A Joint Call from United for Peace and Justice & the U.S. Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation (www.endtheoccupation.org) Qana Victims Killed by Israel with U.S. Weapons
Demand that Congress Support Cease-fire Resolutions and
End Weapons Deliveries to Israel Now!
Call Congress and the White House Every Day
Emergency Week of Action, Aug. 7-11
On
Sunday Israel bombed a residential apartment building in the Lebanese
village of Qana, killing dozens of civilians -- estimates range from 28 to 57 (see below
for details).
When U.S. soldiers killed civilians in Fallujah
and other densely populated areas of Iraq, the Bush Administration
claimed the "war on terror" justified such actions. But nothing
justifies bombing innocent civilians, no matter who does it or in what
country.
It is likely that U.S. weapons provided to Israel with U.S.-taxpayer dollars killed the villagers of Qana.
According to The Washington Post, a bomb fragment found at the Qana
bombing site read "For use on MK-84, Guided Bomb BSU-37/B." MK-84s are
free-fall unguided bombs; Boeing-produced Joint Direct Attack Munitions
(JDAMs) are attached to MK-84s to convert them into GPS-guided "smart"
bombs. Between 2002-2004, the Pentagon notified Congress of impending
sales of 6,000 JDAMs and 2,590 MK-84s to Israel through its Foreign
Military Sales (FMS) program -- valued at $346 million.
There is no military solution to the current conflict.
The Iraq war hasn't brought peace or security to the people of Iraq or
the U.S. Bombing civilian populations has not and will not bring
greater peace or security to the people of Lebanon, Palestine, and
Israel.
The only way out of the carnage is an immediate and
unconditional cease-fire, followed by multiparty negotiations to
resolve the underlying political disputes based on human rights and
international law. Most of the world agrees, but the governments of the
U.S., Britain, and Israel have so far rejected calls for an immediate
cease-fire.
So long as Washington provides military and
diplomatic support to Israel's indiscriminate killing of civilians, a
cease-fire will not be possible. It is time for the people of this
country to speak up! United for Peace and Justice, along with UFPJ
member group the U.S. Campaign to End Israeli Occupation, calls on you
to take action to press Congress and the White House to back an
immediate cease-fire and prevent Israel from using U.S. weapons to
commit war crimes.
TAKE ACTION THIS WEEK: Call Congress and the White House
Call your Congressperson and
the White House every day this week and demand an immediate cease-fire
and a Presidential report to Congress on Israel's misuse of
U.S.-supplied weapons to kill civilians and destroy civilian
infrastructure in violation of the U.S. Arms Export Control Act.
Call 202-456-1111 or email comments@whitehouse.gov today to reach the White House! Call Congress at 202-224-3121 for the Capitol switchboard.
TAKE ACTION NEXT WEEK: Emergency Week of Action, Aug. 7-11
During
the week of Aug. 7-11, while Members of Congress are home on recess,
organize local pressure on your Representatives and Senators to demand
an end to support for Israel's human rights violations, an immediate
cease-fire, a just peace, and the end of weapons deliveries to Israel.
Depending
on the position of your Members of Congress, local organizers should
decide whether a protest, vigil, meeting, or nonviolent civil
disobedience is the most effective way to express opposition to U.S.
support for Israel's attacks.
Your delegation should include,
if possible, constituents who were evacuated from Lebanon so that they
can provide eyewitness accounts.
ISSUES TO RAISE WITH YOUR MEMBERS OF CONGRESS:
1. Support Kucinich & Jackson-Lee Resolutions for Immediate Cease-Fire & Just Peace
On July 19, Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-OH) introduced H.Con.Res.450,
calling for an immediate cease-fire and multi-party negotiations with
no preconditions. On July 25, Rep. Sheila Jackson-Lee (D-TX) introduced
H.Res.945,
calling for the cessation of targeting civilians and civilian
infrastructure, secure humanitarian corridors to be opened in Lebanon,
an immediate cease-fire, and a comprehensive and just resolution to the
Israeli-Arab conflict. Ask your Representatives to sign on as a
co-sponsor of these resolutions, or thank them if they've already done
so. Ask your Senators to introduce a similar resolution in the Senate.
Pressure on Congress has already resulted in 34 Representatives signing
on to the Kucinich resolution, while 16 have signed on to the
Jackson-Lee resolution.
If your Congressperson is a member of
the Out of Iraq Caucus, let them know you expect them to support an
immediate end to the bombing of Lebanon. And urge them to publicly
announce their support for a cease-fire now.
2. Stop U.S. Support for Israel's Attacks on Gaza and Lebanon
On
July 18 and 20, the Senate and House respectively passed one-sided
resolutions expressing unconditional support for Israel's attacks on
civilians and civilian infrastructure in Lebanon and the Gaza Strip (S.Res.534 and H.Res.921).
Tell your Members of Congress that the United States should be
supporting human rights and international law, not expressing support
for their violation. If your Representative was one of the few who
voted no or abstained, thank them for not supporting this biased
resolution.
3. End Weapons Deliveries to Israel Now
Over
the past month, Lebanese and Palestinians civilians by the hundreds
have been killed by Israel with U.S.-supplied weapons. By using U.S.
weapons to kill civilians and destroy civilian infrastructure, Israel
is violating the Arms Export Control Act (AECA), which limits the use
of U.S. weapons to internal policing and legitimate self-defense.
Instead of stopping the flow of weapons as required by law, the United
States is rushing jet fuel and satellite- and laser-guided bombs to
Israel. Ask your Members of Congress to demand from the President a
report on Israel's violations of the AECA as a first step toward
cutting off U.S. weapons to Israel.
Get Voices for Peace Into the Media
Now is the moment to help
people see there is an alternative, and getting our voices into the
media should be a central part of what we do:
- For your local newspapers:
Send a letter to the editor and encourage others to to do so; try to
arrange for an op-ed piece or a guest editorial; if you or someone you
know has been personally touched by this crisis, try to get a reporter
to do an interview.
- Call into radio talk shows: You can often talk about anything that's on your mind and reach thousands of people.
- If you organize a visit to your member of Congress, invite a reporter to come with you.
- Be sure to let the media know about any public educational or protest events you are organizing.
BACKGROUND ON QANA AND CIVILIAN DEATHS
Israeli
officials are blaming Hezbollah for the Qana deaths, saying Israel
cannot be held responsible for killing civilians in "terrorist
strongholds." But according to Kenneth Roth, executive director of
Human Rights Watch, the most recent strike on Qana "suggests that the
Israeli military is treating southern Lebanon as a free-fire zone...
[and] seems to consider anyone left in the area a combatant who is fair
game for attack." According to Human Rights Watch, the consistent failure to distinguish between combatants and civilians is a war crime.
In
three weeks the Israeli government's bombing campaign has killed at
least 750 Lebanese, the vast majority civilians; made 700,000-800,000
Lebanese homeless; and methodically destroyed Lebanon's infrastructure.
Hezbollah fire has killed 52 Israelis, 19 of them civilians.
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