End the Occupation

US Campaign Helps Launch National Campaign against Anti-Palestinian Legislation

Take Action against HR4681, the Palestinian Anti-Terrorism Act of 2006.
February 14th, 2006

ORGANIZATIONAL SIGN-ON LETTER AGAINST HR4681, THE PALESTINIAN ANTI-TERRORISM ACT OF 2006

Click here to add your organization to the sign-on letter.

TO: House International Relations Committee, Judiciary Committee, and Financial Services Committee

CC: Congressional Representatives

DATE: February 27, 2006

The following organizations strongly oppose H.R.4681, the Palestinian Anti-Terrorism Act of 2006, and urge Members of Congress to oppose it as well.

This resolution, introduced after the recent Palestinian legislative election which resulted in a Hamas victory, goes far beyond reiterating the current US ban on direct assistance to the Palestinian Authority; it also calls for many troubling provisions that would punish and isolate the Palestinian people for exercising their right to vote.This unconstructive approach would only perpetuate the status quo of violence, military occupation, and human rights violations rather than promoting dialogue and a just, peaceful resolution to the conflict.

The provisions include restricting US humanitarian aid; designating Palestinian territory as a “terrorist sanctuary” thus triggering restrictions on US exports; prohibiting official Palestinian diplomacy or representation in the United States in a way counter-productive to promoting dialogue and a just peace; reducing US dues to the United Nations because some of its bodies were created by the UN to advocate for Palestinian human rights; and denying Palestinians the ability to receive assistance through international financial institutions.

The United States says that it is committed to promoting democracy.If that is indeed the case, it is inappropriate for Members of Congress to advance legislation that would punish and isolate people through draconian economic and diplomatic measures when the result of an election is not to the liking of the United States.

