Actions
Call Today:
Sen. Murray: 624-9515
Sen. Cantwell: 353-2507
Rep. McMorris Rodgers: 353-2374
Tell them: We have to build a better world for all our kids, and it has to start with each of us. Elected leaders must hear our demands that our money be spent to create true peace with justice, not to send more missiles or drones around the world. End drone use. End US war, occupation, and military aid in Iraq & Afghanistan. End military aid to Israel.
Special message for Senator Murray: “Please tell the senator to vote against the additional funding to Israel in TODAY’s Defense Appropriations bill, especially since Israel is massacring people in Gaza right now.”
Jewish Voice for Peace: Join the 64,000 who’ve signed our Open Letter telling Israeli leaders to stop killing civilians.
Avaaz: As a new round of violence kicks off in Israel-Palestine and more children are killed, it’s time to take definitive non-violent action to end this nightmare. Our governments and companies have continued to aid, trade and invest in the status quo, but we can stop this cycle of violence if we call on key banks, pension funds and businesses to pull out their investments — add your voice now.
United for Peace & Justice: Reps. Jim McGovern (D-MA), Walter Jones (R-NC), and Barbara Lee (D-CA) have just introduced House Concurrent Resolution # 105, a privileged resolution under the War Powers Resolution that will force a debate and vote on U.S. military intervention in Iraq. It will come up for a debate and vote within fifteen days of the date in which it was filed. Call Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers now at 353-2374 to ask her to co-sponsor.
CREDO: Sign the petition: Demand transparency on U.S. drone strike targets: According to a number of civil and human rights groups, drone warfare has led to hundreds of civilian deaths in Iraq, Afghanistan, Yemen, Pakistan and Somalia – and a possible violation of international law. We want the government to name who it has killed with U.S. drones, where, and why, including an explanation of the legal authority and evidence supporting each of those killings.
Information & Resources:
From Jewish Voice for Peace on July 16:
This morning, we had hoped to wake up to news of a ceasefire. Instead, the unrelenting attack on Gaza continues. Over 187 Palestinians and one Israeli have been killed. 1,300 Palestinians and 15 Israelis injured.
Israel announced this morning that it would accept a unilateral ceasefire, but the terms were actually a continuation of Israel’s ongoing war on civilians—a continued blockade of Gaza, continued extrajudicial assassinations, continued imprisonment of Palestinians without charge, and continued occupation. And with no guarantee Israel wouldn’t violate the agreement as they have on numerous occasions in the past.
Three times in the last six years, Israel has conducted extraordinarily lopsided operations against the people of Gaza, and each time the civilian population has paid a major price. Even with some of the most sophisticated protection in the world, the fearful experience of rockets falling on Israel means that Israelis and the world pay attention during these escalations.
But they largely ignore the fact that the people of Gaza, who have no protection whatsoever, have been living under an unacceptable state of siege for the last 7 years. And that the Palestinian people as a whole remain stateless, and have been living under a brutal military occupation for 47 years.
We will continue our efforts to respond to the current situation (please keep up to date here) while keeping in mind that when the bombs stop falling, Israel’s decades-long assault on Palestinian human rights will continue.
We will redouble our efforts to address the long-term causes and solutions.
While we monitor the situation, below are a few pieces, mostly from the last 24 hours, that we have found useful. We hope you will read them and share them with friends, family, and community.
from IMEU: FAQ on Failed Effort to Arrange Ceasefire Between Israel and Hamas.
from 972mag: What Does Israeli Acceptance of “Ceasefire” Really Mean?
from Leftern Wall: Facing the Massacre With Eyes Shut
from Electronic Intifada: Urgent Call from Gaza Civil Society: Act Now
and the Occupy Judaism statement on the possible ceasefire
From U.S. Campaign to End the Occupation on July 16:
Mohammed Baker, 9; Ahed Baker, 10; Zakaria Baker, 10; and Mohammed Baker, 11. Four Palestinian children. All first cousins.
Israel killed them today while they were playing on a Gaza beach. You can follow firsthand accounts from journalists Peter Beaumont and Ayman Mohyeldin, who has several heart wrenching accounts from family members as they found out their children had been killed.
Gaza civil society has put out an urgent call to act now:
Without pressure and isolation, the Israeli regime has proven time and time again that it will continue such massacres as we see around us now, and continue the decades of systematic ethnic cleansing, military occupation and apartheid policies…Join the growing critical mass around the world with a commitment to the day when Palestinians do not have to grow up amidst this relentless murder and destruction by the Israeli regime…ACT NOW, before it is too late!
We must answer the call from Gaza and all Palestinians in any way we can. People across the globe are standing in solidarity with Palestinians. You can find videos, photos, report backs, and more at theworldstandswithpalestine.tumblr.com. You can also find resources and action items for your own organizing efforts at endtheoccupation.org/gazaunderattack.
From Mid-East Children’s Alliance on July 14:
Dear Friend of Palestinian Children,
Every day I have been trying to get news to the world—through radio interviews and writing in email, on Facebook.
