Saturday, May 15th @ 2pm, Copley Square, Boston
Amar Ahmad / Massachusetts Peace Action
CAMBRIDGE, MA (May 13, 2021) — In the last few days of Ramadan, we have seen increased Israeli violence on the stateless Palestinian people. What should otherwise be a celebratory time for a largely Muslim, Palestinian population, is now instead a time of death and sorrow. Heartbreaking footage from Jerusalem, Gaza, and elsewhere in Palestine-Israel has been pouring in, showing the Israeli destruction of lives, families, and homes.
The Israeli occupation of Palestine is propped up by US support. Our tax money funds the Israeli occupation to the tune of over $3.8 billion/year. US elected officials provide political support for the Israeli occupation both at the UN and within the US. With the US government supporting Israeli apartheid, it’s up to us to oppose US complicity in the occupation of Palestine.
The US must STOP subsidizing and supporting the oppression of the Palestinian people.
Join us (with your masks) this Saturday to show solidarity with the occupied Palestinian people, and to protest the unjust US policy towards Palestine-Israel. Click Here for More Information About the Event!
ACTION ALERT: Contact your Representatives and Tell Them to Stand for Palestinian Lives! Urge Them to Cosponsor HR 2590
In the last few days of Ramadan, we have seen increased Israeli violence on the stateless Palestinian people.What should otherwise be a celebratory time for a largely Muslim, Palestinian population, is now instead a time of death and sorrow. Heartbreaking footage from Jerusalem, Gaza, and elsewhere in Palestine-Israel has been pouring in, showing the Israeli destruction of lives, families, and homes.
The Israeli occupation of Palestine is propped up by US support. Our tax money funds the Israeli occupation to the tune of over $3.8 billion/year. US elected officials provide political support for the Israeli occupation both at the UN and within the US. With the US government supporting Israeli apartheid, it’s up to us to oppose US complicity in the occupation of Palestine.
The US must STOP subsidizing and supporting the oppression of the Palestinian people.
Senator Markey’s Disappointing Comments
(May 13, 2021) — In the aftermath of the Israeli escalation of violence on Palestinians, Senator Markey released some disappointing comments. In response, key former Markey campaign staff, volunteers, fellows, and endorsing organizations published this letter.
Notable signers include: State Rep Erika Uyterhoeven, two Cambridge City Councilors, the Sunrise Movement, If Not Now-Boston, Jewish Voice for Peace-Boston, and hundreds of Markey’s constituents, voters, and campaign personnel.
ACTION: Please consider having your organization sign on, and sign on as an individual: Click Here to Sign on the Markey-Palestine Letter!
THE LETTER: Senator Markey, Stand Up for Palestine
We are former staff, fellows, volunteers, donors, supporters, and endorsing organizations of Senator Ed Markey’s 2020 re-election campaign. We made hundreds of thousands of phone calls, raised millions of dollars, and dedicated years of our lives to re-elect Senator Markey because we believed justice was on the ballot in 2020, and we fought for our collective vision of a Green New Deal, Medicare for All, nuclear disarmament, and re-imagining public safety. When Senator Markey won his race on September 1st, he told us that “The age of incrementalism is over…This election is an undeniable mandate for action. And it is the young people who will lead the way.”
As the young people, organizers, and advocates who are responsible for Senator Markey’s victory, we are upset and disappointed by his recent statement on Israel’s illegal occupation and ethnic cleansing of Palestine. He followed in the footsteps of Mitt Romney and Donald Trump by saying it’s a “both sides” issue, which ignores the current and historical power imbalance between Israel and Palestine — and couldn’t be farther from the truth. Senator Markey’s refusal to support justice in Palestine is antithetical to the Green New Deal and the progressive movement that won him re-election.
We ask that Senator Markey:
- Demand a serious Congressional investigation of the role of US arms and funding in the violent Israeli repression and displacement of Palestinians in Occupied Jerusalem and the West Bank, along with the long-standing siege and bombing of Gaza;
- Demand application of existing US arms export regulations to stop the deployment of US weapons against civilians in Gaza and elsewhere, which constitutes a flagrant violation of human rights standards and an evident war crime contrary to US law;
- Compose and promote a Senate initiative similar to the House letter circulated by Reps. Newman and Pocan opposing Israeli displacement of Palestinians from neighborhoods of Jerusalem;
- Introduce a Senate version of H.R. 2590 Defending the Human Rights of Palestinian Children and Families Living Under Israeli Military Occupation Act.
Senator Markey told us that young people would lead the way, and now it is time for him to listen to us and stand up for Palestinian lives.
Press:
Markey backers ‘upset and disappointed’ by his stance on Gaza conflict, Boston Globe
After recent Israel statement, Ed Markey is facing a backlash — from the Markeyverse, Boston.com
Markey backers ‘upset and disappointed’ by his Israel-Palestine stance, The Berkshire Eagle
Markey backers ‘upset and disappointed’ by his Israel-Palestine stance, The Salem News
U.S. Sen. Edward Markey backers ‘upset and disappointed’ over his Israel-Palestine stance, MetroWest Daily News
ACTION: Please also click to ask your member of Congress to sign onto H.R.2590 — To promote and protect the human rights of Palestinians living under Israeli military occupation: Click Here to Contact Your Reps!
Amar Ahmad is a Legislative/Political Committee Co-Chair with Massachusetts Peace Action, 11 Garden St, Cambridge, MA 02131
