To: US White House and US State Department

Subject: Condemn Israeli Aggression in Gaza

African Americans for Justice in the Middle East and North Africa
Statement Regarding the Aggression Against Gaza

African Americans for Justice in the Middle East and North Africa (AAJMENA) strongly condemns Israeli aggression against the Palestinian people in Gaza. The arguments offered by the Israeli government for its attack on Gaza are nakedly cynical in both form and content. That a truce had been negotiated, with the assistance of the Egyptian government, between Israel and Hamas only to be broken by the Israeli assassination of Hamas military commander Ahmad Jabari clearly indicates that the Netanyahu government is not interested in peace. Israel is responsible for the escalating violence and for this epic breach of human rights.

This crisis underscores a stunning power imbalance. Nuclear-armed Israel, by far the most powerful military force in the Middle East (and among the mightiest in the world), has unleashed its immense war making capacity on Gaza’s captive population, mobilizing warships and tanks and launching more than 1,000 F-16 airstrikes since the attack began. The use of such weapons on civilians is a flagrant violation of the U.S. Arms Export Control Act.

The aggression against Gaza must be understood as the latest act in the decades-long oppression of the Palestinian people at the hands of the Israeli government. Blockaded Gaza has been plunged into misery by the Israeli-U.S. effort to thwart the democratic will of the Palestinian people as demonstrated in their 2006 legislative elections. When a coup was attempted against Hamas—and failed—the Israelis sealed Gaza, spinning events to make it appear that those not interested in peace were the Palestinians. As a result, Gaza is the largest open-air prison in the world, with 1.5 million people locked into a roughly 140-square-mile strip of land. This latest humanitarian crisis has caused the disproportionate death and suffering of Palestinians, but casualties on both sides will be the consequence of Israeli aggression.

Rather than taking a stand against Israeli’s onslaught and issuing an unambiguous demand for an end to the bloodshed, the Obama administration has condemned alleged Palestinian terrorism, repeating the dishonest line that this violent attack is merely in defense of Israel (a position reinforced by the one-sided coverage of the corporate news media). This represents a massive failure on the administration’s part. For all Obama’s denunciation of the Assad regime in Syria, it appears that his administration regards the outright slaughter of civilians in Palestine as acceptable. It is crucial that we recognize the extent of U.S. complicity in the bloodshed; our tax dollars ($8.5 million a day) enable Israeli militarism at a time when those funds are desperately needed to fill gaps in services and infrastructure back home.

As African Americans and people of African descent in the U.S. from academia, activism and various social movements, we cannot remain silent. We call upon all people of good will to:

1. Endorse this statement.

2. Communicate with the White House and the U.S. Department of State to request that President Obama demand that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu and the IDF cease the bombardment of Gaza and withdraw their armed forces immediately. Insist that the U.S. condition aid to Israel on compliance with U.S. and international law.

3. Contact the Israeli embassy in Washington, D.C. and demand that Israel withdraw its forces and end the blockade.

4. Send your local media outlet a “letter to the editor” expressing outrage against the provocative and murderous acts of the Israeli government.

5. Join protests against Israeli aggression.

6. Support Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (www.bdsmovement.net) and U.S. Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (www.usacbi.org), and back the efforts of labor unions and student groups to compel their employers and administrators to divest from companies that do business in Israel.

Signed,

Kali Akuno

Adisa Alkebulan

Ajamu Baraka

Carl Bloice

Christopher Cathcart

Felicia Eaves

Bill Fletcher, Jr.

