by Alison Weir (President, CNI)
For the past week Gaza has been bombarded every hour—electrical power, water supply systems, roads… important infrastructure is in ruins. Casualties are worse than most of the media are reporting, especially the “collateral damage” of innocent women and children.
The Israel lobby is hard at work trying to sell Tel Aviv’s aggression as a “defensive action,” and they are bragging about their propaganda war success. Michael Oren, the Israeli Ambassador to the US, asserts: “Israel has received unequivocal and outstanding support from the United States and all branches of government. From the White House, from Congress, in both parties, completely bipartisan support.”
Despite what seems to be a grim and never-ending string of bad news, there are voices of hope and positive initiatives that should inspire every CNI supporter.
Former President Jimmy Carter has praised a letter from Christian leaders to Congress calling for an investigation of Israel’s human rights record and criticizing U.S. military aid to the country. He noted that an unprecedented massive increase in encroachment on occupied Palestinian territory, with illegal settlement expansion during recent years, “is precluding the possibility of a two-state solution and endangers a peaceful future for both Israelis and Palestinians.”
According to The Times of Israel, “Leaders of several major US Christian denominations—including Protestants, Presbyterians, Baptists, Lutherans and Methodists—have asked members of Congress to reconsider US aid to Israel in light of ‘widespread Israeli human rights violations.’”
The statement from church leaders calls for “an immediate investigation into possible violations by Israel of the US Foreign Assistance Act and the US Arms Export Control Act, which respectively prohibit assistance to any country which engages in a consistent pattern of human rights violations and limit the use of US weapons to ‘internal security’ or ‘legitimate self-defense.’”
We must circulate this letter far and wide—it is under-reported. As the Israel Lobby claims the attack on Gaza is “defensive,” we have a powerful weapon to fight back. The letter is in PDF format and can easily be downloaded and printed for distribution.
This important statement by a diverse group of Christian leaders is a new opportunity to explain to friends, the media, and Congress that there is indeed another voice to be heard besides the noise of the Israel lobby.
Your support of CNI keeps us on the front lines of the propaganda war.
Source: CNI
