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Brooklyn For Peace Opposes
Israel’s War Against Gaza
and the Continuing Blockade
During the recent Israeli military assault against Gaza, Brooklyn for Peace called for an immediate cease-fire, and negotiations not confrontation. Although a cease-fire is in place, the disaster in Gaza is not over. We still call for an end to the Israeli siege of Gaza, and for an immediate end to attacks on all civilians, whether Palestinian or Israeli. We have always made clear that we deplore the rocket attacks against Israel. However, the Israeli bombardment and invasion in December 2008 and January 2009 was totally disproportionate, as well as being a collective punishment of all Palestinians in Gaza, which is illegal under international law.
From the start of the three-week conflict on December 27 until the start of the cease-fire, Palestinian medical sources in Gaza say at least 1,300 Palestinians were killed. Israeli officials say 13 Israelis had been killed; including 10 Israeli military (mostly killed by so-called friendly-fire) and three civilians. Eight Israeli human rights groups have called on the Israeli government to investigate given the scale of the casualties, describing the number of dead women and children as "terrifying."
More than 4,000 buildings were destroyed in Gaza, and over 20,000 severely damaged, leaving 50,000 Gazans homeless and 400,000 without running water. Two separate Palestinian surveys have put the cost of the damage just under $2 billion, a figure comparable to less exact UN estimates. UN humanitarian chief John Holmes has urged Israel to fully open all crossings with Gaza to allow a free flow of goods.
This destruction has come on top of a brutal, years-long siege of Gaza, creating a dire humanitarian catastrophe for the 1.5 million Palestinian residents. Little but humanitarian basics have been allowed into Gaza since Hamas came to power in 2007. See our previous statement on the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
Brooklyn For Peace Response
On January 14, 2009, Brooklyn For Peace held a candlelight vigil and protest at Brooklyn Borough Hall, See photos by BFP member Matt Weinstein. Several hundred Brooklyn residents turned out on a bitterly cold night to join in calling for a cease-fire in Gaza, a stop to the bombing, and for and end to the US role in supplying weapons to Israel which are used for such an illegal and unjust purpose, above and beyond any need for self-defense. The rally called on the U.S. government to encourage negotiation, not confrontation. To that end, a letter to Congressmember Ed Towns, protesting his sponsorship of the H. Res. 34, which supported Israel's military actions, was signed by many at the rally and delivered to his office by a delegation as the crowd dispersed. Participants were urged to call their respective members of Congress with their opinions of this resolution.
Brooklyn for Peace published an Open Letter to President Obama in all Brooklyn editions of the Courier Life papers, January 19, 2009. The letter calls on President Obama to honor his promise of a change in foreign policy in the Middle East. It notes that the legitimate security needs of both Palestinians and Israelis be only be helped by the U.S. giving evenhanded support for "land for peace" and to ending the injustice of denying national rights to the Palestinians.
Brooklyn For Peace also organized a public forum on Human Rights in Gaza and the Occupied Territories on February 26, 2009, featuring Dr. Maya Sabatello, the US representative of B'Tselem (The Israeli Information Centre for Human Rights in the Occupied Territories)
The Role of the U.S.:
Why Americans Have a Special Obligation to Oppose Israel's War on Gaza
Israel has been the largest annual recipient of direct economic and military assistance (PDF) from the United State since 1976, and the largest total recipient since World War II. In August 2007, the United States and Israel signed an agreement to increase arms transfers to Israel to $30 billion over the next decade.
Israel is carrying out the attacks in Gaza with F-16 fighter jets and missiles provided by U.S. taxpayers. From 2001–2006, the United States transferred to Israel more than $200 million worth of spare parts to fly its fleet of F-16's. In July 2008, the United States gave Israel 186 million gallons of JP-8 aviation jet fuel. Last year, the United States signed a $1.3 billion contract with Raytheon to transfer to Israel thousands of TOW, Hellfire, and "bunker buster" missiles. The 250-pound GBU-39 bombs are also part of the U.S. military aid package.
The UN Security Council approved Res.1860 (January 8.2009) calling for an "immediate, durable, and fully respected ceasefire" in Gaza as well as unimpeded humanitarian assistance. The U.S. was the only member of the 15-group body to abstain from a vote on this resolution.
How have our Congress Members voted?
A one-sided endorsement of Israeli actions in Gaza (S. Res.10 co-sponsored by Sen. Charles Schumer) was passed unanimously with no debate on Jan 8, 2009 by the U.S. Senate. On January 9 2009, after a mere 40 minutes of debate, the House of Representatives voted 390–5 for a similar bill (H. Res. 34 co-sponsored by Cong. Reps. Ed Towns and Anthony Weiner). ALL Brooklyn Congressional Representatives voted in favor of this bill.
Actions You Can Take:
- Contact your Congressmember and Senators in Washington 800-828-0498 or at their local offices. Protest their support of one-sided resolutions S. Res. 10 and H. Res. 34. Insist that they call for a sustained cease-fire, for an end to U.S. military aid to Israel with no strings attached, and for an even-handed policy that encourages negotiations to find peaceful solutions. For specific points rebutting the falsehoods in the Senate and House Bills, email us at is.pales@brooklynpeace.org
- Rep. John Olver and 61 other members of Congress released a "Dear Colleague" letter to Secretary of State Clinton, expressing their "deep concern for the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip and to request immediate action by the United States to address this crisis." Read text of the letter here. Yvette D. Clarke was the only Brooklyn representative to sign the letter. Please contact her office to express your thanks for this action.
- Call on President Obama to break with Bush's policy of unconditional support of Israel's illegal military actions. Insist that the U.S. work for negotiation not confrontation.
- Join in speakouts, demonstrations and vigils to protest the continued occupation and blockade of Gaza. To be notified of future actions, contact us at is.pales@brooklynpeace.org
More information
A consortium of Israeli human rights groups runs a scrupulously fair blog with updated information on the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. The consortium includes B'tselem (The Israeli Information Center for Human Rights in the Occupied Territories), Adalah (The legal centre for Arab minority rights in Israel), Amnesty International — Israel Section , Physicians for Human Rights-Israel, and Rabbis for Human Rights
The International Middle East Media Center provides news headlines, updated daily, with short news briefs and pictures, covering Gaza, the West Bank, and East Jerusalem.
The Institute for Middle East Understanding provides daily headlines on the region with links to recent articles in newspapers in Israel, the UK, Middle East.
For updates on major campaigns in the U.S. about the situation in Gaza, see: United for Peace and Justice and the U.S. Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation
See more on the activities of Brooklyn for Peace's Israel-Palestine Committee
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