California Senators Padilla and Schiff, by approving weapons sales to Israel, are not representing the will of the people of California

The people of the United States, especially California, are opposed to the war crimes being committed by Israel in Gaza, the West Bank, Lebanon and Syria, and to the arms sales that fuel these war crimes. Senators Padilla and Schiff have voted to send billions of dollars in bombs and other weapons to Israel. 15 senators had the courage to do what was right and opposed this latest taxpayer funded $8.8 billion arms giveaway to Israel, but Senators Padilla and Schiff were not among them.

Almost half of California’s registered voters describe Israel’s military response to the Oct. 7 massacre as “too much,” a new poll out of UC Berkeley shows. — The Jewish News of Northern California, January 24, 2024

“Gov. Gavin Newsom said Thursday he supports President Biden’s call for a ceasefire in Gaza, citing the ‘ongoing and horrific loss of innocent civilian life.’” by Sameea Kamal March 21, 2024, published in Cal Matters

“Majority in U.S. Now Disapprove of Israeli Action in Gaza; Approval has dropped from 50% to 36% since November” by Jeffrey M. Jones, Gallup News, March 27, 2024

A new poll published by the Pew Research Center found that a majority (53%) of Americans now hold unfavorable opinions of Israel–an increase of 11 points since the last time Pew asked this question in 2022. The trend is even more pronounced among Democrats, nearly 70% of whom hold unfavorable opinions of Israel. — Institute for Middle East Understanding Policy Project, April 14, 2025

To give you some examples of the “ ongoing and horrific loss of innocent civilian life,” Here is an article from a recent Drop Site News story, on Substack, by Issam Ahmed. The headline is:

Israeli Policies and Settler Violence Are Driving Palestinians from the Jordan Valley.

“Israel is poised to carry out the largest campaign of ethnic cleansing since the end of World War II. Since March 2, it has blocked all food and humanitarian aid into Gaza and cut off electricity, so that the last water desalination plant no longer functions. The Israeli military has seized half of the territory — Gaza is 25 miles long and four to five miles wide — and placed two-thirds of Gaza under displacement orders, rendered “no-go zones,” including the border town of Rafah, which is encircled by Israeli troops.

On Friday Defence Minister Israel Katz announced that Israel will “intensify” the war against Hamas and use “all military and civilian pressure, including evacuation of the Gaza population south and implementing United States President [Donald] Trump’s voluntary migration plan for Gaza residents.”

Since Israel’s unilateral ending of the ceasefire on March 18 — which was never honored by Israel — Israel has been carrying out relentless bombing and shelling against civilians, killing over 1,400 Palestinians and wounding over 3,600, according to the Palestinian health ministry. An average of one hundred children are being killed daily according to the United Nations.”

These children are not Hamas, they are not soldiers, they didn’t play any part in the October 7th massacres but they, and their families, are being targeted. It is a war crime to inflict collective punishment on a civilian population and order its forced displacement. Collective punishment is prohibited by Article 33 of the Geneva Convention.

In a truly horrific incident, reported by Owen Jones in BattleLines, Substack, April 1, 2025, the murder of 15 first responders is documented:

“Just over a week ago, as Israel launched its latest onslaught against Rafah, 10 members of the Palestine Red Crescent were dispatched to collect those injured by the Israeli military, so they could receive medical assistance. They were accompanied by 6 Civil Defense first responders.

As the United Nations’ Jonathan Whittall put it: ‘All five ambulances and one fire-truck were struck, along with a UN vehicle that arrived later. Contact was lost with all. One survivor said Israeli forces had killed both of the crew in his ambulance. For days, OCHA — [the United Nations’ Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs] coordinated to reach the site but our access was only granted 5 days later.’

Returning the next day, we were finally able to reach the site and discovered a devastating scene: ambulances, the UN vehicle, and fire truck had been crushed and partially buried. After hours of digging, we recovered one body — a Civil Defense worker beneath his fire truck’ Just to be clear here — the Israeli army even sought to bury the ambulances, fire truck and UN vehicle after massacring the medical staff and civil workers.

Yesterday, on the first day of Eid, the team returned. They recovered the bodies of 8 Red Crescent medical staff, 6 Civil Defence and 1 UN staff. Whithall says: ‘They were killed in their uniforms. Driving their clearly marked vehicles. Wearing their gloves. On their way to save lives. This should never have happened.’ In a further videoed statement, Whithall added that the paramedics and other workers had been killed “one by one” and then ‘their bodies were gathered and buried in this mass grave.’”

The above incident has been widely reported and the Red Crescent and other groups are calling for an independent investigation. Senators Padilla and Schiff, will you join the call for an independent investigation?

Here are just two of the latest atrocities committed by Israel:

“Israel’s indiscriminate bombardment of Gaza continues, claiming at least another 34 victims today, including 10 members of the same family who were killed in a strike on a home in Khan Younis earlier today. Meanwhile, one of the victims of an Israeli airstrike earlier this week, on Wednesday, was revealed to be the young Palestinian photojournalist Fatma Hassona. Hassona, who was killed along with at least nine other members of her family in Gaza City.” (https://www.democracynow.org/2025/4/18/headlines/palestinian_photojournalist_fatma_hassona_killed_with_family_in_israeli_attack) — Democracy Now, April 18, 2025

“An Israeli air strike early on Sunday has incapacitated the last fully functioning hospital in Gaza City as the military expands and intensifies its campaign across the territory. No casualties were reported from the strike but the Anglican church in Jerusalem — which runs the Al-Ahli Baptist hospital — said a boy with a head injury died in the rushed evacuation of patients. It said that the hospital had received only 20 minutes warning ahead of the strike and was forced to take patients into the streets. Parts of the hospital — including the emergency room and reception area — were extensively damaged. There was also damage to the adjoining St Philip’s church, according to video received by CNN.” (https://www.cnn.com/2025/04/13/world/israel-strike-gaza-city-hospital-intl/index.html) — CNN April 13, 2025

What will it take to get Senators Padilla and Schiff to act in defense of our common humanity, our American values, to obey the law, to do the right thing?