[Peace-discuss] Israeli massacre in Gaza [and J Street PAC's call to end the violence and the blockade]

[Stuart Levy]

On Sat, Dec 27, 2008 at 07:42:46PM -0600, C. G. Estabrook wrote:
> [Using US-provided F-16s against home-made rockets, Israel today with US 
> permission killed hundreds of people in Gaza and injured hundreds more.  
> The US NSC spokesman said that Hamas must first stop the rocket attacks 
> before the Israeli assault ceases. CAIR "calls on President-elect Obama to 
> demonstrate his commitment to change our nation’s current one-sided 
> Mideast policy by speaking out now in favor of peace and justice for all 
> parties."  Bet he won't. --CGE]
>
> 	December 27, 2008
> 	CAIR Condemns Israeli ‘Massacre’ in Gaza
> 	Obama urged to speak ‘in favor of peace and justice for all parties’
>
> (WASHINGTON, D.C., 12/27/08) - A prominent national Islamic civil rights 
> and advocacy group today condemned Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip that 
> left more than 200 people dead and called the death toll a “massacre 
> carried out using U.S. taxpayer-funded weapons.” More than 700 people, 
> including women and children, were injured in the attacks.
>
> SEE: Israeli Strikes Kill 229 in Gaza (Reuters)
>
> The Washington-based Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) said in a 
> statement:
>
> “Despite the public ‘green light’ given to the Israeli military by 
> the Bush administration, American Muslims join our fellow citizens who 
> respect international law and the sanctity of human life in repudiating 
> this massacre carried out using U.S. taxpayer-funded weapons.
>
> “It must be clear by now that the only future offered to the Palestinian 
> people by the outgoing administration was one of perpetual subjugation and 
> humiliation at the hands of the Israeli occupiers. Unfortunately, our 
> nation’s timid response to this tragic episode will only serve to fuel 
> anti-American sentiments in the Muslim world.
>
> “We therefore call on President-elect Obama to demonstrate his commitment 
> to change our nation’s current one-sided Mideast policy by speaking out 
> now in favor of peace and justice for all parties to this decades-long 
> conflict.
>
> “We also call on world leaders to take direct action to end Israel’s 
> counterproductive and wildly disproportionate attacks and to end the 
> humanitarian siege of Gaza, which led to the recent breakdown of the 
> ceasefire.”
>
> ...

J Street PAC (http://www.jstreet.org/) calls for
"an immediate and strong U.S.-led diplomatic effort" for
    a renewal of the cease-fire on both sides,
    an end to the siege of Gaza by Israel
and calls on the incoming Obama administration to
    lead an early and serious effort to achieve a comprehensive diplomatic
    resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian and Arab-Israeli conflicts

"The United States, the Quartet, and the world community must not wait -- as they
 did in the Israel-Lebanon crisis of 2006 -- for weeks to pass and hundreds or
 thousands more to die before intervening.  [...] As friends and supporters
 of Israel, we need to remember that only diplomacy and negotiations can
 end the rockets and terror and bring Israel long-term security and peace."

Sounds good to me.  

   http://action.jstreet.org/t/3251/petition.jsp?petition_KEY=508&tag=gazaemail-txt

Here's their call:

> From slevy at new.math.uiuc.edu Sun Dec 28 14:24:08 CST 2008
> Date: Sun, 28 Dec 2008 14:15:19 -0500 (EST)
> From: "Isaac Luria, J Street" <info at jstreet.org>
> To: slevy at new.math.uiuc.edu
> Subject: Gaza: Stop the violence
> 
> Dear J Street Member,
> 
> Twenty-four hours ago, Israeli Defense Forces struck the Gaza Strip, leaving
> hundreds dead and wounded ? pushing the long-running Israeli-Palestinian
> conflict further down a path of never-ending violence.
> 
> I felt immediate pressure from friends and family to pick a side. Did I think
> that Israel's actions were fully justified or disproportionate? Did Hamas bring
> this on itself by firing rockets and provoking Israel or are the strikes an act
> of aggression against a people trapped in misery and poverty? Couldn't I see
> who's right and who's wrong?
> 
> At this moment of extreme crisis, J Street wants to demonstrate that, among
> those who care about Israel and its security, there is a constituency for
> sanity and moderation.  There are many who recognize elements of truth on both
> sides of this gaping divide and who know that closing it requires strong
> American engagement and leadership. 
> 
> Click here to sign our petition demanding an immediate and strong U.S.-led
> diplomatic effort to reinstate a meaningful ceasefire ending the violence,
> including the rockets aimed at Israel, and lifting the blockade of Gaza:
>   http://action.jstreet.org/t/3251/petition.jsp?petition_KEY=508&tag=gazaemail-txt
> 
> Israel has a special place in my heart.  I lived there last year while my wife
> was studying to be a rabbi.  But I recognize that neither Israelis nor
> Palestinians have a monopoly on right or wrong. While there is nothing "right"
> in raining rockets on Israeli families or dispatching suicide bombers, there is
> nothing "right" in punishing a million and a half already-suffering Gazans for
> the actions of the extremists among them. 
> 
> And there is nothing to be gained from debating which injustice is greater or
> came first.   What's needed now is immediate action to stop the violence before
> it spirals out of control.
> 
> The United States, the Quartet, and the world community must not wait - as they
> did in the Israel-Lebanon crisis of 2006 - for weeks to pass and hundreds or
> thousands more to die before intervening.  There needs to be an urgent end to
> the new hostilities that brings a complete end to military operations,
> including an end to the rocket fire out of Gaza, and that allows food, fuel and
> other civilian necessities into Gaza.
> 
> The need for diplomatic engagement goes beyond a short-term ceasefire.  Eight
> years of the Bush Administration's neglect and ineffective diplomacy have led
> us directly to a moment when the prospects for a two-state solution to the
> Israeli-Palestinian conflict hang in the balance and with them the prospects
> for Israel's long-term survival as a Jewish, democratic state.
> 
> Following a renegotiated ceasefire, we urge the incoming Obama administration
> to lead an early and serious effort to achieve a comprehensive diplomatic
> resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian and Arab-Israeli conflicts.
> 
> This is a fundamental American interest.  We too stand to suffer as the
> situation spirals, rage in the region is directed at the United States, and our
> regional allies are further undermined.  Our goals must be a Middle East that
> moves beyond bloody conflicts, an Israel that is secure and accepted in the
> region, and an America secured by reducing extremism and enhancing stability.
> None of these goals are achieved by further escalation.
> 
> Even in the heat of battle, as friends and supporters of Israel, we need to
> remember that only diplomacy and negotiations can end the rockets and terror
> and bring Israel long-term security and peace.  American politicians are
> already hearing from those who see only one side.  Help us give voice to the
> large number of Americans who recognizes that justice will only be served when
> the rights and grievances of both sides are recognized and a peaceful two-state
> solution to this long-running conflict is put in place.
> 
> Click here to sign our petition to show your support for immediate and strong
> U.S. intervention to renegotiate a ceasefire in Gaza:
>   http://action.jstreet.org/t/3251/petition.jsp?petition_KEY=508&tag=gazaemail-txt
> 
> We know that many policy makers agree with us privately, but hesitate to
> express their views publicly because they hear only from the partisan extremes.
> This is our moment to show that there is real political support for shedding a
> narrow us-versus-them approach to the Middle East.
>  
> The situation in Gaza could not be more urgent. Who knows how many more lives
> will be lost before this round of violence is over?  When it ends, will we look
> back and say if only we had spoken out sooner, more lives could have been
> saved, more damage avoided?
> 
> As far back as I can remember, those who see the world in black and white have
> overwhelmed those of us who see the shades of gray.  I hope that you'll help us
> to change that dynamic by forwarding this message to everyone you know ? after
> you've signed our petition.
> 
> Thank you so much for joining our efforts at this difficult time. Together, we
> can achieve an end to this round of violence, a resumption of the ceasefire,
> and a serious move toward peace between Israel and the Palestinian people.
> 
>  - Isaac
> 
> Isaac Luria
> Online Director
> J Street
> December 28, 2008