Please Urge State Department to Ensure that Israeli Attacks Against And Occupation of Lebanon Stop at Once
ACTION REQUESTED:
Please contact the State Department and demand that they intervene to stop the unjustified Israeli attacks on Lebanese civilians and infrastructure. Insist that the U.S. government use its influence to halt these attacks and implement UNSCR 425.
Please contact:
Secretary of State Madeleine Albright
write to her at:
2261 C St.., NW
Washington, DC 20520
or fax:
(202) 736-7720
or E-mail:
Below is the text of ADC’s press release on the attacks from this morning. Please use these as talking points for any communications with the state department and “cc” any communications to
U.S. Must Act to Stop Israeli Aggression in Lebanon ADC demands end to bombing, implementation of Resolution 425
The American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC) calls on the U.S.
government to take immediate action to halt the unprovoked attacks by Israel on the Lebanese people and civilian infrastructure. In massive air raids on Thursday, Israeli jets killed at least 7 Lebanese civilians and destroyed the Jamhour power plant and other civilian facilities across the country, eliminating the power supply to Beirut and other urban centers. Power plants were also destroyed at Ras al-Ain, which supplies power to the Baalbek region, and at Khirbet Silm, cutting off power to Bint Jbeil. Several plant employees were killed during the attacks.
It is outrageous that Israel should be attacking key civilian infrastructure sites such as power plants at a time when Lebanon is starting to rebuild itself after years of civil war and continuous Israeli invasions and occupation. These unprovoked attacks do not augur well for the prospects for peace, and cast serious doubt over the intentions of newly elected Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak, who has promised to end the Israeli occupation of Lebanon. Since Barak’s election, Israeli attacks against Lebanese civilians have significantly increased, including no less than 21 attacks on 11 villages in the 5 days between June 19 and June 23 alone.
ADC demands an immediate end to the unjustifiable Israeli attacks on Lebanese civilians and infrastructure which amount to Israeli state terrorism. There have been at least 90 such attacks on Lebanon thus far in 1999. ADC urges the U.S. government take immediate action to put an end to these attacks. We call upon the State Department to intervene with the Israeli government at once.
The situation in Lebanon can only be resolved through the immediate
implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 425, which in 1978, called ” upon Israel immediately to cease its military action against Lebanese territorial integrity and withdraw forthwith its forces from all Lebanese territory.” Where the U.S. has enforced other UN security council resolutions by war, sanctions, bombings and embargos, it has allowed Israel’s obligations under Resolution 425 to be ignored with impunity. The international community, including the United States, must make the implementation of UNSCR 425 an urgent priority.
It is high time that Israel abides by UNSCR 425 and leaves Lebanon. The
international community, including the United States, must ensure that the Lebanese are allowed to concentrate on putting their lives back in order, instead of having their civilians murdered and their painstakingly rebuilt infrastructure destroyed by Israel.