Signed by,

1. 14 Friends of Palestine—Marin, San Rafael, CA
2. Aberdeen Publishing, Seal Beach, CA
3. Academics for Justice, Crestline, CA
4. ActionCenter for Justice, Charlotte, NC
5. Ad Hoc Coalition for Justice in the Middle East, New York, NY
6. Afrikan Amerikan Institute for Policy Studies, Greenville, SC
7. Al-AwdaConnecticut, Orange, CT
8. Albany Peace Seekers, Albany, OR
9. Alliance of South Asians Taking Action, San Francisco, CA
10. All Rentals and More, Glendale, AZ
11. Amador Olive Oil, Amador, CA
12. American Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee, Washington, DC
13. American Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee—Chicago Chapter, Elmhurst, IL
14. American Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee—DC Area Chapter, McLean, VA
15. American Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee—Kalamazoo Chapter, Kalamazoo, MI
16. American Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee—Kentucky Chapter, Louisville, KY
17. American Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee—Los Angeles Chapter, Lacanada, CA
18. American Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee—Massachusetts Chapter, Boston, MA
19. American Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee—New Jersey Chapter, Clifton, NJ
20. American Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee—New Orleans Chapter, New Orleans, LA
21. American Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee—New York Chapter, New York, NY
22. American Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee—Philadelphia Chapter, Philadelphia, PA
23. American Arab Forum, Denville, NJ
24. American Council on Middle East Policy, New York, NY
25. American Friends Service Committee, Philadelphia, PA
26. American Friends Service Committee—Chicago, Chicago, IL
27. American Friends Service Committee—PacificMountain Regional Office, San Francisco, CA
28. American Friends Service Committee—Pacific Southwest Regional Office, Pasadena, CA
29. American Friends Service Committee—Southeast Regional Office, Atlanta, GA
30. American Muslim Alliance, Newark, CA
31. American Palestinian Public Affairs Forum, Louisville, KY
32. Americans Committed to Justice and Truth, Sagle, ID
33. Americans Concerned for Middle East Peace, Bowie, MD
34. Americans for a Just Peace in the Middle East, Santa Barbara, CA
35. Americans for a PalestinianState, Oakland, CA
36. Americans United for Palestinian Human Rights, Portland, OR
37. Amorphia Productions, San Francisco, CA
38. Ann Arbor Coalition Against the War, Ann Arbor, MI
39. Ann Arbor Middle East Film Society, Ann Arbor, MI
40. Ann Arbor Unitarian Universalists for Justice in the Middle East, Ann Arbor, MI
41. A.N.S.W.E.R Coalition, Washington, DC
42. Anti-War Anti-Racism Effort (AWARE), Urbana, IL
43. Aqua Tek, LLC, Sedalia, MO
44. Arab American Democratic Caucus, San Jose, CA
45. Arab Americans of Central Ohio, Hilliard, OH
46. Arab/Jewish Peace Alliance, Albuquerque, NM
47. Arab Law Students Association at AmericanUniversityWashingtonSchool of Law, Washington, DC
48. Arab Student Association, School of International and Public Affairs, Columbia University, New York, NY
49. Arab Student Organization at the University of Washington, Seattle, WA
50. Arab Student Union, University of Michigan-Dearborn, Dearborn, MI
51. Artists and Photographers Against Israeli Apartheid and Occupation, San Jose, CA
52. Asset Protection for Life LLC, Burbank, IL
53. AtlantaPalestine Solidarity, Atlanta, GA
54. A Touch of the Holy Land, Amery, WI
55. Ayar Engineering and Trading, Inc., Falls Church, VA
56. Bay Area Labor Committee for Peace and Justice, Oakland, CA
57. Bay Area Women in Black, Emeryville, CA
58. Benedictine Sisters, Mount St. Scholastica, Atchison, KS
59. Bethlehem Association, Media, PA
60. Birmingham Peace Project, Birmingham, AL
61. Birthright Unplugged, Boston, MA
62. Bishop’s Committee for Justice and Peace in Israel/Palestine, Medina, WA
