No More Delays: We Need a Deal Now (22 August)
A report from Standing Together on the movement’s latest work.
This week, we woke up to more heartbreaking news – six bodies of hostages who were killed in captivity were returned to Israel. These hostages were kidnapped alive and could have been returned alive through a deal – but instead, our extremist right wing government is choosing the continuation of the war, keeping us divided and in continuous fear, over saving the hostages. There is no time to waste in getting the hostages back, and people in Gaza should not have to continue to suffer with more death, destruction, disease, and starvation – we must bring this to an end now!
In addition, our fear is rising as the exchange of fire between Israel and Hezbollah is increasing in intensity. The possibility for an expansion of the war is increasing – which would only be catastrophic for everyone in the region. We know that a majority of Israelis support the current deal, and it is the only way to guarantee the safe return of the hostages and to end the suffering in Gaza.
We are continuing to strengthen the call for a deal within Israeli society, putting pressure on our government to do what is best for all of us in the region and bring this war to an end. We need you to join our fight against this horrific war, to help strengthen our efforts of Jewish-Arab solidarity, and to prove to our government that the only way to ensure security in this land is through Israeli-Palestinian peace.
Over the past two weeks, we have mobilized thousands of Palestinians and Jews in Palestinian towns across Israel to collect donations of food and aid for people in Gaza, and have already collected over 350 trucks of donations. It is exciting for us to see this amazing outpour of support for Gazans through our Jewish-Arab solidarity efforts.
This campaign has been a breath of fresh air for so many people – particularly Palestinians in Israel – who have felt silenced by political persecution during this time and have now been able to practically impact the reality on the ground in solidarity with Jewish partners, and to speak up against the starvation policy in Gaza.
You can contribute to the campaign from abroad by helping to finance the truck drivers, storage units, car rentals and other logistical costs to ensure this aid reaches those in need. If you haven’t already, become a monthly supporter at any sum of your choice, by joining our global community Friends of Standing Together.
