[Elected Official’s Name],
Throughout Israel’s campaign in Gaza, which
two UN
inquiries have concluded constitutes genocide, it has used every tool possible to destroy, in whole or in part, Palestinian society and eradicate systems of self-sufficiency, including education, healthcare and agriculture.
Israel has systematically
targeted farmers in Gaza and destroyed Gaza’s entire agricultural system. Before Israel’s genocide campaign, Gaza was 115% self-sufficient in vegetable production, despite decades of blockade restricting access to many agricultural resources. 25% of Gaza’s population worked in agriculture.
53% of the Gaza Strip was farmland. Now, 97% of that farmland has either been systematically destroyed by Israel or is no longer accessible due to Israel’s illegal occupation of the land.
The destruction of Gaza’s agricultural system by Israel goes far beyond the destruction of land and the economy. It is also the targeting of experienced, community-driven farmers who have been murdered for trying to continue to grow.
In October 2024, Yousef Abu Rabee was killed in a
targeted airstrike. The 24-year-old farmer and agricultural engineer had created a planting initiative, sharing seeds and cuttings to families to grow their own food amidst Israel’s food blockade and
manufactured famine. This year, Yousef’s uncle, Bilal, another farmer, was killed when an Israeli tank fired on a group of 4 men. He was shot three times. Two generations of farmers in one family, murdered.
Israel’s targeted killing of farmers has
long been
documented, along with the destruction of Palestinian agriculture. Palestinians are forced to rely on the little aid that Israel permits to enter, ensuring self-sufficiency is impossible. Palestinians must have sovereignty over their own land; Israel must be forced to abide by International law.
I urge you to:
- Impose full, comprehensive sanctions on Israel.
- Enforce a complete two-way trade embargo, ending all import and export activity.
- Immediately end all arms sales and intelligence cooperation.
- Ensure unimpeded access for aid and humanitarian organisations across Palestine.
- Demand an end to the illegal occupation.
Your constituent,
[Your Name]
[Full Address]
