Take Action to End the Assault on Gaza

Dear Friends,

How awful to start this new year with a message calling for urgent action to stop a brutal military assault, but the ongoing situation in Gaza demands that we raise our voices.

Since Saturday, Dec. 27th, the Israeli government has bombarded the Gaza Strip. The latest news reports at least 400 Palestinians have been killed and more than 2,000 wounded. Many of these people are suffering with serious wounds while medical professionals are doing their best to treat people even though they lack the most basic medicines and equipment.

And there is no end in sight. The Israeli government has rejected the plea for a 48-hour cease-fire which would have allowed some aid to get into the Gaza Strip. The troop and equipment buildup on the Gaza border could mean Israel is planning a ground invasion, which would not come as a big surprise since Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has said the air strikes are merely "the first stage."

We cannot forget the role of the U.S. government in this: Israel's current attack and their ongoing siege of the Gaza Strip would not have been possible without the massive military and political support provided by Washington. As explained by the U.S. Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation: "From 2001-2006, the United States transferred to Israel more than $200 million worth of spare parts to fly its fleet of F16's and more than $100 million worth of helicopter spare parts for its fleet of Apaches. In July 2008, the United States gave Israel 186 million gallons of JP-8 aviation jet fuel and signed a contract to transfer an additional $1.9 billion worth of littoral combat ships to the Israeli navy. 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."

NOW IS THE TIME TO TAKE ACTION!

Below are several Action Ideas from the U.S. Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation. Be sure to check their website for frequent updates about ongoing efforts to end the occupation and U.S. support for the occupation.

And be sure to keep checking the UFPJ website for up-to-date information about this critically important work as well as the other peace and justice efforts of United For Peace and Justice.

Please make a financial contribution today to help us keep doing this vitally important work. Thank you so much.

peace,

Leslie Cagan
National Coordinator, UFPJ

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STOP THE ASSAULT ON GAZA!
URGENT ACTION SUGGESTIONS from the U.S. Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation

1. Take to the streets and make your opposition public.

We must keep up the protests until there is a cease-fire and a lifting of the siege of Gaza. We're calling on everyone to continue to organize protests in your community. Thousands of people have already taken to the streets in New York, Washington, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Dearborn, MI and dozens of other cities to protest Israel's attacks on the Gaza Strip. We're maintaining a comprehensive listing of all protests -- more than 100 in at least 30 states and 65 cities so far -- on our website and updating it continuously. Join a protest near you or organize one and send us the details. If you know of a protest not listed on our site, send us all the logistical details and contact information by clicking here.

2. Educate and organize people in your community.

We are encouraging everyone to attend public events in your communities to pass put information on Israel's atrocities in Gaza and to collect signatures to end U.S. military aid to Israel. Download a flyer by clicking here and a petition by clicking here and make copies. Also, sign up as a volunteer organizer to challenge military aid to Israel by clicking here and we'll send you an organizing packet with fact sheets, petitions, and the postcards below.

3. Get the message out to the media. Call in to talk radio programs and write letters to the editors. To download talking points for the media, click here. To find contact information for your local media, click here.

4. Contact your elected representatives and set up emergency meetings with your Members of Congress before January 6.
Demand from the President, your Representative, and Senators an unconditional, immediate cease-fire; full humanitarian access to Gaza and a lifting of Israel's siege; and accountability for Israel's misuse of U.S. weapons to kill Palestinian civilians. Send your letter today by clicking here.

Congress is scheduled to go back into session on Jan. 6th. Until then, many Members of Congress are in their home districts. Assemble a delegation of concerned constituents and request an immediate meeting with them. For contact information, click here. For tips on how to arrange a meeting, click here.

In these meetings, ask your Members of Congress to send a public letter to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and make a public statement with the political demands above. To download a sample letter to give to your Members of Congress, click here. Also give them a copy of our open letter to President Elect-Obama signed by more than 250 organizations entitled "We Need a Change in Israel/Palestine Policy" to show them that there is growing and widespread opposition to our country's policy of support for Israel's human rights abuses of Palestinians. Download a PDF copy of the letter by clicking here. If you can take the lead in arranging an emergency meeting with your Members of Congress, please fill out this brief form by clicking here.

5. Step Up the Pressure on the New Administration and Congress. Sign our open letter to President Elect-Obama by clicking here. This open letter will be published as a full-page ad on Inauguration Day. Add your individual and organizational endorsements to it today by clicking here. Then spread the word by copying and pasting the flash graphic below into your email signature, blog, social networking site, or webpage and join our Facebook group and forward it to all your friends.


Join us in Washington, DC on January 20 for Inauguration Day to say "Yes We Can…End U.S. Military Aid to Israel!" Sign up to help us pass out information and collect signatures by clicking here.

And join us again in Washington, DC for a Grassroots Advocacy Training and Lobby Day on February 1-2 with Interfaith Peace-Builders. Gain the skills you need to change U.S. policy toward Palestine/Israel to support human rights, international law, and equality, and express your concerns directly to your Members of Congress. Space is filling up fast. For more information and to register, click here.




Help us continue to do this critical work: Make a donation to UFPJ today.
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