Time is on the line – your senators need to hear from YOU

View in Browser

Amnesty International candle logo

DEADLINE SOON: HELP BLOCK NEXT ROUND OF WEAPONS SALES TO ISRAELI MILITARY

Barbara,

The latest siege on northern Gaza1 is one of the most horrific moments of a series of atrocities by the Israeli government.

Yet the U.S. government is continuing to fuel the very machinery of this violence: In the last year, the U.S. spent $17.9 billion on military assistance to Israel, by far the most sent to the country in one year.

And now, President Biden intends on sending another $20 billion.

We can help stop this: in just a couple of weeks, the Senate will be voting on several critical bills that if passed, could block these sales based on human rights and humanitarian concerns2.

One of the bills covers a shipment of Joint Direct Attack Munitions, or JDAMs, which have been widely used against Palestinians in the occupied Gaza Strip. Amnesty was among the first to document3 unlawful civilian deaths by Israeli forces using these U.S.-made weapons.

SIGN ON

In the midst of profound human suffering in Gaza, the U.S. government can play a HUGE role in saving thousands of civilian lives by immediately ending arms transfers to the Israeli military.

Do your part to help save lives and block these weapons: use our simple tool to send a letter to your Senators to urge them to co-sponsor and vote YES on these bills when they come to the floor!

As we witness a siege and bombardment… starvation, dehydration, and engineered famine… and alarming signs of a risk of genocide, it is not a lack of action by the U.S. government that is to blame.

It’s proactive action — a repetitive decision, made every single day by the Biden administration — not only to allow the Israeli military to maim and kill civilians with impunity, but to provide the Israeli military with the weapons to do so.

The weapons the U.S. is providing to Israeli forces are destroying entire city blocks4 and wiping out Palestinian families.

That’s why today, we join Senator Sanders in asking: Why would the U.S. approve another $20 billion in arms sales to the government of Israel when there is a high risk that those weapons will be used flagrantly to violate international law?

These bills offer a pathway to address the destructive role U.S. weapons are playing in devastating harm to civilians in Gaza and the wider region.

Act now: ask your Senators to co-sponsor these potentially lifesaving bills and vote YES when they come to the floor in a couple of weeks.

Thank you for doing your part,

Elizabeth Rghebi
Advocacy Director, Middle East North Africa
Amnesty International USA

[1] https://www.amnestyusa.org/press-releases/israel-must-rescind-latest-evacuation-orders-for-north-gaza-and-allow-immediate-unhindered-humanitarian-access/

[2] https://www.amnestyusa.org/blog/senators-vote-yes-to-block-weapons-sales-to-the-israeli-government/

[3] https://www.amnestyusa.org/press-releases/israel-opt-us-made-munitions-killed-43-civilians-in-two-documented-israeli-air-strikes-in-gaza-new-investigation/

[4] https://www.amnestyusa.org/press-releases/israeli-military-must-be-investigated-for-war-crime-of-wanton-destruction-in-gaza/

DONATE NOW

© 2024 Amnesty International USA

311 W 43rd Street, 7th Floor, New York, NY 10036 | 1-800-AMNESTY

Please don't reply to this email. You can send questions to [email protected].

We’re so happy you’re here to hear about the most important updates on human rights!
If necessary, you can opt to receive fewer emails or unsubscribe here.