Quick Take
Local peace activists say Rep. Jimmy Panetta’s continued support for U.S. military aid to Israel has helped shield the policies of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as war spreads across the Middle East. They argue that this funding has contributed to devastating consequences in the Gaza Strip and beyond. The authors say Panetta’s record reflects a growing disconnect with constituents calling for accountability and Palestinian human rights. They urge voters to turn their concern into support for candidates who prioritize peace and to attend an April 25 forum featuring candidates running for Congress in California’s 19th District, currently represented by Panetta.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu finally found a U.S. president who is willing to fight a war with Iran.
The morning of the joint attack by the United States and Israel on Iran, Netanyahu said, “This coalition of forces allows us to do what I have yearned to do for 40 years: defeat the terror regime. … This is what I promised – and this is what we shall do.”
Netanyahu called Trump “one of Israel’s greatest friends in the White House of all time.”
The impunity that the United States has granted Netanyahu relies on Democratic and Republican members of Congress, including our local representative, Jimmy Panetta. This impunity has enabled Netanyahu to carry out what the Israeli human rights organization B’Tselem calls “Our Genocide” in Gaza.
Now it has led to a widening war, including reported deaths in Iran, Israel, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, United Arab Emirates, Syria, Iraq, and 13 American servicemembers as of publication time.
There will be no peace in the Middle East so long as the U.S. president and Congress enable the destructive policies of Netanyahu and his supporters. In our part of the world, we need to elect a member of Congress who supports lasting peace, security and human rights for all people of the Middle East.
Rep. Jimmy Panetta has enabled Netanyahu from his first media release in Congress in January 2017, which opposed the Obama administration’s support for a United Nations resolution calling for a halt to new settlements on the West Bank. Panetta has consistently voted for military aid to Israel, most recently on Jan. 14.
In support of Netanyahu’s blockade of humanitarian aid entering Gaza, Panetta voted to end U.S. funding for the U.N. humanitarian relief agency, United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) as part of a larger funding package. Even after the cease-fire of October 2025, Panetta voted to block U.S. funding for UNRWA.
Panetta has supported Netanyahu by obstructing international justice.
In May 2024, the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court presented evidence to the court of crimes against humanity, seeking arrest warrants for Netanyahu, then-Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and three Hamas leaders. In response, Panetta voted with House Republicans on a resolution to sanction International Criminal Court officials, dismissing the court’s charges as “illegitimate and baseless.”
It is no surprise that during the 2024 election cycle, Panetta was the largest recipient of campaign contributions from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) in Northern California, according to a KQED report.
At a town hall meeting in Watsonville on Oct. 11, 2025, we believe Panetta tried to obfuscate his voting record on weapons to Israel. He said, “Since Oct. 7 of 2023, there’s only been seven votes dealing with funding for Israel’s defense. I voted no on five out of those seven times of that funding.”
A fact check of Panetta’s votes indicates that his “no” votes were part of Democrats’ maneuvers to thwart Republican initiatives. For example, his no vote in November 2023 was part of an attempt by Democrats to include military aid to Ukraine in the bill, over Republican opposition. When the bill ultimately included military aid to both Ukraine and Israel, Panetta voted yes.
We believe Panetta’s misrepresentation of his record demonstrates the influence of public opinion against Israel’s actions in Gaza.
Now we need to turn public opinion into political action.
The Santa Cruz County Democratic Central Committee (DCC) has begun to do so. In January 2026, the DCC endorsed the Block the Bombs Act, which would prevent the United States from transferring certain offensive weapons to Israel unless Israel conforms to international human rights law. The DCC also endorsed legislation to restore U.S. funding for UNRWA, which provides humanitarian assistance in Gaza. Readers can thank the members of the DCC at cruzdemocrats@gmail.com.
As we move toward the June 2 primary election, we hope our votes will express our common humanity.
We invite you to attend the candidate forum “War or Peace?” on Saturday, April 25, at 2 p.m. at the Quaker meeting house, 225 Rooney St., Santa Cruz. All candidates for the District 19 congressional seat have been invited.
We urge you to use the power of your vote. We urge you to vote for peace.
Rick Longinotti is co-founder of Nonviolent Communication Santa Cruz.
Marcia Heath has many family members who were killed in the Holocaust.
Carolyn B. Flynn is an author, teacher and member of Indivisible Santa Cruz County foreign affairs team.
Nashwan Hamza is president of the Arab American Club of Monterey County.
Ellie Aucoin-Unruhe is a retired Pajaro Valley Unified School District bilingual elementary school teacher.
Nancy Heischman is retired director of conflict resolution services at UC Santa Cruz.
Peter Klotz-Chamberlin is a member of the Palestine Justice Coalition.
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