63. Black Voices for Peace, Washington, DC
64. Bosnia Support Committee, Washington, DC
65. Boston Coalition for Palestinian Rights, Boston, MA
66. Boveri Workgroup, Bethesda, MD
67. Break the Silence, Berkeley, CA
68. Bridges Spiritual Community for Families, Mill Valley, CA
69. Brooklyn Parents for Peace, Brooklyn, NY
70. Bubbes & Zaydes (Grandparents) for Peace in the Middle East, Philadelphia, PA
71. Buck Research, Nederland, CO
72. Buddhist Peace Fellowship, Berkeley, CA
73. Buffalo/Western New York International Action Center, Buffalo, NY
74. CapeCodders for Peace and Justice, South Yarmouth, MA
75. CarlislePeaceCollege, SandySpring, MD
76. CarolinaPeaceResourceCenter, Aiken, SC
77. Catholic Peace Fellowship, Philadelphia, PA
78. Center for International Citizenship Education, Gotha, FL
79. Children of Abraham, Birmingham, AL
80. Christians for Peace and Justice in the Middle East, Indianapolis, IN
81. Church Women United of New YorkState, Elmira, NY
82. Citizens for Fair Legislation, Alameda, CA
83. Citizens for Just Democracy, Amarillo, TX
84. Citizens for Justice in the Middle East, Kansas City, MO
85. Coalition for Peace with Justice, Chapel Hill, NC
86. Code Pink Women for Peace, Venice, CA
87. Collateral Repair Project, Seattle, WA
88. Colorado Jews for Just Peace, Boulder, CO
89. Committee for a Just Peace in Israel and Palestine, Oak Park, IL
90. Committee for Peace in Israel and Palestine, Wainscott, NY
91. Committees of Correspondence for Democracy and Socialism, New York, NY
92. Common Ground: Justice and Equality in Palestine/Israel, Providence, RI
93. Commonweal Services, Maplewood, NJ
94. Community for Peace, Winston Salem, NC
95. Computers and Beyond, Montgomery, AL
96. Council for the National Interest, Washington, DC
97. Council on American-Islamic Relations—Ohio Chapter, Columbus, OH
98. Council on American-Islamic Relations—St. Louis Chapter, Manchester, MO
99. Cross-Crescent-Star of David Interfaith Dialog Community, Madison, WI
100. DaneCounty (WI) Democrats for Peace, Cottage Grove, WI
101. DC Anti-War Network, Washington, DC
102. DC Poets Against the War, Washington, DC
103. Deir Yassin Remembered, Geneva, NY
104. Democracy Rising, Washington, DC
105. Denver Darkroom, Denver, CO
106. Dollars and Sins, Princeton, NJ
107. Don Quixote Society, Sherwood, OR
108. ‘Dores for Palestine—VanderbiltUniversity, Nashville, TN
109. Duval Greens Party, Jacksonville, FL
110. Earth Force United, Perry, MI
111. Ecumenical Peace Institute/Clergy and Laity Concerned, Berkeley, CA
112. Ecumenical Working Group for Middle East Peace, Philadelphia, PA
113. El-Bireh Palestine Society, Cleveland, OH
114. End the Occupation—Northern Illinois, Chicago, IL
115. Episcopal Peace Fellowship, Chicago, IL
116. Episcopal Peace Fellowship of East Carolina, Carolina Beach, NC
117. Episcopal Peace Fellowship, Southwest Washington, Vancouver, WA
118. Everett Peace Action, Marysville, WA
119. Evergreen Peace and Justice Community, Kirkland, WA
120. Every Church a PeaceChurch, Akron, PA
121. Every Church a PeaceChurch, Atlanta, GA
122. Eyes Infinite Films, Golden Beach, FL
123. Faithful Lending, Inc., Tampa, FL
124. Father Bill O’Donnell Social Justice Committee, Office ofSt. Joseph the WorkerChurch, Berkeley, CA
125. Fellowship of Reconciliation, Nyack, NY
126. FloridaPalestine Solidarity Network, Pensacola, FL
127. Films for Justice in Palestine, St. Petersburg, FL
128. Free All With Truth, Atlanta, GA
129. Freedom Archives, San Francisco, CA
130. Free Speech League, Winston Salem, NC
131. Friends of Deir Ibzi’a, Berkeley, CA
132. Friends of Middle East Peace, Corvallis, OR
133. Friends of Sabeel—North America, Portland, OR
134. Friends of Sabeel—Colorado, Boulder, CO
135. Friends of USS Liberty, Satellite Beach, FL
136. Games 4U, Montgomery, AL
137. Georgetown Students for Justice in Palestine, Washington, DC
138. Ghost Ranch, Santa Fe, NM
139. Global Environmental Tech. Inc., Lafayette, LA
140. Global Exchange, San Francisco, CA
