I was born in California the year my refugee parents came to this country from Vietnam. After years of brutal war, my parents and sisters were forced to flee the only home they had ever known. A home, a country and a nation; their Vietnam that they will never be free to return to.
They were lucky; they made a new life in America. But hundreds of thousands of people, including my father’s first wife and four of their children, lost their lives attempting to flee a war-torn country seized by a brutal communist regime. That pain doesn’t go away. We cannot undo the suffering from the atrocities of the past. But we can do our best to build a better future.
Growing up hearing my parents’ experiences of persecution, repression, and unimaginable loss, it has been hard for me to see reports of life in Gaza and not think of my own family. They lost the only homeland they had ever known, their roots brutally ripped out from under them with no guarantee that they would ever be able to rebuild. Their trauma was re-awakened by the images of relentless bombings leveling a hometown, innocent children starving to death and the nightmare feeling that war and death will not end because help will not come.
More than two years after the Hamas terrorist attack on October 7, 2023, Israeli and Palestinian societies continue to be shaped by that evil and horrific day. The 1,200 innocent Israelis who lost their lives, and the 251 people who were taken hostage, will never be forgotten. My thoughts are with them daily, and after more than 800 days in captivity, it is my sincere hope that we finally can see the body of the last remaining hostage returned home to their loved ones. The rise in anti-semitism both here at home in America, and across the globe, is deeply disturbing to me. We cannot allow attacks on Jewish people in their homes, houses of worship, and community gatherings to become normalized. As a congressman, I take my responsibility to prevent violent hate and bigotry seriously.
For the last 800 days, the people of Gaza have endured unspeakable tragedy. More than 70,000 Palestinian men, women, and children have been killed in direct attacks by Israel’s leadership since the start of the war, and countless others have died as a result of malnutrition and disease. The Palestinian people have endured airstrikes and ground incursions that have damaged or destroyed schools, businesses, places of worship, homes, and nearly every hospital in the Strip. Nearly 170,000 people have been injured, the vast majority of the population has been displaced, and many are living in temporary structures that will not withstand the coming winter.
America calls itself the leader of the free world. That means not only standing firm against our adversaries, but holding our friends and allies accountable.
My family’s story is my moral compass and hearing my community’s repeated plea for a solution, I have made the decision to sign on to the Block the Bombs Act. This bill will prohibit the sale of certain weapons to Israel until Congress passes legislation dictating their use and the Israeli government certifies that it will only use U.S. weapons consistent with U.S. laws and international human rights laws. Despite a tentative ceasefire agreement, the atrocities in Gaza and the West Bank continue to this day. It is past time that there is accountability for the countless lives that have been disrupted and cut short. The legislation would hold Israel to the same standard as every other U.S. ally, requiring that they comply with U.S. and international law in order to continue purchasing American-made offensive weapons.
Conditioning the use of U.S. weapons is consistent with past U.S. foreign policy. In 1953, President Eisenhower threatened sanctions to encourage Israel to withdraw from the Sinai Peninsula. In 1981, President Reagan delayed shipments of F-16 fighter jets to Israel in an effort to prevent a further escalation of violence in the region, and again in 1992, the Bush Administration leveraged $10 billion in loan guarantees to prevent settlement expansion in the West Bank and Gaza.
Benjamin Netanyahu’s government has laid siege to Gaza, killing tens of thousands of innocent people with no clear objective. It has long been clear that the Prime Minister is continuing this brutal war to defend his own political interests.
The Block the Bombs Act is not perfect. It is unlikely that Speaker Johnson or Leader Thune will bring it to the floor of the House or Senate for a vote. My cosponsorship of this legislation is a starting point, not an end, to my efforts to exercise congressional authority to stop the unimaginable suffering in Gaza and bring peace and dignity to all people living in the region.
I will continue to support the U.S. sale of defensive weapons to Israel and the maintenance of systems like the Iron Dome. Attacks by terrorist groups like Hamas and Hezbollah, and their state-backers like Iran, still threaten the lives of Israelis every day, and the U.S. must remain committed to Israel’s ability to protect its people and respond.
Congress must respond to the will of the American people and work toward a bipartisan solution that promotes peace in the region, dignity for Palestinians and Israelis, and a consistent foreign policy that aligns with our most cherished values.
This is not just about one country. This is about a legacy of U.S.-backed forever wars at the expense of the American taxpayer. Congress – not an out-of-control president – must assert its authority over where American troops and weapons are sent and weigh the consequences of those actions.
No one should be forced to leave the only home they have ever known, like my parents did, especially not with the support of the world’s beacon of freedom and democracy.
To stand by both Israel and Palestine, I must lean on humanity.
Enough is enough.
Derek Tran represents California’s 45th congressional district.