This week, hundreds of thousands of Palestinians flooded out of Gaza through the recently breached border crossing with Egypt in order to purchase food, medicine, cement, mattresses, and household supplies. Last week, over two hundred Qassam rockets were launched by Palestinian militants into Sderot and elsewhere in Israel's northern Negev.  In response, Israel sealed Gaza's borders, blocking access by its population to essential fuel and humanitarian supplies.

This escalation of violence and punishment must end, and for that to happen, the U.S. must intervene. Please contact President Bush today to demand urgent U.S. action to encourage an Israel-Hamas ceasefire and the reopening of border crossings into Gaza to allow for the regular transport of fuel and humanitarian supplies!

Sample Letter for Campaign

Dear [ Decision Maker ] ,

As an American Jew, I am deeply concerned by the recent events in Gaza and southern Israel, and I urge you to act now to promote an Israel-Hamas ceasefire, end the complete blockade of Gaza, and get peace negotiations back on track.

This week, hundreds of thousands of Palestinians flooded out of Gaza through the recently breached border crossing with Egypt in order to purchase food, medicine, cement, mattresses, and household supplies. Last week, over two hundred Qassam rockets were launched by Palestinian militants into Sderot and elsewhere in Israel's northern Negev. In response, Israel sealed Gaza's borders, blocking access by its population to essential fuel and humanitarian supplies.

This escalation of violence and punishment must end, and for that to happen, the U.S. must intervene.

The rocket attacks against Israel cannot be tolerated. At the same time, Israel's response, which amounts to collective punishment against the entire population of Gaza, has created a humanitarian crisis in Gaza, resulting in power outages, water shortages, and a lack of critical medical supplies.

In addition, Israel's actions in Gaza are counterproductive to their intended goal of putting pressure on Hamas and ending the Qassam rockets attacks on southern Israel, and have risked derailing any progress on Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations.

We must act swiftly. Please encourage Israel to use whatever diplomatic means necessary to pursue a ceasefire with Hamas that includes an agreement to crack down on all groups launching missiles. This is the only possible course of action with the potential to stop the rocket attacks and avoid further Israeli incursions into Gaza. I further urge you to work with the international community to find a solution to the border crossings in and out of Gaza.

The past week has demonstrated that the status quo is simply untenable. U.S. action to resolve this crisis is needed now.

Sincerely,

Campaign Launched:
January 25, 2008