Washington Report
ACTION ALERT
January 7, 2009
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Calling all Washington Report Readers:
Write or call your representatives and your local newspapers. Attend protests—If you want to distribute copies of the Washington Report e-mail us your street address and contact information and the number of magazines you need. Call the White House and State Department (see numbers below).
Here are some talking points:
Israel is in Violation of U.S. Laws
The U.S. Foreign Assistance and Arms Export Control Acts stipulates that U.S. defense items and services furnished to any country be used “solely for internal security,[or] for legitimate self defense”(22 U.S.C. 2302 and 2754).
Furthermore, according to U.S. law, “no security assistance may be provided to any country the government of which engages in a consistent pattern of gross violations of internationally recognized human rights.” (22 U.S.C. 2304).
Israel’s excessive and disproportionate use of force in Gaza clearly exceeds the bounds of what could be considered legitimate self-defense, and therefore its use of U.S.-supplied weaponry is in violation of the laws of this land.
* U.S. military aid to Israel is financing the Israeli occupation and invasion of Gaza. U.S. aid has helped Israel purchase machine guns, ammunition, precision-guided bombs and missiles, cluster bombs, night vision goggles, tanks, F-16 bombers, Apache helicopters gun ships, and armed and unmanned aerial vehicles—which are now being used against Palestinian civilians as well as militants.
* The United States recently delivered 1,000 bunker-buster missiles, worth $77 million, to Israel, which used them in Gaza on Saturday, Jan 3, according to The Jerusalem Post. These are not defensive weapons. That same day Israel flattened the American International School, one of Gaza’s best private educational institutions. It has also hit UN schools—one attack killed more than 40 civilians who sought shelter in the school. Is bombing schools legitimate self-defense?
* Is Israel’s siege of Gaza waged in self-defense? Is preventing food, clean water, medicine, and fuel from reaching 1.5 Gazans self-defense?
Israel Receives Nearly $3 billion in aid annually—$2,380.6 in Military Aid.
* In August 2007, the U.S. and Israeli officials agreed to a new 10-year, $30 billion aid package. In 2009 Israel will receive $2.55 billion, and this sum will gradually increase to an average $3 billion per year over the 10-year period.
* In addition U.S. Jewish organizations have raised more than $2.4 billion to help support Jewish defense agencies and settlements in 2008. Donors will deduct this money from their U.S income taxes.
Why is Congress (except for Congressman Dennis Kucinich, D-OH) Silent?
Why isn’t Congress isn’t telling Israel “no more money until you abide by American and international laws?”
Why did our government block the passage of a UN Security Council statement on Sunday urging a ceasefire?
It is because the pro-Israel Lobby directs more than $2.5 million each election cycle to political action committees, which help members of congress who follow the AIPAC playbook and defeat others who don’t play the Israel right or wrong game. (See article on Washington Report’s home page: <www.wrmea.com>.)
It’s the same kind of “Pay to Play” game that New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson (arguably one of the most decent guys in President-elect Obama’s proposed cabinet) is now defending himself against—but on a massive scale. And no one talks about it. Members of Congress are being paid to let Israel play in the occupied territory. And this game has cost the lives of nearly 600 Gazans.
Write or telephone those working for you in Washington:
President George W. Bush
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Ave., N.W.
Washington, DC 20500
(202) 456-1414
White House Comment Line: (202) 456-1111
Fax: (202) 456-2461
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice
Department of State
Washington, DC 20520
State Department Public Information Line:
(202) 647-6575
Any Senator
U.S. Senate
Washington, DC 20510
(202) 224-3121
Any Representative
U.S. House of Representatives
Washington, DC 20515
(202) 225-3121
E-Mail Congress and the White House
E-mail Congress: visit the Web site <www.congress.org> for contact information.
E-mail President Bush: <This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.>
E-mail Vice President Cheney: <This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.>
The Washington Report on Middle East Affairs, PO Box 53062, Washington DC 20009. Phone: (202) 939-6050, Fax: (202) 265-4574, Toll Free: (800) 368-5788, www.wrmea.com Published by the American Educational Trust, a non-profit foundation incorporated in Washington, DC to provide the American public with balanced and accurate information concerning U.S. relations with Middle Eastern states. Material from the Washington Report on Middle East Affairs may be printed with out charge with attribution to the Washington Report on Middle East Affairs.