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win without war
Jayapal Slams Israeli Government After US Activist Killed in West Bank
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government, she said, "has done nothing to stop settlement expansion and settler violence in the West Bank, often encouraged by right-wing ministers."
Sep 06, 2024
U.S. Rep. Pramila Jayapal blasted Israel's government on Friday after Israeli forces reportedly killed American activist Aysenur Ezgi Eygi while the 26-year-old was protesting the expansion of settlements in the illegally occupied West Bank.
"My heart goes out to Aysenur's family, friends, and loved ones," Jayapal (D-Wash.) said in a statement. "This is a terrible tragedy, and I extend my condolences to all those in mourning today. My office is actively working to gather more information on the events that led to her death."
Eygi, who had dual citizenship in the United States and Turkey, graduated from the University of Washington earlier this year.
"I am very troubled by the reports that she was killed by Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) soldiers," said Jaypal, who chairs the Congressional Progressive Caucus. Citing witnesses, AJ+reported that Eygi was killed by a "deliberate shot to the head" in the town of Beita, near the settlement of Evyatar.
"The killing of an American citizen is a terrible proof point in this senseless war of rising tensions in the region."
The congresswoman charged that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government "has done nothing to stop settlement expansion and settler violence in the West Bank, often encouraged by right-wing ministers of the Netanyahu government."
"The killing of an American citizen is a terrible proof point in this senseless war of rising tensions in the region," added Jayapal, a critic of Israel's 11-month assault of the Gaza Strip, which has killed over 40,878 Palestinians and led to a genocide case at the International Court of Justice.
The U.S. government has provided Israel with diplomatic support and billions of dollars in military assistance since it launched the assault on Gaza in retaliation for the October 7 Hamas-led attack, in which more than 1,100 people were killed and over 240 others were taken hostage.
U.S. Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.), the only Palestinian American in Congress and a fierce critic of the Israeli government, responded to Eygi's killing by calling out American diplomats in a series of posts on social media Friday.
Matthew Miller, a spokesperson at the U.S. State Department, said that "we are aware of the tragic death of an American citizen, Aysenur Eygi, today in the West Bank. We offer our deepest condolences to her family and loved ones. We are urgently gathering more information about the circumstances of her death, and will have more to say as we learn more. We have no higher priority than the safety and security of American citizens."
Noting his statement, Tlaib said: "Hey how'd they die, Matt? Was it magic? Who or what killed Aysenur? Asking on behalf of Americans who want to know."
The congresswoman slammed U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken for his "complete and utter failure in keeping Americans safe," and urged him to "do something to save lives!"
Tlaib also reposted Zeteo News reporter Prem Thakker's list of Americans killed by Israeli forces. In addition to Eygi, they include teenagers Mohammad Khdour and Tawfic Abdel Jabbar; World Central Kitchen worker Jacob Flickinger; journalist Shireen Abu Akleh; and peace activist Rachel Corrie.
"Today, yet another U.S. citizen was shot dead in the West Bank, almost certainly by Israeli soldiers," said Win Without War executive director Sara Haghdoosti, urging President Joe Biden's administration to direct the Federal Bureau of Investigation to launch an immediate investigation.
"Today's tragedy is not a one-off," she stressed. "Violence in the occupied West Bank, driven by right-wing settlers and backed up by Israeli security services, has been increasing since the horrific attacks of October 7th and has spiked in recent weeks. In the last 10 days alone, Israeli security forces have killed 36 Palestinians in the West Bank, including eight children."
Haghdoosti noted that "in February, President Biden declared that settler violence in the West Bank constitutes 'an unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security and foreign policy of the United States' and promised strict sanctions against those responsible for harming civilians there."
"Eygi's killing is both a confirmation of and a challenge to the president's declaration: A U.S. citizen has been slain, and now it is up to the Biden administration to use the many tools at its disposal to determine who is responsible and hold them accountable," she argued.
"The Justice Department announced indictments this week for Hamas leaders involved in killing U.S. citizens—an entirely appropriate action when Americans are killed abroad," she added. "We are horrified by Hamas' murders, including that of U.S. citizen Hersh Goldberg-Polin last week. The Goldberg-Polin family deserves justice, and so do Aysenur Eygi's loved ones."
This post has been updated with comment from Win Without War.
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Calls to Boycott Netanyahu Speech Grow as Israeli PM Heads to DC
A new coalition of advocacy groups—some of them Jewish-led—are urging lawmakers to "amplify the voices of those in Israel, Palestine, and around the world who reject Netanyahu's failed leadership."
