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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