A message from members of the Louisville Jewish and Palestinian communities. Via the Courier Journal:

Jewish and Palestinian Louisvillians have united to urge all our Kentucky Congressmen to support H.R. 3565, the “Block the Bombs Act.” We stand together in our shared commitment to human dignity, democracy and moral accountability.

H.R. 3565 places temporary, targeted restrictions on selling Israel offensive weapons, including BLU-109 “bunker busters,” JDAM assemblies and 155mm artillery responsible for killing and maiming tens of thousands of civilians in Gaza. This bill ensures future transfers of weapons align with international law and basic human rights. This is not radical and does not undermine Israel’s right to defend itself. This is modest, humane and long overdue.

The humanitarian crisis is staggering. Since October 2023, Israel has dropped 100,000 tons of explosives on Gaza, a 25-mile-long strip. That’s more tons of explosives than the combined amount dropped on Dresden, Hamburg and London during World War II. According to Israeli intelligence, 83% of those killed are civilians. The UN reports upwards of 17,000 children have died and thousands more have lost limbs. In less than two years, almost 40,000 children have lost at least one parent; around 17,000 have lost both. Journalists and healthcare workers are being killed at unprecedented rates.

These are human beings, not just numbers. Saher, a 6-year-old amputee from Gaza, arrived in Louisville in April, still traumatized and haunted by memories of his starving siblings. Saher and his family’s suffering is a direct result of the weapons America sends.

The Israel and Palestine conflict affects us here in Kentucky

Israeli officials have publicly declared their intent to destroy Gaza’s infrastructure. President Trump talks of the U.S. taking over and redeveloping the Gaza Strip, with plans to send Gazans to neighboring countries in efforts that suggest ethnic cleansing. Former Biden administration officials have spoken out, acknowledging that U.S. policy failed Palestinians in Gaza and that Prime Minister Netanyahu repeatedly sabotaged ceasefire negotiations and blocked humanitarian aid. We urge everyone who shares our concern for justice and human dignity to act.

As Palestinians with a generations-long history in Palestine, we are tired of the blatant messaging that our lives don’t matter and that all Palestinians are guilty by default. We are haunted by images of children killed and orphans grieving due to Israel’s bombardment. As taxpaying American citizens, we are distressed to know our tax dollars fund violence and genocide against our families in Palestine.

As Jews, many with personal ties to Israel, we refuse to be complicit in war crimes against civilians. As Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel said, “In a free society, some are guilty, but all are responsible.” Across Louisville and the country, a rapidly growing number of Jews are refusing to accept the horrors in Gaza done under the guise of “Judaism.” Some institutions claim to speak for all Jews or to stand with all the people of Israel, but their excuses for Netanyahu’s behavior betray our Jewish values. Our loved ones in Israel want the war to end so they can begin to rebuild their shattered democracy. 

The ‘Block the Bombs Act’ is about humanity and democracy

As Americans, we cannot abide what is being done in our name and with our tax dollars. We watch in horror as Palestinians in Gaza endure mass displacement, starvation and death while the vise grip of occupation tightens on others in the West Bank. We grieve for the Israeli hostages still held in Gaza and for their families, who are spurned and exploited by their own government. Endless war and collective punishment cannot and must not be the answer.

We must stand united to stop these horrors. Contact your elected officials to express your support for H.R. 3565, the “Block the Bombs Act.” Stand with your community, your conscience and the cause of democracy, both in Israel and here at home.

As journalist Omar El Akkad said, “One day, when it’s safe, when there’s no personal downside to calling a thing what it is, when it’s too late to hold anyone accountable, everyone will have always been against this.” In the future, those who stayed silent will be remembered for their failure. Those who speak out now will be the ones history calls leaders.