To achieve a permanent ceasefire in Gaza, the U.S. must stop arming Israel’s war and occupation against Palestinians. As Ceasefire Delegates, it is our responsibility to convey this demand to the Harris campaign, advocating for ending weapons support to Israel. Join us in urging presidential candidate Kamala Harris to turn the page on Biden’s disastrous policy of supporting Israel’s ongoing war and occupation against Palestinians.

Dear Vice President Kamala Harris,

As delegates to the Democratic National Convention, we urge you to turn the page on President Biden’s policy on Gaza, and pledge to support a permanent ceasefire and an end to supplying weapons for Israel’s  war and occupation against Palestinians.

83% of Democrats support a permanent ceasefire in Gaza. This is the mainstream view of our party's voters, as evidenced by a recent poll that found that 52% of Americans and 62% of Biden voters agree that the United States should halt arms sales to Israel. These numbers are reinforced by the broad coalition of democratic voters – of people of all backgrounds rallying together, resolutions passed by over 150 cities, a growing chorus of elected officials and Democratic Party leaders (including former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi), and resolutions of our own party in states like Hawaii, Texas, Washington and Minnesota collectively raising their voices for an end to Israel’s horrific violence against Palestinians.

The call for a ceasefire and for the US to stop supplying weapons for Israel’s war and occupation against Palestinians is a moral and human imperative. Israel’s use of U.S. funds and weapons to harm and kill Palestinian civilians is also illegal, violating both international law and our own country’s Leahy Laws. We are witnessing a humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza, with at least 40,000 Palestinian civilians killed and half a million Palestinians at risk of famine. 

Sending more bombs to the Israeli government for Netanyahu’s consistent pursuit of a policy of harming Palestinian civilians undermines our party’s campaign against far-right extremism and for democracy. As Democrats, we pride ourselves on our commitment to democracy, human rights and the rule of law.  It is imperative that we act now to uphold these values and save lives.

The Biden-Harris administration has been most successful when it has represented a broad coalition. It has strayed from this over the last ten months, but has the opportunity to correct course with your leadership, and seize the opportunity to be the leadership that ends this assault on Gaza. This includes the Muslims, Arabs, Jews, progressives, and young people who helped elect you and are now protesting in the streets all over the country. 

We are hearing from the voters who sent us here and who are necessary to elect you in the fall that they are horrified by the extreme violence and dehumanization Palestinians have endured over the last ten months, backed by their own party's officials and policies. By ending weapons aid to Netanyahu’s government, the Biden-Harris administration can unify the Democratic Party and regain the trust of key voter bases, including the over +700,000 Uncommitted voters who have been disillusioned by a party and administration that has dehumanized Palestinians and supplied bombs to a far-right regime for far too long. 

We are asking for:

The future of American democracy is at stake and we need an unprecedented turnout of Democrats, including young voters. We urge you, Vice President Harris, to seize the opportunity to shift policy to value Palestinian lives and unify us going into November. It’s time to end this war, cease weapons aid, and to reunite Israeli and Palestinian captives with their families. Let your administration reflect our nation’s highest ideals and our unwavering commitment to a future where every human being can live in dignity and safety. Not another bomb. 

Thank you for your time and consideration.