Jul 22, 2024
Pressure is mounting on U.S. lawmakers to skip Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's scheduled address to Congress later this week, as a newly formed coalition of civil society groups announced a protest against the far-right leader—whose policies and actions in Gaza are on trial for genocide at the World Court.
As Netanyahu "brings to Congress his message of extending and expanding the devastating war in Gaza, neglecting the safety of Israeli hostages, and ensuring impunity for the actions of his government, an alternative message must be heard," the new coalition said in a statement Monday. "To amplify a message of safety, freedom, just peace, collective liberation, and human rights for ALL Palestinians and Israelis, nine diverse groups have come together to form the Peace and Justice Protest Bloc."
The groups—American Friends of Combatants for Peace (AFCFP), Win Without War, T'ruah, Sisterhood of Salaam Shalom, Israelis for Peace, Halachic Left, and three local chapters of Supporters of Standing Together—"will come together in Washington this week to urge members of Congress to skip Netanyahu's speech, sponsor community events with peace activists from the region, and amplify the voices of those in Israel, Palestine, and around the world who reject Netanyahu's failed leadership."
"The bloc, made up of hundreds of Israelis, Palestinians, Arabs, Jews, and allies, will unite to demonstrate that collective struggle and liberation are possible, and there is a growing movement that embodies it," the coalition added. "We must act now to ensure that the voices for a just peace are louder than those of division and bloodshed."
A larger protest by a coalition of groups including Palestinian Youth Movement, National Students for Justice in Palestine, CodePink, ANSWER Coalition, the People's Forum, International Peoples' Assembly, Al-Awda-N.Y., and the Palestinian American Community Center-N.J. is also planned for Wednesday, when Netanyahu is set to speak. Organizers are planning to surround the U.S. Capitol.
"A visit by Netanyahu to Congress and the U.S. confirms something we already knew: The United States of America financially and morally supports the slaughter of Palestinians happening in Gaza," said CodePink Palestine campaign coordinator Nour Jaghama, who was arrested outside the Republican National Convention last week after being falsely accused of assaulting a Republican lawmaker. "They are no better than Netanyahu and every single Israeli official who orders the dropping of bombs on sieges on hospitals."
Groups including the Council on American Islamic Relations and CodePink have circulated petitions urging members of Congress to boycott Netanyahu's speech, which is set for Wednesday. Numerous congressional Democrats have already said they will not attend the address, as has Independent U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, who on Monday reaffirmed why he'll skip the speech.
"Netanyahu and his right-wing, extremist government have waged total war against the Palestinian people, killing at least 39,000 Palestinians and injuring 89,000—60% of whom are women, children, or elderly people," Sanders said. "Netanyahu should not be welcomed into the United States Congress."
"On the contrary, his policies in Gaza and the West Bank and his refusal to support a two-state solution should be roundly condemned," the senator added. "In my view, his right-wing, extremist government should not receive another nickel of U.S. taxpayer support to continue the inhumane destruction of Gaza."
Axios Capitol Hill reporter Juliegrace Brufke said Monday that Vice President Kamala Harris—whom many Democrats have endorsed for president since U.S. President Joe Biden's Sunday withdrawal from the 2024 race—has "declined" to preside over Netanyahu's speech, as is her prerogative as Senate president. So has Senate President Pro Tempore Patty Murray (D-Wash.), leaving uncertainty as to who will preside over the session.
Like Biden, Harris has been an
ardent supporter of Israel during her tenure in the U.S. Senate and White House. She is facing fresh calls take a "clear stance" against any more weapons sales for Israel.
In 2015—the last time Netanyahu addressed Congress—nearly 60 lawmakers including Sanders boycotted his speech.
Some progressive groups and individuals have called for more than just a boycott of Netanyahu.
The Center for Constitutional Rights on Friday asked the U.S. Justice Department to investigate Netanyahu and other Israeli officials for allegedly committing or authorizing genocide, war crimes, and torture. The group led a federal genocide complicity lawsuit against Biden, Secretary of State Antony Blinken, and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin that was dismissed last week.
Last month, former Democratic Ohio state Sen. Nina Turnerargued that Netanyahu "should be arrested on the spot" for "overseeing a genocide."
Meanwhile, U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.)
warned attendees of a Republican National Convention event last week that he would order the arrest of any lawmakers who get "out of hand" during Netanyahu's speech.
