IfNotNow Bay Area and all people standing for freedom and justice are calling on Senator Dianne Feinstein to condemn Israeli violence against unarmed Palestinians protestors.

On March 30th, the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) opened fire on protesters in Gaza, killing 17 and injuring over 1,400 — over half of whom were injured after being shot with live ammunition.

On April 6th, the second week of protests, 9 more Palestinians were killed and over 250 were shot with live fire.

It's been 14 days, and still silence from Senator Feinstein.

The decision of the IDF to shoot protesters in prayer, running away, or waving a flag is not just clearly a violation of international law: it is a moral crisis.

Nonetheless, leaders in the political and Jewish communities have been largely silent. In particular, as a Democratic senator and a major figure in the American Jewish community, the silence of Senator Feinstein has been deafening.

Senator Feinstein has shown us that — when she wants to — she can be the progressive and Jewish leader we need. She spoke out against the embassy move to Jerusalem, she spoke out against the demolition of Palestinian villages, she spoke out against the appointment of David Friedman as U.S. ambassador to Israel, and she was the first U.S. Senator to speak out against the outpost-legalization bill that legalized thousands of outpost settlements in the West Bank.

But she has yet to say anything about this current violence. It has been 14 days since Palestinians were first met with live fire for protesting in Gaza. How many more deaths will it take until Senator Feinstein speaks out against this atrocious violence.

To condemn the shooting of unarmed protesters is neither bold nor brave: it is the bare minimum we should expect from any moral leader.

In fact, just hours after the news reports of Israeli violence began pouring in on Friday, March 31, Senator Bernie Sanders asserted “The killing of Palestinian demonstrators by Israeli forces in Gaza is tragic. It is the right of all people to protest for a better future without a violent response.” Sanders also recognized the effects of Israel’s ongoing blockade of Gaza, properly calling it a “humanitarian disaster.”

We call on Senator Dianne Feinstein to immediately and unambiguously express that this and any future violence against Palestinian protesters is unacceptable.