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12/11 Petition to Biden & U.S. Congress

On 12/8, for the first time in 86 years since the city of Guernica, Spain sounded their alarm warning of the Nazi’s genocidal massacre, it went off again for Palestine. Survivors of the Guernica massacre stood in solidarity with protestors demanding a ceasefire.

In 1937, the Nazis dropped approximately 100,000 pounds of incendiary bombs on Guernica over several hours which largely flattened the town to rubble- 1/3 of the population was killed or wounded. Residents of Guernica see themselves in Palestinians for a reason. We all should heed their call- Israel is committing a genocide.

As of 12/11, approximately 18,200 – 24,100 Palestinians have been murdered by Israel since 10/7. Some of those souls were lost earlier today after the Israeli military targeted a residential building in the Rafah, Gaza. Last week this is where they instructed people to evacuate to. There is nowhere safe in Gaza.

This is not a war- this is a genocide. Your complacency and failure to act is disturbing.

I demand that you: 

– Call for an immediate and permanent ceasefire in Gaza, the West Bank, and all areas the Israeli military is murdering or otherwise violating the human rights of Palestinians

– Call for the immediate end of genocide, apartheid, and occupation, and support Palestinians in their fight for freedom, peace, and their human rights

– Call for the immediate release of Palestinian “prisoners” (hostages) held captive in Israeli military prisons

– Permanently end all monetary and military aid given to Israel by correcting our budget and enforcing Leahy Law

– Reallocate all funds given to Israel to ongoing humanitarian relief for Palestinians to help them rebuild, care for the sick & injured, bury the dead with dignity, and ensure all of their basic needs are taken care of

– Repeal all federal anti-BDS laws and pass legislation that voids all state-level anti-BDS laws

– Restore my right to free speech and the freedom of the press by condemning all discrimination or harassment for criticizing any government or political ideology (including zionism) and by doing everything possible to prevent future assaults to my rights, including governmental control and/or censorship of the Internet

– Stop the militarization of our police by ending all cross-training done with the Israeli military, ceasing the construction of the Atlanta Public Safety Training Center, and all other ways this is accomplished

– Pass legislation that prohibits any governmental action that would target any ethnic, religious, or other minority group (including Palestinians), either in the U.S. or abroad, by restricting humanitarian or financial aid, infringing on their human rights, or other actions that would otherwise bring harm or cause undue burdens on said groups

SOURCES

Al Jazeera “Amid Israel’s onslaught of Gaza, Spain’s leader shows empathy for Palestine“

ABNA “Spanish city of Guernica sounds sirens in response to Israeli genocide in Gaza after 86 years“

PBS “Bombing of Guernica“

Haaretz “The IDF’s Confusing, Ironic Evacuation Map for Palestinians in Gaza“

ABC “Israel expands Gaza ground offensive, vows to hit the south with ‘no less strength’ than the north“

Al Jazeera Live Updates, 12/11/23, 22:00 GMT “Israeli army attacks on central and southern Gaza claim more lives”

Estimated deaths as of 12/11 from multiple sources*

Al Jazeera quotes 18,200 dead as of 12/11/23. Al Jazeera always includes the most up-to-date official death tolls on their Breaking/live updates page. Because the daily live pages are refreshed so frequently for each new day, I can’t link you to a specific date. You can always check the Breaking/live section on their site for the most recent official numbers.

EuroMed Monitor quotes an estimated 24,142 dead shown on an infographic posted on their Instagram (link to post) as of 12/11/23. Their website has past infographics, but does not currently have this newest one included as of writing this blog post. This is not unusual- I believe they first post on social media and then add to the infographic section of their site later. Prior infographics posted on Instagram and then shown on their site have the exact same figures & data.

*Why are multiple sources used for the death count?

Associated Press “Gaza health officials say they lost the ability to count dead as Israeli offensive intensifies“

The situation in Gaza has only gotten worse since the AP published this article on 11/21. The official numbers we are seeing from Gaza’s Ministry of Health are undercounted, and have been since at least 11/21.

EuroMed Monitor is a NGO established in 2011 that advocates for the human rights of all persons across Europe and the MENA region. They have a regional office in the Palestinian Occupied Territories. I believe their estimates are credible which is why I quote them, and will continue to, when referring to the estimated death toll.

My personal opinion is that the true number is even higher than estimated- people are dying from starvation, thirst, infections, and illnesses. Even if the genocide ended this moment, these types of deaths will unfortunately continue for some time. I believe their deaths should be counted. They may not have been shot/bombed/etc. by the Israeli military, but their deaths are directly attributable to the total siege, occupation, and intentional** destruction of civilian, water, waste management, and medical infrastructure by Israel.

**Why are you accusing Israel of intentionally destroying civilian infrastructure and targeting civilians?

It’s not an accusation. They’ve admitted to it.

The Guardian “‘The Gospel’: how Israel uses AI to select bombing targets in Gaza“

972 Magazine “‘A mass assassination factory’: Inside Israel’s calculated bombing of Gaza“