Apr 2, 2023
One of Congress’ responsibilities is to ensure no U.S. assistance is used abroad to violate human rights or harm civilians. In the beginning months of 2023, over 80 Palestinians have been killed, including children by Israeli forces. Despite the Biden’s administration’s call for equal freedom and security in the West Bank, it is clear the U.S. government has not exerted sufficient pressure to stop the violence. Rep. Jamaal Bowman and Sen. Bernie Sanders are circulating a letter to press the Biden Administration to determine whether any U.S. supplied materials have been used to violate Palestinian human rights.
Contact Your Representative Now: Ask Them to SIGN this Critical Congressional Letter
In the wake of escalated violence, Congress must ensure existing U.S. law is enforced. The U.S. cannot help encourage a peaceful and just resolution to the conflict without first guaranteeing U.S. funds are not used to expand settlements, annex Palestinian land, or physically harm Palestinians. Please reach out to your members of Congress today and ask them to join Rep. Bowman and Sen. Sanders on this critical letter.
Email Your Representative Today: Tell Them the US Must Act Now to Help End the Violence
This letter will not be open for very long, so please reach out to your members of Congress today. Let them know you support accountability to ensure U.S. assistance to Israel is not contributing to further violence or the prolonging of the occupation of Palestinian land.
Time is Limited for Congressional Signatories: Ensure Your Voice is Heard Today
In peace,
Kyle Cristofalo
Senior Director of Advocacy and Government Relations
Churches for Middle East Peace
November 4, 2020
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
August 14, 2020
USPC Letter on Lebanon Relief
We, being of Palestinian heritage, know all too well the suffering and humanitarian need of our people. Through many decades and through all types of struggles, Palestinians have always stepped up to help and assist when needed. Our efforts and our commitments to our people continue, as you have seen with our ongoing Relief Funds to Palestine and our last Medical Mission campaign to combat COVID, which raised over $200,000 and continues to help protect our medical workers who are battling this virus. We are immensely proud of our many doctors and medical personnel, and others, who have helped in this effort.
NOW…..it’s time to help others in need….
Lebanon is faced with a horrific catastrophe that came at a time when the nation also struggles with many other issues: COVID, a faltering economy, coping with Syrian refugees, and political unrest. But the medical and humanitarian need there now is immense. We want to help, and we need to help. Many Palestinian communities and organizations are coming together in
a joint effort to raise funds through our Medical Mission. These funds will
be used in the most efficient and effective ways possible to get medical supplies, medicine, basic hygiene items, and food into the hands of those who need them most. Resources will go where the needs are greatest.
This is a big effort….
As you know, Lebanon has an exceptionally large Palestinian population, and as such, has been aided by the UPA (United Palestinian Appeal). UPA has been operating in Lebanon since 1982, has well established logistical and distribution support, and can get items where they need to go, in the best way possible—without waste. We will partner with UPA in a supporting role to gather whatever resources they need and mainly help them with funding.
Be assured….
Your donations and all monies raised will be distributed wisely.
Sincerely,
USPC Board
July 20, 2020
Sign Petition — GOOGLE: Put Palestine on Your Maps!
Click HERE to add your name to the petition ‘GOOGLE: Put Palestine on Your Maps!’
Google cannot continue to support the systemic erasure of Palestine from current and historical memory. Palestinians will not continue to tolerate any white-washing of our history, starting with the devices and services we use each day.
Please share this to your own personal community!
Best,
USPC Board
June 20, 2020
Call on Senators to STOP Israeli Annexation of West Bank
Click here to visit the Petition2Congress page and send this letter to your local Senators and Representatives!
“I am writing to you out of a personal concern urging you to protect the Human Rights of the Palestinian People.
On 28 May, 2020, Israel’s prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu verbally committed to annexing parts of the West Bank in July after a joint Israeli-US team completes the mapping of an exact territory based on the conceptual map put forth by President Trump's administration.
The Netanyahu and Gantz annexation plan, the Trump administration’s “Peace and Prosperity” plan, and the expansion of illegal settlements in the West Bank & East Jerusalem all upend long standing American foreign policy and exist in violation of the principles of international law and United Nations resolutions. The blatant and flagrant infringement on Palestinian human rights & territorial integrity in this moment of history is a corruption of our American values which aim to protect human life and offer all people freedom and equality.
Furthermore, the occupation, land annexation, expansion of illegal settlements on Palestinian land, and decades-long construction of Israel’s apartheid wall to separate itself, the Gaza Strip, and the West Bank all undermine any chance for peace to exist in the region. By fragmenting and destroying the contiguity of the land delineated by the 1967 borders, this annexation plan makes a mockery of the viability of a future Palestinian state.
