Take action to Support Palestine, Peace and Justice on the 67th Anniversary of the Nakba (1948-2015)
May 15, 2015 marks the 67th anniversary of the dispossession of the Palestinian people. This anniversary is symbolic of the despair that human rights violations Palestinians have endured for over half a century.
A historic injustice was inflicted on Palestinians in 1948, and the consequences are still resonating today. In 1948, more than 700,000 Palestinians were driven from their homes into an exile which is yet to end. A whole society and way of life was destroyed through the establishment of the state of Israel. To Palestinians, this is known as Al-Nakba, “The Catastrophe”. To learn more about the Nakba and the history of Palestinian dispossession visit the website of the Badil Resource Center.
The dispossession of the Palestinian people continues today as the Israeli government continues to build and expand settlements in the West Bank, and continue its siege on Gaza. Israel’s attacks on Gaza last summer resulted in the deaths of 2,300 people and left 100,000 Palestinians homeless. Just last week, the Israeli Supreme Court cleared the way for the government to uproot the nearly 60-year-old Bedouin Arab village of Umm al-Hiran.
The U.S. President and State Department continue to say that they oppose illegal Israeli settlements and support talks of peace and a Palestinian state. However, this diplomatic talk is undermined when the Legislative branch of our government, the U.S. Congress, continues to unequivocally support the actions of the Israeli government, including settlement expansion.
Additionally, in spite of U.S. Presidents’ long standing policy of neutrality with respect to the status of Jerusalem, Congress has continued to support Israeli occupation, and even unilaterally attempted to grant Jerusalem to Israel through discriminatory anti-Palestine legislation. Congress passed a law which effectively excludes Palestinian Americans born in Jerusalem from benefits bestowed to other Israeli-American citizens born in Jerusalem, and supported an Israeli-American in suing the U.S. State Department in the Supreme Court of the United States in Zivotofsky v. Kerry.
Take action to support a Palestinian State for Peace and Justice:
ADC calls on its members and supporters to commemorate the Nakba by taking action to support Palestine. Express your concern that Congress continues to unequivocally support Israel, despite Israeli actions in violation of international law and the denial of the human rights of the Palestinian people.
Contacting your Congressional Representatives will take a few minutes of your time, but collectively our impact can make a real difference. Congress must know that their American constituents support Palestinian human rights, self-determination, freedom, an end to the occupation of Palestinian territory, and the right of return for Palestinian refugees !
Click here and enter you zip code below to send the letter to your House Representative and Senators.
Register now for the 2015 ADC National Convention!
The 2015 ADC National Convention will be hosted at the Marriott Wardman Park Hotel in Washington, D.C. Every year, we are joined by hundreds of Arab-American community members, friends, and civil rights leaders to learn about and discuss issues affecting the Arab-American community. This year, ADC is celebrating 35 years of commitment to Civil Rights.
Register now to take advantage of the early bird registration, which will save you $100 off the normal registration price!
Reminder: The first 75 convention registrants are eligible to attend the State Department Briefing on Thursday, June 11 at 1:00PM. So register now to reserve your spot!
Register online at convention.adc.org or call us at (202) 244-2990.
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