[WCUSP] Letter from American Jews for a Cease Fire!

[KATHARLOW at aol.com]

Dear WILPF friends, 
This just in from some courageous  peace and justice-minded  American Jews! 
KH
____________________________________
Greetings:
Robert Naiman of the  newly formed Just Foreign Policy and I have initiated  
a 
sign-on letter  from American Jews to President Bush calling for an immediate 
  
ceasefire in Lebanon. Please forward... The link follows and then the   text.

Robert Weissman

--   

http://www.democracyinaction.org/dia/organizationsORG/justforeignpolicy.org/pe
tition.jsp?petition_KEY=319

Dear   President Bush:

As American Jews, we are horrified by your   apparent
support for the bombing and destruction of Lebanon,  and
your  opposition to international demands for an
immediate  ceasefire.

We  condemn the violence by all sides, especially  against
civilians. But we  cannot accept your attempt to justify
and  abet the collective punishment of  the people of
Lebanon -- including  thousands of Americans trapped
there --  as part of "Israel's right to  defend herself."

The vast majority of  Lebanese now suffering  the
destruction of their country, along with hundreds  of
civilian  deaths from the Israeli bombing campaign, had
nothing to do  with  Hizbollah's attacks on Israeli
soldiers, nor subsequent rocket attacks   on Israeli
cities.

The same is true in Gaza, where the capture  of  Israeli
Corporal Gilad Shalit on June 25 -- the original  alleged
pretext  for Israel's incursions and detention of  the
territory's elected leaders --  was preceded just the day
before  by the abduction of two Palestinian  civilians
from their home by  Israeli forces, as reported by Gideon
Levy in  the Israeli daily  Haaretz. Here, too, it is
wrong to portray this  ever-widening conflict  as a "war
against terrorism." According to the Israeli  human
rights  organization B'tselem, more than 100 Palestinians
who were  not engaged  in hostile actions were killed by
Israeli forces since Israel  withdrew  from Gaza, and
before the recent escalation of violence.

The   idea that the cycle of violence will come to an end
by means of more   violence, and especially attacks on
civilian areas, is wrong and   immoral.

We ask you to support an immediate cease-fire and   a
negotiated solution to the   conflict.

Sincerely,

____________________________________________

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