Tuesday, July 25, 2006
BACKGROUND: Despite mounting civilian casualties on all sides and international and United Nations condemnations, the United States continues to allow Israel to destroy Lebanon and the Gaza Strip. Last week, both the Senate and the House of Representatives passed resolutions, which expressed uncritical support for Israel‘s attacks on the Gaza Strip and Lebanon. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice described the killing of Lebanese civilians and the destruction of vital civilian infrastructure as the “birth pangs of a new Middle East.” The New York Times reported that the United States rushed delivery of more satellite and laser-guided bombs to Israel to sustain its attacks, which is in direct violation of the U.S. Arms Export Control and Foreign Assistance Acts.
We need to voice our concerns to our elected officials. The United States should work for an immediate ceasefire, instead of providing Israel with continuing military support.
Today, Tuesday, July 25, 2006, the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC) — in conjunction with the U.S. Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation, Jewish Voice for Peace, the Council for the National Interest, Partners for Peace, Progressive Democrats of America, United for Peace and Justice, Peace Action, and the American Friends Service Committee — is organizing a national call-in day to Congress to support H.Con.Res.450, introduced by Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-OH), which calls upon the United States to pursue an “immediate cessation of violence” and “multi-party negotiations with no preconditions.” The full resolution can be seen below.
TAKE ACTION: Today, Tuesday, July 25, 2006 please call your Representative and ask him/her to sign on as a cosponsor to H.Con.Res.450, calling for an immediate ceasefire in the Middle East. If your Representative has already cosponsored this resolution, please call to thank him/her.
CONTACT INFORMATION: Go through the Capitol switchboard (Dial toll-free 888-355-3588 and ask the operator to connect you 24 hours a day), or find contact information for your Members of Congress at http://capwiz.com/adc/dbq/officials/
List of Current Co-Sponsors of H.Con.Res.450
Rep Abercrombie, Neil [HI-1] – 7/19/2006
Rep Baldwin, Tammy [WI-2] – 7/19/2006
Rep Cleaver, Emanuel [MO-5] – 7/19/2006
Rep Conyers, John, Jr. [MI-14] – 7/19/2006
Rep Davis, Danny K. [IL-7] – 7/19/2006
Rep Filner, Bob [CA-51] – 7/19/2006
Rep Grijalva, Raul M. [AZ-7] – 7/19/2006
Rep Hinchey, Maurice D. [NY-22] – 7/19/2006
Rep Honda, Michael M. [CA-15] – 7/19/2006
Rep Kaptur, Marcy [OH-9] – 7/19/2006
Rep Kilpatrick, Carolyn C. [MI-13] – 7/19/2006
Rep Lee, Barbara [CA-9] – 7/19/2006
Rep McCollum, Betty [MN-4] – 7/19/2006
Rep McDermott, Jim [WA-7] – 7/19/2006
Rep Meeks, Gregory W. [NY-6] – 7/19/2006
Rep Moran, James P. [VA-8] – 7/19/2006
Rep Rangel, Charles B. [NY-15] – 7/19/2006
Rep Rush, Bobby L. [IL-1] – 7/19/2006
Rep Slaughter, Louise McIntosh [NY-28] – 7/19/2006
Rep Solis, Hilda L. [CA-32] – 7/19/2006
Rep Stark, Fortney Pete [CA-13] – 7/19/2006
Rep Waters, Maxine [CA-35] – 7/19/2006
Rep Woolsey, Lynn C. [CA-6] – 7/19/2006
Text of H.Con.Res.450
Calling upon the President to appeal to all sides in the current crisis in the Middle East for an immediate cessation of violence and to commit United States diplomats to multi-party… (Introduced in House)
HCON 450 IH
109th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. CON. RES. 450
Calling upon the President to appeal to all sides in the current crisis in the Middle East for an immediate cessation of violence and to commit United States diplomats to multi-party negotiations with no preconditions.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
July 19, 2006
Mr. KUCINICH (for himself, Mr. RANGEL, Mr. ABERCROMBIE, Ms. SLAUGHTER, Ms. KAPTUR, Mr. CONYERS, Mr. CLEAVER, Ms. LEE, Ms. WOOLSEY, Mr. GRIJALVA, Mr. FILNER, Mr. STARK, Mr. MCDERMOTT, Mr. HINCHEY, Mr. HONDA, Mr. DAVIS of Illinois, Ms. WATERS, Mr. MORAN of Virginia, Mr. RUSH, Ms. BALDWIN, Ms. KILPATRICK of Michigan, Ms. MCCOLLUM of Minnesota, Ms. SOLIS, and Mr. MEEKS of New York) submitted the following concurrent resolution; which was referred to the Committee on International Relations
CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
Calling upon the President to appeal to all sides in the current crisis in the Middle East for an immediate cessation of violence and to commit United States diplomats to multi-party negotiations with no preconditions.
Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate concurring), That Congress–
(1) calls upon the President to–
(A) appeal to all sides in the current crisis in the Middle East for an immediate cessation of violence;
(B) commit United States diplomats to multi-party negotiations with no preconditions; and
(C) send a high-level diplomatic mission to the region to facilitate such multi-party negotiations;
(2) urges such multi-party negotiations to begin as soon as possible, including delegations from the governments of Israel, the Palestinian Authority, Lebanon, Iran, Syria, Jordan, and Egypt; and
(3) supports an international peacekeeping mission to southern Lebanon to prevent cross-border skirmishes during such multi-party negotiations.