ACTION ALERT: Tell Congress and the President:
Lift Sanctions! End the Occupation of Syria!

Jeff Klein / The Massachusetts Peace Acton Middle East Working Group

(February 10, 2023) — A devastating earthquake has been catastrophic for the people of southern Turkey and northern Syria, with a death toll so far reaching 22,000 and rising. The Biden administration has eased some of the US sanctions that are only just allowing the arrival of international relief efforts and reconstruction resources into the country.

But these few measures do not match the scale and scope of this disastrous earthquake, one of the deadliest in world history. While international relief efforts have been reaching Turkey, punishing US sanctions against Syria have impeded the arrival of urgently required supplies and funds.

Syrians and Syrian-Americans in the US have found it impossible to send money to their families there. Consequently Syria, with over 3,300 dead and hundreds of thousands who are suddenly homeless, remains in dire need.

The only appropriate response of the US government is to permanently lift all US economic sanctions against Syria and withdraw all US forces illegally occupying the country.

CONGRESS: REPEAL SANCTIONS AND WITHDRAW US TROOPS FROM SYRIA! 

We welcome the recent steps the Biden administration has taken to loosen sanctions on humanitarian aid. Sanctions only exact cruelty and punishment on the people in Syria — and in other countries around the world. Congress must permanently repeal sanctions legislation so that all humanitarian aid can reach suffering Syrians without restrictions.

PRESIDENT BIDEN: TAKE EXECUTIVE ACTION TO
END ALL SANCTIONS; WITHDRAW US TROOPS

Call the President at 202-456-1111 to say he must take executive action and permanently stop all US sanctions that have caused tremendous suffering for many years.

Then, insist that he immediately withdraw all US military occupation forces in Syria that are there without the authorization of Congress. They are stealing Syria’s resources in violation of international law and should be withdrawn immediately. Call the President at 202-456-1111! Then use this form to email him with this message by selecting “Contact the President” from the first drop down menu.

The US sanctions against Syria are part of a decades-long effort to impose regime change on the country. Over the years, the US government has spent billions of dollars to arm Syrian opposition forces — many of whom turned out to be radical religious extremists who are enemies of the US and its allies as well as Syria. Furthermore, the US illegally maintains military occupation forces in Syria that deprive its people of urgently needed wheat and petroleum resources.

Economic sanctions, sometimes accompanying direct US military intervention, have become the default US policy in Syria and many other supposed “enemy countries” such as Cuba, Nicaragua, Venezuela and Iran. These sanctions only impose severe hardship against ordinary people and have proven impotent to effectively pressure regimes the US does not like.

US regime change efforts in Syria have clearly failed. Continuing the sanctions serves no purpose other than punishing millions of Syrians for having a government which the US disapproves.

The Syrian people are counting on us.

THE LETTER
I urge you to take all possible steps to permanently repeal sanctions legislation against Syria immediately.

I am grateful for the recent steps the Biden administration has taken to loosen sanctions against Syria and allow some humanitarian relief into the country. But these few measures do not match the scale and scope of this disastrous earthquake, one of the deadliest in recent world history. The death toll has already exceeded 22,000 continues to rise.

Syria, with over 3,300 dead and hundreds of thousands homeless, will remain in great need of supplies and funds for a long time in great part due to punishing US economic sanctions in place for years.

Humanitarian organizations in Syria are only now beginning to respond to this catastrophe; Syrians and Syrian-Americans in the US have found it impossible to send money to their families back home because of these financial sanctions.

The only proper and just response is for the US government to permanently lift all US economic sanctions against Syria. Furthermore, the presence of US troops in parts of the country continues without Congressional authorization. They are illegally occupying the country and must be immediately withdrawn.

Jeff Klein is a Member of the Board of Directors with the MAPA Middle East Working Group