Mark Ruffalo, Jessica Chastain, Quinta Brunson and others call on Biden to propose a cease-fire in Gaza and Israel

A long list of big names today released a letter addressed to President Biden urging him to call for a ceasefire in Gaza and Israel.

Signatories include Mark Ruffalo, Jessica Chastian, Cate Blanchett, Quinta Brunson, Rosario Dawson, Oscar Isaac, Joaquin Phoenix, Alyssa Milano, Jon Stewart and many more. The list includes prominent Jewish, Muslim and Christian actors

The full text of the letter can be found below.

Dear President Biden,

We come together as artists and advocates, but most importantly as people who witness the devastating loss of life and unfolding horror in Israel and Palestine.

We ask you, as President of the United States, to call for immediate de-escalation and a cease-fire in Gaza and Israel before another life is lost. More than five thousand people have been killed in the past week and a half – a number that every conscientious person knows is catastrophic. We believe that all life is sacred, regardless of faith or ethnicity, and we condemn the killing of Palestinian and Israeli civilians.

We call on your government and all world leaders to honor all lives in the Holy Land and call for an immediate ceasefire – an end to the bombing of Gaza and the safe release of the hostages. Half of Gaza’s two million inhabitants are children, more than two-thirds are refugees and their descendants are forced to leave their homes. Humanitarian aid must be able to reach them.

We believe the United States can play a critical diplomatic role in ending the suffering, and we join the voices of the US Congress, UNICEF, Doctors Without Borders, the International Committee of the Red Cross, and many others. Saving lives is a moral obligation. To repeat UNICEF: “Compassion – and international law – must prevail.”

As I write this, over 6,000 bombs have fallen on Gaza in the past 12 days, killing one child every 15 minutes.

Beyond our pain and sorrow for everyone there and their loved ones around the world, we are motivated by an unwavering will to stand up for our common humanity. We stand for freedom, justice, dignity and peace for all people – and the deep desire to stop more bloodshed.

We refuse to tell future generations the story of our silence, our inaction. Emergency chief Martin Griffiths told UN News: “History is watching.”

Signed:

Riz Ahmed
Mahershala Ali
Mo. Amer
Cate Blanchett
Quinta Brunson
Farah Bsaiso
Jessica Chastain
Margaret Cho
David Cross
Cherien Dabis
Rosario Dawson
Ayo Edebiri
Fatima Farheen Mirza
America Ferrera
Dominique Visback
Andrew Garfield
Ilana Glazer
Oscar Isaac
Shaka King
Elvira Lind
Aria Mia Loberti
Macklemore
Michael Malarkey
Rooney Mara
Darius Marder
Vic Mensa
Alyssa Milano
Hasan Minhaj
India Moore
Sandra O
Joaquin Phoenix
Mark Ruffalo
Henry Sabry
Susan Sarandon
Jacobus Schamus
Amanda Seales
Anouschka Shankar
Alia Shawkat
Wallace Shawn
Sebastian Silva
Jon Stewart
Kristen Stewart
Jeremy Strong
Wanda Sykes
Michael Stip
Amber Tamblyn
Bassam Tariq
Channing Tatum
Dominique Thorne
Michelle Wolf
Shailene Woodley
Ramy Youssef