141. Global ExchangeVenturaCounty Supporters, Thousand Oaks, CA
142. Global Information Services, Greenbrae, CA
143. Grassroots International, Boston, MA
144. Grassroots Peace Campaign, New Concord, OH
145. Green Party of the United States, Washington, DC
146. Green Party USA, Chapel Hill, NC
147. Greenwood Earth Alliance, San Francisco, CA
148. Hajar Enterprises, Inc., Hawthorne, CA
149. Hanna Law Firm, Walnut Creek, CA
150. Harrisburg Middle East Justice and Peace Group, Harrisburg, PA
151. Healing the Healers, Vacaville, CA
152. Helena Peace Seekers, Helena, MT
153. Helios Group, Inc., Paramus, NJ
154. Hilton Head for Peace, Hilton Head, SC
155. Hindus for Peace and Justice, West Melbourne, FL
156. Home for Peace and Justice, Saginaw, MI
157. Home Solutions, Hinckley, OH
158. Home Perfection Contracting, Springfield, VA
159. House of Creative Writing, Washington, DC
160. Howard CountyCampaign to End the Israeli Occupation, Columbia, MD
161. Human Earth Animal Liberation (HEAL), Seattle, WA
162. Hyde Park Committee Against War and Racism, Chicago, IL
163. Imagine-Life, Washington, DC
164. Initiative for Middle East Policy Dialogue, Christiansburg, VA
165. Institute for Palestine Studies, Washington, DC
166. Interfaith Community for Palestinian Rights, Austin, TX
167. Interfaith Council for Peace in the Middle East, Brunswick, OH
168. Interfaith Peace Builders, Washington, DC
169. Interfaith Peace Initiative, Providence, RI
170. International Action Center, New York, NY
171. InternationalActionCenter, San Francisco, CA
172. International Socialist Organization, Chicago, IL
173. International Solidarity Movement—Chicago Chapter, Chicago, IL
174. International Solidarity Movement—New York City Chapter, New York, NY
175. International Solidarity Movement—Northern California Chapter, El Cerrito, CA
176. Iowa Green Party, Iowa City, IA
177. Islamic Education and InformationCenter, Milpitas, CA
178. Islamic Shura Council of Southern California, Anaheim, CA
179. Islamic Society of Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, NY
180. Islamic Society of San Francisco, San Francisco, CA
181. Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions—USA, Chapel Hill, NC
182. I-Witness Palestine, Los Angeles, CA
183. Jerusalem Fund for Education and Community Development, Washington, DC
184. Jewish Voice for Peace, Oakland, CA
185. Jewish Witnesses for Peace and Friends, Ann Arbor, MI
186. Jewish Women for Justice in Israel/Palestine, Boston, MA
187. Jews Against the Occupation, New York, NY
188. Jews for a Just Peace, Durham, NC
189. Jews for Global Justice, Portland, OR
190. Joining Hands Against Hunger, Atlanta/Palestine, Atlanta, GA
191. Joseph’s Italian Restaurant, Jacksonville, FL
192. Just Foreign Policy, Washington, DC
193. Justice Committee, Congregation of St. Joseph, Cleveland, OH
194. Justice First Foundation, West Kingston, RI
195. Justice Ministry, Downtown United Presbyterian Church, Rochester, NY
196. Justice for Palestinians, San Jose, CA
197. Kalamazoo Interfaith Coalition for Peace and Justice, Kalamazoo, MI
198. Kalamazoo Nonviolent Opponents to War, Kalamazoo, MI
199. Kalamazoo Women in Black, Kalamazoo, MI
200. Kansas Chapter, National Action Network, Topeka, KS
201. KentuckyAlliance Against Racist and Political Repression, Louisville, KY
202. Labor Action Coalition, San Francisco, CA
203. Lakeshore Peacemakers, Manitowoc, WI
204. LA Petrophysics, La Habra Heights, CA
205. Latinos Por Mumia, Bronx, NY
206. Lawrence Coalition for Peace and Justice, Lawrence, KS
207. Louisville Committee for Israeli/Palestinian States, Louisville, KY
208. Louisville Committee for Peace in the Middle East, Louisville, KY
209. Louisville Fellowship of Reconciliation, Louisville, KY
210. Madison-Rafah Sister City Project, Madison, WI
211. Maine Peace and Justice in Israel/Palestine, Portland, ME
212. Marin Peace and Justice Coalition, Fairfax, CA
213. MarygroveCollege, Campus Ministry, Detroit, MI
