Since Wednesday, Israel has killed at least 30
Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, including five children under the age of 16
playing soccer and a six month-old child (Ha’aretz).
Israel’s Deputy Defense Minister
threatened Palestinians with genocide, calling for an even “bigger holocaust”
against residents of the Gaza Strip (Telegraph).
Israel
killed almost all of these Palestinians in air strikes most likely with its
arsenal of fighter jets—Boeing F-15’s and Lockheed F-16’s—and attack
helicopters—Boeing Apaches and Cobra Bells—paid for by U.S. taxpayers through
annual military aid to Israel.Almost
all of Israel’s
air-to-surface missiles, which would have been used in these attacks, are
produced by U.S.
corporations such as Hughes, Raytheon, General Dynamics, and Lockheed Martin
and paid for by U.S.
tax dollars. The US Campaign opposes all attacks on civilians.
Is this
how you want your tax dollars spent—to kill children playing soccer and to
carry out threats of genocide?
President
Bush has requested $2.55 billion in
military aid for Israel
in his proposed FY2009 budget.That’s a
9% increase in military aid to Israel
above and beyond actual spending in 2007.The budget request is the first installment of a ten-year Memorandum of
Understanding signed between the United States
and Israel
in August 2007 to increase military aid
by 25% over the next decade, totaling $30 billion.
The United States should be cutting off military aid
to Israel
for its human rights abuses and violations of the U.S. Arms Export Control and
Foreign Assistance Acts, not increasing it.
|
TAKE ACTION
1. Have
your organization endorse a letter to the Appropriations Subcommittees with
oversight over military aid calling on them to reject Bush’s budget request and
cut off military aid to Israel.The
letter and a current list of organizational endorsements are below.The deadline for signing this letter is March 4.To have your organization endorse the letter,
click here.
2.
Individuals can send a letter opposing military aid to Israel to the Members of Congress
who serve on these Appropriations Subcommittees by clicking
here.
3. Sign
up to receive an organizing packet with postcards, petitions, and fact sheets
to educate and organize people in your community to oppose military aid to Israel.To get your organizing packet, click here.
|
Sign-On
Letter to Subcommittees on State, Foreign Operations, & Related Programs
Senate
and House Appropriations Committees
Opposing
FY2009 Budget Request for Military Aid to Israel
DEADLINE
FOR SIGNING: MARCH 4
To add
your organization’s endorsement, click here.
We are writing to let you know that our
organizations oppose the President’s FY2009 budget request for $2.55 billion in
Foreign Military Financing (FMF) for Israel, which would be a 9%
increase over actual spending in FY2007.This proposed increase is the first installment of a ten-year agreement
between the United States
and Israel, signed in August
2007, to increase military aid to Israel by 25%, totaling $30 billion
by FY2018.
Israel uses
weapons purchased through FMF to enforce its illegal 40-year military
occupation and siege of the Palestinian West Bank, East Jerusalem, and Gaza
Strip and to commit human rights violations against Palestinians in the OccupiedTerritories
and against civilians in Lebanon.Israel’s
ongoing use of U.S.
weapons to enforce an illegal military occupation and to commit human rights
abuses places it in violation of the Arms Export Control Act and Foreign
Assistance Act.
The Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations, and
Related Programs must examine the President’s FY2009 budget request for $2.55
billion in FMF for Israel in
light of Israel’s violations
of these U.S.
laws.We urge the Subcommittee to hold Israel accountable for its violations of U.S.
laws and apply the appropriate sanctions for countries that violate its
terms.As long as Israel continues to violate U.S. law, the United States must cut off military
aid, not increase it.
Signed by,
National
Organizations
1. American Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee
2. Benedictines for Peace
3. Code Pink—Women for Peace
4. Council for the National Interest
5. Friends of Sabeel—North
America
6. Jewish Voice for Peace
7. Peace Action
8. United for Peace and Justice
9. US Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation
Local
Organizations
Alaska
1. Alaskans for Peace and Justice, Anchorage
Arizona
1. Foundation for Ending Apartheid in Israel,
Queen Creek
2. Local to Global Justice, Phoenix
3. Progressives of the VerdeValley,
Sedona
California
1. Americans for a Just Peace in the Middle East, Santa Barbara
2. Arts and Crafts Can Do, Santa Rosa
3. Borno Realty, San Diego
4. Free Gaza
Movement, El Cerrito
5. Fresh Clean Day Publishing, Woodside
6. International Solidarity Movement—Northern
California, El Cerrito
7. Islamic Center
of Inland Empire, Rancho
Cucamonga
8. Network of Spiritual Progressives—Sacramento Chapter, Sacramento
9. San FranciscoBay View National Black Newspaper, San Francisco
10. Spectronix Research, Vineburg
11. University
of CaliforniaSanta
Barbara Students for Justice in Palestine, Santa Barbara
12. Women in Black, Idyllwild
Colorado
1. Friends of Sabeel—Colorado,
Boulder
Connecticut
1. Coalition for Social Justice, New Britain
2. We Refuse to Be Enemies, West
Hartford
District of Columbia
1. Americans Concerned for Middle East Peace, Washington, DC
2. Malcolm X Day Committee, Washington, DC
Florida
1. Senior Citizens Islamic Society, Miramar
Georgia
1. Valdosta Citizens
for Peace in the Middle East, Valdosta
Hawaii
1. Art 4 Peace Photography and Art, Kailua
Illinois
1.
Day Star Books, Urbana
2. MuslimCommunity Center of Greater Rockford,
Rockford
Indiana
1. Stand Now, Attica
Iowa
1. Enlighten Technologies, Cedar Rapids
2. Iowa Methodist Federation for Social Action, Des Moines
3. Iowans for a Free Palestine,
Cedar Falls
Louisiana
1. American Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee—New Orleans Chapter, New
Orleans
Maryland
1. CarlislePeaceCollege,
SandySpring
2. Friends of Tent of Nations, Cabin John
Massachusetts
1. Boston Coalition
for Palestinian Rights, Boston
2. Students for Justice in Palestine—HampshireCollege,
Amherst
3. United for Justice with Peace, Boston
4. Watertown
Citizens for Environmental Safety, Watertown
Michigan
1. Mid East: Just Peace, Cedar
Minnesota
1. Environmental Justice Advocate of Minnesota, St. Paul
2. Women against Military Madness—Mideast
Committee, Minneapolis
Missouri
1. The American Muslim, Bridgeton
2. Women in Black, St.
Louis
New York
1. American Council on Middle East Policy, New York
2. Aria Aperta, OzonePark
3. Caribbean and Latin America
Support Project, New Paltz
4. Code Pink NYC—New York
5. Concerned Citizens for Peace, Hemlock
6. Dutchess Peace Coalition, Rhinebeck
7. HudsonValley Pax Christi, Highland
8. Iraqis in Exile, CliftonPark
9. Palestinian Rights Committee, Albany
10. Rochester
Committee for Middle East Peace, Rochester
North Carolina
1. ActionCenter for Justice,
Charlotte
2. Jews for a Just Peace—North
Carolina, Chapel Hill
Ohio
1. Greater Cleveland
Immigrant Support Network, Cleveland
2. Palestinian American Association, Westerville
Oklahoma
1. Songs for Peace, Ardmore
Oregon
1. Al-Nakba Awareness Project/Palestine: Just
Justice, Eugene
2. Americans United for Palestinian Human Rights, Portland
3. Families for Children of Oregon,
Portland
4. Lutherans for Justice in the Holy Land, Portland
5. Portland Peaceful
Response Coalition, Portland
6. Veterans for Peace—Chapter 929, Springfield
7. Whitefeather Peace Community, Portland
Pennsylvania
1. Harrisburg Middle
East Justice and Peace, Harrisburg
2. Philly Poetry, Philadelphia
Texas
1. Interfaith Community for Palestinian Rights,
Austin
2. Isquare Investment Partners, Fort Worth
3. Peace Farm, Amarillo
Virginia
1. Pax Christi—Pentagon Area, Falls Church
Washington
1. American Muslims of Puget Sound, Lynnwood
2. Gaia’s Blessings, Issaquah
3. Students for Peace & Justice in Israel-Palestine, University of Washington—Bothell,
Bothell
Wisconsin
1. Madison-RafahSisterCity
Project, Madison
2. Pagans for Peace, Milwaukee
To add your organization’s endorsement of this
letter, click
here. | 
