Dear Friend of APN,

The world changed on October 7th. The horrific attacks by Hamas, and in response the massive bombing of Gaza by the IDF, have continued the cycle of violence with devastating consequences. We all know that the path to a better future for Israelis and Palestinians lies only with a political agreement and an end to this conflict. But we will not get there by doing only what we have done in the past.

President Biden has requested much needed supplemental funds that would provide security assistance to Israel and deliver crucial humanitarian aid to Palestinians affected by the conflict. Aid to Israel is important, but, like all US aid, it should align with our values and our policy priorities. Prominent Democrats in Congress are calling for conditioning aid, and President Biden himself has stated that conditioning aid is a "worthwhile thought."

It is time we turn thoughts into actions.

The weeks since the horrifying October 7 Hamas attack have been devastating for both Israeli and Palestinian children.

During the atrocities on October 7, Hamas terrorists murdered 1,200 people in Israel, among them at least 38 children and babies. Many children were left orphaned. The terrorists abducted more than 240 hostages, including at least 32 children, among them a 9-month-old baby, and removed them to Gaza. Another hostage was nine months pregnant at the time of her abduction and is believed to have given birth in captivity. Many adult hostages, including nursing mothers, were separated from their infants and children.

As the war in Gaza continues, and the Israel-Lebanon border heats up, there are also rising tensions in the West Bank, with a shocking increase in settler violence that threatens to destabilize an increasingly volatile situation.

According to the Israeli human rights organization, Yesh Din, in the month following the October 7 terror attack, 163 Palestinians were killed by settlers and Israeli security forces in the West Bank and more than 900 adults and children were forcibly driven from their homes following settler violence. These actions constitute a violation of human rights, threaten to inflame an already dangerous situation, and endanger the possibility of a two-state solution.

As the Israel-Hamas war continues, the associated humanitarian crisis is deepening in Israel and in Gaza.

In response, President Biden made a much needed supplemental funding request that includes $14.3 billion in security assistance to Israel as well as $9.15 billion for humanitarian needs across Gaza, Israel, and Ukraine. If passed, this humanitarian assistance would be a lifeline to millions of people.

Unfortunately, instead of supporting this proposal, House Republicans are playing politics by proposing a bill that cynically offers military assistance to Israel but excludes the desperately needed global humanitarian aid, while also requiring the assistance to be offset by hyper-partisan cuts to IRS funding.

Israel’s protest movement needs our support. 

While Prime Minister Netanyahu has delayed the so-called “judicial reform” until the Knesset reconvenes in May, the fight to save Israel’s democracy is far from over. If enacted, this overhaul would destroy Israel’s independent judiciary and change the very nature of Israel’s government, away from a liberal democracy and toward a dictatorship of the corrupt.

Like you, we watched the footage of Huwara burning in complete horror. The disturbing images of this pogrom are reminiscent of some of the darkest moments of Jewish history. In the ashes of what remains of Huwara, no decent human being would look at the carnage and think: “let’s finish the job.”