AMP responds to Representative McSally's request for a resolution supporting Israel

 AMP responds to congresswoman's request for a resolution supporting Israel

The American Muslims for Palestine this week responded firmly to a Dear Colleague letter sent to members of the House of Representatives asking for a resolution supporting Israel during the current situation of escalating violence. Rep. Martha McSallay (R-AZ) sent the letter on Oct. 19, asking lawmakers to condemn Palestinians for inciting violence and asking Congress to withold aid to the Palestinian Authority. The letter has five co-signers to date. Watch AMP for continued updates and possible action alerts related to this and other pro-Israel resolutions being presented at the request of AIPAC. 

Below is the letter to Rep. McSally:

Dear Rep. McSally:

On behalf of the American Muslims for Palestine (AMP), a national education and advocacy organization seeking to inform a more fair and balanced foreign policy in the Middle East, I’m writing to express our deep concerns about the Dear Colleague letter you sent seeking a resolution supporting Israel during the recent crisis.

While we all want peace in the Middle East, we must view the escalation in violence within the context of Israel’s occupation of the Palestinian people. The Israeli occupation is a blatant contravention of international law and U.S official positions on the matter. Israeli military and settler violence against Palestinians is constant, but it is only when Israelis are killed does the world pay attention.

Your letter negates the Palestinian perspective, which is supported by the facts on the ground, and confirmed by numerous U.N investigative panels and human rights organizations, including the Israeli NGO B’Tselem. You call for the condemnation of Palestinian attacks and for the halt of funding for the Palestinian Authority. These statements erroneously imply that this recent escalation of violence is completely unassociated with Israeli provocation and simultaneously suggest that Israel is absolved of any accountability in the matter. Even former Special Envoy to the MiddleEast Martin Indyk, with his close ties to the pro-Israel group AIPAC, identified Israel’s settlement activity in the occupied West Bank as one of the primary causes for the failed U.S. peace effort. You also do not mention Palestinian causalities in your letter. Recently, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gave permission to use with impunity live ammunition against Palestinians suspected of throwing stones; and as a result Israeli forces and settlers have killed at least 45 people, including at least eight children under 18 since Oct. 1. On Oct. 5, 13-year-old Abd Alrahman Shadi Mustafa, from Bethlehem, was shot in the chest and killed by Israeli military forces. He was on his way home from school and participating in any demonstrations. There must be a condemnation of Israel’s use of disproportionate force on Palestinian civilians.

It is misleading to depict this surge in violence as a unilateral isolated phenomenon. Palestinians live under Israeli military occupation, the longest standing military occupation in the world. Furthermore, Israel has more than 50 laws that openly discriminate against its Palestinian citizens. The occupation breaches international and American law, and the discriminatory laws go against the values of the United States. While Israeli violence against Palestinians is a constant factor of daily life, the threats to the status quo of Al Aqsa mosque sanctuary are behind the current escalation inviolence. Even State Department spokesman John Kirby said as much on Oct. 14, 2015, when he stated in a briefing, “Well, certainly, the status quo has not been observed, which has led to a lot of the violence.” The fact he was forced to walk back this original statement is proof that American political judgment of the situation is not immune to political pressure from Israel and its supporters. In addition, the increased excessive and lethal force used by the Israeli military against Palestinian demonstrators and the recent fatal settler attacks on Palestinian civilians in the occupied West Bank have contributed immensely to the current events.

As Israel is a flagrant violator of international laws as well as the U.S. Arms Export Control Act, which prohibits the use of American weapons or weaponry purchased with American money to be used against civilians, AMP urges you to withdraw your Dear Colleague letter asking for a resolution supporting Israel. Instead, we ask you to stand on the side of justice by condemning Israel’s excessive use of lethal force on Palestinian civilians, freeze all U.S. aid to Israel, and hold Israel accountable for its grotesque violations of International and American law.