Peace Not Walls - January 2023

Tell the Administration and Congress: Do Not Disburse Military Aid to Israel

PNW Logo 3 Israel’s former and current prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu said last week, “We formed a different government, with different policies, and we run things differently.” So far, the new Israeli coalition government — sworn in on Dec. 29, 2022, and recognized as the most right-wing coalition in the country’s history — has spared no time or effort in advancing more policies that ignore or violate the rights of Palestinians in Israel and those living under Israeli occupation in the West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem.

In the past few weeks:

The District Coordination and Liaison Office of the Israeli military moved to evict roughly 1,000 Palestinian residents of Masafer Yatta, a community in the southern West Bank near Gaza, which has led to the expulsion and displacement of the Palestinian families who lived there.
Prime Minister Netanyahu has announced that it will be a priority for Israel to the construction and expansion of illegal Israeli settlements in the West Bank.accelerate
Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir — who has been convicted of supporting Kach, a group previously designated as a terrorist organization by both the U.S. and the Israeli governments — made a to the al-Aqsa esplanade, a visit condemned by the .provocative visit United Nations, Palestinians, Arab countries, the United States, and other countries
$127 million in tax revenues due to the Palestinians have been frozen by Israel in response to Palestinian intentions to join the International Criminal Court (ICC).
The Palestinian in public spaces.flag has been banned from display

Such actions are reprehensible in themselves and, given Prime Minister Netanyahu’s statement, do not bode well for Palestinians in 2023. Last week B’Tselem, the Israeli Information Center for Human Rights in the Occupied Territories, issued a report concluding that Israel killed more Palestinians in 2022 than in any year since 2004. This follows the killing of two Palestinians in an occupied West Bank town near Jenin to begin 2023.

When Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke about the incoming Israeli government, he named Palestinian rights as a value to which the U.S. and Israel must commit. Israel’s violations of Palestinian rights are not new but are already intensifying.

In this week dedicated to remembering the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., we remember Rev. King’s vocal opposition to militarism. As Israel continues to violate the rights of the people living under its control, flouting international law and principles of human rights — as well as U.S. laws — the United States must end its military support of Israel, which amounts to $3.8 billion per year.

Call on the Biden administration and your elected representatives in Congress to suspend U.S. military aid to Israel immediately, not to disburse this year’s allocation, and to support the rights of Palestinians to equal justice and peace.

Customize the letter below with your own story, local perspective, and/or faith-based reflection today.
^{POSTED 1/19/2023}

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President Joseph 'Joe' R. Biden
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On Dec. 29, 2022, Israel's new government was sworn in. Recognized as the most right-wing coalition in the country's history, it has already advanced multiple policies that ignore or violate the rights of Palestinians in Israel and those living under Israeli occupation in the West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem. In the past few weeks alone: - The District Coordination and Liaison Office of the Israeli military moved to evict roughly 1,000 Palestinian residents of Masafer Yatta, a community in the southern West Bank near Gaza, which has led to the expulsion and displacement of the Palestinian families who lived there. - Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu has announced that it will be a priority for Israel to accelerate the construction and expansion of illegal Israeli settlements in the West Bank. - Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir -- who has been convicted of supporting Kach, a group previously designated as a terrorist organization by the U.S. government -- made a provocative visit to the al-Aqsa esplanade, a visit condemned by the United Nations, Palestinians, Arab countries, the United States, and other countries. - $127 million in tax revenues due to the Palestinians have been frozen by Israel in response to Palestinian intentions to join the International Criminal Court (ICC). - The Palestinian flag has been banned from display in public spaces. Such actions are reprehensible and do not bode well for Palestinian rights going forward. When Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke about the incoming Israeli government, he named Palestinian rights as a value to which the U.S. and Israel must commit. Israel's violations of Palestinian rights are not new but are already intensifying. In this week dedicated to remembering the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., we remember Rev. King's vocal opposition to militarism. As Israel continues to violate the rights of the people living under its control, flouting international law and principles of human rights, as well as U.S. laws, I urge you to use your good office to suspend U.S. military support to Israel; not to disburse this year's allocation, which amounts to $3.8 billion; and to support the rights of Palestinians to equal justice and peace.

Sincerely,
[Your Name]
[Your Address]
[City, State ZIP]
[Your Email]

Peace Not Walls - January 2023

Tell the Administration and Congress: Do Not Disburse Military Aid to Israel

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This is Christ's church.