The present day reality for Palestinians is that their access to water and water aquifers on Palestinian land is controlled, restricted, and redirected to illegal settlements (often times allowing only a few days of water-access to Palestinian villages/towns/cities, while illegal settlements enjoy unlimited and uninterrupted access to clean water). Military checkpoints, segregated areas, road blocks, and settler violence cut off Palestinian families from one another and eliminate any opportunity for Palestinians to experience any degree of a quality lifestyle. The lives of Palestinian men, women & children are at perpetual risk under these conditions.
I call on you, as my representative, to:
1. Support human rights, equality, freedom and self-determination for the Palestinian people;
2. Affirm the right of both the Palestinian people and Israeli people to live in peace and security;
3. Endorse H.R.2407 “Promoting Human Rights for Palestinian Children Living Under Israeli
Military Occupation Act” cosponsored by 24 Democratic members of the House of
Representatives;
4. Condemn and denounce in the strongest terms the annexation of Palestinian land and expansion of illegal
Israeli settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, the Trump administration’s ‘Peace and
Prosperity’ plan, the endorsement of the illegal annexation agenda, and the flagrant disregard of
Palestinian human rights and freedom.
5. Call for an immediately end to the Israeli occupation of the West Bank, Gaza, and East Jerusalem.
6. Make United States military aid to Israel conditional on ending Israeli practices that violate Palestinian rights and contravene international law.”
June 11, 2020
Call on Senators to vote NO on S.3176
Call on your Senators to vote NO on S.3176 which will give $38+ billion of American tax dollars to Israel for the next 10 years! This bill will help fund the continued occupation and annexation of Palestinian land and the displacement and ethnic cleansing of the Palestinian people. Please contact your Senators with this message template:
—————
Dear Congressman/Senator,
I am urgently writing to request that you vote NO on Senate Bill S.3176, which calls to aid Israel with $38 billion dollars of US taxpayer money. This bill is specifically designed to help fund the continued annexation of Palestinian land and further the displacement and ethnic cleansing of the Palestinian people.
The human rights abuses that are unapologetically cast upon the Palestinian people have been recognized by the international community as illegal and genocidal. If this predatory bill is approved, it will condemn the Palestinian people to another FULL DECADE of brutality, abuse, destruction of homes, and very limited health options. As an advocate for human rights and an opponent of genocide, I ask that you to uphold our core American values of freedom and liberty by denying this funding.
Furthermore, the tax money of US citizens should never be used to help facilitate human rights abuses and ethnic cleansing. It would be a profound injustice to use our tax money to specifically target a single group of people: Palestinians. I can assure you that the entire human rights supporter constituency is watching your decision and the decisions of your fellow officeholders. In this crucial & decade-defining moment, we request that you vote NO on Senate Bill S.3176 and support human rights in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
Sincerely,
__________
Follow this link to view our Petition2Congress page:
May 5, 2020
Open Letter to Bernie Sanders
Dear Senator Sanders:
We, the undersigned, Palestinian-American organizations and
Palestinian-American community leaders around the United
States, would like to thank you on behalf of our community for
your unwavering support of justice, equality, and human rights
for all. We were proud to be among those who endorsed your
presidential campaign on March 2, 2020 as we took the lead in
urging our Palestinian-American community to commit
themselves to your campaign at all levels.
Now that you have endorsed Vice President Biden for the
Democratic Party’s presidential nomination, we would like to
call on you to continue raising your voice in support of justice
and equality for the Palestinians people.
The US Palestinian Council, along with other Palestinian-
American organizations, is leading the effort to ensure our
community’s full participation in the political process. While
making sure to have a voice in our democracy by cementing our
long and proud history of engaging in the democratic process,
we are quite aware that the 2020 presidential election may be the
most important campaign for our country in generations.
On behalf of our Palestinian-American community, we hereby
urge you to share our concerns with Vice President Biden and to encourage him to be supportive of vital issues to our
community. It is worth mentioning that our members have a
genuine and effective impact in the electoral process because of
their sustained level of political engagement. Having said that,
we would like to emphasize that the following issues are of
extreme importance to our community:
1. Human rights for all, including the Palestinians.
2. Ending the Israeli occupation of the West Bank, Gaza,
and East Jerusalem, based on United Nations resolutions.
3. Supporting the Palestinians’ right to self-determination.
4. Immediate reinstatement of US humanitarian aid to
Palestine.
5. Immediate lifting of the inhumane blockade of the Gaza
Strip, which has led to unsustainable humanitarian and
economic conditions for the two million Palestinians living
there.
6. Linking US funding to Israel with Israel’s compliance
with human rights norms and its adherence to international
law and UN Security Council resolutions.
We strongly urge you to help our community in highlighting
these principles and issues in your ongoing conversations with
Vice President Biden. We also will be very happy to engage
with his campaign on all issues that are of interest to both sides.
