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Madinat al-Muslimeen Islamic Message Board
| Palestine Revised Petition to send to Congressman |
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| yunus |
| 07/18/02 at 11:47:12 |
| salaam alikum people can find the revised petition about palestine here on the web at: www.campusaction.net/news/working_for_peace/palestine_petition.htm where people can print it out and send it to me this petition inshaAllah will be sent to congressman Mcnulty who represents albany,schnectady,rensslear,montgomory,and parts of Saratoga counties This man is on the ways and means committe and decides where our money goes specifically he helps to allocate funds to Israel (under US law military aid to Israel is illegal though) which are used to kill innocent palestinians. He has told me that he will continue to support Israel and he justified their attack on Jenin and occupation of Palestine. We need to work on a grassroots level here in the community to build support to end the occupation. I belive that if we can get over 2,000 signatures of registered voters in his district we will have the lobbying power to change his opinion your help is needed in doing this. Here is what the new petition says: Petition to End Injustice in Palestine Dear Congressman McNulty, We the undersigned believe that Israel deserves to exist in peace and the Palestinian people deserve their own country. The Palestinian Authority and the Arab nations have recognized the right of Israel to exist. But Israel has not pledged to withdraw completely from the West Bank and Gaza to allow the formation of a Palestinian state on those lands. International law forbids Israel from keeping land that it seized during the 1967 Arab-Israeli War, including the West Bank and Gaza. The United States has thrown its weight behind Israel in the Middle East conflict, rather than adopting a just approach. Israel is the largest recipient of United States foreign aid, including more than two billion dollars a year in military aid. Israel, with the third largest military in the world has shown that it can protect itself against military conquest. Israel could trade land for peace by agreeing to withdraw completely from the West Bank and Gaza and recognizing a Palestinian state on those lands. Therefore, we urge you to: 1) To support the creation of a viable Palestinian state under UN guidelines 194, 242, and 338 2) Apply strong pressure on Israel to cease its illegal occupation of Palestine. 3) Stop sending all aid to Israel unless Israel withdraws completely from the West Bank and Gaza. 4) Offer substantial aid to assist economic development for Palestine upon the creation of a Palestinian state. 5) Support sending international monitors or peacekeepers to the region. 6) Advocate for the fundamental right of return of all Palestinian refugees and compensation for those choosing not to return for land stole from them by Israel, which is guaranteed by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. 7) Support the removal of all of Israel’s illegal settlements from the West Bank and Gaza. 8) Advocate the cessation of collective punishment such as house demolition, curfews, roadblocks, and checkpoints. These forms of collective punishment under the 4th Geneva Convention are illegal. 9) Call for an end to Israel’s apartheid system characterized by the lack of due process for Palestinians, arbitrary searches and seizures, random arrest, the unlawful holding of prisoners without bringing charges against them, legalized torture of individuals, ethnic cleansing through the use of settlements, Jew only roads in the occupied territories, and the construction of Jew only housing districts inside of Israel which bar Israeli Arab civilians from living in or near districts merely because of their race. 10) Be in accordance with the laws of the United States of America, which you and your predecessors have passed. As a ranking member of the Ways and Means Committee you help to decide where our tax dollars go annually. In the past you have approved military aid to Israel and you have continued to advocate military support for Israel through the use of our tax dollars. Last year alone the US sent 2.76 billion dollars of military aid to Israel, which under the US Foreign Assistance Act and the Nuclear Non Proliferation Treaty this money was illegally sent there. The US Foreign Assistance Act prohibits military assistance to any country "which engages in a consistent pattern of gross violations of internationally recognized human rights." Just one instance of Israel’s repeated violation an “international recognized human right” is their refusal to follow the UN document the Universal Declaration of Human Rights which states that "the refugees wishing to return to their homeland should be permitted to do so at the earliest possible date.... compensation should be paid for property for those choosing not to return". Since 1948 Israel consistently has refused to allow the 1948 refugees to return to Israel and has not paid compensation to them. This is a clear violation of an “international recognized human right” perpetrated on a repeated basis. Under US law there is a loop hole which allow the President to petition congress to bypass the US Foreign Assistance Act despite instances of a country’s repeated human rights violations. To date though President Bush has not done so therefore making military aid to Israel under this act illegal. Further the Proxmire amendment of the Nuclear Non Proliferation treaty bans military assistance to any government that refuses to sign the Nuclear Non Proliferation Treaty. Which allows for the inspection and regulation nuclear facilities. Israel has refused to sign this document. Also the Arms Export Control Act stipulates that US-supplied weapons be used only for "legitimate self defense". It is highly questionable whether Israel’s use of American made weapons is in accordance with this act. Instances of violations are: the use of American made armored bulldozers destroy civilians houses and property, the targeting of children by snipers using American made guns and bullets, and the use of American F 16 fighter jets to bomb refugee camps in effect collectively punishing groups of civilians through the destruction of their property and the killing and maiming of innocent people. We implore you to follow the laws set by you and your predecessors. To be in accordance with the law you must end all military aid to Israel immediately and end the shipment of US arms and weapons illegally used by Israel to further the occupation and collectively punish the people of Palestine. |
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