Dear Joe Biden
Letter to the Biden (and Trump) Campaigns for a Fair and Just Foreign Policy Regarding Israel and Palestinian Rights
This letter, signed by more than 100 progressive, anti-war, and faith-based U.S. organizations, urges presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden (and Donald Trump) to adopt a principled foreign policy towards Israel and the Palestinian people based on justice, freedom, equality, and human dignity.
Endorsers of the letter include American Friends Service Committee, American Muslims for Palestine, CODEPINK, Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), Demand Progress, If Not Now, Jewish Voice for Peace, Just Foreign Policy, Kairos USA, PAX Christi USA, Peace Action, and Win Without War.
The letter comes in the context of the 2020 Democratic primaries having experienced a monumental shift in leadership positions towards the state of Israel and the Palestinian struggle for freedom. Despite this, on May 19, the Biden campaign released a revolting statement of support for Israel and Jewish Americans. The letter began by conflating American Jewry with support for Israel. It promised to continue attacking the nonviolent boycott, divestment, and sanctions movement, bragged about having increased military assistance to Israel at the end Obama’s term, and referred to Palestinian “choices” to commit violence.
Within days of the May 19 Biden campaign statement being released, so much backlash had accumulated that the degrading language of Palestinian “choices” had been removed. This signals an opportunity for us as progressives to influence and shift policy positions regarding Palestinians and Israel. We hope that this letter representing millions of Americans helps do that. See the letter to Trump here.
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Dear Vice President Biden,
We write to you as organizations and individuals deeply concerned about the continuing escalation of the conflict between Israel and the Palestinian people and the urgent need for a different U.S. policy -- one based on the principles of equality and justice for all.
Current U.S. positions supporting, indeed enabling, Israeli government violations are out of touch with voters. A February 2020 Gallup poll found increased support for Palestinians, especially among young people. The same is true for American Jews, who are becoming more and more critical of Israeli government policies and more and more supportive of Palestinian rights.
U.S. foreign policy on Israel/Palestine should be rooted in the same values and principles that are supposed to guide U.S. policy throughout the rest of the world -- respecting human rights and international law, promoting the peaceful resolution of conflicts, supporting diplomacy over military intervention, and utilizing multilateralism and multilateral institutions for dispute resolution. The United States should affirm the right of every human being to live with dignity, equality, freedom, and respect for human rights -- and that should include Palestinians and Israelis.
The United States has directly intervened in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict for nearly 30 years (since the 1991 Madrid Conference). It has promoted versions of a two-state solution to that conflict for even longer. It is time to acknowledge that those efforts have failed -- primarily because of U.S. failures to act as an honest broker. Longtime U.S. diplomat, Aaron David Miller, central to the process over several administrations of both parties, said the U.S. role was that of "Israel's lawyer." Providing Israel’s government with unlimited diplomatic protection and massive military financing has enabled the country to entrench its occupation, expand its illegal settlements, impose a 13-year-long siege and wage three wars against Gaza, pass laws that officially deny equal rights to Israeli citizens who are not Jewish, all under the veneer of peacemaking.
A new policy with any chance of success requires the United States to abandon its insistence on being the sole mediator of the conflict. The United Nations, as well as regional actors such as the European Union and the Arab League, should be involved as full and equal partners in a process aimed at ensuring full equality and rights for all people now living in Israel, Gaza, and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem.
What many American voters, including many Jewish voters, young voters, and voters of color are looking for in presidential candidates includes:
* explicit opposition to Israel’s occupation of the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and its unlawful blockade (abetted by Egypt) of the Gaza Strip;
* recognition of Israel’s obligations toward the inhabitants of the Gaza Strip, a protected population, according to international law;
* support for conditioning U.S. military funding to Israel on an end to Israeli violations of Palestinian human rights and adherence to all relevant U.S. laws, including the Arms Export Control Act and the Leahy Law;
* support for H.R. 2407, the “Promoting Human Rights for Palestinian Children Living Under Israeli Military Occupation Act,” sponsored by Representative Betty McCollum, to ensure that no U.S. dollars contribute to Israel’s a military detention, interrogation, abuse and/or other ill-treatment of Palestinian children;
* calling on Israel’s government to repeal the Jewish Nation-State Basic Law and to ensure that Palestinian citizens of Israel and other non-Jewish citizens in the country enjoy equal rights with Jewish citizens by passing a basic law guaranteeing those rights;
* opposition to the use of U.S. security assistance against protected populations, including in Gaza, and calling on Israel’s government to protect civilians from settler violence;
* support for Palestinian refugee rights consistent with international law and relevant UN resolutions;
* promise to relocate the U.S. Embassy back to Tel Aviv until such time as the international status of East Jerusalem has changed from its current status as occupied territory;
* a promise to provide full U.S. cooperation with the International Criminal Court’s investigation into alleged war crimes committed by all sides in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and the Gaza Strip;
* rejection of U.S. recognition of Israeli sovereignty over any territories now occupied, absent an internationally recognized final agreement with the Palestinians.
