Peace Not Walls - March 2023

Urge the Biden administration and Congress to hold Israel accountable and to end unconditional U.S. military aid to Israel

PNW Logo 3 On Feb. 26 hundreds of Israeli settlers rampaged through the Palestinian village of Huwara, near Nablus. During this spate of unchecked violence, eight homes were burned, 35 buildings were damaged, over 250 cars were set on fire, at least 120 Palestinians were injured and one Palestinian man was killed. This attack is the worst instance to date of settler violence against Palestinians, yet violence by armed settlers is a daily occurrence.

The attack on Huwara occurred after a Palestinian killed two Israeli settlers near the village earlier that day. The killing of the settlers itself followed an Israeli attack on Nablus during which 11 Palestinians were killed and over 400 others injured, 80 by live ammunition. So far this year, at least 75 Palestinians, including 14 children, have been killed by the Israeli military and at least 13 Israelis have been killed by Palestinians.

We mourn all loss of life and seek an end to violence, but we must also seek an end to the structures of inequality and injustice at the roots of this violent conflict. This means ending Israel’s occupation and its policies that discriminate against Palestinians.

Equality also means demanding accountability from all parties. Palestinians responsible for violence are arrested or killed. Their actions often result in collective punishment, disproportionate violence by the Israeli military and settler attacks such as the one in Huwara. But there is little accountability for Israeli violations of Palestinian rights. The deaths of Palestinian civilians are largely ignored, and violence by settlers, often supported by the military, rarely brings legal consequences. Even high-profile killings such as the shooting of Palestinian-American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh are justified by the Israeli military and government.

This is not a new problem. March 16 marks the 20th anniversary of the killing of American solidarity activist Rachel Corrie. For decades her family has pushed for accountability in her killing, without success.

For change to occur there must be accountability. That’s why a group of 10 churches and church-based organizations joined together this week to send a letter calling on the Biden administration and Congress to end U.S. military aid to Israel and hold Israel accountable for ongoing gross violations of Palestinian rights.

The U.S. is complicit in Israeli violence. Today we ask you to join with these churches by calling for Israeli accountability and an end to unconditional U.S. military aid to Israel.

Customize the letter below with your own story, local perspective, and/or faith-based reflection today.
^{POSTED 3/16/2023}

Recipients

President Joseph 'Joe' R. Biden
Your Senators
Your Representative

Contact

*Required fields

* Title:

* First Name:

* Last Name:

* Your Email:

* Address 1:

Address 2:

* City:

* State / Province:

* ZIP / Postal Code:

* Phone Number:

Yes, I would like to receive periodic updates and communications from ELCA.

Remember me. What's this?

Message

* Subject:

Dear [Decision Maker],

* Personalize your message

If a just and lasting peace is to be realized in Israel and Palestine, U.S. policy must change.

So far, this year has been deadly for Palestinians. An Israeli military attack in Jenin on Jan. 26 killed 10 Palestinians, and another Israeli raid on Nablus, on Feb. 22, killed at least 11, including one child. This follows two months of escalating Israeli violence in the West Bank. Since Jan. 1 at least 65 Palestinians, including 14 children, have been killed by the Israeli military.

Oppressive measures announced by the new Israeli government threaten to exacerbate the violence. The new government came to power on a platform of explicit supremacy, stating that only Israeli Jews have a right to sovereignty in the land located between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea. This runs directly counter to the peace positions supported by the U.S. government.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his ministers have promised to expand existing settlements, "legalize" outposts built on Palestinian land and establish new settlements--all while moving to formally annex the West Bank to Israel.

Thousands of Palestinians are being forcibly displaced as their homes, schools and infrastructure are demolished in Jerusalem and in Areas B and C of the West Bank. New settlements are being approved, settlers are establishing new illegal outposts, and settler attacks on Palestinians are a daily occurrence. These actions directly contradict the Aqaba Joint Communique (https://www.state.gov/aqaba-joint-communique/) that Israel signed with Jordan, Egypt, the Palestinian Authority and the U.S. less than a month ago.

Oppressive measures by the new government are not limited to the occupied Palestinian territory. The government has also taken steps that undermine the rule of law in Israel and directly threaten the rights of women, LGTBQIA+ communities and Palestinians who are citizens of Israel.

For this reason I join with the 10 churches and church-based organizations that sent a letter (https://www.globalministries.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Church-Call-for-Israeli-Accountability-3-10-23.pdf) to the Biden administration and Congress this week, demanding that the U.S. take immediate action to end the violence and to realize a just and lasting peace for all Palestinians and Israelis.

Israel must be pressured to change its behavior and stop violating human rights. That's why U.S. military funding to Israel, which sustains Israel's occupation and violence, must end.

Therefore I urge you to end all U.S. military assistance to Israel. It is immoral for the United States to continue supporting Israeli oppression and violence against Palestinians.

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

Peace Not Walls - March 2023

Urge the Biden administration and Congress to hold Israel accountable and to end unconditional U.S. military aid to Israel

Recipients

Contact

Message

This is Christ's church.