Please contact Congress now about Gaza briefing

[palestinianrightssacregion at list.omsoft.com]

Please contact your Congressional representative now and ask them to attend the briefing on Gaza to be held on July 29, 2015, 12noon in 121 Cannon House Office Building in Washington DC.

▪ To have a message sent on your behalf, click here <http://org.salsalabs.com/o/301/p/dia/action3/common/public/?action_KEY=18234> . 

▪  To contact your representative directly, call 202-224-3121 or send an email through: www.house.gov

▪ To find your representative: http://www.house.gov/representatives/find/  

More information from Jewish Voice for Peace:

We’ve got just one week to make sure our Members of Congress attend an important Congressional briefing on Gaza put together by our friends at the U.S. Campaign to End the Occupation.

Here's where you come in. It turns out the single most effective thing you can do is simply send a message to your Representative. We've made it really easy.

 <http://org.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=2BK4aV7wY5XZGuo2WvDb7YE6ynSMmc9q> Will you contact your Rep now and ask him or her to attend the July 29th Congressional briefing: Gaza one year after the devastation of "Operation Protective Edge."

Our strength comes from you. You've taken action online, and raised your voice for human rights. That's why I wanted to write and give you an update about some of the campaigns you’ve been part of. We didn't win them all, but every time we show politicians that Jews and allies alike care about standing up for Palestine, we've moved the needle.

·      Iran Deal: In the last week, 12,000 supporters have contacted their Representatives, urging them to support diplomacy and oppose war with Iran. It's going to be a close one, but I'm optimistic that warmongers in Congress won't have the votes to override a veto. If you haven't already,  <http://org.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=ARJtGoQemKESBUzxoLdSjYE6ynSMmc9q> contact your Representative and urge them to stand for peace. This summer our chapters will be meeting with Representatives in person to ask them to support the agreement.

·      Fast-Track:  We joined a coalition of labor, environmental, and peace and justice organizations in the fight against Fast-Track, which, beyond facilitating shady trade deals, made it a "principal U.S. trade negotiating objectives” to prevent boycott, divestment, and sanctions of Israel. Even though Fast-Track passed, the U.S. State Department released a statement asserting that the United States will not extend its diplomatic protection to Israeli settlements. As reported by columnist Chemi Shalev in Haaretz: "The boycott of settlements, in effect, has now been officially stamped “kosher” by the State Department." 

·      Child Detention: The Chicago Faith Coalition on Middle East Policy, American Friends Service Committee, and Defense for Children International Palestine , are doing an incredible job leading the No Way to Treat a Child Campaign, working to end the military detention of Palestinian children. JVP has joined the coalition and we asked you to contact your Members of Congress and encourage them to sign on to a letter to Secretary of State John Kerry, calling on him to make the protecting of Palestinian children a priority in the U.S. - Israel relationship. You helped get 19 Member of Congress to sign the letter!

And just in the last week, 23,000 of you have stepped up to defend Susiya, pushing the State Department to take forceful steps to prevent the demolition of that West Bank Village.

It's true what they say, "First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win." The new spate of anti-boycott legislation at both the State and Federal level is a sign of our power. Why else would defenders of Israel’s human rights abuses try to ram provisions into unrelated legislation?

We didn't win all these fights, but by suiting up and making our voices heard, we’re continuing to move forward our movement for justice. The forces of militarism and fear are trying to stop our movement, but they will not succeed. 

L’Shalom – may we move together towards peace and wholeness,

Rabbi Joseph

 

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