Respectfully yours,
Organizations:
US Palestinian Council (USPC); Americans & Palestinians for Peace (AMPAL); Palestinian American Council/ Louisiana; Palestinian American Council Chicago; The Arab Network for Culture, Opinion, and Media/ United States; Palestinian American Community Center/ New Jersey; Jerusalem Center/ Chicago; Palestine Aid Society/ Detroit; Network of Arab American Professionals of Orange County; Dallas Palestine Coalition; CPAO Coalition of Palestinian American Organizations; American Palestinian Club; Palesinian American Women Association; Palestinian American Youth Guild; Jifina Association; National Arab American Women’s Association (NAAWA); The Palestinian House of New England; The Jerusalem Conference-LA; Shiddo Alrehal- LA; Saris Association; Palestine American League; Palestinian American Coalition-San Francisco
Individuals:
Dr. Khalil Barhoum, US Palestinian Council President; Basem L. Hishmeh, Honorary President, American Ramallah Federation of Palestine; Dr. Hanna Hanania, Network of Arab-American Professionals, Co-Founder; Professor John Dabeet, US Palestinian Council Vice-President & Americans and Palestinians for Peace President; Eman Khaki, Carolina for Palestine member, Board member of the Palestinian American community center; Abdelhamid Siyam, Lecturer at Rutgers University, New Jersey; Dr. Ghassan Barakat, Chairman of the Board for Jerusalem Center, Chicago, IL; Osama Naser, Palestinian American Council President, Chicago, IL; Murjan Abu Mahmoud, Metroplex Palestinian American Council Chairman; Mohammad Abd-Elsalam, President, Palestine Aid Society- Detroit; Firas Tirawi, member of the General Secretariat of The Arab Network for Culture and its representative in America; Najat Arafat Khelil, Board Chairwoman National Arab American Women’s Association; Diab Mustafa, President of the Board of Directors for the Palestinian American Community Center, New Jersey; Salem Ajluni, Santa Clara County Single Payer Health Care Coalition; Noura Erakat, Jadaliyya and Rutgers University; Saba Shami, Arab American Democratic Caucus of Virginia; Husam Misleh, Former President, American Federation of Ramallah-Palestine; Samir Totah, Palestinian American Coalition, San Francisco; Sam Shihadeh, CPAO President; Senan Shaq, USPC Board member; Ghada Mansour Barakat, NAAWA Board member; Hanan Younes-Moore, NAAWA Board member; Rima Qasim, board member, Palestinian American Community Center, New Jersey; Bassam Eways, Former President, American Federation of Ramallah-Palestine; Bassam Doughman, President APC; Maher Massis, CPAO Board member; Amir Darwish, CPAO Co-Founder; Fuad Ateyeh, Palestinian American Coalition, San Francisco; Frederick T. Hadeed, Alexandria, Virginia; George B. Saba, former President of the American Federation of Ramallah Palestine; Dr. Burhan Ghanayem, Community Leader, North Carolina; Osama Abuirshaid, Executive director of American Muslims for Palestine; Amer Zahr, President, New Generation for Palestine; Imad Hamameh, Past President, United Taybeh American Association (UTAA); Yassar Dahbour, President, Palestine American League; Adeeb Alzanoon, Chairman-Sacramento Regional Coalition for Palestinian Rights; Ahmad Alahmad, Arab Service Center, Los Angeles; Maher Abdelqader, Palestinian American Congress; Nina Cullers, Bethlehem Association; Fathi Abboushi, Community Leader, Beit Hanina Community Center; Awni Abuhadba, Former deputy mayor, Patterson, NJ; Dr Jamal Nassar, Dean Emeritus, California State University, San Bernardino; Ramia Yazid, Palestinian American Activist, Chicago; Rev. Khader El-Yateem, Director for Evangelical mission and Assistant to the Bishop; Sam Hindi, Mayor and Council member, Foster City, CA
March 30, 2020
Important Congressional Letters Urge Trump Admin to Provide Necessary Humanitarian Assistance to Palestinians Battling COVID-19 Outbreak
USPC welcomes recent letters issued by members of the Senate and the House calling on President Trump and his administration to ensure that US humanitarian assistance to Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza must be restored without delay in light of the alarming spread of the COVID-19 pandemic. This aid includes such urgent provisions as medicine and much-needed medical equipment. The letter in the Senate is led by Senators Elizabeth Warren and Chris Van Hollen while the letter in the house is led by Reps. Chellie Pingree and David Price.
As a territory already subject to a long and inhumane blockade and siege, the Gaza Strip is especially vulnerable to the repercussions of a pandemic outbreak. The Trump administration has already scaled back aid to Palestinians and UNRWA, making the spread of the pandemic especially concerning.
USPC lauds the principled stand of the lawmakers who have taken this conscientious position by putting forth the letters, and emphasizes the importance of taking immediate steps to ensure that Palestinian lives are saved as the whole world battles this global pandemic.
Please use the following message and link to urge our leaders to provide necessary humanitarian assistance to Palestinians battling the COVID-19 Outbreak: