The October 7th Hamas attacks and the subsequent IDF bombing campaign in Gaza has changed the dynamics of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. While the cycle of violence that was part of the status-quo was never sustainable or acceptable, the past two months have brought the deaths and suffering to a new level. The truth is that we already know how to end this. The key is and always has been a political agreement and the cessation of this conflict. However, achieving this requires breaking away from past approaches.

President Biden has sought additional funds to provide security assistance to Israel and deliver crucial humanitarian aid to Gazan’s affected by the conflict. While aid to Israel is crucial, it should align with our values and policy priorities, as is the case with all US assistance.

Now 13 Democratic Senators led by Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Dick Durbin, (D-IL), Tim Kaine (D-VA) and Brian Schatz (D-HI) are introducing a vital amendment aimed at ensuring the responsible use of military assistance provided by the proposed national security supplemental. This amendment emphasizes adherence to U.S. law and international humanitarian law.

Americans for Peace Now (APN) welcomes the news that 13 Senate Democrats– Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Dick Durbin, (D-IL), Tim Kaine (D-VA), Brian Schatz (D-HI), as well as Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Peter Welch (D-VT), Martin Heinrich (D-NM), Tom Carper (D-DE), Ben Ray Luján (D-NM), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), and Ed Markey (D-MA)--  plan to introduce an amendment that would require that weapons received by any country under the proposed national security supplemental are used in accordance with US law, international humanitarian law, and the law of armed conflict.

Produced by the Foundation for Middle East Peace. Views and positions expressed here are those of the writer, and do not necessarily represent APN's views and policy positions.

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.

Produced by the Foundation for Middle East Peace. Views and positions expressed here are those of the writer, and do not necessarily represent APN's views and policy positions.

Produced by the Foundation for Middle East Peace. Views and positions expressed here are those of the writer, and do not necessarily represent APN's views and policy positions.