“We condemn all violence against civilians by Hamas and the Israeli military. In this critical moment, we believe it is imperative that U.S. policymakers take measures to immediately de-escalate the violence to prevent the further loss of civilian life,” write the authors of this letter which CVT joined.

Together with more than 60 nongovernmental and interfaith organizations, we call on U.S. policymakers to bring about an immediate ceasefire in Israel and Gaza. The groups call on Congress and the Biden administration to:

1) Publicly call for a ceasefire to prevent the further loss of life;

2) Prioritize the protection of all civilians, including by urgently securing the entrance of humanitarian aid into Gaza and working to secure the release of hostages; and

3) Urge all parties to fully respect international humanitarian law. We implore Congress and the Administration to abstain from rhetoric that exacerbates violence and to unequivocally condemn all violations of international law.

Organizations:

American Baptist Churches USA
American Friends Service Committee
American Muslims for Palestine
Americans for Justice in Palestine
Auburn Theological Seminary
Center for Civilians in Conflict
Center for Jewish Nonviolence
Center for Victims of Torture
Church of the Brethren, Office of Peacebuilding and Policy
Churches for Middle East Peace
Common Defense
Council on Islamic-American Relations
Demand Progress
Democracy for the Arab World Now
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
Fellowship of Reconciliation
Freedom Forward
Friends Committee on National Legislation
Global Centre for the Responsibility to Protect
Historians for Peace and Democracy
If Not Now
Institute for Policy Studies New Internationalism Project
International Civil Society Action Network (ICAN)
Israel/Palestine Mission Network of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)
Jewish Voice for Peace Action
Just Foreign Policy
Justice Democrats
Lott Carey Baptist Foreign Mission Convention
MADRE
Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns
Mennonite Central Committee U.S.
Minnesota Peace Project
MPower Change Action Fund
National Council of Churches
National Iranian American Council
Neighbors for Peace
Nonviolent Peaceforce
Pax Christi USA
Presbyterian Church (USA) Office of Public Witness
Peace Action
Project on Middle East Democracy
Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft
Quixote Center
ReThinking Foreign Policy
Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights
RootsAction
Sojourners
The Duty Legacy
The Unitarian Universalist Association
The United Methodist Church – General Board of Church and Society
The Zomia Center
United Church of Christ
United for Peace and Justice
UNRWA USA
Women for Weapons Trade Transparency
Working Families Party
World BEYOND War
Yemen Freedom Council
Yemen Relief and Reconstruction Foundation
Yemeni Alliance Committee