Portland Peaceful Response Coalition
503-344-5078
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Portland Jews Speak Out Against Israeli Attacks on Gaza; Gaza Actions at 12
Noon at Federal Building and 5 PM at Pioneer Courthouse Square
With more than two dozen initial signatures, a group of Portland Jews has
released a statement condemning the Israeli attacks in Gaza and calling for
an immediate cease-fire and an end to the blockade on the besieged
territory. “We say it without reservation, in the clearest possible terms,
the humanitarian crisis in Gaza is not a Jews Vs Palestinian issue, it is
not a so-called ‘clash of civilizations’, this is an urgent call for the
world to enforce human rights law,” said William Seaman, a volunteer with
the Portland Peaceful Response Coalition and a member of American Jews for a
Just Peace. “We condemn all attacks on civilians, regardless of who carries
out those attacks, but we most specifically today condemn the grossly
disproportionate Israeli attacks on the people of Gaza, and our own country’
s role in those attacks, which have killed over 1,000 people, with a minimum
of 40% of those killed being civilians, and a very large portion of those
civilians being children.”1
The statement condemns the role of the United States saying that the US is
“backing the Israeli assault, both by supplying the military hardware used
against the people of Gaza, and by acting to prevent the United Nations from
effectively intervening to bring these hostilities to an end.” “The only
path to security in the region is through negotiation, not military action,”
the statement reads. “Unless and until the United States begins to play an
even-handed role through a renewed initiative for a comprehensive peace plan
and an end to Israel's illegal occupation, innocent people, Palestinian and
Israeli alike, will continue to suffer.”
The next two days will see three local actions opposing the Israeli attacks
in Gaza. Women in Black will hold a vigil today, Friday, January 16th, from
12:00 Noon to 1:00 PM at the Federal Building (SW 3rd & Madison), calling
for an end to Israel's massacre in Gaza, an immediate cease fire, and for a
just settlement in Israel and Palestine (for more information, please call
Yvonne at 503-288-8958). At 5:00 PM today, the regular PPRC Friday rally
and march will continue the calls for an immediate cease-fire and an end to
the blockade; that action takes place at Pioneer Courthouse Square (SW
Yamhill & Broadway). On Saturday, January 17, at 3:00 PM, there will be a
larger demonstration taking place, again at Pioneer Courthouse Square (for
more information, please call Nael Saker This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or (503)
805-0205 or Peter Miller at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or (503) 358-7475).
The statement by Portland Jews on the Crisis in Gaza is being released today
as UN secretary general Ban Ki-moon has called upon Israel to consider a
unilateral cease-fire.2 Persons wishing to add their name to the statement
can contact the Portland Peaceful Response Coalition which has posted the
statement on their website at www.pprc-news.org. “If anyone would like to
add their name to the statement, they can contact PPRC at 503-344-5078 or
write to us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.,” said Seaman. “We call on Jews and non-Jews
alike to become engaged with this urgent humanitarian crisis, and that they
contact their Senators and Representatives to call for an immediate
cease-fire and an end to the blockade of Gaza.”
The full statement is appended below.
For more information, please call 503-888-7455 or the PPRC voicemail at
(503) 344-5078 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Please visit the AUPHR and PPRC websites
for updates: www.auphr.org & www.pprc-news.org.
NOTES:
1. According to the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR) in Gaza,
“85% of the victims are civilians, and 35% of them are children.”
2. “U.N Chief Urges Israel to Halt Attack on Gaza”, New York Times, Jan.
16, 2009.
Portland Jews Issue Statement on the Crisis in Gaza
As Jews living in the Portland-metro area, we call for an immediate
cease-fire in Gaza and an end to the Israeli blockade. We call upon our
elected representatives in Washington to take action immediately to bring a
cease-fire into effect.
From the very beginning of the Israeli assault on Gaza we have spoken
out, individually and through American Jewish organizations that have called
for a cease-fire and engagement, including Jewish Voice for Peace, American
Jews for a Just Peace, Brit Tzedek v'Shalom, and many others. We have been
disheartened by the coverage of this issue in our local broadcast and print
media, which all too commonly shows Jews and Jewish organizations supporting
the Israeli assault and Palestinian or Arab or Islamic organizations
opposing it. This slanted and misleading presentation serves only to
enflame hatred and bigotry in our community.
We are Jews and we strongly condemn the Israeli attacks in Gaza that as
of this writing have killed well over 1,000 people and injured many
thousands more. At least 40% of the killed and injured are civilians,
enormous numbers of them children.
We condemn the targeting of civilians by both Israel and Hamas:
targeting civilians under any circumstances is a war crime. The rockets,
mortars and sniper fire that target Israeli civilians must be stopped, but
that imperative in no way justifies the massively disproportionate violence
that Israel has unleashed against a trapped and defenseless population of
1.5 million people. The firing of rockets from Gaza came almost to a halt
during the recent six-month-long cease-fire. That cease-fire could have
been prolonged and strengthened by addressing the Palestinians' legitimate
demand that the blockade of Gaza be ended.
We call for an immediate end to the Israeli blockade and the other
restrictions on the free flow of goods, especially the relief and medical
supplies so acutely needed during the current crisis. The blockade itself
is an act of war and collective punishment against the people of Gaza and
has been in place since Hamas won parliamentary elections in 2006.
We condemn the role that our country is playing in backing the Israeli
assault, both by supplying the military hardware used against the people of
Gaza, and by acting to prevent the United Nations from effectively
intervening to bring these hostilities to an end. The only path to security
in the region is through negotiation, not military action. Unless and until
the United States begins to play an even-handed role through a renewed
initiative for a comprehensive peace plan and an end to Israel's illegal
occupation, innocent people, Palestinian and Israeli alike, will continue to
suffer.
We call on our fellow citizens, Jews and non-Jews, to become engaged
with this issue. We ask them to call their representatives in Washington to
demand that they work for an immediate cease-fire and make a just peace in
Palestine-Israel a top priority for the incoming Obama Administration. We
reach out to our Palestinian brothers and sisters, expressing our deepest
sorrow for the terrible losses and suffering of the people of Gaza, the West
Bank and the Diaspora. Peace can only come to the Middle East through
justice for all. And we must all work together to bring justice to the
Middle East.
Signed,
Ned Rosch
Maxine Fookson
Sharon Stern - Jews for Global Justice
Duncan Baruch - Jews for Global Justice
Rachel McCarthy - Jews for Global Justice
Frank Krasnowsky - Jewish Voice for Peace / Brit Tzedek v'Shalom
Robin Fox - Jews for Global Justice
William Seaman - American Jews for a Just Peace / Jewish Voice for Peace
Judith Wild
John Blank - Jews for Global Justice
Greg Margolis- Jobs with Justice
Laurie King - Jews for Global Justice
Gerson Robboy
Bob Gross
Andrew Nimelman
Sara Packer - College Instructor
Gabrielle Buvinger-Wild
Joel Shapiro
Jeff Zucker
Dan Arquilevich
Betsy L. Zucker
Carol Mazer - Jews for Global Justice
Barbara Bernstein
Joe Uris - KBOO Ta lk Show Host / Portland State University Professor,
Retired
Lowen Berman
Bill Resnick
Steve Goldberg
(To sign on to this statement, please send your name and any identifying
affiliation or profession to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call 503-344-5078.)
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