USPC Action Alert on Gaza Dec 1, 2023

USPC Action Alert
Stop the genocide against Palestinians in Gaza

The aggression has to stop! Currently, over 15,000 Palestinians have been killed as a result of the Israeli government's bombardment and siege of Gaza, including at least 6,000 children. Israeli officials are unleashing "the gates of hell" on Gaza, treating the 2.3 million Palestinians who are confined there in an open-air prison (half of whom are children). We have an urgent need to communicate with our congressional representatives, but before you do, please check out those who have already called for a ceasefire using this ceasefire tracker.

We need to demand that the Biden administration stop supplying the Israeli military with weaponry and demand an immediate ceasefire. This is the only option to put an end to Israel's atrocities, war crimes, and massive assaults on the Palestinian people in Gaza. There is no other way to guarantee the Israeli hostages' release. There is no other means to get much-needed humanitarian aid to the starving Palestinians under the Israeli siege.

Together, we need to act now. We need to end the cycle of violence that has been a result of the 75 years of Israeli occupation. The U.S. should not be complicit in this oppression!

 Look up your local representatives and act now

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Support a U.S. Investigation into the Death of Palestinian-American Journalist, Shireen Abu Akleh

Dear USPC members and Friends,

Please call and write your representatives asking them to support a letter led by Rep. Andrea Cason and Rep Loa Correa addressed to the Department of State and Federal Bureau of Investigation to request an investigation, led by the U.S. regarding the death of American citizen, Shireen Abu Akleh.

You can use the link below for automatic letter or you can write your own. For your connivence a copy of the letter is below.

I am writing you today to ask you to sign the letter shared by Rep Andrea Cason and Rep. Loa Correa addressed to the Department of State and Federal Bureau of Investigation to request an investigation, led by the U.S. regarding the death of American citizen, Shireen Abu Akleh. Ms. Abu Akleh, a journalist for Al Jazeera, was fatally shot in the West Bank city of Jenin on May 11, 2022.

Letter Text

The Honorable Antony Blinken Mr. Christopher Wray
Secretary of State Director
U.S. Department of State Federal Bureau of Investigations
Washington, DC 20520 Washington, D.C. 20535

Dear Mr. Secretary and Director Wray

We are writing you regarding the recent death of Shireen Abu Akleh, a 51 year-old Palestinian American. Ms. Abu Akleh, a journalist for Al Jazeera, was fatally shot in the West Bank city of Jenin on May 11, 2022. We request the State Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) launch an investigation into the death of Ms. Abu Akleh.

AP News reported that Ms. Abu Akleh was fatally shot in the head on the outskirts of the Jenin refugee camp in the northern West Bank. Her producer, Palestinian journalist Ali Samoudi, was hospitalized in stable condition after being shot in the back. It was also reported that Palestinian journalists who were with Ms. Abu Akleh and Mr. Samoundi at the time said that they made their presence known to Israeli soldiers, and they did not see militants in the area. The Israeli military claimed that the victims were caught between gunfire between Palestinian militants and Israeli Defense Forces. However, media and eyewitnesses had conflicting reports. Shaza Hanaysheh, another Palestinian journalist among the reporters, also said that there were no clashes or shooting in the immediate area. News reports from the Washington Post, New York Times, CNN, and Aljazeera also highlight these conflicting reports.

As Members of Congress, we are deeply concerned by the death of Ms. Abu Akleh. Journalists worldwide must be protected at all costs. The U.S. State Department called Ms. Abu Akleh’s death “an affront to media freedom.” We welcome the actions and statements taken so far by the U.S. Department of State supporting a thorough investigation. However, given the tenuous situation in the region and the conflicting reports surrounding the death of Ms. Abu Akleh, we request the State Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) launch an investigation into Ms. Abu Akleh’s death. We also request the U.S. Department of State determines whether any U.S. laws protecting Ms. Abu Akleh, an American citizen, were violated.

As an American, Ms. Abu Akleh was entitled to the full protections afforded to U.S. citizens living abroad. We, the undersigned Members of Congress, urge you to uphold the values that our nation was founded on, including human rights, equality for all, and freedom of speech. We have a duty to protect Americans reporting abroad. We look forward to your timely response.

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USPC Special Message

Dear USPC members and Friends,

On Friday, June 4, 2021 a few Palestinian Americans were invited to meet with Secretary of State Tony Blinken. In the spirit of transparency, we want you to know that I was invited and attended the meeting along with USPC board member Hanna Hanania.

I am proud to say that every issue one can think of was clearly and persuasively argued by the attendees of Friday's meeting. Among the issues I took note of at the meeting were: the latest Israeli assault and our demand for lifting the blockade on Gaza, the ongoing ethnic cleansing of Palestinians, the repeated attacks on Al-Aqsa Mosque, the utterly inhumane siege of Gaza, our strong objection to the recent Israeli $1b aid request as well as renewed US arms sales to Israel, holding Israel to account for its 54-year-old brutal occupation and its unabated expansion of settlements, as well as Israel's well-documented human rights violations including its enforcement of an apartheid system against its own Palestinian citizens.

