schools and hospitals, recruitment and use of children, abduction of children, and denial of humanitarian access."
"We write to you to express deep concern about the intensifying war in Gaza, particularly grave violations against children."
The letter adds to the number of lawmakers who have called for a cease-fire, raising the total to 31. The new names are Pocan (D-Wis.), Mary Gay Scanlon (D-Pa.), Raúl Grijalva (D-Ariz.), and Henry Johnson (D-Ga.)
They were joined by fellow Democratic Reps. Rashida Tlaib (Mich.), Cori Bush (Mo.), James McGovern (Mass.), Pramila Jayapal (Wash.), Joaquin Castro (Texas), Delia Ramirez (Ill.), Greg Casar (Texas), Jesús "Chuy" Garcia (Ill.), Bonnie Watson Coleman (N.J.), Nydia Velázquez (N.Y.), Ayanna Pressley (Mass.), Jonathan Jackson (Ill.), Barbara Lee (Calif.), André Carson (Ind.), Jamaal Bowman (N.Y.), Summer Lee (Pa.), Veronica Escobar (Texas), and Ilhan Omar (Minn.).
The new names mean that 5.8% of Congress now backs a cease-fire,The Intercept's Prem Thakker pointed out. The increase comes the same day as a Reuters/Ipsos poll finding that 68% of U.S. respondents believe Israel should negotiate a cease-fire.
The letter writers condemned Hamas' October 7 attack on Israel, which killed at least 1,200 people, including 31 children. However, they also expressed "dire concerns" about Israel's response, which has killed more than 11,000 total in Gaza. In addition to death and injury from airstrikes, the attack and siege have also put Gaza's children in particular at risk from lack of food, water, and fuel. They noted that the bombardment had impacted 285 educational institutions, among them at least 29 U.N. schools.
"No child should ever have to face the overwhelming scale and horror of the violence that Palestinian children in Gaza are experiencing."
"We write to you to express deep concern about the intensifying war in Gaza, particularly grave violations against children, and our fear that without an immediate cessation of hostilities and the establishment of a robust bilateral cease-fire, this war will lead to a further loss of civilian life and risk dragging the United States into dangerous and unwise conflict with armed groups across the Middle East," the lawmakers said.
The representatives also looked to the future beyond an immediate cease-fire.
"Recognizing that there is no military solution that will end the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, we urge your administration to obtain clarity on the specific strategic objectives of a large-scale ground invasion, their achievability, what may come after Hamas, the risks to hostages and civilians in the region, the national security implications of a multi-front war in the Middle East, and the potential threats to American citizens in the region," they said.
The letter was also endorsed by more than 30 peace, human rights, and humanitarian groups including Amnesty International, IfNotNow, Jewish Voice for Peace Action, U.S. Campaign for Palestinian Rights, and the American Friends Service Committee.
"No child should ever have to face the overwhelming scale and horror of the violence that Palestinian children in Gaza are experiencing," Beth Miller, the political director at Jewish Voice for Peace Action, said in a statement. "Representatives Ocasio-Cortez, McCollum, and Pocan are pushing forward a critical demand for Palestinian children's life to be valued and protected, and for the Biden administration to finally put an end to this nightmare by calling for a cease-fire now."
Elizabeth Rghebi, advocacy director for the Middle East and North Africa at Amnesty International USA, said the letter came at a "critical moment."
"More and more Palestinian civilians are losing their lives each day amid Israeli military operations and the unfolding of an unprecedented, man-made humanitarian catastrophe in the occupied Gaza Strip," Rghebi said. "An immediate cease-fire by all parties to the conflict is the only way to prevent further loss of life, to deliver humanitarian aid to those in desperate need, and to provide an opportunity to secure the safe release of hostages."
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Tlaib Denounces MTG Resolution Against Her as 'Deeply Islamophobic'
"I will not be bullied, I will not be dehumanized, and I will not be silenced."
Oct 26, 2023
Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib hit back at Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene on Thursday after the Georgia Republican introduced an "unhinged" resolution to censure the Michigan Democrat—and only Palestinian American in Congress—for participating in a recent peaceful Capitol sit-in supporting a Gaza cease-fire.
Greene's
privileged resolution—which requires House consideration within two legislative days—seeks to censure Tlaib "for antisemitic activity, sympathizing with terrorist organizations, and leading an insurrection at the United States Capitol" on October 18.
That day, thousands of Jewish protesters and allies rallied in and outside the Capitol to demand members of Congress push for an immediate cease-fire in Gaza, where Israeli forces have killed nearly 7,000 Palestinians, wounded over 17,000 more, destroyed or damaged nearly half of all homes, and displaced more than 1.4 million people.
"This type of Israel-hating, America-hating behavior from a sitting member of Congress is unacceptable and she does not represent anything America stands for," Greene said on Tuesday while introducing a separate motion to censure Tlaib. Rep. Jack Bergman (R-Mich.)—whose third-biggest campaign contributor during the 2022 election cycle was the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC)—introduced his own censure motion against Tlaib earlier this month.
Meanwhile, Rep. Rebecca Balint (D-Vt.) moved Thursday to force a vote on her July motion to censure Greene "for her racist, homophobic, transphobic, antisemitic remarks, and unhinged conspiracy theories."
Since Tlaib chairs no committees, there would be consequences should Greene's resolution pass.
Earlier this week, Greene accused Tlaib and "the communist left" of seeking to "bring Jihad to America."
