Rev. Alex Awad, Pastor Emeritus of East Jerusalem Baptist Church,

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Members of Congress

As one of your constituents, I urge you to do all you can to stop Prime Minister Netanyahu from coming to the United States to address members of Congress. Here is the rationale behind my appeal:

1. The International Criminal Court’s chief prosecutor publicly requested an arrest warrant for Netanyahu, equivalent to an indictment before trial, for the genocidal killing of tens of thousands of Palestinians in Gaza. The confirmed Israeli killings of Gazans now stand at nearly 37,000 people, mostly children and women, with thousands of others buried under the rubble of homes and public institutions, including schools. Many other thousands have died or are likely to die of disease, starvation, and lack of access to medicine.
2. Under his leadership the Gaza strip has been turned into rubble; the United Nations World Food Program has declared that northern Gaza has already entered “full-blown famine” and its population is left under the threat of starvation as part of his genocidal war against the people of Gaza.
3. Under his leadership, nearly all hospitals, universities, bakeries, infrastructure, water purification plants, humanitarian aid centers, and most places of worship in Gaza have been bombed, destroyed, or severely damaged. Israel has killed more medical, humanitarian aid, and media workers than in any other war in decades.
4. Netanyahu has consistently obstructed ceasefire opportunities, choosing instead to continue the genocide while making maximalist demands. In early May, he effectively blocked a ceasefire proposal shepherded by the Biden administration, Egypt, and Qatar, one actually agreed to by Hamas. Regarding Biden’s current proposal, it is quite evident that Netanyahu does not want a ceasefire. As such, he is a person not deserving of praise while he does his best to continue a genocidal war, promises to continue the war even after the release of hostages, and is openly pursuing war in the North as well.
5. In his long career as Israel’s Prime Minister, Netanyahu has consistently worked against solving the Palestine/Israel crisis by outrightly rejecting any proposals for the realization of a two-state solution. He has frequently declared, “There will never be a Palestinian state on my watch!”
6. Inviting Netanyahu is a stab in the back to over 60% of the Israeli population who want him out of the Prime Minister’s office. It will also be a slap in the face to most Americans who support a permanent ceasefire.
7. Welcoming Netanyahu sends the message to the world that United States lawmakers no longer care about international law and order and have no respect for the United Nations and its humanitarian agencies.
8. Inviting Netanyahu sends the message to Palestinians and Arabs that members of Congress care more about receiving funds from AIPAC than caring about the suffering of 2.3 million people in Gaza. Welcoming Netanyahu communicates that those members of Congress who invited the Israeli Prime Minister have no empathy for over 15,000 children massacred by the IDF and 17,000 children who have lost one or both parents.
9. Welcoming Netanyahu will send an unmistakable message to peace-loving people in the US and the world that members of Congress care more about their political ambitions than promoting peace and justice in the Middle East.
10. People worldwide will remember Netanyahu’s visit and his address to the US Congress as a dark spot in US history.

Again, I urge you to do all you can to stop Prime Minister Netanyahu from coming to the United States to address members of Congress. By facilitating, welcoming, or even just taking photographs or shaking hands this time with a known war criminal like him to become an enabler of war crimes and a genocide champion. With the likelihood that Netanyahu will speak before Congress, I urge you to follow the example of your more courageous and morally consistent colleagues by boycotting the speech and refusing to attend.

“For we must all stand before Christ to be judged. We will each receive whatever we deserve for the good or evil we have done in this earthly body.” —2 Corinthians 5:10

Sincerely,

Rev. Alex Awad

Pastor Emeritus, East Jerusalem Baptist Church