214. Maryland Christians for Justice and Peace, Silver Spring, MD
215. Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns, Washington, DC
216. MerrimackValley People for Peace, Wilmington, MA
217. Methodist Federation for Social Action, Washington, DC
218. Michigan Peace Team, Lansing, MI
219. Middle East Awareness Committee, PeaceEducationCenter, East Lansing, MI
220. Middle East Children’s Alliance, Berkeley, CA
221. Middle East Crisis Committee, Orange, CT
222. Middle East Crisis Response, Catskill, NY
223. Middle East Fellowship, Pasadena, CA
224. Middle East Fellowship of Southern California, Tustin, CA
225. Middle East Peace Coalition of Western Massachusetts, Northampton, MA
226. Middle East Peace Forum of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA
227. Middle East Peace Now of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN
228. Middle East Policy Advisory Council, Oakland, CA
229. Middle East Research and Information Project, Washington, DC
230. Middle East Working Group, Grace Presbyterian Church, Springfield, VA
231. Middle Eastern Center for Cultural and Religious Affairs, Baton Rouge, LA
232. MidEast: Just Peace, Cedar, MI
233. MontereyCounty Citizens for Middle East Peace, Monterey, CA
234. Mountain Forum for Peace, Nederland, CO
235. Muslim American Public Affairs Council, Raleigh, NC
236. Muslim American Society, Minnesota Chapter, St. Louis Park, MN
237. Muslim American Society Freedom Foundation—Kansas City Chapter, Kansas City, MO
238. Muslim American Society Freedom Foundation—San Diego Chapter, San Diego, CA
239. Muslim Community of the Palouse, Moscow, ID
240. Muslim Student Association, Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, CA
241. Muslim Student Association, SalisburyUniversity, Salisbury, MD
242. Muslim Student Association, TexasA&MUniversity, Corpus Christi, TX
243. Muslim Student Association, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI
244. Muslim Student Association West, Chino Hills, CA
245. Muslim Voters of America, Oak Park, IL
246. Naka ’48, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL
247. National Association of Muslim American Women, Columbus, OH
248. National Council of Arab Americans, Davis, CA
249. National Lawyers Guild, San FranciscoBay Area, San Francisco, CA
250. Neighbors East and West, Richmond, IN
251. New Alliance for Middle East Solutions, New York, NY
252. New England Friends of Sabeel, Medford, MA
253. New Hampshire Veterans for Peace, Auburn, NH
254. New York Campaign for Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions, New York, NY
255. Northern California International Solidarity Movement Support Group, El Cerrito, CA
256. Northern Detroit Society for Peace and Justice, Sterling Heights, MI
257. Northwest Middle East Peace Forum, Tacoma, WA
258. Not in My Name, Evanston, IL
259. Office of Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation, Sisters of St. Francis of Assisi, Milwaukee, WI
260. OhioValley Peace, Barnesville, OH
261. Olympia CAT Campaign, Olympia, WA
262. Olympia Friends Meeting, Olympia, WA
263. Olympia-RafahSisterCity Project, Olympia, WA
264. One Percent a Peace Army, Cambridge, MA
265. Pacific Green Party, Eugene, OR
266. Pacifica Forum, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR
267. Palestine Children’s Relief Fund, Kent, OH
268. Palestine-Israel Action Group, Ann Arbor Friends Meeting, Ann Arbor, MI
269. Palestine/Israel Justice Project of the United Methodist Church, MinnesotaPaynesville, MN Annual Conference,
270. Palestine Office—Michigan, Dearborn, MI
271. Palestine Solidarity Committee, Pittsburgh, PA
272. Palestine Solidarity Committee, Seattle, WA
273. Palestine Solidarity Project, JacksonHeights, NY
274. Palestinian American Congress, Astoria, NY
275. Palestinian American Congress—Connecticut Chapter, South Windsor, CT
276. Palestinian American Congress—Houston Chapter, Houston, TX
277. Palestinian American Federation, Lafayette, LA
