Dear Members of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus,

We, the undersigned members of your communities and constituencies, mourn the Palestinian and Israeli lives lost since October 7th, and urge you to call for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and halt in military funding to Israel. We ask that you sign onto the Ceasefire Now Resolution introduced by Rep. Cori Bush and sponsored by 18 members of Congress. The majority of American voters support an immediate ceasefire. As elected representatives, you hold the political responsibility and moral obligation to end this genocide.

In just over three weeks, the Israeli military has indiscriminately killed over 8,000 Palestinians, including over 3,000 children. Furthermore, as a Senior Legal Advisor at Human Rights Watch notes in a recent article, the Israeli government has continuously committed war crimes and violated humanitarian law in Palestine. Israel’s blockade of food, water, electricity, and fuel, use of prohibited chemical weapons such as white phosphorus, and withholding of humanitarian aid constitute collective punishment. In recognition of these crimes against the Palestinian people, 121 countries voted to adopt a resolution calling for an immediate, sustained humanitarian truce. It is essential that the safety of Palestinian Americans, including 600 in Gaza and 60,000 in the West Bank, is not overlooked.

As our tax dollars proliferate this violence, we are witnessing our nation’s descent into a hostile and hateful environment, similar to that of the post-9/11 era. We are experiencing a disturbing rise in Islamophobic hate crimes including the murder of 6-year-old Wadea Al-Fayoume and the brutal attack on his mother in Illinois, the assault of a 19-year-old Sikh man in New York City, and the intimidation of protestors speaking out against genocide across the country. We recognize antisemitism and Islamophobia as two sides of the same coin: both violent mechanisms wielded for the sake of power. To lead our communities towards a more peaceful and just path, you must demand a ceasefire and implement measures to protect vulnerable groups.

Asian Americans are courageously taking action in support of a ceasefire. Rep. Pramila Jayapal ​​joined as a co-sponsor of the ceasefire resolution and has spoken widely about her position. California Assemblymember Alex Lee called for de-escalation, ceasefire, and humanitarian aid. New York Assemblymember Zohran Mamdani joined thousands of American Jews in chanting “not in our name” at Grand Central. Richmond Councilmember Soheila Bana played a key role in passing her city’s resolution in solidarity with Gaza. Asian American artists including Hasan Minhaj, Sandra Oh, and Riz Ahmed joined 250 others in signing the Artists for Ceasefire letter.

Our communities expect you, as Asian American elected leaders, to act with moral and political conviction. People across the globe are mourning the thousands of families who have been killed in the last three weeks alone. Millions of lives hang in the balance, and we cannot accept their deaths as inevitable. We, the undersigned organizations and individuals representing the diversity of our communities, endorse this call to action in pursuit of justice, dignity, solidarity, and our shared humanity. Join us in demanding an immediate ceasefire, an end to military funding for Israel, and the entry of vital humanitarian aid into Gaza. We implore you to affirm, protect, and fight for the living. History is watching.

In Community,