3rd Thursday Action Alert: Tell Congress: Reject increased military aid to Israel

by Middle East & Europe - Global Ministries | published on Nov 18, 2015

Israel is reportedly seeking a significant increase in US military aid when its current 10-year aid package of $3.1 billion per year expires in 2017. A Reuters article indicates that Israel is asking for a $50 billion package over 10 years, and an analysis in the Israeli paper Haaretz says that, while that is probably not a figure the US will agree to, $4 billion per year “seems in the range of achievable.”

It is critical for advocates to speak out against any increase, because military aid to Israel is essentially a blank check, enabling it to continue its military occupation of Palestinian territory.

Instead of giving more aid, the United States should be addressing the root causes of the current violence and the ongoing impasse between Israel and Palestine, namely the Israeli occupation of Palestinian land.

Israeli government and military officials are speaking out about underlying causes for the current violence in Israel-Palestine. For example, Israel’s Military Intelligence chief said that despair among Palestinian youth is one of the factors influencing the violence. A document recently published by the Israeli security service, Shin Bet, looks at the motives of perpetrators of recent attacks and points to “a feeling of national, economic and personal oppression, as well as personal or psychological problems.” Meretz chairwoman Zehava Galon wrote, “We must stop with the illusion that we can hold a people without rights and sovereignty, and that the desperation of these people that we step on every day won’t turn into shocking hatred and violence.”

But instead of taking steps to dismantle the occupation, Israel is planning to send even more soldiers into the West Bank in 2016 at a reported cost of $77 million.

Unconditional US military aid to Israel serves to underwrite the occupation along with the human rights violations it entails, including movement and access restrictions on Palestinians, demolition of Palestinian property, and collective punishment including the blockade of Gaza and the recently reinstituted policy of demolishing the family homes of Palestinians accused of armed attacks.

For the welfare of both Israelis and Palestinians, the current violence must end and the root causes, including the occupation, must be addressed.

Contact your elected officials today and urge them to:

Call for an immediate halt to violence by all parties
Call for an end to Israel’s occupation of Palestinian land
Reject any increase in military aid to Israel
Place conditions on current aid consistent with those placed on other countries.

Feel free to use this sample letter:

Dear Mr. President/Representative/Senator,

I am deeply distressed and saddened by the current violence that is claiming Israeli and Palestinian lives. As a person of faith who believes in the God-given human dignity of every person, I believe that one life lost to violence is too many.

In the interest of saving lives and promoting a lasting peace, I urge you to reject calls to increase US military assistance to Israel as this assistance enables Israel to continue its occupation of Palestinian land.

For the welfare of both Israelis and Palestinians, the current violence must end and the root causes, including the occupation, must be addressed.

I urge you to:

Call for an immediate halt to violence by all parties
Call for an end to Israel’s occupation of Palestinian land
Reject any increase in military aid to Israel
Place conditions on current aid consistent with those placed on other countries.

Thank you for your consideration of my concerns.

Sincerely,