Stop H.Con.Res. 371

March 10th, 2004 Donna Baranski-Walker

Oppose House Resolution on Israel’s Wall
US Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation

Members of Congress are considering a resolution supporting Israel’s wall and condemning the International Court of Justice for offering an advisory opinion on it. Act now to educate your Representative about the realities of the wall and stop this resolution from passing.

ISSUE & LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:

Rep. Mike Pence (IN-6) introduced on February 26 House Concurrent Resolution 371, Supporting the construction by Israel of a security fence to prevent Palestinian terrorist attacks and condemning the decision by the United Nations General Assembly to request the International Court of Justice to render an opinion on the legality of the security fence. H.Con.Res.371 was referred to the House International Relations Committee. As of March 5, the resolution had 90 cosponsors. To see if your Representative has cosponsored the resolution, see the US Campaign’s Congressional Report Card at:
http://endtheoccupation.org/article.php?list=type&type=59.
Cosponsors of this resolution have received a -1 in column 7.

The full text of the resolution can be read at: http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/getdoc.cgi?dbname=108_cong_bil ls&docid=f:hc371ih.txt.pdf.

ACTION REQUESTED:

Fax, call, and/or email your Representative and ask him/her not to cosponsor House Concurrent Resolution 371 (H.Con.Res.371). If your Representative has already cosponsored this resolution, ask him/her to withdraw his/her support for it.

HOW CAN CONGRESS GET AWAY WITH RESOLUTIONS LIKE THESE?:

Congress can seriously consider such unproductive and unbalanced resolutions on Israel/Palestine policy because the vast majority of U.S. citizens who want a foreign policy based on peace, justice, human rights, and international law are silent while those who push extremist agendas are vocal. We can’t create political change if we don’t engage the political system. Join forces with the US Campaign to change U.S. policy toward Israel/Palestine. We are coordinating political efforts in more than 130 congressional districts through our Congressional District Coordinator network. Get involved and coordinate your political efforts with ours. Together we can mobilize enough grassroots pressure to change policy. For more information, please contact us at congress @ endtheoccupation.org.

Sample Letter - Please send via FAX or EMAIL

Senator or Congressperson
Address in Washington DC (http://www.congress.org)
FAX:
Attn: Senior Staff Member you spoke to by phone

Re: Security Barrier in Israel

Dear < Name of Senator or Congressperson>:

I’m asking you to intervene on an urgent matter. The Israeli Supreme Court is expected to rule soon on a petition regarding the Separation Wall and its effect on a cluster of ten Palestinian villages. I’m writing to ask that you speak up for the basic rights of these villagers, on my behalf.

An unusual coalition of support has arisen to save these West Bank villages from the disastrous effects of the Separation Wall. This follows weeks of non-violent protest against the Wall in the villages of Beit Suriq, Biddu and eight others, which were joined by Rabbis for Human Rights and other Israeli and international peace activists, at the villagers? request.

In a very unusual development, Israelis from the Jerusalem suburb of Mevasserat Zion have come to the defense of their neighbors - with whom they’ve co-existed peacefully for 37 years - to save their lands and livelihoods. Some 200 residents of Mevasserat Zion signed a petition submitted to the Israeli Supreme Court objecting to the damage the wall would cause Beit Suriq and the other villages. On Wednesday, March 10, a group of security experts appointed by the Israeli Peace and Security Council submitted a report declaring that the Separation Barrier harms the villagers with no security justification. Former high-ranking officers in the IDF, police and security forces signed this analysis.

As planned, the wall will:

• Separate these Palestinian villagers from 12,500 acres of mostly agricultural land
• Create an economic and humanitarian disaster for some 30,000 people
• Encircle several villages, cutting residents off from jobs, access to essential services and shopping
• Deprive them of use of all eight of their water wells, essential for summer survival.

My concern for these villages is an example of why Congress should not pass HRes 371, which pledges unconditional support for Israel’s separation wall.

I urge you to make two calls, as soon as possible, to avert this disaster:

1. To the Israeli Embassy to urge that the Wall not be allowed to abridge the human rights and livelihoods of these Palestinians.

2. To the U.S. State Department to urge Israel to reroute the wall so that it doesn?t separate these villagers from their agricultural land, nor unduly restrict their freedom of movement

To describe my involvement in this issue, I am a (please include your profession, eg. California architect> and Our group has over members in .

I am counting on your to let me know about the response of the Israeli Embassy and State Department to your calls. I look forward to hearing from you.

Sincerely,

Your Name
title and contact info. (phone and email)

March 10th, 2004

Urgent Action Alert

Help Unusual Coalition Save 10 Villages - Be Their Voices to US Congress

Dear Friend of The Rebuilding Alliance,

An unusual coalition of Palestinians and Israelis is speaking out to save a cluster of Palestinian towns threatened by the Separation Wall. When Congress complains, their voices and yours — will stop the Wall. Please urge your congressperson to register concern with the Israeli Embassy, on your behalf.

Palestinians from the villages of Beit Suriq, Biddu and eight other nearby villages, have been joined by Israelis from the Jerusalem suburb of Mevasseret Zion in petitioning the Israeli Supreme Court. They’ve asked the Court to reconsider the building of the Separation Wall in this area, which will cause unnecessary confiscation of Palestinian land and needless, but extreme, hardships for the residents of the affected towns.

In an extraordinary development, a group of experts appointed by the Israeli Peace and Security Council submitted a report to the court today declaring that the Separation Barrier harms the villagers in the Beit Suriq area with no security justification. Former high-ranking officers in the IDF, police and security forces signed this analysis. The Court’s ruling is expected tomorrow, Thursday, March 11.

PLEASE CALL YOUR CONGRESSPERSON. Ask to speak to the senior staffer for Middle East policy or foreign policy. Tell them that your concern for these villages is an example of why Congress should not pass HRes 371, which pledges unconditional support for Israel’s Separation Wall. (For more information on this Resolution and to find out where your congressperson stands on this issue, go to http://endtheoccupation.org)

- Ask to speak to your congress person?s senior staffer — then ask him or her to make two calls on your behalf:

1. To the US State Department to urge Israel to reconsider building this Wall and causing these villagers unnecessary hardship without any security justification.

2. To the Israeli Embassy to urge that the petition be accepted and the Wall not be allowed to abridge the human rights and livelihoods of these Palestinians.

- Ask that staffer to call you back as soon as they get through. Call and remind them if you don’t hear from them in a few days time.

- Forward this e-mail to your friends.

Talking Points:

• The wall as planned will
  - separate the villagers from their agricultural lands, putting a wall between them and 50,000 dunams of land (about 12,500 acres) of which 30,000 dunams are cultivated or planted with fruit trees:
  - deprive them of access to all eight of their water wells, essential for survival in summer
  - completely encircle several villages, making it difficult, if not impossible for them to get to jobs, to shop or obtain essential services
• The petitioning villages are: Beit Suriq, Biddu, Qattana, Al Qubeiba, Beit Anan, Beit Lekiya, Deit Duqqu, Beit Ijza, Nebi Samual and Beit Iksa.
• The Israeli suburb of Mevasseret Zion, directly abutting these villages, wants the Wall moved.
• High Ranking Generals, 300 veterans and a group of Ex-Mayors issued an analysis stating that this wall causes excessive harm to the villagers with no security justification.
• This class action is but one example among so many. Please vote against H.Res 371.

If you can make this call today, who knows what walls will come tumbling down? For more information on the efforts to save these villages, please go to Rebuildingalliance.org.

Sincerely,
Donna Baranski-Walker, Director, The Rebuilding Alliance