278. Palestinian American Society, Claremont, CA
279. Palestinian Concern Group, Seattle, WA
280. Palestinian Education Network, Concord, NH
281. Palestinian-Jewish Initiative for Justice and Peace, Miami, FL
282. Palestinian National Initiative (Al-Mubadara), Anaheim, CA
283. Palestinians for Peace and Democracy, San Antonio, TX
284. Pakistan Weekly, Berkeley, CA
285. Partners for Peace, Washington, DC
286. Pax Christi USA: National Catholic Peace Movement, Washington, DC
287. Pax Christi—Austin, Austin, TX
288. Pax Christi—Kalamazoo, Kalamazoo, MI
289. Pax Christi—Maine, Portland, ME
290. Pax Christi—Michigan, Lansing, MI
291. Pax Christi—Northwest Minnesota, Crookston, MN
292. Pax Christi—Western New York, Buffalo, NY
293. Peace Action, Silver Spring, MD
294. Peace Action of San MateoCounty, San Mateo, CA
295. Peace Action Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI
296. Peace Alliance of the LowerShore, Quantico, MD
297. Peace and Freedom Party, CaliforniaState Central Committee, Riverside, CA
298. Peace and Freedom Party of FresnoCounty, Clovis, CA
299. Peace and Social Concerns Committee, Winston-Salem Friends Meeting, Winston-Salem, NC
300. Peace and Social Justice Center of South Central Kansas, Wichita, KS
301. Peace in the Precincts, Sacramento, CA
302. Peace Majority Report, Lindenhurst, IL
303. Peacemaking and Justice Committee, Oakhurst Presbyterian Church, Decatur, GA
304. Peace Mark, Valley Center, CA
305. Peace No War Network, South Pasadena, CA
306. Peace Pledge Chicago, Chicago, IL
307. Peace Vermont, Plainfield, VT
308. People for Justice in Palestine, Iowa City, IA
309. People of Faith CT, West Hartford, CT
310. People’s Glorious Five Year Plan, Tulsa, OK
311. Peoria Area Peace Network, Peoria, IL
312. Portland Peaceful Response Coalition, Portland, OR
313. PrescottAlliance for Peace and Justice, Prescott, AZ
314. Presente, Kentfield, CA
315. Progressive Democratic Alliance, Hobe Sound, FL
316. Progressive Democrats of America, Phoenix, AZ
317. Queers for Palestine, New York, NY
318. Rachel Corrie Foundation for Peace and Justice, Olympia, WA
319. Radical Arab Women’s Activist Network, Los Angeles, CA
320. Radical Women, US Section, San Francisco, CA
321. Rafter Six Ranch, Rock River, WY
322. Ramallah American Club of Jacksonville, Jacksonville, FL
323. Reapalife, Harrisonburg, VA
324. Rebel Imports, Baltimore, MD
325. Rebuilding Alliance, Palo Alto, CA
326. Red Wing Alliance for Peace, Red Wing, MN
327. ResourceCenter for Nonviolence, Santa Cruz, CA
328. RH Factor, Rock Hill, South Carolina
329. Riverside Area Peace and Justice Action, Moreno Valley, CA
330. RobertF.KennedyHumanRightsMemorialCenter for Human Rights, Washington, DC
331. Rocky Mountain Peace and Justice Center, Boulder, CO
332. Rule 19, Cambridge, MA
333. Sacramento Area Peace Action, Sacramento, CA
334. Sacred Heart Franciscan Province JPIC, Countryside, IL
335. Sacred HeartSchools, Atherton, CA
336. Safa’a, Columbia University, New York, NY
337. San Diego News Service, San Diego, CA
338. San Diego Web Partners, San Diego, CA
339. San Francisco Tikkun Community, San Francisco, CA
340. San Mateo Green Party, South San Francisco, CA
341. Senior Citizens Islamic Society, Miramar, FL
342. September 11 Action, Piedmont, CA
343. Sharp Turn Records, Olympia, WA
344. Sisters of Mercy, Regional Community of Detroit, Detroit Leadership Team, Farmington, MI
345. Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet, St. LouisProvince Justice Office, St. Louis, MO
346. Sisters of St. Joseph of Wichita, Kansas, Wichita, KS
347. Sisters of the Precious Blood, Dayton, OH
348. Social Justice Committee, Daughters of Charity, St. Louis, MO
349. Society for Justice in Palestine/Israel at AmericanUniversityWashingtonSchoolWashington, DC of Law,
350. Soft Sound, St. Louis, MO
351. Solidarity Committee of the Capital District, Albany, NY
352. Sound Service Company, North Hollywood, CA
353. SouthBay Mobilization for Peace and Justice, San Jose, CA