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US Peace Advocates 'Utterly Condemn' Biden Decision to Send Israel 1,700 500lb Bombs
"The Biden administration is fully culpable for the slaughter of civilians in Gaza, and should be held accountable for its role in aiding and abetting Israel's shocking war crimes."
Jul 12, 2024
The Biden administration's decision this week to lift a pause on the transfer of 500-pound bombs to the Israeli military drew outrage from U.S. peace advocates who warned the weapons would be used to commit additional war crimes in the Gaza Strip, which has been pulverized by nine months of relentless Israeli attacks.
Sara Haghdoosti, executive director of Win Without War, said in a statement Thursday that "we utterly condemn" the administration's decision to release a shipment of 1,700 500-pound bombs to Israel's military, which has killed more than 38,000 people in Gaza since the Hamas-led October 7 attack. The shipment was paused in May as Israel prepared to launch its deadly assault on Rafah.
"We are dismayed because these bombs will almost certainly be used to kill more innocents in Gaza, where indiscriminate bombing continues and where a starvation crisis only worsens," said Haghdoosti. "And if they are not used there, they risk being used to terrible effect in Lebanon, where civilians would again bear the brunt of a disastrous possible war between Hezbollah and the Israeli government."
"We are perplexed because the White House is, yet again, using arms transfers to directly undermine its stated policy aims—both to secure a cease-fire and protect civilians in Gaza, and to avoid a full-scale war between Israel and Hezbollah that would devastate the region," Haghdoosti continued. "Releasing this transfer signals to the Israeli government that, if cease-fire talks again stall, the war in Gaza can continue and that a massive conflict with Hezbollah can begin, with no real U.S. pushback."
President Joe Biden "must reverse this decision, which makes no sense as politics or policy," she added.
Biden, who is facing mounting calls to drop his reelection campaign, was not asked about the reversal during his closely watched press conference at the conclusion of NATO's 2024 summit in Washington, D.C. late Thursday.
My big issue with this press conference is not actually Biden’s mental fitness but the failure of any reporters to ask a single question about Biden re-sending 500-pound bombs to Israel to use against Palestinian civilians. Israel just bombed and killed kids in a playground.
— Mehdi Hasan (@mehdirhasan) July 12, 2024
The administration's decision to lift the pause came following what The Washington Postdescribed as "a pressure campaign by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, and pro-Israel lobbyists in the United States, including the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, demanding the resumption of all weapons shipments regardless of their lethality."
Last month, Netanyahu—who is facing a possible arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court (ICC)—released a video complaining that the administration was "withholding weapons and ammunitions to Israel."
The U.S. is Israel's top arms supplier and has sent Israel billions of dollars worth of weapons and other military equipment since October 7—weaponry that Israel has repeatedly used to commit atrocities in Gaza.
An unnamed administration official told the Post that the U.S. was mostly concerned about the 2,000-pound bombs that were part of the initially planned shipment, rather than the 500-pound bombs. The 2,000-pound bombs will remain on hold, the official said.
Democracy for the Arab World Now (DAWN) joined Win Without War in demanding that the Biden administration walk back its decision to lift the pause on the 500-pound bombs, warning that "providing such massive, explosive weapons with wide-area effects despite Israel's systematic and deliberate deployment of such bombs in built-up civilian areas throughout Gaza further exposes U.S. officials to liability for war crimes prosecution."
"This week alone, Israel used U.S. weapons to strike a school during a soccer game killing scores of children, and ordered the forced evacuation of hundreds of thousands of desperate civilians from Gaza City," said DAWN senior adviser Josh Paul, who resigned from the U.S. State Department last year over the Biden administration's continued arming of Israel.
"Lifting a suspension on the delivery of 500lb bombs meant to prevent the invasion of Rafah, only to then send Israel those bombs to enable the further destruction of Gaza City, is not only an act of perversity but a lawless one as well," Paul said.
Raed Jarrar, DAWN's advocacy director, called on the ICC to "investigate U.S. officials for their complicity in the genocidal atrocities in Gaza, insisting on providing Israel with some of the most lethal weapons in the world despite full knowledge that Israel is using them unlawfully against Palestinian civilians."
"The Biden administration is fully culpable for the slaughter of civilians in Gaza, and should be held accountable for its role in aiding and abetting Israel's shocking war crimes and crimes against humanity," Jarrar added.
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