Telling the world what is happening to us. Reminding the world that we are not just numbers. We are human beings with stories, dreams, anger, laughter and everything in between. Trying to get the world to listen to the voices from Gaza, while Israel’s lies are told again and again in a much louder voice.
You are a friend of MECA, so I know you understand all this. I am writing to ask you to show your caring and solidarity by making a contribution to the Middle East Children’s Alliance now.
Every day I go to the Red Crescent Society to treat children, women and men who are coming in with terrible injuries—head wounds and missing limbs, severe burns and shrapnel in their bodies. And we are running out of medicine.
On the way home, I see families trying to live in bombed out homes—or no homes at all. I see the terrified faces of the children clinging to their parents and covering their ears from the horrible sounds of bombs. Last week, three children were killed on their way to buy food.
Please give as generously as you can now. MECA will send funds for me and our Gaza team to:
Purchase medicine and supplies for patients at the Red Crescent Society and Al-Awda Hospital
Distribute milk and food to families who have lost their homes or have no source of income at all
Continue activities to provide psychological support to children once the bombing stops
For an entire week, we have lived with the drones and jet fighters in the sky, with gunboats or warships hitting Gaza from the sea. Now tanks and soldiers are lining up on the border to raid Gaza any minute. And this assault against Gaza is on top of a very deteriorating humanitarian situation, with shortages of almost everything, including clean water, electricity and sanitation.
So, please, I ask you to speak out, to march, to tell everyone what is happening to us. That we have no bomb shelters and our homes are being destroyed. That we are being attacked and killed only because we are Palestinians. That we are trapped in Gaza with no exits. That the majority of us are refugees and were pushed into the Gaza Strip during the 1948 Nakba.
And, please, right now, give so the children can survive and have the chance to grow up healthy and strong. Please be as generous as you can.
In Solidarity,
Dr. Mona El-Farra
Dr. Mona El-Farra, Director of Gaza Projects,is a physician by training and a human rights and women’s rights activist by practice in the occupied Gaza Strip.
Dr. Mona El-Farra, Director of Gaza Projects,is a physician by training and a human rights and women’s rights activist by practice in the occupied Gaza Strip.
from the Muslim Public Affairs Council on July 16:
ACTION ALERT: 3 Things You Can Do for Palestinian Human Rights Now
(Washington, DC – 7/16/14) – For the last nine days, innocent Palestinian civilians have been bombarded with an aggressive Israeli military campaign by land, sea and air, backed by U.S. political cover and financial support. Of the more than 200 Palestinians killed, more than 80 percent have been civilians according to the United Nations. That means four out of five Palestinians killed have been civilians, including large numbers of women and children. To date, one Israeli has been killed by Hamas rocket fire and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said that Israel will intensify its military campaign.
MPAC calls on all people of conscience to speak up for Palestinians who have been treated as silent statistics instead of innocent human lives. Changing U.S. policy requires changing U.S. public opinion on the conflict.
Please take three steps to stand up for human rights and the equal value of Palestinian lives:
1. Empower Yourself with the Facts
Palestinians have been suffering under Israeli occupation since 1948, and the latest assault is a continuation of Israeli policy toward Palestinians. Gaza is a “large open air prison” because of the blockade of Gaza by the Israelis, according to former U.N. Undersecretary General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator John Holmes.
In eight days, Operation Protective Edge has killed more than 200 Palestinians, with 80 percent of the casualties being civilians according to the United Nations.
Understand from experts Rashid Khalidi, Moin Rabbani and Noura Erakat on the conflict why the Egypt-brokered ceasefire failed. Check out this FAQ on the failed effort to arrange a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas released by the Institute for Middle East Understanding (IMEU).
Understand the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict in 12 Images, created by Visualizing Palestine, and share these memes on your social media to spread awareness.
Watch the powerful documentary “Occupation 101”, and organize screenings to educate people unfamiliar with the history of the conflict about the devastating conditions Palestinians have been living under for 47 years.
2. Educate Others about Palestinian Human Rights
Organize teach-ins for your friends, campuses, coworkers and neighbors to educate them on what’s happening in Palestine. Share the stories of actual Palestinians who have been killed, injured or otherwise impacted by the ongoing Israeli occupation and latest round of military aggression.
MPAC can offer speakers for any forum you would like to organize in your local area.
3. Call on Congress to Act Now to Stop the Bloodshed
Call your members of Congress! To find your local representative, click here. To find your two Senators, click here.
Tell your members of Congress to push for an immediate end of the Israeli assault on Gaza.
Since 2011, Israel’s Iron Dome defense system has received $720 million in American funding. Tell your members of Congress that you want U.S. funding for protecting Palestinians. At the end of the day, who is focused on protecting Palestinian civilians?
In two weeks, Congress will go on recess and your members will be in their district offices. Schedule a meeting and tell the Member that it’s time for Congress to support Palestinian human rights, and end their blind endorsement for Israel’s ongoing occupation.
Founded in 1988, MPAC is an American institution which informs and shapes public opinion and policy by serving as a trusted resource to decision makers in government, media and policy institutions. MPAC is also committed to developing leaders with the purpose of enhancing the political and civic participation of American Muslims.