Media Release: U.S. Coalition Contributes to Global Military Embargo on Israel
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 8, 2011
Washington, DC — The US Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation (US Campaign) contributed today to the launch of a global military embargo campaign against Israel initiated by the Palestinian Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions National Committee (BNC).
The BNC, inaugurating its campaign on the eve of the sixth anniversary of the Palestinian civil society call for boycott, divestment, and sanctions (BDS) campaigns against Israel, stated that:
“A comprehensive military embargo on Israel is long overdue. It would form a crucial step towards ending Israel’s unlawful and criminal use of force against the Palestinian people and other peoples and states in the region and would constitute an effective, non-violent measure to pressure Israel to comply with its obligations under international law.”
The US Campaign contributed to this global initiative today by launching its latest website: www.fundcommunityneeds.org as part of its ongoing campaign to end more than $3 billion per year of U.S. military aid to Israel.
The website provides activists with ideas, resources, and inspiration for running effective, long-term campaigns to pass city council resolutions calling on the federal government to end U.S. military aid to Israel and redirect that money to unmet needs here at home.
Josh Ruebner, National Advocacy Director, noted that “At a time when cities across the country are struggling with budget deficits, it is more important than ever for people in the United States to reexamine the financial and moral problems posed by providing Israel $30 billion in weapons from 2009 to 2018. These U.S. weapons are misused by Israel to commit human rights abuses of Palestinians, making us complicit in Israel’s illegal 44-year military occupation of the Palestinian West Bank, East Jerusalem, and Gaza Strip. We should be spending money building affordable housing, rather than paying for Israel to misuse Caterpillar bulldozers to demolish Palestinian homes.”
The new website joins others in a series designed to educate people in the United States about the financial and moral costs of providing Israel with weapons. The website www.aidtoisrael.org highlights the community costs of providing $30 billion in taxpayer-funded weapons to Israel from 2009 to 2018 and the budgetary trade-offs involved.
The website www.weaponstoisrael.org documents in detail the more than 670 million weapons given to Israel by the United States from 2000 to 2009 and the devastating impact these weapons have on Palestinian civilians.
The US Campaign reiterated today its demand that the State Department conduct a credible and transparent investigation into Israel’s previous violations of the Arms Export Control Act and Foreign Assistance Act, and hold Israel accountable for these violations by ending U.S. military aid as required by law.
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The US Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation is a national coalition of more than 350 organizations working to change U.S. policy toward Israel/Palestine to support human rights, international law and equality. For additional information see www.endtheoccupation.org.