Angela Gilliam

Rev. Graylan S. Hagler

Maurice Jackson

James Jennings

Robin D. G. Kelley

Mel King

Leila McDowell

Premilla Nadasen

Christopher Pierson

Barbara Ransby

Russell J. Rickford

Lynn Roberts

Robyn C. Spencer

Roger Toussant

Johnny Eric Williams 

Signatures  from change.org

Name Location Date

Tyler Nadasen-Gladstone mt vernon, NY, United States 2012-11-18

Roderick Bush Brooklyn, NY, United States 2012-11-18

Shehzad Nadeem Brooklyn, NY, United States 2012-11-18

Michael Letwin Brooklyn, NY, United States 2012-11-18

shemeer bappirambeth rak, United Arab Emirates 2012-11-18

Leigh Hill Los Angeles, CA, United States 2012-11-18

Agustin Lao Amherst, MA, United States 2012-11-18

Bonita Behun Sebastopol, CA, United States 2012-11-18

Fanon Wilkins Kyoto, Japan 2012-11-18

dream hampton Vineyard Haven, MA, United States 2012-11-18

Naomi Wallace Skipton, United Kingdom 2012-11-18

Charles Holm Lincoln, NE, United States 2012-11-18

Tyehimba Jess Brooklyn, NY, United States 2012-11-18

Mona Khalidi Cairo, Egypt 2012-11-18

Rev. Heber Brown, III Baltimore, MD, United States 2012-11-18

May Seikaly Ann Arbor , MI, United States 2012-11-18

Tanalis Padilla Lebanon, NH, United States 2012-11-18

ismail khalidi New York, NY, United States 2012-11-18

Mark Naison Brooklyn, NY, United States 2012-11-18

Robert Newby Mount Pleasant, MI, United States 2012-11-18

Robert Herr Lebanon, NH, United States 2012-11-18

s e anderson brooklyn, NY, United States 2012-11-18

Akinyele Umoja Atlanta, GA, United States 2012-11-18

Shakale George Riverdale, GA, United States 2012-11-18

Robert Jackson Atlanta, GA, United States 2012-11-18

eric bridges Atlanta, GA, United States 2012-11-18

chuck mccune albuquerque, NM, United States 2012-11-18

orlando scott decatur, GA, United States 2012-11-18

Kimberly Springer Ann Arbor, OH, United States 2012-11-18

Katherine Ames Lansing, MI, United States 2012-11-18  

Name Location Date Name Location Date

Anne Remley Ann Arbor, MI, United States 2012-11-18

Rachael Holder New York, NY, United States 2012-11-18

Sheniqua Lewis New York, NY, United States 2012-11-18

Erik McDuffie Urbana, IL, United States 2012-11-18

Adriana Bohm Wilmington, DE, United States 2012-11-18

Grace Loehr Berkeley, CA, United States 2012-11-18

Donna Murch New York, NY, United States 2012-11-18

Arnim Johnson Chicago, IL, United States 2012-11-18

Kia Corthron New York, NY, United States 2012-11-18

Roger Toussaint Kennesaw, GA, United States 2012-11-18

Aina Niaz Urbana, IL, United States 2012-11-18

Mary Sandoval West Hartford, CT, United States 2012-11-18

Stephanie Gilmore carlisle, PA, United States 2012-11-18

Kwanza X Justice, GA, United States 2012-11-18

Erica Chito Childs Bronx , NY, United States 2012-11-18

Jill Harrison Baltimore, MD, United States 2012-11-18

Premilla Nadasen Mount Vernon, NY, United States 2012-11-18

Widad AlBassam Chicgo, IL, United States 2012-11-18

Keith Harrison Chicago, IL, United States 2012-11-18

George Vlasits Wilmington, NC, United States 2012-11-18

Lynette Jackson Chicago, IL, United States 2012-11-18

Noel Cazenave Unit B, CT, United States 2012-11-18

thomas volscho west orange, NJ, United States 2012-11-18

Hannah Mermelstein Brooklyn, NY, United States 2012-11-18

Maurice Wade West Hartford, CT, United States 2012-11-18

Martin Perna Houston, TX, United States 2012-11-18

Jonathan Rivas Bronx, NY, United States 2012-11-18

Renee Lansley Framingham, MA, United States 2012-11-18

Rosalía Abreu Queens, NY, United States 2012-11-18

Mayowa Willoughby Hanover, NH, United States 2012-11-18

Mayowa Willoughby Houston, Ukraine 2012-11-18

Amanda Alexander New Haven, CT, United States 2012-11-18

 

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