Although the participants were not aware of who was invited beforehand, we all spoke with one voice, articulate and strong, and we were able to present our case forcefully and persuasively during the meeting.

The participants were fully aware of the grassroots work being carried out in our community. Despite the fact that we were invited to the meeting as individuals, we nevertheless made sure to emphasize the issues that resonate with our community concerning the unfair and misguided American policy toward Palestine and the Palestinian people.

Having said that, let me say that we value and honor the diversity that exists within the Palestinian American community as we continue our effort to build bridges of good will aimed at solidifying the intersection of our vibrant coalitions. 

May we all be guided by our sense of brotherhood and continue to be inspired by our devotion to Palestine.  

In solidarity,

Khalil Barhoum
President, US Palestinian Council

https://www.uspalestiniancouncil.org/

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USPC Special Message

Some people who work for justice in Palestine talk about getting things done. Others just do them.

In the last eight months, those of us at the U.S. Palestinian Council are proud of all we have accomplished:

• We partnered with other Palestinian American organizations to create a Statement of Palestinian Principle and co-hosted a fund-raiser for Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib.

• We circulated petitions asking the Senate to condemn the upswing in Israel’s West Bank annexations and vote NO on offering $38 billion to Israel.

• We lobbied Senator Bernie Sanders and issued a joint statement signed by all major US Palestinian groups endorsing him for President.

• We engaged the Biden campaign and met with several of its high-ranking members, including Tony Blinken.

• We joined with others in condemning the murder of George Floyd.

• Along with other Palestinian American organizations, we worked to help Palestinians battling COVID-19 in the Occupied Territories.

• We spearheaded a ‘Joint Statement on the so-called Trump Administration’s Peace Plan.' The statement was endorsed by thirty-five Palestinian American organizations.

• We endorsed Rush Darwish’s run for Illinois’ 3rd Congressional District.

• We hosted a well-attended Zoom event for Beth Miller, the Senior Government Affairs Manager for Jewish Voice for Peace Action.

• We joined in a fund-raiser for Congressman Jamaal Bowman (NY).

• We held a very well attended fundraiser for Congresswoman Betty McCallum (MN) on March 26th, 2021. The event was co-hosted by the Dallas Palestine Coalition.

• We will be hosting a fundraising event with Congresswoman Marie Newman (IL) on May 21st, 2021

• And we are planning to do much more.

To continue and expand upon this work, we on the USPC board are asking you to partner with us so that we can continue to advocate for Palestinians and Palestinian-Americans.

Just look at our mission statement, one that calls us to “educate and advocate on issues of concern to Palestinian Americans; strengthen ties between the US and Palestine; and push forward a vision based on liberty, justice, and human rights for all.”

This is why we mobilize. This is why we organize.

We invite you now to join us in this work. Together, we can amplify each other so that we can have a voice that speaks on a national stage to those who are best able to advance our cause.

We urge you to join, and become a member, or make a donation of any amount. We’re a 501(c)(4) organization; thus, while your help may not be tax deductible, it will instead count for something greater and, we hope, be one more step in the road to a just peace and the end of a brutal occupation.

Yours,

US Palestinian Council Board Members

https://www.uspalestiniancouncil.org/

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Leaders in the Palestinian-American Community Endorse Joe Biden for President

Americans are confronted this presidential election with the choice between a divisive incumbent, and a candidate who has promised to restore hope and confidence in our country. It is for the greater good of our nation that we, presidents of organizations and leaders in the Palestinian American community endorse Vice President Joe Biden for President of the United States. Our community and our country cannot afford another four years of a Trump administration.  

Over the past four years, we have witnessed an erosion of our American values of acceptance and tolerance, coupled with increased incitement along political, racial, and ethnic lines. That is why we applaud the Biden campaign’s outreach efforts to the Arab American community, and in particular the unprecedented dialogue initiated with representatives from our Palestinian-American community. 

These joint efforts have led to the Joe Biden “PLAN FOR PARTNERSHIP,” the first time a well-rounded Arab American agenda has been adopted by a major party’s nominee for President of the United States. The plan fully acknowledges contributions of Arab Americans and views them as essential to the fabric of our nation. This is a welcome departure from past experiences when anti-Arab bigotry was used to exclude, silence and marginalize our community. 

President Trump has undermined and defied long-held U.S. foreign policy on several issues central to our community, such as moving the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem, cutting aid to the Palestinian people, and signaling support for possible unilateral Israeli annexation of parts of the West Bank. 

