posted January 07, 2009 08:06 PM              

There's a new U.S. Congress in town, which means it's time to pick up the phone and tell your representatives what you think the U.S. must urgently do to stop the bloodshed.
What must be done?

1) The U.S. should support an immediate ceasefire.
Nearly 700 Palestinians have been killed and thousands wounded and hundreds of rockets have landed in Israel, killing 9; the war will continue unabated and more innocent civilians will die without an immediate ceasefire.

2) The U.S. should support an immediate end to the blockade on Gaza.
Gazans are suffering from a lack of electricity, food, water, mobility and a collapsed medical system. Israel and Egypt must allow for the entry of food and supplies, the evacuation of the wounded, and the time, expertise and resources needed to repair Gaza's destroyed infrastructure.

What can you do?

If you are in the U.S., call your Congressperson today with that message. (If you live outside of the United States, call your closest U.S. Embassy.)http://www.usembassy.gov/ If you are Jewish, tell them so; tell them that you are a part of the growing numbers of Jewish people who believe that Israelis and Palestinians must have their human rights protected, and that Israel's security cannot be established at the expense of Palestinian liberty. For the sake of Israelis and Palestinians, for the sake of Jewish people worldwide, and for the sake of all humans, we stand up as Jews for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza.

Know that many groups are now pushing Congress to pass a resolution in strong support of Israel's war machine and laying the blame for the conflict entirely on Hamas. Tell your Congressperson: Gazans have been under siege by Israel for two years, and under occupation for 40. Israel's military might won't solve this conflict. It won't bring security or quiet to the many Israeli communities that have lived under threat of rocket fire for several years. It won't make Palestinians more "moderate." What is needed now is an immediate ceasefire to stop the bloodshed, followed by negotiations for a longer term resolution.

Thanks to our friends at Just Foreign Policy, you can click here for your Congressperson's phone number.
http://capwiz.com/justforeignpolicy/callalert/index.tt?alertid=12384741

p.s. While you're on the phone, call the Obama-Biden transition office with the same message. Their number is 1-202-540-3000; press 2 to reach a person.

p.p.s. See the Huffington Post article by Robert Naiman at Just Foreign Policy for more information.