August, 2009 Action Alert-- House Evictions and U.S. Aid to Israel

Sources:

U.S. Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation http://endtheoccupation.blogspot.com/

Friends of Sabeel--North America PO Box 9186, Portland, OR 97207 http://www.fosna.org/

Action:

Write to your members of Congress to let them know you oppose house evictions of Palestinians in occupied East Jerusalem, and ask them to stop sending U.S. funding!

Background:

At approximately 4:15 AM on Sunday 2 August 2009 dozens of Israeli police, accompanied by members of the Israeli occupation forces, forcibly evicted eight Palestinian families from their homes in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood of occupied East Jerusalem. According to information gathered by the Civic Coalition for Defending Palestinian Rights in Jerusalem, the Israeli occupation authorities arrived at just after 4:00 am and began smashing the windows of the residential unit before breaking down the doors and forcibly removing approximately 70 members of the Al-Ghawi and Hanoun families. In addition, Israeli occupation authorities also removed numerous international solidarity activists living with the families and confiscated their mobile phones.

Link to news footage of the evictions:

http://mondoweiss.net/2009/08/the-ethnic-cleansing-of-jerusalem-continues.html

Sample Letter:

Dear (Senator/Representative),

Recent evictions of Palestinian families from their homes in occupied East Jerusalem violate human rights and fly in the face of President Obama's call for ending the expansion of settlements and renewed peace talks. While Secretary of State Clinton has called the evictions regrettable, it is U.S. aid to Israel that make such violations of Palestinian human rights possible. I ask that you support President Obama's call for resuming peace talks between Israelis and Palestinians, and stop sending support to Israel while it is engaging in violations of human rights.

Sincerely,

Name

Address

It is now necessary to go to each member of Congress' website to contact them. Website for Senators: senator last name.senate.gov (example- http://www.harkin.senate.gov/), for representatives: representative last name.house.gov (example- http://www.boswell.house.gov/). Find your member of Congress http://www.congress.org/.