Tlaib, who was one of the speakers at the rally outside the Capitol, said in a statement that Greene's "unhinged resolution is deeply Islamophobic and attacks peaceful Jewish anti-war advocates."
"I am proud to stand in solidarity with Jewish peace advocates calling for a cease-fire and an end to the violence. I will not be bullied, I will not be dehumanized, and I will not be silenced," she continued. "I will continue to call for cease-fire, for the immediate delivery of humanitarian aid, for the release of hostages and those arbitrarily detained, and for every American to be brought home."
"I will continue to work for a just and lasting peace that upholds the human rights and dignity of all people, and ensures that no person, no child has to suffer or live in fear of violence," Tlaib added.
On Thursday, Tlaib, seven progressive Democratic colleagues—Reps. Jamaal Bowman (N.Y.), Cori Bush (Mo.), Ilhan Omar (Minn.), André Carson (Ind.), Summer Lee (Pa.), Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (N.Y.), Delia Ramirez (Ill.), and Al Green (D-Texas)—and Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) voted against a bipartisan House resolution expressing unconditional support for the Israeli government.
The measure does not mention Israel's mass slaughter, displacement, deprivation, and terrorizing of Gazans.
Greene's resolution also baselessly claims that Tlaib "celebrated the Holocaust," a charge also leveled in a video shared by the far-right congresswoman. The short clip takes a quote by Tlaib—that she gets a "calming feeling" when she thinks of the Holocaust—wildly out of context. What Tlaib actually said was:
There's kind of a calming feeling I always tell folks when I think of the Holocaust, and the tragedy of the Holocaust, and the fact that it was my ancestors, Palestinians, who lost their land and some lost their lives, their livelihood, their human dignity, their existence in many ways, have been wiped out... in the name of trying to create a safe haven for Jews, post-the Holocaust, post-the tragedy and the horrific persecution of Jews across the world at that time, and I love the fact that it was my ancestors that provided that, right, in many ways.
The video also notes that Tlaib calls Israel an "apartheid" state—as do many Israelis and diaspora Jews, as well as human rights groups, experts, and world leaders.
Jewish Voice for Peace Action, the sister organization of Jewish Voice for Peace—which has led numerous protests across the U.S. during the war, including on October 18—weighed in against Greene's resolution Thursday.
"Believe it or not, a self-described 'Christian nationalist' who believes in 'Jewish space lasers' doesn't have the best interests of Jewish people at heart," JVP Action political director Beth Miller said in a statement.
"On October 18, over 500 Jews and allies sat on the floor of a congressional... office building in prayer and song to demand an immediate cease-fire to save Palestinian and Israeli lives, and to prevent an imminent genocide of Palestinians in Gaza by the Israeli government," she continued. "Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib is one of the leading anti-war voices in Congress right now, and has the support of progressive Jews across the country."
"Clearly," added Miller, "Marjorie Taylor Greene is politically threatened by Palestinians and Jews coming together to work for peace and justice."
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'We Must Prevent Mass Atrocities and End This': US Jewish Group Calls on Congress to Halt Gaza Carnage
"There is only one way to end violence: to address its root cause, 75 years of Israeli military occupation and apartheid," said Jewish Voice for Peace. "We must end U.S. complicity in this systemic oppression."
Oct 11, 2023
The human rights group Jewish Voice for Peace on Wednesday issued an urgent call to the U.S. public, calling on Americans to pressure members of Congress to help end the ongoing airstrikes in Gaza, which have now killed at least 1,100 people and injured nearly 5,200.
The Biden administration on Tuesday pledged to deploy military assets for Israel to use in its assault on Gaza—which analysts say could involve even deadlier ground attacks in the coming days—and U.S. President Joe Biden said he would soon ask Congress "to take urgent action to fund the national security requirements of our critical partners."
To counter that, said Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP), Americans who oppose the killing of Palestinian civilians in retaliation for Hamas' surprise attack over the weekend must make their voices heard by Congress as well.
"The U.S. must work to immediately de-escalate to prevent the further loss of life, and not fuel and exacerbate the violence by sending more weapons to Israel," said JVP. "There is only one way to end violence: to address its root cause, 75 years of Israeli military occupation and apartheid. We must end U.S. complicity in this systemic oppression."
The group provided supporters with call scripts to contact their U.S. House members and senators, asking them to tell their representatives in Congress to oppose "any attempts to send further weapons to the Israeli government and military as it wreaks havoc on the Gaza Strip."
JVP noted that a forthcoming resolution proposed by Reps. Michael McCaul (R-Texas) and Gregory Meeks (D-N.Y.), which would affirm the U.S. stands "with Israel as it defends itself against the barbaric war launched by Hamas," would ultimately "dehumanize Palestinians and fuel violence."
The group's call to action came as anti-Palestinian rhetoric on Capitol Hill intensified, with Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) calling for Israel to "level" the blockaded enclave of Gaza, which is home to more than 2 million people, approximately half of whom are children.
JVP Action—JVP's sister advocacy group—highlighted an account of the destruction from Al Jazeera English reporter Maram Humaid, who said "a huge bombing" had hit close to her home, forcing her to flee with her two-month-old baby.
"Biden and Congress, this is what you are supporting when you rush to ship the Israeli government more bombs and warplanes as it turns Palestinian apartment buildings to rubble," said JVP Action. "Deescalate NOW."
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