Chanukah Event/Vigil

Israel’s assault on Gaza has been killing hundreds of civilians a day, particularly chil- dren, the sick, and the elderly. This is a humanitarian crisis of catastrophic propor- tions, and it must end immediately. Here are some of the reasons why:

• As of Dec. 9, more than 17,000 people have been killed in Gaza, the great majority of them civilians, and over 7,000 of them children. Many more lay under the rubble.
• Hamas, the civic and military government of Gaza, cannot be destroyed by military means. As long as Israel maintains an illegal blockade and continues to deny Palestinians self-determination, Hamas or its equivalents will persist.
• Killing Palestinian civilians ends up creating more recruits for Hamas and similar groups than are killed by any military operation.
• Israel’s bombing campaign violates international humanitarian law (IHL) and basic principles of morality.  IHL prohibits not only intentional targeting of civilians, but also any military action that disproportionately harms civilians. Israeli actions — like dropping a 2,000-pound bomb killing 120 people in an attempt to eliminate a single Hamas commander — are self-evidently dispro- portionate. IHL further requires combatants to take “all feasible precautions” to minimize harm to civilians, which Israel is clearly not doing. The law is unam- biguous that even if Hamas has improperly placed military objects near civilian ones, Israel is not absolved from its legal obligations.

A CEASE-FIRE IS NOT ENOUGH

• All Israeli hostages must be released in exchange for Palestinian political pris- oners.
• There must be a massive inflow of humanitarian aid into Gaza.
• Israeli attacks (by both armed settlers and the IDF) and arrests in the West Bank must stop.
• U.S. military funding to Israel that has enabled its horrendous war on Palestini- ans must be ended.
• The oppression and occupation must stop, and a political solution must be put on the table at once.

Call your Senators to urge them to demand a ceasefire, no additional military funding, and conditions for a permanent peace.

Call your Representative to urge support for H.Res. 786, Cori Bush’s Ceasefire Resolution.

Call your NJ legislators to urge them to support AR196, Sadaf Jaffer’s Ceasefire Resolution.

More information and upcoming events may be found at ceasefirenownj or by scanning this QR code: