Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has announced major new annexation to Israel of large sections of what remains of Palestinian land.
Israel has been annexing Palestinian territory for years, against the passionate wishes and resistance of the inhabitants, and using brutal violence and U.S. weapons at U.S. taxpayer expense.
Also for years now, U.S. politicians have claimed to wish Israel wouldn't commit such crimes and claimed to be powerless to stop it, even while providing billions of dollars a year for weaponry (usually called "aid").
When Russia annexed Crimea, the U.S. and its allies denounced it as a major international crime, sanctioned Russia, and armed Ukraine. How, then, can the deadly and barbaric annexation of Palestine -- against its people's will -- merit only weak rhetorical opposition?
There was a tradition of U.S. governments -- from Eisenhower to Bush the First -- of conditioning Israeli "aid" on better behavior. Now, finally, after years of public pressure, it is being revived by members of Congress.
Make sure your Representative and both of your Senators hear your wishes by emailing them here.
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Thirteen members of Congress have sent a letter to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. Here are some key excerpts:
"We write to you to express our deep concern over the planned annexation of occupied Palestinian territory by the government of Israel. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said annexation could begin as early as July 1, 2020. Should the Israeli government move forward with these plans, they would actively harm prospects for a future in which all Israelis and Palestinians can live with full equality, human rights and dignity, and would lay the groundwork for Israel becoming an apartheid state, as your predecessor John Kerry warned in 2014. . . .
"Leading human rights experts warn that annexing parts of the West Bank will perpetuate and entrench human rights violations against the Palestinian people, including limitations on freedom of movement, mass expropriation of privately-owned Palestinian land, further expansion of illegal settlements, continued demolitions of Palestinian homes, and a loss of Palestinian control over their natural resources.
"Furthermore, Israel has stated it will not grant citizenship to Palestinians living in annexed territory or to the many more Palestinians living in the isolated enclaves that Israel will opt not to annex, formalizing in law the separate and unequal treatment of the two populations and paving the path toward an apartheid system. . . .
"Annexation is prohibited by Article 2(4) of the UN Charter and is a prohibited act of aggression under Article 47 of the Fourth Geneva Convention, of which Israel is a party. . . .
"Should the Israeli government continue down this path, we will work to ensure non-recognition of annexed territories as well as pursue legislation that conditions the $3.8 billion in U.S. military funding to Israel to ensure that U.S. taxpayers are not supporting annexation in any way. We will include human rights conditions and the withholding of funds for the offshore procurement of Israeli weapons equal to or exceeding the amount the Israeli government spends annually to fund settlements, as well as the policies and practices that sustain and enable them. . . ."
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-- The RootsAction.org Team
P.S. RootsAction is an independent online force endorsed by Jim Hightower, Barbara Ehrenreich, Cornel West, Daniel Ellsberg, Glenn Greenwald, Naomi Klein, Bill Fletcher Jr., Laura Flanders, former U.S. Senator James Abourezk, Frances Fox Piven, Phil Donahue, Sonali Kolhatkar, and many others.
Background:
>> Letter from 13 Members of Congress
www.RootsAction.org
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