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

Thu Aug 10 21:15:03 CDT 2006

I think at best it's a bit vague.  It's seems outrageously 
mearsheimer-and-waltish to address "the People of Lebanon, of Palestine, 
and of Iraq" to boast of Americans who are "working night and day to ... 
reverse complicity in Israel's war [sic]."  The letter is also 
sentimental and not very well written (e.g., "than us" is ungrammatical 
in American English).  The reference to our "vow[ing] to do all we can 
to bring an end to the US role in this violence" makes that "role" sound 
almost incidental.

We should be addressing the USG and our fellow citizens, who are 
responsible for "this [unspecified] horror."  But I suppose endorsing 
this letter won't do any positive harm.  --CGE

Morton K. Brussel wrote:
> 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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