354. South Carolina Malcolm X Grassroots Movement for Self-Determination, Greenville, SC
355. Southern Vermont Tikkun Community, East Dummerston, VT
356. South Kingstown Justice, Peace and Action Group, Narragansett, RI
357. South Suburban Progressive Forum, Monee, IL
358. St. Louis Citizens for Justice in the Middle East, St. Louis, MO
359. St. Louis Women in Black, St. Louis, MO
360. St. Pete for Peace, St. Petersburg, FL
361. St. Peter’s College Social Justice Program, Jersey City, NJ
362. Strength Through Peace, Fort Collins, CO
363. STOP Movement, Sherman Oaks, CA
364. Students Allied for Freedom and Equality, Ann Arbor, MI
365. Students for a Human Society, Gainesville, FL
366. Students for International Knowledge, Loma Linda, CA
367. Students for Justice in Palestine—UC Davis, Davis, CA
368. Students for Middle East Justice, University of Memphis, Memphis, TN
369. Suncoast Home Source, Hudson, FL
370. Sunflowers & Cypress, Inc., Colorado Springs, CO
371. Talking Drum Collective, Stone Mountain, GA
372. TampaBay Veterans for Peace, Chapter 119, St. Petersburg, FL
373. Tel Rumeida Project, Canandaigua, NY
374. Tikkun, Berkeley, CA
375. Tikkun Community—Chicago, Chicago, IL
376. Tri-City Peace and Justice, Fremont, CA
377. Troops Out Now Coalition, Northern California, San Francisco, CA
378. True Spirit of Islam, San Diego, CA
379. Tucson Women in Black, Tucson, AZ
380. Union of Palestinian American Women, Chicago, IL
381. Unitarian Universalists for Justice in the Middle East, Cambridge, MA
382. United for Peace and Justice, New York, NY
383. United for Peace and Justice, Irving, TX
384. United Nations Association Students Alliance Chapter at Stevens Institute of Technology, Hoboken, NJ
385. University of AlaskaAnchoragePalestine Solidarity Committee, Anchorage, AK
386. University of California, Davis Muslim Student Association, Davis, CA
387. University of Southern California Students for Justice in Palestine, Los Angeles, CA
388. University of TexasPalestine Solidarity Committee, Austin, TX
389. Ursulines of Tildonk for Justice and Peace, New York, NY
390. US Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation, Washington, DC
391. Utahns for a Just Peace in the Holy Land, Kamas, UT
392. Vancouver for Peace, Vancouver, WA
393. Veterans for Peace, St. Louis, MO
394. Veterans for Peace, Pensacola Chapter, Pensacola, FL
395. Veterans for Peace, Rachel Corrie Chapter #109, Olympia, WA
396. Vineeta Foundation, Washington, DC
397. Visions of Peace with Justice in Israel/Palestine, Boston, MA
398. Virginia Anti-War Network, Aylett, VA
399. Voices of Palestine, Seattle, WA
400. Washington College of Law’s Society for Justice in Palestine/Israel, Washington, DC
401. Washington Interfaith Alliance for Middle East Peace, Washington, DC
402. Watertown Citizens for Environmental Safety, Watertown, MA
403. We Are Wide Awake, Clermont, FL
404. Web Serv Inc., Sugar Hill, GA
405. WESPAC Foundation, White Plains, NY
406. West Marin Alliance for Peace and Justice, Point Reyes Station, CA
407. Western North Carolina Peace Coalition, Asheville, NC
408. WesternNew YorkPeaceCenter, Buffalo, NY
409. Western New York Veterans for Peace, Buffalo, NY
410. Winston-Salem Friends Meeting, Winston-Salem, NC
411. Women Against Military Madness, Middle East Committee, Minneapolis, MN
412. Women in Black, Austin, TX
413. Women in Black, Los Angeles, CA
414. Women in Black, Metro Detroit, Detroit, MI
415. Women in Black, Seattle, Seattle, WA
416. Women of a Certain Age--New York City, New York, NY
417. Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom, US Section, Philadelphia, PA
418. Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom, Palestine Section, Philadelphia, PA
419. Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom, Washington DC Branch, Washington, DC
420. Young Korean American Service and EducationCenter, Flushing, NY
421. Youth for Justice in Anchorage, Anchorage, AK
422. Zeese for Senate, Takoma Park, MD

