3rd Thursday Action Alert: Tell Congress to support human rights, hold Israel accountable

Protests in Gaza are being met with lethal force by the Israeli military.  At least 28 Palestinians have been killed and over 1600 wounded by Israeli forces, according to an April 17 press release from UN human rights experts who said, “’security forces continue to use live ammunition and rubber bullets against the protesters, killing and wounding dozens of mostly unarmed protesters, women, men and children alike.’”

Responding to the protests and the use of force against them, 15 US churches and Christian agencies upheld the rights of Palestinians and called for accountability for Israel’s use of force in an April 12 statement on “Right of Refugees, Right to Demonstrate Peacefully, Right to Dignity.”

This message must be heard in the halls of Congress.  Elected leaders need to know that Christians from these organizations strongly support the call to respect Palestinian rights and hold Israel accountable for its actions.

By way of background, the statement notes,

Friday, March 30, thousands of Palestinians participated in the first of several weeks of planned nonviolent demonstrations in Gaza near the fence with Israel. These demonstrations are expected to continue until May 15, when Palestinians mark Nakba (“catastrophe”) Day, remembering the 1948 displacement and dispossession of 750,000 Palestinians, and resulting in a Palestinian diaspora and a refugee population that today numbers over five million, including descendants. At the same time Israel will celebrate 70 years since its establishment on May 14, 1948.

Saying, “We reject the use of violence by individuals, groups or states,” the statement continues, “In the wake of demonstrations that have resulted in tragedy and death, and anticipating the continuation of Palestinian protests over the coming weeks, we cannot be silent.”

The statement concludes, “In demonstrating, Palestinians have sought to bring the world’s attention to, and to recover, their rights—rights as refugees, to demonstrate, and to live in dignity. They have been met with an immediate and tragic rejection of those rights, but as people of hope, and in the season of Easter, we believe that those rights will ultimately prevail. In this time, we pray fervently, speak clearly, and act diligently in support of peace, justice, and equality.”

As people of hope who work and pray for the day when Palestinians and Israelis will live in peace and security, echo the message of the April 12 statement by asking your elected officials to:

• Call for an end to the use of violence by Israeli forces against the protesters,
• Ensure that US aid isn’t used in ways that contravene established US and international laws,
• Support the rights of refugees, including Palestinian refugees, and
• Insist on an end to the blockade of Gaza

Note:  Learn more about Gaza by joining AFSC on Saturday, April 21, in Indianapolis or online, for Gaza Unlocked: Hearing in the Heartland.

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Please feel free to use this sample letter to contact your representative:

Dear Senator/Representative,

I am writing out of deep concern about the violence, including lethal force, by which Palestinian protesters in Gaza have been met by Israeli forces.

As a Christian, I want to draw your attention to an important April 12 statement by 15 US Christian churches and agencies, upholding the rights of Palestinians and calling for accountability for Israeli’s use of force.

As a person of faith, I hope, work, and pray for the day when Palestinians and Israelis will live in peace and security. To that end, and echoing the messages of the April 12 statement, I ask you to:

• Call for an end to the use of violence by Israeli forces against the protesters,
• Ensure that US aid isn’t used in ways that contravene established US and international laws,
• Support the rights of refugees, including Palestinian refugees, and
• Insist on an end to the blockade of Gaza.

Thank you for your consideration.

Sincerely,