Wednesday, June 5th, 11:30am-12:30pm - in person near the U.S. Capitol - location shared after RSVP
Sing-in near the U.S. Capitol - Calls for Congress to Support a Permanent Ceasefire - A nonviolent witness for Gaza [no special singing skills required]
Why: The crisis in Gaza has escalated with the invasion of Rafah. The International Criminal Court is seeking arrest warrants for leaders of Hamas and Israel.
What: All are welcome to join a public sing-in. We will raise our voices together as we urge those in power to do the courageous work of nonviolent peacemaking. We urge all parties to:
a) Publicly call for bilateral, permanent ceasefire to prevent the further loss of life
b) Support demilitarization rather than supplying additional military aid or arms to Israel
c) Focus on a release of Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners held without due process
d) Support robust humanitarian assistance and restarting U.S. government funding to UNRWA, the UN agency supporting Palestinian refugees
e) Work diplomatically to end the siege on Gaza and end the occupation of the Palestinian Territory in order to address the root causes of the violence, accountability for harm, and move all parties toward a lasting, just peace that protects all human life and ensures long-term security and sustainability in the Middle East
The focus must shift to diplomacy, accountability mechanisms, robust humanitarian aid, and strategic peacebuilding.
Why: Urgent action is needed to stop the mass slaughter and destruction and to save lives. War is trauma, not justice.
War is not accountability. Retribution is not accountability. Only with de-escalating steps and a ceasefire can we work for accountability. Only then can we mobilize credible voices who have the right leverage to create conditions for detaining those responsible for harm. Only then can we do the deeper, transformative work of accountability.
Register (meet-up location shared after RSVP): Sing-in for a Permanent Ceasefire: A nonviolent witness for Gaza (google.com)
Contact: Eli McCarthy, emccarthy@franciscanaction.org