United States Should Do
Updated 2024-07-30
2024-03-02 Just Two US Lawmakers Sign International Statement Demanding Arms Embargo on Israel More than 200 lawmakers from 13 countries issued a joint statement Friday expressing opposition to their nations’ weapons exports to Israel and pledging to do everything in their power to halt the flow of arms that are being used to massacre Palestinians in Gaza. Just two U.S. lawmakers—Reps. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) and Cori Bush (D-Mo.)—backed the statement.
“We, the undersigned parliamentarians, declare our commitment to end our nations’ arms sales to the state of Israel,” reads the statement, which was coordinated by Progressive International. “Our bombs and bullets must not be used to kill, maim, and dispossess Palestinians. But they are: We know that lethal weapons and their parts, made or shipped through our countries, currently aid the Israeli assault on Palestine that has claimed over 30,000 lives across Gaza and the West Bank.”
The statement’s signatories include legislators from Israel’s top allies and weapons suppliers, including the United States, Germany, the United Kingdom, France, and Canada. The statement includes six signatories from Germany, which is facing an International Court of Justice (ICJ) case alleging complicity in genocide against Palestinians. The lawmakers argued that an arms embargo on Israel is both “a moral necessity” and “a legal requirement,” given the ICJ’s interim ruling in late January. https://www.commondreams.org/news/lawmakers-arms-embargo-israel
2023-12-07 Biden Should Just Say ‘No’ to Israel As U.S. polls showed growing disapproval for Israeli actions and the administration’s timid response, coupled with signs of increasing Arab world dissatisfaction with America’s refusal to rein in Israel, the administration attempted to create even more distance. Key White House talking points now included: urging Israel to adhere to the “rules of war” by limiting civilian casualties, warnings that the U.S. wouldn’t accept the reoccupation of Gaza, and insistence on increased humanitarian assistance to displaced Palestinians. Despite this slight change in tune, there was no shift in policy.
To facilitate this, the U.S. would have to change its “No” at the United Nations to a “Yes” and support a Security Council resolution recognizing Palestine as a state, declaring its continued occupation as a threat to regional peace and security, and ordering an empowered U.N. peacekeeping force to the occupied territories to provide peace and security for both Israelis and Palestinians.
Such moves from the U.S. would undoubtedly cause a shock to both societies. Only under the security provided by such a U.N. mandate would the Palestinians be able to put their house in order. At the same time, the shock of a U.S. “No” to Israel and “Yes” to a U.N. Security Council resolution that would change the status of territories to Palestinian land, Israelis would be left to ask hard questions about where decades of unchecked acquisitiveness and expansion have led them. They would be forced to reexamine whether they could continue to oppress Palestinians with impunity. In the aftershock, sane voices will be able to break through in the public square reigniting both Israeli peace forces and Palestinian moderates. It won’t be easy, but leaving the cancer in place is nothing more than a prescription for certain death. A shock to the system is required and it all begins with a U.S. “No” followed by “Yes.” https://www.commondreams.org/opinion/biden-should-say-no-to-israel
2023-10-29 Bernie Sanders speaking on Palestine Situation https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XQJxNBOOGHw
2023-10-10 Univ. of MD Prof. Shibley Telhami to President Biden: Value Palestinian Life as Well as Israeli Life Middle East scholar Shibley Telhami, who says this latest violence is likely to have a major impact on the wider region, especially if other actors like Lebanon’s Hezbollah fighters get involved in the conflict. He says U.S. President Joe Biden’s support for Israel following the Hamas attack on Saturday was understandable, but that focus must shift to finding a long-term solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. “This is not a military challenge,” says Telhami. “This is a political problem, and the occupation has to be addressed.” https://www.democracynow.org/2023/10/10/shibley_telhami_israel_hamas_war_region
2022-12 15 FAQ #3: Which Palestine/Israel Legislative and Policy Issues Should I Support?
1. Should I support end-use restrictions on US weapons to Israel?
2. Should I support initiatives to hold Israel accountable for human rights abuses?
3. Should I support bills to provide Israel with even more weapons than usual?
4. Should I support bills and resolutions to restrict the First Amendment rights of Americans to boycott for Palestinian freedom?
5 Should I support initiatives to punish or condemn the UN for backing Palestinian rights?
6. Should I support initiatives to cut off funding for Palestinian refugees?
7. Should I support Trump administration weapons deals known as the Abraham Accords? https://imeu.org/article/faq-3-which-palestine-israel-legislative-and-policy-issues-should-i-support
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