Read the letter, originally posted here.
Dear President Biden,
We come together as artists and advocates, but most importantly, as human beings witnessing the devastating loss of lives and unfolding horrors in Israel and Palestine.
We ask that, as President of the United States, you and the US Congress call for an immediate de-escalation and ceasefire in Gaza and Israel before another life is lost. More than 5,000 people have been killed in the last week and a half – a number any person of conscience knows is catastrophic. We believe all life is sacred, no matter faith or ethnicity, and we condemn the killing of Palestinian and Israeli civilians.
We urge your administration, Congress, and all world leaders, to honor all of the lives in the Holy Land and call for and facilitate a ceasefire without delay – an end to the bombing of Gaza and the safe release of hostages. Half of Gaza’s two million residents are children, and more than two-thirds are refugees and their descendants being forced to flee their homes. Humanitarian aid must be allowed to reach them.
We believe that the United States can play a vital diplomatic role in ending the suffering, and we are adding our voices to those from the US Congress, UNICEF, Doctors without Borders, The International Committee of The Red Cross, and so many others. Saving lives is a moral imperative. To echo UNICEF, “Compassion — and international law — must prevail.”
As of this writing, more than 6,000 bombs have been dropped on Gaza in the last 12 days – resulting in one child being killed every 15 minutes.
“Children and families in Gaza have practically run out of food, water, electricity, medicine, and safe access to hospitals, following days of air strikes and cuts to all supply routes. Gaza’s sole power plant ran out of fuel Wednesday afternoon, shutting down electricity, water and wastewater treatment. Most residents can no longer get drinking water from service providers or household water through pipelines…. The humanitarian situation has reached lethal lows, and yet all reports point to further attacks. Compassion — and international law — must prevail.”
UNICEF spokesperson James Elder
Beyond our pain and mourning for all of the people there and their loved ones around the world, we are motivated by an unbending will to stand for our common humanity. We stand for freedom, justice, dignity, and peace for all people – and a deep desire to stop more bloodshed.
We refuse to tell future generations the story of our silence that we stood by and did nothing. As Emergency Relief Chief Martin Griffiths told UN News: “History is watching.”
Supported by ActionAid USA & Oxfam America
Artists
Aaron Frazer
Aasif Mandvi
Abbi Jacobson
Adam Lambert
Adam McKay
Afshan Azad
Ahamed Weinberg
Aida Rodriguez
Alan Cumming
Alena Smith
Alfonso Cuarón
Ali Adler
Alia Shawkat
Allison Russell
Alyssa Milano
Amanda Gorman
Amanda Seales
Amandla Stenberg
Amber Tamblyn
America Ferrera
Aminatou Sow
Aminé
Anand Desai-Barochia
Andrew Ahn
Andrew Garfield
Anees
Ani DiFranco
Annie Lennox
Anoushka Shankar
Aria Mia Loberti
Arian Moayed
ASAP Nast
Asim Chaudhry
Atsuko Okatsuka
Augustus Prew
Ayo Edebiri
Bassam Tariq
Bassem Youssef
Bella Hadid
Belly
Ben Affleck
BLK ODYSSY
Bobbi Salvör Menuez
Bonnie Wright
Boots Riley
Bradley Cooper
Brandon Holman
Brian Cox
Brian Eno
Busy Phillipps
Carl Clemons-Hopkins
Caroline Polachek
Cat Power
Cate Blanchett
Channing Tatum
Charlotte Riley
Charm La’Donna
Chase Sui Wonders
Cherien Dabis
Chicano Batman
Chioke Nassor
Clairo
Clean Bandit
Connie Britton
Cree Summer
Cynthia Nixon
Dan Bucatinsky
Daniel Caesar
Darius Marder
Dave Merheje
David Clennon
David Cross
David Oyelowo
Deb Never
Desi Perkins
Dev Hynes
Dina Shihabi
Diplo
DJ Snake
Dominic Cooper
Dominique Fishback
Dominique Thorne
Drake
Dua Lipa
Durand Jones
Ebon Moss-Bachrach
Eisa Davis
Elliott Gould
Elvira Lind
Elyanna
Emily Gordon
Emily Meade
Emma Seligman
Ewan McGregor
Farah Bsaiso
Farida Khelfa
Fatima Farheen Mirza
Florence Pugh
Fredwreck
Gigi Hadid
Gracie Abrams
Hadar Cohen
Hari Nef
Hasan Minhaj
Helado Negro
Hend Sabry
Howard Rodman
Ilana Glazer
Indya Moore
Jalen Noble
James Schamus
Jay Shetty
Jai Courtney
Jalen Noble
Jas Lin
Jenna Ortega
Jenni Konner
Jennifer Lopez
Jenny Yang
Jeremy Allen White
Jeremy Strong
Jes Tom
Jessica Chastain
Jessie Buckley
Jesse Peretz
Jesse Williams
Joaquin Phoenix
Jodi Balfour
Joe Alwyn
Joel Edgerton
Joel Kim Booster
John Cusack
Jon Stewart
Jordan Peele
JP Saxe
Judah Friedlander
Judy Reyes
Kamie Crawford
Kathryn Grody
Kathy Najimy
Katie Gavin
Kaytranada
Kehlani
Kendrick Sampson
K.Flay
Kimiko Glenn
Kimya Dawson
Kirsten Dunst
Kristen Stewart
Kumail Nanjiani
Kylie Sparks
Lauren Jauregui
Lena Waithe
Leo Sheng
Lionel Boyce
LisaGay Hamilton
Lola Kirke
Lorenzo Izzo
Louisa Jacobson
Lupita Nyong’o
Macklemore
Majid Jordan
Mandy Patinkin
Mahershala Ali
Manish Dayal
Marcia Cross
Margaret Cho
Mark Ruffalo
Mark Rylance
Martin Starr
Mary Elizabeth Winstead
Massari
May Calamawy
Maysoon Zayid
Maz Jobrani
Megan Boone
Melanie Martinez
Melissa Barrera
Michael Malarkey
Michael Moore
Michael Shannon
Michael Stipe
Michelle Wolf
Mickey Sumner
Miguel
Milck
Milla Jovovich
Mira Nair
Miranda July
Misha Collins
Mo Amer
Mona Chalabi
Monet McMichael
Morgan Spector
Mousa Kraish
MUNA
Mustafa Ahmed
Nabil Elderkin
Naomi Scott
Natalia Cordova
Natalie Merchant
Nelly Furtado
Nia DaCosta
Nicole Ansari Cox
Niki Takesh
Nikoo Nooryani
Noah “40” Shebib
Omar Apollo
Omar Metwally
Omar Sy
Oscar Isaac
Padma Lakshmi
Paloma Elsesser
Patti Smith
Peter Berg
Peter Gabriel
Poorna Jagannathan
Poppy Liu
Quinta Brunson
Rachel McAdams
Rachel Sennott
Ramy Youssef
Raveena Aurora
Richa Moorjani
Richard Gere
River L. Ramirez
Riz Ahmed
Roberta Colindrez
Rooney Mara
Rosaline Elbay
Rosario Dawson
Rosie O’Donnell