Our friends with Franciscan Action Network are inviting all to take action on Thursday, April 4:
Take action!
Faith organizations are urging calls to the White House to ask President Biden to immediately cease delivering bombs to Israel and to use U.S. leverage to
- bring about a comprehensive and permanent ceasefire in Gaza
- release of all hostages and Palestinians in administrative detention, and
- increase humanitarian aid for starving Gazans.
These calls will support an in-person Christian vigil at the White House making the same points on Thursday.
>>IF YOU ARE IN THE DC AREA, please feel welcome to join a prayer service at noon, Thursday, April 4, at the White House, to call for an end to US arms to Israel. We will commemorate the April 4 anniversary of Martin Luther King’s assassination (1968) and his Vietnam speech (1967), and will display this banner: “President Biden: US bombs used by Israel kill, main, displace and starve Palestinians—Stop normalizing genocide.”
Call in to the White House
Call the White House comment line at 202-456-1111 or 1414.
- Hours of operation are 11 AM to 3 PM ET (8 AM to 12 PM PT), Tuesday – Thursday.
- You might need to wait on hold some time before getting to an operator.
- If you have trouble getting through on the phone, email the White House using this link.
Sample Script/Talking Points:
“Hello, my name is ___ and I am a member of/supporter of Pax Christi USA [or other faith group].
Please tell President Biden that I am deeply disappointed in his decision last week to allow a massive shipment of offensive weapons, including a large number of 2,000 pound bombs, to go to Israel.
Such bombs have caused mass casualties in Gaza, where more than 32,000 people have been killed and more than 75,000 injured in the last six months.
Sending more bombs now contradicts the president’s own call for Israel not to bomb Rafah, where more than a million people are sheltering after being driven from their homes. Now is not the time for business as usual in the U.S.-Israel military relationship.
The deadly April 1 attack on the World Central Kitchen’s Food Convoy shows that Israel continues to strike indiscriminately, heedless of the risk to civilians and the escalating threat of famine.
The focus of the conflict in Gaza must shift from war and retribution to diplomacy, accountability, and humanitarian relief in order to stop the mass slaughter, starvation, and generational trauma.
Catholic and other faith leaders are speaking out strongly for an end to the killing and protection of civilians in Gaza.
I urge the administration to call for a permanent ceasefire in Gaza, release of all hostages and Palestinians jailed in administrative detention, massive humanitarian relief to avoid famine, and to halt the sale of weapons to Israel. Thank you.”
Background:
A few recent developments:
- On Good Friday, news broke that the Biden administration had authorized another large transfer of offensive weapons to Israel, including many 2,000 pound bombs, which have caused mass casualties in the war so far.
- On April 1, Israeli forces struck a World Central Kitchen convoy, killing seven humanitarian workers delivering food.
- Casualty figures from the United Nations as of March 29 show 32,623 Palestinians in Gaza killed, 75,092 injured, 1,200 Israelis killed in Israel and 252 Israeli soldiers killed in Gaza, 1,523 Israeli soldiers injured, 134 Israeli hostages in Gaza, and dire humanitarian conditions, with famine projected to spread throughout Gaza by May 2024.
- For more on the situation in Gaza and the West Bank, including that of Palestinian Christians, please see this Easter sermon and interview with Rev. Munther Isaac, pastor of Bethlehem’s Lutheran Evangelical Christmas Church.
At the same time, calls for a ceasefire from many quarters are increasing:
- On March 25, the United States allowed a UN Security Council resolution calling for a ceasefire in Gaza to pass (by abstaining from the vote).
Catholic leaders have been speaking out for peace:
- Archbishop Timothy Broglio, President of the US Council of Catholic Bishops, issued a statement on March 23 calling for a ceasefire, protection of civilians, and release of hostages.
- Pax Christi USA’s bishop president Bishop John Stowe and Executive Director Johnny Zokovitch along with Pax Christi leaders around the world joined more than 140 global Christian leaders in a call for a permanent ceasefire in Gaza and to halt the sale of weapons to Israel.
- The Jesuits issued a statement on March 28, saying it was “unacceptable that no-one has been able to stop the killing.”