This Week in the World

This week, we were alarmed as Israel expanded its war in Gaza into the occupied West Bank, launching a major attack in the territory on Monday.

The operation is the largest in the West Bank in more than two decades. Israeli forces have killed at least 18 Palestinians and wounded more than 30 others, and it is ongoing.

Three months after President Joe Biden announced a ceasefire proposal to end the Gaza war and free the hostages, negotiations have stalled without a deal.

With election day quickly approaching, the voices of ordinary voters matter even more as we decide who is going to represent us in Congress in 2025.

Earlier this week we urged our network to engage with candidates for office and got a great response. It was exciting to see your passion for this work. Candidates can impact our communities, and you can influence their priorities.

This week, we mourned and honored the more than 100,000 people who were killed in the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki 79 years ago.

As we reflected on this solemn anniversary, we joined partners and friends around the globe to recommit to the urgent work of ensuring that nuclear weapons are never used again.

Traveling throughout the Middle East in January, FCNL’s Bridget Moix and Hassan El-Tayyab saw firsthand how the regional violence sparked by the Isarel-Gaza war was getting worse daily. Reflecting on their experience, they warned that these escalations would “continue until there is a ceasefire.”

The months that have passed since then have proven their words true and exacted an enormous human toll. Today, the region is closer to the brink of a major war than ever.

On Wednesday, Congress convened a special joint session to hear from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Netanyahu sought to rally even greater U.S. military support for a war that continues to inflict unprecedented suffering on the people of Gaza.

Following the assassination attempt against former President Donald Trump last weekend, we joined people of faith and conscience around the country to reject political violence in all its forms. Just as violence is not the answer to political conflict here at home, it is not the answer to security challenges abroad.

The Biden administration is moving forward with a new shipment of 1,700 500-pound bombs to Israel, reversing its vow to suspend weapons transfers if Israel moved forward with its assault on Rafah.

Independence Day is a chance to appreciate our democracy. Yesterday, we celebrated the 248th birthday of the United States of America. But today, many of us are deeply concerned about the health of our democratic system.

While it’s natural to feel anxious, never let anyone make you feel like your voice doesn’t matter or that you can’t make a difference. Despair is a threat and a lie. Our faith calls us to commitment and courage.

This week for the first time, the federal government formally declared what we have long known: gun violence is a public health crisis.