Stop the Violence in the Gaza Strip

As of Monday 29 December 2008, the death toll of Israeli military assaults in the Gaza region has passed 335 deaths since Israel began its bombing campaign on Saturday 27 December 2008. In this same time, rocket attacks by Hamas forces have caused two Israeli deaths. 1 As usual, spokespeople for the U.S. government have helped to escalate the violence by offering unconditional military support to the Israeli government. In an effort to help the government understand that the people of the U.S. do not condone U.S. backing for further violence in the region, I drafted and transmitted a brief letter to the President and to my two U.S. Senators and one Representative. While I expect my individual request to have little bearing on on this matter, it is my hope that many others are also doing something similar. Anyone who is looking for information to include in a letter of h(er|is) own is welcome to use what I have to offer below.

As you know, for the last three days Israel has engaged a brutal bombing campaign against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. These U.S.-backed attacks have been so brutal that some eyewitnesses and Palestinian activists have already begun to refer to the attacks as an outright "holocaust". Regardless of whether you agree that these attacks against civilians constitute a holocaust (which in turn raises questions about U.S. military operations), the disproportionate death toll on side of the Palestinians casts serious doubts on Israel's claim to be acting in self-defense against Hamas terrorism. On Monday, the Guardian reported that the Palestinian death toll had reached at least 335, and that the U.N. Relief and Works Agency estimates (conservatively) that at least 57 of these deaths were civilians. Other sources estimate civilian casualties to be over 100, and Palestinian authorities report that at least 22 children have been killed and 235 injured since Saturday. On the Israeli side, at least 19 civilians have been killed by rockets fired from Gaza in the past eight years, and 2 to 3 Israelis have been killed since Saturday.

While the U.N. has called for an immediate cease-fire and a diplomatic resolution to the crisis, the White House and other U.S. Government spokespeople have taken a hard-line stance in favor of Israel's bombing campaigns and blame Hamas for initiating the conflict. Israeli bombers are even attacking Palestinian targets with U.S.-built GBU-39 'bunker buster' bombs that you and your colleagues in Congress allowed the Bush White House to sell to the Israeli military earlier this year.

Please take the appropriate steps immediately to end U.S. support for the escalating violence between the Israeli military and the Palestinian people. The loss of even one life in an armed conflict is a preventable tragedy and should cause us to reconsider our approach. Large numbers of civilian casualties are always unacceptable and intentional attacks on innocent civilians are universally and unconditionally illegal. Unconditional U.S. support for Israeli military aggression--hidden behind the rhetoric of Israel's "right to defend herself as a nation'--has played a critical role in perpetuating and escalating the violence between Israel and the Palestinian people. The rest of the world, including Iran, Saudi Arabia and the majority of Islamic groups favor a two-state settlement at this point, but saber-rattling by Israel and its U.S. backers continues to undermine the peace process. Please help to stop this ongoing violence by eliminating or at least substantially decreasing military support for Israeli attacks and demanding that humanitarian aid equally reaches both the Israeli and the Palestinian people. Finally, please call on Israel to work towards a two-state settlement and demand that politicians and spokespeople in the Executive Office justify their unconditional support for Israeli military aggression. Please halt the spread of violence and help all the parties involved work together for a regional peace and stability that protects the basic human rights of everyone.

Thank you for your commitment to ending violence and promoting peace on your constituents' behalf.

Sincerely,
Brian Napoletano

1. 1. Rory McArthy and Ewen MacAskill (29 Dec 2008) Israel says its army is fighting war to the bitter end against Hamas. guardian.co.uk. http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/dec/29/gaza-israel-palestinians-middle-east