Protest Israel’s indiscriminate attacks on Palestinian civilians in the Gaza Strip

Why: Israeli military forces have killed 77 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip since beginning its military offensive on Wednesday, November 1. Today, Israel’s 12-missle shelling of five homes in the Al-Kafarnah neighborhood left 18 civilians dead, including 7 children, 6 women and 11 members of the same family. Click here to read more. These attacks are being carried out with US weapons provided as military aid to Israel, in violation of the US Arms Export Control and Foreign Assistance Acts.  The US Arms Export Control Acts limits the use of US-supplied weapons to self-defense and internal policing and forbids their use against civilians.  The Foreign Assistance Act bans all US assistance to countries which engage in a systematic pattern of human rights violations. 
 
How:

Urge your new Members of Congress to hold Israel accountable for its violation of US laws and to exert pressure on Israel to abide by international law and human rights. Click here to find contact information for your Members of Congress.

Organize a vigil and/or demonstration in front of your city council or in front of one of the nine Israeli embassies in the United States. Click here to find the closest Israeli embassy. 
Urge your local media to contact the English-speaking media contacts in the Gaza Strip listed below:

              Dr Mona Elfaraa, Doctor at Al Awda Hospital in Beit Hanoun.
              Tel: +972 599 410 741 and +970 82846602
              fromgaza.blogspot.com

              Dr Abu Ala’a, Professor at Gaza University.
              Tel: + 972 599441766

              Dr Asad A. Shark, Gaza Strip, + 972 599 322636

              Dr Ayoub Othman, + 972 599 412 826

              Yousef Alhelou, Journalist based in Beit Hanoun.
              Tel: + 972599697254.
              Email: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

Join the international day of action to Stop the Siege-Stop the War against Gaza For more information on the international day of action contact, Debby Lerman at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) or +972-52-457-0704.

Background:
Between 2000 and 2006, Israel has killed 2,300 Gazans, including 300 in the past 4 months since Palestinian fighters kidnapped an Israeli soldier in a cross-border raid on June 25, 2006.
In the past 8 days, Israel has killed 83 Palestinian civilians in northern Gaza. Among those murdered were:
 
2 women participating in a non-violent march to release their male kin trapped inside of a mosque in Beit Hanoun, Radwa Ibrahim Jaber (48) from Jabalia Refugee Camp & Ibtisam Yousef Mas’oud (44) from Jabalia Refugee Camp;

2 paramedics assisting wounded Palestinian civilians in Beit Lahiya, Sami Abdullah Abu Sal’a (28) from the town of Jabalia & Mohammad Samir Mahmoud (17) from the town of Jabalia;  and

A 4-year old child, Bara Riyad Mohammad Fayyad from Beith Hanoun, who was wounded during the shelling of his home.

Humanitarian Crisis:
Israel’s military offensive on Gaza compounds the humanitarian crisis crippling Gazan livelihoods. According to the World Bank, “Palestinians are currently experiencing the worst economic depression in modern history.” At present, unemployment is approaching an unprecedented level of 40% and as of April 2006, 79% of Gazan households were living in poverty.
 
The humanitarian crisis is a result of the economic boycott called by the European Union and the United States in response to the democratic election of Hamas to leadership of the Palestinian Legislative Council in January 2006. The boycott effectively suspends $1.3 billion in aid annually. Additionally, Israel has withheld $55 million per month in tax revenue, totaling close to half a billion dollars to date.

In addition to an economic boycott, Gazan residents must also contend with virtual closure. Palestinian workers from Gaza have not been allowed entry to Israel—Gaza’s major employment market—since March 12, 2006. All major entry and exit points have been sealed since June 25, 2006.

On June 28, 2006 Israel shelled Gaza’s major electric power generator which provided 45% of Gaza’s electricity, imperiling Palestinian access to vaccines, dairy products, fresh foods and clean water.
Hamas has repeatedly called for cease-fire this year, April 7, 2006,  June 16, 2006, and July 8, 2006.
The most recent call for a cease-fire came from Hamas spokesperson, Ahmed Yousef in an New York Times op-ed on November 1st.

In response to Hamas’ repeated calls for calm, Israel has rejected calls for a cease-fire and has chosen to continue its indiscriminate military attacks instead.

  US Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation          

  PO Box 21539 Washington, DC 20009 phone: 202-332-0994 http://www.endtheoccupation.