The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today urges all Americans to immediately contact their U.S. Senators and demand they vote YES on Senator Bernie Sanders’ Joint Resolutions of Disapproval (JRDs), which are expected to come to a vote in the Senate this week. These resolutions seek to block $8.8 billion in new U.S. munitions to Israel as it escalates deadly strikes on Gaza—actions that violate international law, target civilians, and defy basic human decency.
Under the proposed sales, more than 35,000 massive 2,000-pound bombs and other offensive weaponry would enable Israel’s continued assault on Gaza. Pursuant to the Arms Export Control Act and the Foreign Assistance Act, American arms must not be used to commit gross human rights abuses. However, this arms package has been fast-tracked by the Trump Administration—even though the JRD mechanism itself provides only five calendar days for a committee to consider the resolutions before triggering a forced floor vote, highlighting the urgency and gravity of the situation.
This urgent call follows Israel’s continued bombardment of hospitals, schools, refugee camps, and other non-military sites across Gaza. Civilian casualties have now surpassed 50,000, with numerous reports detailing the killing of humanitarian personnel and the destruction of critical infrastructure. Despite a recent ceasefire, renewed military actions by Israel mark a second wave of devastation that threatens the lives of hundreds of thousands still trapped under blockade and daily attacks.
In addition to Senator Sanders’ initiative in the Senate, parallel resolutions have been introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives by Representatives Pramila Jayapal, Rashida Tlaib, and other lawmakers, further demonstrating the widespread concern in Congress over America’s role in fueling the carnage.
In a statement, CAIR Director of Government Affairs Department Robert S. McCaw said:
“Sending billions in offensive weaponry to Israel as it wages indiscriminate attacks on civilians makes the United States an accessory to grave violations of international law. With Senate votes imminent, every American has the moral responsibility to stand up, call their Senators, and insist on a YES vote to halt these genocidal arms sales.”
The Netanyahu government’s blockade has blocked almost all humanitarian relief, pushing millions of Gazans to the brink of famine and widespread medical crises. Alarmingly, some Israeli and U.S. officials have also proposed forcibly displacing Palestinians—an unmistakable policy of ethnic cleansing. Yet the $8.8 billion arms package speeds ahead, threatening to exacerbate the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza.
McCaw noted today CAIR called the State Department’s response to the Israeli killing of Nine Palestine Red Crescent (PRCS) medics and several civil defense workers “shameful.” CAIR has also called on the United States and the international community to pressure Israel to allow humanitarian aid to enter Gaza after all the bakeries in the strip closed citing shortages of flour and diesel.
END
CONTACT: CAIR National Deputy Director Edward Ahmed Mitchell, 404-285-9530, e-Mitchell@cair.com; CAIR Government Affairs Director Robert McCaw, 202-742-6448, rmccaw@cair.com; CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper, 202-744-7726, ihooper@cair.com; CAIR National Communications Manager Ismail Allison, 202-770-6280, iallison@cair.com