Common Dreams
House Vote Sanctioning Palestinians Is Wrong
WASHINGTON – May 23 – The US Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation denounces today’s vote by the House of Representatives to impose draconian economic and diplomatic sanctions against the Palestinian people for exercising their right to vote. The House passed HR4681, the Palestinian Anti-Terrorism Act of 2006, by a vote of 361-37 with 9 voting present.
The resolution restricts US humanitarian aid and potentially eliminates entire US aid projects to the Palestinians; threatens to withhold US dues to the UN because the international organization maintains bodies advocating for Palestinian human rights; declares Palestinian territory to be a “terrorist sanctuary”, requiring US business to obtain special export licenses for most goods; refuses visas to members of the Palestinian Legislative Council and the Palestinian mission to the UN and threatens to close the PLO’s office in Washington; and instructs the US representative to the World Bank to vote against humanitarian aid projects for the Palestinians.
Josh Ruebner, Grassroots Advocacy Coordinator of the US Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation, criticized the substance of the Palestinian Anti-Terrorism Act. “This resolution has little to do with Hamas or the election which freely and fairly brought it to power. The so-called Palestinian Anti-Terrorism Act is really a grab bag of extreme anti-Palestinian agenda items that Israel’s supporters on Capitol Hill have failed to generate support for in the past. By using the Palestinian election as a pretext to impose severe economic and diplomatic sanctions against the Palestinian people, this resolution calls into question the commitment of the United States to advancing democracy abroad.”
The US Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation led a months-long campaign to mobilize opposition to HR4681, the Palestinian Anti-Terrorism Act. More than 340 US-based organizations, including United for Peace and Justice, Progressive Democrats of America, American Friends Service Committee, American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee, and Jewish Voice for Peace, signed an open letter to Members of Congress opposing this resolution. The open letter can be read by clicking here.
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