ARAB AMERICAN VOTERS COALITION Activists eAction Alert U

ARAB AMERICAN VOTERS COALITION
Activists eAction Alert

U.S. - 1 April, 2001

(Arabists - the largest independent Arab (List) organization, is dedicated to supporting Arab non-profit political, cultural and community activism in the U.S. and worldwide.)

Dear Friends,

More than ever, it is time to contact your representatives to protest recent actions in both House and Senate.

As many of you might have already heard, there is a "dear colleague" letter generated by members of both House and Senate, that is being circulated to all our representatives in order to influence Presidential policy towards the Palestinians. Its ultimate aim is to undermine U.S. relations with the Palestine Authority, to re-evaluate financial aid to the Palestinians, to prevent Yasser Arafat from meeting with top officials in our government, and to "reaffirm America's opposition to a unilaterally declared independent Palestinian state." The letter further puts the onus of blame for the failure of the Camp David Summit and for the uprising on the shoulders of the Palestinian people.

Among the principal sponsors of this letter, which is being circulated in both House and Senate, are Representatives Henry Hyde (R-IL), Tom Lantos (D-CA), Ben Gilman (R-NY), and Gary Ackerman (D-NY), as well as Senators Joe Biden (D-DE), Sam Brownback (R-KS), Diane Feinstein (D-CA), and Bill Frist (R-TN).

Another issue of concern is the recent veto by the U.S. of a proposal by the Security Council's seven non-aligned members to have a United Nations observer force in the occupied Palestinian territories. The role of this force would be to provide protection for the Palestinian civilians from the onslaught by the Israeli military, which is not only taking place daily, but has escalated to a very serious level in recent weeks.

That the U.S. government would veto such a humanitarian effort is very disturbing, to say the least, and this in light of the concerns of the world community which has shown increasing support for the rights and protection of the Palestinian people. Amnesty International has demanded that the world community support such a proposal where armed international observers be deployed to the occupied territories, and has further supported the right of return of Palestinian refugees. Israel's siege of the occupied territories has brought condemnation from other international organizations such as the International Red Cross, the World Council of YMCAs, as well as from Mary Robinson, the U.N.'s high commissioner on human rights. These are among many which include Christian churches, international medical teams, humanitarian relief as well as civil rights organizations. That our government should ignore the concerns of the international community, and should continue to refrain from condemning Israeli occupation and human rights violations, is a sad chapter in this country's mis-directed policy in the Middle East.

With the situation escalating daily to dangerous levels in the occupied territories, it is more important than ever to voice our concerns to our elected officials. We therefore urge you to contact your representatives with your concerns, with a reminder that emails do not receive the same attention that phone calls and letters do. Form letters are not as effective as personalized ones, and letters can be mailed or faxed. If you need to find out information on your elected officials, there is a website: www.congress.org which facilitates this process.

In order to assist you in composing a letter or in giving you background information and talking points, please access the attached information sheet which gives some facts regarding the situation in the occupied territories as well as relevant issues.

Respectfully,

Margaret King
Arab-American Voters Coalition

Palestine Affairs Council