Learning to love apartheid

How do our governmental representatives learn to stop worrying and love apartheid? There is a discouragingly long list of progressive sellouts who have talked about human rights for Palestinians before they ran for office, only to forget about the suffering of five million once elected.  

I am not talking about Trump, who learned to love Israel when Sheldon Adelson showered him with a hundred million. No, I am talking about Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who spoke openly about Israel's racist oppression, only to clam up when the Israel Lobby cash started flowing. And what about our brave new House member, Antonio Delgado, who won't let the word Palestine slip from his lips? His price? $31,723 last year from the Lobby (OpenSecrets.org). Or our new senator from Georgia, Raphael Warnock, who described the government of Israel as "shooting down unarmed Palestinian sisters and brother like birds of prey" before he was elected. Now he is off to the bank with this year's payment of $444,659 from the Israel Lobby, having taken back all his rash words for the generous donations. 

Israel's influence on our government is as strong as that of Big Pharma, Big Banks, or Big Oil. It is a system drowning in cash and corruption. No matter whom we elect, they end up selling their souls for the money. When it comes to supporting the racist, Jewish supremacist regime in the Middle East, they become PEP, progressive except for Palestine. 

The Israel Lobby is poisoning our democracy.

Fred Nagel

 

Whom Does Delgado Work For?

Last summer Rep. Antonio Delgado was asked in an Open Letter to support H.R. 2407, the "No Way to Treat a Child Act," which made our $3.8 billion in foreign aid to Israel contingent on their ending their flagrant military detention and abuse of children. Delgado’s response to the over 2000 signatories was no response; he refused to meet with a coalition of local groups like Jewish Voice for Peace, Women in Black, MECR, and Veterans for Peace. The groups were forced to send him a video appeal, which he, too, ignored.

This year Rep. Betty McCollum has introduced a similar bill, H.R. 2590, “The Palestinian Children and Families Act,” to ensure no U.S. tax dollars fund the Israeli military’s imprisonment of Palestinian children, demolition of family homes, and further theft of Palestinian land. “U.S. assistance intended for Israel’s security,” she argues, “must never be used to violate the human rights of Palestinian children.” Delgado’s response? He has added his signature to a letter opposing her bill and supporting unrestricted aid to Israel. 

Your representative’s job is to represent YOU. So if you live in Congressional District 19 and disagree with Delgado’s giving Israel a free ride, tell him so by calling his offices (Kingston: 845-443-2930, DC: 202-225-5614). Then sign the Open Letter here: http://chng.it/vtSpBJnz6h

Lisa Mullenneaux

Urge Support for H.R. 2590, “The Palestinian Children and Families Act”

Recently various Representatives of Congress, including Delgado and Maloney, signed an open letter supporting the unconditional $3.8 Billion yearly aid to Israel, despite Israel’s flagrant human rights violations. There is a better choice.

H.R. 2590, “The Palestinian Children and Families Act,” seeks to promote justice, equality and human rights by ensuring no U.S. tax dollars fund the Israeli military’s imprisonment of Palestinian children; demolition of Palestinian homes; and further confiscation of Palestinian land in the Israeli-occupied West Bank in violation of international law. Rep. Betty McCollum introduced the bill by asserting “U.S. assistance intended for Israel’s security must never be used to violate the human rights of Palestinian children.” 

Each year Israel prosecutes 500 to 700 Palestinian children under 18 in military courts that lack fundamental fair trial rights and protections. Ill-treatment during detention is the norm according to UNICEF. Minors are bound, blindfolded and sometimes beaten when arrested, and not allowed to have a lawyer or parent present during interrogation, where abuse and coerced confessions are common. They’re held in prison from arrest until completing their sentence with no bail. Harsh treatment often leads to long-term trauma.  See -> https://nwttac.dci-palestine.org. 

Recently Human Rights Watch and B’Tselem, an Israeli human rights group - have documented Israel’s apartheid government, which includes the domination of Jewish Israelis over Palestinians coupled with systematic oppression and inhumane acts.

Urge your Representatives to support HR2590 and hold Israel accountable. How can we say no to the children?

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Thanks,

Tom