Accordingly, we support Vice President Biden’s opposition to any Israeli  unilateral steps including annexation and settlement expansion. We welcome his announcement that as President, he will take immediate steps, consistent with U.S. law, to restore economic and humanitarian aid to the Palestinian people, including assistance to refugees; to address the ongoing humanitarian  crisis in Gaza; and to reopen the U.S. consulate in East Jerusalem and the PLO mission in Washington. 

We make this endorsement while noting the different visions over one of our most salient issues. The Vice President has regrettably condemned calls in the United States to boycott, divest from, and sanction Israel for its continued oppression of the Palestinian people. The Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement calls for freedom, justice and equality for Palestinians, believing that they deserve the same rights as the rest of humanity. It is a nonviolent and peaceful effort modeled after the anti-apartheid movement in South Africa and is mainly aimed at pressuring Israel to comply with international law. We affirm our support for the Palestinian-American Declaration of Principles for the 2020 Election, which has been shared with the  campaign. 

With that said, we welcome Vice President Biden’s pledge to protect the  constitutional right of American citizens to free speech, including their right to advocate and campaign for Palestinian rights. We also welcome Vice President Biden’s opposition to efforts to criminalize free speech and expression on this issue.  

While we hold some policy positions that differ from those of the Vice President on the Palestinian issue, it is imperative that we elect a President who will undo the damage done by the current administration. We look forward to working together after the elections on various domestic and foreign policy issues of concern to our community. 

We are hopeful that a Biden-Harris Administration will restore our values as a nation of immigrants, defend the civil rights of all Americans, provide equal opportunity for every American, and champion democracy and human rights  for all. We look forward to engaging with the Biden administration and working together to actualize the commitments the Biden campaign has made to the  Palestinian-American and broader Arab-American communities.  

To that end, we believe that it is in the best interest of our nation and our own community that Vice President Joe Biden be elected as the next President of the United States.

Mohammed Abdel Salam President, Palestine Aid Society, Detroit* Wardeh Abdulmuti President, Union of Palestinian American Women* Firas Al-Tirawi Journalist, Writer and Member of the General Secretariat of the Arab Network for Culture, Opinion, and Media* Mohammed Aburmishan Executive Director, United Holy Land Fund* Iyad Afalqa President, California Democratic Council; Delegate, DNC Haitham Aranki Executive Director, Arab American Community Center, Anaheim, CA* Dr. Khalil Barhoum President, US Palestinian Council (USPC) Dr. Ghassan Brakat President, Jerusalem Center, Chicago, IL Rola Barakat President Palestinian American Women’s Association, Chicago, IL Tawfiq Barqawi Vice Chair, American Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee* Professor John Dabeet President, Americans and Palestinians for Peace (AMPAL) Yassar Dahbour Coordinator, Palestine American League Jihad Dajani Board Member, Palestinian House of New England* Rush Darwish Community Activist, Chicago, IL; Former Democratic Congressional candidate, IL-3rd Ghada Elnajjar Co-Founder, Network of Arab-American Professionals (NAAP) Zaha Hassan Human Rights Attorney; Visiting Fellow, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace Walid Hayek Vice-Chair, Beit Sahour USA* Sam Hindi Council Member, Foster City, CA; Former Mayor, Foster City, CA; Delegate, DNC Basem L. Hishmeh Honorary President, American Federation of Ramallah, Palestine Samer Khalaf President, American Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC) * Samir Khalil President and Founder, The Arab American Democratic Club Masoud Khayyat Coordinator, Dallas Palestine Coalition Dr. Najat Arafat Khelil Chair, National Arab American Women’s Association* Saed Limon President, Palestinian American Council, LA Diab Mustafa President of the Board of Directors, Palestinian American Community Center, NJ* Osama Naser President, Palestinian American Council, Chicago, IL* Hatem Natsheh National Delegate, Democratic National Convention, TX Hassan Nijem President, American Arab Chamber of Commerce, Chicago; President, Arab American Vote, Illinois Rania Qawasma Architect; Founder, Daarna: Empowering Refugees and Displaced Communities to Find a Sense of Home Rateb Y. Rabie President/CEO, Holy Land Christian Ecumenical Foundation*; President/CEO, Know Thy Heritage, Inc.* Emad Salem Delegate, DNC, TX; Committeeman, Texas Democratic Party Taleb Salhab Treasurer & Board member, Arab American Democratic Action Fund Sam Shihadeh Board member, US Palestinian Council Dr. Faten Shelbayeh CEO, We care Elderly Care Services, MA; Samir Totah Co-Founder, Palestinian American Coalition, San Francisco, CA; Former President, American Federation of Ramallah, Palestine* Jameel Zayed President, Palestinian American Youth League (PAYL).

*Organizational affiliations listed for identification purposes and do not imply organizational