Click here to add your organization to the sign-on letter.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION ON HR4681, THE PALESTINIAN ANTI-TERRORISM ACT OF 2006

The US Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation has learned that the House of Representatives will vote on Wednesday, Feb. 15 on S.Con.Res.79, which the Senate passed by unanimous consent on Feb. 1.

This concurrent resolution states that "no United States assistance should be provided directly to the Palestinian Authority if any representative political party holding a majority of parliamentary seats within the Palestinian Authority maintains a position calling for the destruction of Israel."

This resolution is of little importance and amounts to political grandstanding since the United States already prohibits direct assistance to the Palestinian Authority (PA) in any case.  Some Members of Congress, however, have gone much further than this and have used the result of the Palestinian legislative election as a pretext to advance their extreme anti-Palestinian agenda.

Of the several anti-Palestinian resolutions introduced by Members of Congress in the aftermath of the legislative election, the most far-reaching is H.R.4681, the Palestinian Anti-Terrorism Act of 2006, introduced by Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL) on February 1.Click here to get your organization involved in opposing this resolution.

The central provision of this resolution would prohibit the United States from providing direct assistance to the PA unless the President certifies that it has fulfilled a long list of subjective and ambiguous conditions.Current law already prohibits the United States from providing direct assistance to the PA unless the President signs a national security waiver, and in fact the United States provides no direct assistance to the PA.

However, this resolution goes far beyond reiterating the current US ban on direct assistance to the PA; it also calls for many troubling provisions that would punish and isolate the Palestinian people for exercising their right to vote, including:

* Restricting humanitarian aid.Through its military occupation of the West Bank and Gaza Strip, Israel has de-developed the Palestinian economy by destroying infrastructure and agricultural lands; by inhibiting the development of internal trade through walls, checkpoints, roadblocks, closures, and curfews; and by preventing external trade through border closings.US humanitarian assistance, overseen by USAID and implemented by certified non-governmental organizations (NGO’s), is not only essential to preventing the complete collapse of the Palestinian economy under these difficult conditions imposed by Israel; it is also morally necessary since the United States supports these Israeli policies through $3 billion of direct military and economic assistance every year.Even though it contains a waiver for certain humanitarian aid categories, this resolution threatens US assistance to NGO’s in Palestinian territories by putting it in the same category as aid to the PA. 

* Designating Palestinian territory as a “terrorist sanctuary”.Under the terms of the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004, this designation would trigger restrictions on US exports to Palestinian territories, effectively gutting the free trade agreement between the United States and the West Bank and Gaza Strip and further crippling the Palestinian economy.

* Prohibiting official Palestinian diplomacy or representation in the United States.Restricting Palestinian diplomacy in the United States would be counter-productive to efforts to promote dialogue and a just peace, further eroding the claim of the United States to be an “honest broker”.This resolution would deny visas to PA representatives; restrict the movement of Palestinian diplomats at the UN; and shut down the PLO information office in Washington.

* Targeting the UN for supporting Palestinian human rights.The Palestinians have been denied their human rights through Israeli dispossession and military occupation.The United Nations has voted by overwhelming majorities to create bodies like the Committee on the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People to advocate for the realization of unmet Palestinian human rights.This resolution seeks to defund these bodies by calling on the United States to withhold UN dues in proportion to the percentage of the UN budget that funds these bodies.

* Denying Palestinians the ability to receive assistance through international financial institutions.The World Bank has been working with the PA to rehabilitate the Gaza Strip since Israel’s unilateral “disengagement” from it in 2005.Funds are needed urgently to rebuild thousands of homes that Israel destroyed there.The reconstruction of the Gaza Strip could be in jeopardy if this bill is passed.It contains a provision instructing the United States, which has a controlling vote at the World Bank, to vote against such funding.

The United States says that it is committed to promoting democracy.If that is indeed the case, it is inappropriate for Members of Congress to advance legislation that would punish and isolate people through draconian economic and diplomatic measures when the result of an election is not to the liking of the United States.

That is why the following organizations—the American Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee, the American Friends Service Committee, the Council for the National Interest, Global Exchange, Jewish Voice for Peace, Middle East Children’s Alliance, Partners for Peace, Pax Christi USA, Peace Action Wisconsin, Progressive Democrats of America, Tikkun, and the US Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation—are joining together in a coordinated national campaign to oppose H.R.4681, the Palestinian Anti-Terrorism Act of 2006.

Click here to endorse this campaign to oppose H.R.4681.Individuals and organizations can support this campaign by:

1) Sending emails to their Members of Congress.

2) Meeting with their Members of Congress during the President’s Day district work period (Feb. 20-24).

3) Participating in a national call-in day on Tuesday, February 28.

4) Signing a letter addressed to the House Committees on International Relations, the Judiciary, and Financial Services and to each Representative to be delivered on the national call-in day.