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Peace Action Montgomery Position Statement

We want the U.S. to limit or halt its foreign aid and other support of Israel until Israel:

The Role of the United States

Despite the fact that it is the world’s fourth-largest arms supplier, Israel is also the largest foreign recipient of U.S. assistance. According to the Congressional Research Service, the United States has provided Israel with more than $53 billion of military aid since 1949. And that largesse is scheduled to continue. In 2007, the United States and Israel signed a memorandum of understanding to increase military aid to Israel to $30 billion over the next decade, representing a more than 25% increase over the FY2008 appropriation.

The Arms Export Control Act stipulates that countries purchasing or receiving U.S. weapons cannot use them against civilians and must restrict their usage to “internal security” and “legitimate self-defense.” However, it has been well documented that Israel has repeatedly violated that restriction in the Occupied Territories, Lebanon and – most recently – the Gaza Strip. An investigation conducted by Amnesty International following the Gaza invasion found fragments and components from munitions used by the Israeli Army - including many that are U.S.-made - littering school playgrounds, hospitals and people’s homes.

“Israeli forces used white phosphorus and other weapons supplied by the USA to carry out serious violations of international humanitarian law, including war crimes. Their attacks resulted in the death of hundreds of children and other civilians and massive destruction of homes and infrastructure,” the organization said in a statement in February 2009.

For more information:

http://www.endtheoccupation.org/downloads/military_aid_fact_sheet.pdf

Why Israel?

Often, Peace Action Montgomery is asked by non-members why it includes the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territory in its campaigns. They often point out--and rightly so--that Israel is not unique in its illegal behavior, and that the U.S. supports through foreign and military aid other violent countries. So, why Israel?

Peace Action Montgomery campaigns are chosen by our active members who lead the action behind the campaign. Many of our members have personally worked and volunteered in the Palestinian territories, and we feel committed to our friends and loved ones there who ask us to lobby our government and pressure the Isreali political ties we have. It should be noted that among those who work on our Israel/Palestine campaigns are of Jewish-Israeli heritage and members of Jewish Voices for Peace and J-Street, "the political arm of the pro-Israel, pro-peace movement."

In addition, many of us feel that the issue of Palestinian rights is one of great importance for lasting peace in the Middle East, a key component of an overarching strategy of both neo-liberal and neo-conservative interests in the area that don't serve ordinary Americans, Palestinians, or, for that matter, most Israelis. We struggle against those interests in a multi-faceted manner.

Some have suggested we should focus instead on US military interventions in Central and South America, on human rights abuses in Egypt, Iran, and Saudi Arabia, or a myriad of other interests from Tibet to Taiwan. Others argue we should target only direct American military presences. Peace Action Montgomery members are often involved in other organizations with campaigns in those regions, like School of Americas Watch and Amnesty International, and we do work in coalition with groups whose campaign focuses are not identical to ours.

To understand our campaigns, though, you really must do one thing: Join Peace Action Montgomery and help play an active role in our campaigns. Come to our meetings, meet our members, listen to and engage us. Our members and our hand-picked campaigns are Peace Action Montgomery, and we will continue to work for peace where our members lead us.