Dear [name of elected representative]

I am writing as your constituent with alarm at the escalating violence in the West Bank following the attacks by Hamas on October 7 and the subsequent Israeli military response. The Hamas attacks killed over 1,400 Israelis, and in Gaza over 8,000 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli bombing, including over 3,500 children.

While the international community is united in recognising the attacks of October 7 as horrific violations of international law, I am deeply concerned about the potential war crimes now being committed by the Israeli government. This includes collective punishment and the failure of all parties to adequately protect civilians and civilian institutions such as hospitals.

When a state is led to believe by its friends that it can respond to an atrocity with no red lines, violence spreads. We are now seeing the results of this in other areas of occupied Palestinian territory not controlled by Hamas. Earlier this week, 30 leading Israeli human rights organisations published a joint emergency call to the international community to stop the “[Israeli] state-backed wave of settler violence in the West Bank which is leading to the forcible transfer of Palestinian communities”. On November 1st the United Nations reported that since October 7, more than 128 Palestinians, including 35 children, have been killed in the West Bank, more than 2,000 injured and nearly 1,000 forcibly displaced in violent attacks by Israeli settlers and the Israeli military.

EAPPI – an internationally recognised human rights organisation working in the West Bank – has shared this eyewitness account from one of the villages under attack:

“A grave and harrowing crisis is unfolding in the South Hebron Hills, demanding the utmost urgency and gravity. Settlers, masquerading as a military force, have launched a barbaric assault on Susyiah village. They have subjected the inhabitants, including innocent children, to brutal and violent attacks. These aggressors have issued a menacing ultimatum: if the villagers do not vacate within 24 hours, they vow to return and perpetrate murder…The situation is so dire that ten villages have been compelled to forsake their ancestral lands and flee in abject fear. Susyiah village now stands as the next target. We urgently beseech you to intervene without delay and bring this horrific nightmare to a halt”.

Ireland has been at the forefront of the international community in calling for cessation of hostilities and access for humanitarian aid and supplies. I urge you to call on the Irish government to use its influence to seek:

• An end to the state-backed violence against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank
• The immediate facilitation of sufficient humanitarian aid into Gaza
• An immediate ceasefire and release of all hostages
• A just end to the occupation of Palestinian territory in line with international law so that all Israelis and Palestinians can live in peace and security

I look forward to hearing from you about your actions on these matters.

Thank you,

[your name + your home address]