Artists4Ceasefire, the industry collective that has pushed for an end to the current war in Gaza (and whose pins were worn by several attendees at this year’s Oscars), is spearheading a new initiative calling for an end to illegal arms sales to Israel .
Through a partnership with artist Shepard Fairey and several charities – including Oxfam America, ActionAid USA and War Child Alliance/Children in Conflict – the group has launched a call to action with the message “Ceasefire Now, Stop Weapons, Save Lives,” which Stop what it says are “arms transfers that violate U.S. and international law.” Such laws make it illegal to supply or use weapons to commit “serious human rights violations,” including attacking schools or hospitals, restricting humanitarian aid and killing children.
To accompany this effort, Fairey has launched a new artwork featuring a dove of peace holding barbed wire in its beak, an image he says “carries the message of the collective humanity we must find to rise above hostility and end create destruction and desolation.” .”
The call comes as part of what Artists4Palestine says is its continued advocacy for an immediate and permanent ceasefire, the safe return of all hostages and the delivery of humanitarian aid to civilians in Gaza, a call first made via an open letter to President Joe Biden. signed in October 2023 by more than 470 major Hollywood and cultural figures, including Joaquin Phoenix, Cate Blanchett, Jon Stewart, Kristen Stewart and Riz Ahmed.
Artists4Ceasefire members speaking out in support of the new campaign include Mark Ruffalo, Mahershala Ali, Cynthia Nixon and Ilana Glazer.
“Our demand is simple: our elected leaders must enforce existing U.S. and international humanitarian laws that prohibit the use of military assistance to commit ‘serious human rights violations,’” said Ruffalo, a longtime Palestinian rights advocate and pronounced. against Israeli military aggression. Ruffalo noted that Britain had recently announced it was suspending 30 arms export licenses to Israel, something he said was “not enough, but it is a start, and more than the US, the largest supplier of arms and weapons to Netanyahu and the stands.” of Israel, has done.”
The US government “holds the cards to achieve a permanent ceasefire,” he added. “We keep hearing that they are working around the clock for a ceasefire. Let’s be clear: Biden already has the authority to condition or halt offensive military aid to Israel if Netanyahu refuses to accept a permanent ceasefire.”
Ali, meanwhile, called for an end to the “mass destruction” committed with the help of American taxpayers’ money. “We stand together to remind U.S. and global leaders that the lives of millions of people are at stake – Palestinians and Israelis alike – and by sending an endless barrage of weapons, we are in effect facilitating death and destruction, while we only pay lip service to peace, security and humanity for both people,” he said.
“Words without action will not end the unbearable suffering of Palestinian and Israeli mothers, fathers and children,” Nixon said. “Enough is enough. The global call for a permanent ceasefire – supported at home by an overwhelming majority of Americans – must be answered.”
Glazer said the way the US “violated international law” regarding arms sales to Israel “made the Jewish people less safe and contributed to the global rise of anti-Semitism.” She added: “The safety and security of Jews and Muslims, of Israelis and Palestinians, is inextricably intertwined. We have a moral and legal obligation to stop the flow of weapons.”
The new call to action comes amid the ongoing destruction in Gaza, as Israel continues its ongoing assault on the territory, which was sparked in retaliation for Hamas’ attack on October 7, 2023, which killed around 1,200 Israelis and more than 200 taken hostage. Last weekend, Israeli forces recovered the bodies of six of the remaining hostages. Eleven months after October 7, Israeli military operations in Gaza have killed at least 40,000 Palestinians, including 16,500 children, according to the local Health Ministry. The destruction has also led to a major humanitarian crisis, with nearly all of Gaza’s 2.2 million people displaced from their homes. Reportedly, 96% of Gaza’s population faces acute food insecurity.
“The direct targeting of hospitals and obstruction of healthcare facilities by Israeli forces, in addition to limited access to medical facilities, has put approximately 50,000 pregnant women and 20,000 newborn babies at risk,” ActionAid USA said, as part of the new call to action.
“The humanitarian crisis in Gaza is growing more dire every day, fueled by the United States’ seemingly unlimited supply of arms to Israel,” added Scott Paul, Oxfam America’s associate director for peace and security. “The United States must stop the sale of lethal weapons to Israel, contrary to its own laws and policies. It must push for an immediate and permanent ceasefire in Gaza and secure the return of all hostages and illegally held prisoners. Palestinian civilians and Israeli hostages remain in danger until a ceasefire is reached; it is the only way to guarantee peace and security for all Palestinians and Israelis.”
Rob Williams, CEO of War Child Alliance, said: “The situation for children in Gaza is the deadliest we have seen at War Child and Children in Conflict in our more than 30-year history. But every minute this war continues, children’s lives are in danger. We cannot say it enough: an immediate and permanent ceasefire is urgently needed to protect children from this worsening catastrophe. In addition, all hostages and Palestinian civilians unjustly detained must be released. Only when this war is over will it be possible to rebuild homes and livelihoods and give children the food, water and mental and physical health care they desperately need.”
