posted July 29, 2009 01:47 PM         

Dear ~

President Obama has made his views on the siege of Gaza and on the continued Israeli settlement construction very clear:

"... Gaza's border crossings should be open to allow the flow of aid and commerce." (January 22, 2009)

"The United States does not accept the legitimacy of continued Israeli settlements. This construction violates previous agreements and undermines efforts to achieve peace. It is time for these settlements to stop." (June 4, 2009)

What has Israel's response been? Forbidding humanitarian assistance from entering Gaza and insisting on additional settlement construction in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. Clearly Israel is not paying attention. We are asking Congress, why is Israel being rewarded with almost 3 billion dollars in aid when it ignores American policies and continues to use our money to build settlements and maintain the blockade of Gaza?

Further, as Israeli soldiers report so many cases of indiscriminate and disproportionate targeting of civilians in Gaza--reports that corroborate what Palestinians and human rights organizations have been saying for some time--we are reminding Congress that our tax dollars should come with strings attached; this means that Congress must investigate how our military aid has been used and whether it will be used legally and ethically.

We've organized delegations to Congresspeople across the country carrying out our message, but these delegations are not enough. We need to show larger numbers of support among their constituents. We need to keep the pressure on all of our legislators to take a serious stance for human rights. That's where you can help. We are trying to get as many phone calls as possible before the end of the month--calls to your U.S. Senators and Representatives to keep this issue fresh in their minds.

If you are in the U.S., click here to get in touch with your Congressperson and find out how you can positively impact our foreign policy.

If you are not in the U.S., please click here.
http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/301/t/9047/signUp.jsp?key=4411

Cordially,

With Strings Attached Campaign Team

Jewish Voice For Peace