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) 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 fundamental rights guaranteed by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights: the right of return of all Palestinian refugees and the right of compensation to those choosing not to return for land stolen from them by Israel. 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, roads restricted only to Jews, and the construction of housing districts inside of Israel that are restricted on to Jews barring 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 was illegally sent. 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 of an "international recognized human right" is their refusal to follow 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, President Bush has not done so thus military aid to Israel under this act is 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. This treaty allows for the inspection and regulation of nuclear facilities. Israel has refused to sign this document. Another example of the illegality of US military support for Israel is the Arms Export Control Act. This 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 to 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 carry out assassination attacks. In the process bombing refugee camps and houses 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 because their weapons further the occupation and collectively punish the people of Palestine. NAME Signature Address Email | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |