[Peace] Fwd: [UFPJ] Open Letter to the People of the Middle East

Thu Aug 10 13:59:06 CDT 2006

I think we should join in endorsing this letter. What do you all say?

Mort

Begin forwarded message:

> From: Leslie Cagan <lesliecagan at igc.org>
> Date: August 10, 2006 12:17:49 PM CDT
> To: ufpj at lists.mayfirst.org
> Subject: [UFPJ] Open Letter to the People of the Middle East
> Reply-To: lesliecagan at igc.org
>
> Dear UFPJ member groups,
>
> The Steering Committee and staff of the U.S. Campaign to End the  
> Israeli Occupation, a member group of UFPJ, have written an "Open  
> Letter to the People of Lebanon, Palestine, and Iraq, and to those  
> who stand for peace in Israel from People in the US Who Believe  
> that Only Justice Will Bring Peace".
>
> Based on discussion and agreement within the UFPJ administrative  
> committee, United for Peace and Justice has signed on to the  
> letter. We now urge all UFPJ member groups to read the letter and  
> hopefully add you groups name as well. We should note that the  
> letter was written before Israeli ground troops went into Lebanon  
> and so does not include a call for their withdrawal. Nonetheless,  
> we believe there is real value in an open letter which speaks  
> directlty from people in this country to people in other nations.
>
> The preliminary deadline for signatures is midnight Sunday, August  
> 13. On Monday, the U.S. Campaign will publish the letter and its  
> signatories here in the U.S., in the Middle East, and throughout  
> the world. Each signatory group or organization will have 7 words  
> to describe itself so that the people in the region can get a sense  
> of who we represent.
>
> We hope you will disseminate this letter widely for signature to  
> organizations that support peace and justice as well as to artists  
> and public figures.
>
> Civilians on all sides of this conflict are dying needlessly, and  
> we mourn the loss of each life. Let’s take this opportunity to let  
> those bearing the brunt of this war know that they are not alone,  
> and that we commit to do all we can to challenge our government's  
> occupation of Iraq and its backing of Israel's attacks.
>
> Peace,
>
> Leslie Cagan
> National Coordinator
> United for Peace and Justice
> *********************
> August 2006
>
> "Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that  
> matter." Martin Luther King, Jr.
>
> Open Letter
>
> To the People of Lebanon, of Palestine, and of Iraq, and to those  
> who stand for peace in Israel
> >From People in the United States Who Believe that Only Justice  
> Will Bring Peace
>
> Dear Sisters and Brothers Living With War,
>
> We write to you in anguish, to express what cannot possibly be  
> contained in words. We need a new language to speak about what  
> humanity means and still can mean, what our humanity must create in  
> this danger.
>
> We send our solidarity, our commitment, our love. We write to let  
> you know that there are many in this country who are organizing,  
> educating, protesting, and engaging in civil disobedience, working  
> night and day to call for an end to this horror, to change US  
> policy and reverse complicity in Israel's war, working for  
> recognition of your sovereignty, your rights, your lives, your truths.
>
> We are filled with anger at the US role in supplying Israel with  
> weapons - in violation of the government's own Arms Export Control  
> Act - and at US policies that gave Israel more time to continue its  
> attacks.
>
> We are women and men of all ages, from all parts of the country,  
> all professions, all faiths, all races, all national backgrounds.  
> We are not reflected in the mainstream media because of the  
> stronghold of fear and lack of information strangling the  
> imagination and collective public voice of this country. But we are  
> here and we want you to know you are not alone. We work in small  
> community groups, in nationwide coalitions, in places of worship  
> and as artists, writers, teachers -- from all walks of life. We  
> want you to know that when we see and hear the news we are  
> imagining your families, your homes, your hearts, your hopes, your  
> terror. We want you to know.
>
> We grieve for all lives lost in the Middle East, believing that all  
> lives are precious and equal, whatever the race or creed. We are  
> working hard for peace with justice. The pro-war forces arrayed  
> against us are far more powerful than us. The road to peace is far  
> too long, and many will suffer. But we vow to do all we can to  
> bring an end to the US role in this violence.
>
> * We are putting pressure on our elected representatives to support  
> an immediate ceasefire and then negotiate a just peace. Although  
> the war on Iraq still produces its unbearable toll of daily death,  
> many more voices in Congress oppose the war since we came together  
> to try to prevent the war and then to oppose it. And although  
> Congress still expresses its misguided and uncritical support for  
> Israel's actions in Palestine and Lebanon, our efforts have  
> contributed to unprecedented debates on the causes of conflict. And  
> we will not give up.
>
> * We are educating US citizens on the consequences of our  
> Government's foreign policy. We organize teach-ins in places of  
> worship, trade unions, schools and other public forums. We ground  
> our teaching in universal human rights and international law. Many  
> of us promote the call to support boycott, divestment and sanctions  
> against Israel until it upholds international law, as called for by  
> Palestinian civil society in July 2005 and by Lebanese cultural  
> figures in July 2006.
>
> * We seek to give voice to the suffering and the steadfastness of  
> the people of Palestine, Iraq, and Lebanon, and to the stand taken  
> by Israeli and US citizens who refuse to serve in armies of  
> occupation and who work for justice and peace.
>
> * We seek as well to expose and redeem the damage to our own  
> country. We know that militarism destroys our economy, our  
> communities and our humanity. We know that many who fight our  
> government's wars are the young and poor who feel they have no  
> other options. We know that our schools, our jobs, our democracy,  
> and our civil rights are held hostage to the military economy that  
> currently drives our government. Our struggle is thus one of  
> solidarity, not of charity.
>
> * We take our protests to the streets in demonstrations and vigils  
> - outside Israeli Consulates, US Federal Buildings, and in all  
> public spaces. We cannot remain silent and simply let our  
> countrymen and women watch other countries and other peoples burn.
>
> We will work until our country stands for peace and justice in  
> yours and throughout the world.
>
> Signed by the following organizations
>
> The Steering Committee and Staff of the US Campaign to End the  
> Israeli Occupation, a nationwide coalition of 200 groups and  
> organizations
>
> United for Peace and Justice, a nationwide coalition of 1,400  
> organizations
>
> Click here to endorse.
>
>
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