* a promise to reduce regional tensions and enhance regional stability by restoring U.S. support for and participation in the Iranian nuclear agreement (The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action).
We ask that you take these issues to heart and revise your policy positions accordingly. We look forward to communicating with you and your campaigns.
Sincerely,
ORGANIZATIONS:
- Action Corps
- Alliance for Global Justice
- Alliance for Water Justice in Palestine
- American Friends Service Committee
- American Muslims for Palestine
- Asian American Advocacy Fund
- Baltimore Nonviolence Center
- Bay Area Women in Black
- Cafe Palestina
- Campaign for Peace, Disarmament and Common Security
- Center for International Policy
- Central Pacific Conference Palestine Israel Network
- Chicago Area Peace Action (CAPA)
- Chicago Committee Against War and Racism
- Chicago Faith Coalition on Middle East Policy
- CODEPINK
- Christian Peacemaker Teams- Palestine
-
College of Charleston Catholic Students Association
- Community of Living Traditions at Stony Point Center
- Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR)
- Cultures of Resistance
- Demand Progress
- Dorchester People for Peace (Boston)
- Episcopal Bishop's Committee for Justice and Peace in the Holy Land ( Diocese of Olympia)
- Episcopal Peace Fellowship - Palestine Israel Network
- Fellowship of Reconciliation - USA
- FEMENA
- Feminist Foreign Policy Project
- Florida Peace Alliance
- Fox Valley Citizens for Peace & Justice
- Freedom Forward
- Friends of Palestine Wisconsin
- Friends of Sabeel North America (FOSNA)
- Gaza Freedom Flotilla Coalition
- Global Exchange
- Green Mountain Solidarity With Palestine
- Ground Zero Center for Nonviolent Action
- Historians for Peace and Democracy
- Holy Land Ministry at Spirit of Grace
- If Not Now
- Indiana Center for Middle East Peace
- Indianapolis Peace and Justice Center, Inc.
- Institute for Policy Studies, New Internationalism Project
- Interfaith Communities United for Justice and Peace
- International Civil Society Action Network (ICAN)
- Islamophobia Studies Center
- Jerusalem Committee of the Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles
- Jews Against Anti-Muslim Racism
- Jewish Voice for Peace Action
- Jewish Voice for Peace - Hudson Valley
- Jews Say No!
- Joining Hands for Justice, Palestine/Israel
- Justice For All
- Just Foreign Policy
- Just World Educational
- Kairos Puget Sound Coalition
- Kairos USA
- KPSC
- Lutherans for Justice in the Holy Land
- Madison-Rafah Sister City Project
- MADRE
- Mass Peace Action
- MennoPIN
- Methodist Federation for Social Action
- Middle East Children's Alliance
-
Middle East Justice and Peace Group of South Central PA
- Middle East Peace & Justice Coalition of Western Massachusetts
- Middle East Ministry of All Saints in Pasadena CA
- MidEast:JustPeace
- Muslim Peace Fellowship
- Middle East Peace & Justice Coalition of Western Massachusetts
- National Advocacy Center of the Sisters of the Good Shepherd
- National Lawyers Guild - Palestine Subcommittee
- Nonviolence International
- Northwest Coast Presbytery Israel Palestine Mission
- Ollin Women International
- Pace e Bene and Campaign Nonviolence
- Palestine / Israel Network (PIN) of Edmonds / Lynnwood
- Palestinian American Coalition San Francisco
-
Palestinian American Counsel - Chicago
- Palestinian Christian Alliance for Peace
- Palestinian Media Center In Europe
- PAX Christi USA
- Peace Action
- Peace Justice And sustainability NOW!
- Peacehome Campaigns
- PEACEWORKERS
- Peregrine Forum of Wisconsin
- Popular Education Project
- Presbyterian Church, USA, Israel Palestine Mission Network (IPMN)
- Progressive Democrats of America PDA
- Quaker Palestine Israel Network
- Rachel Corrie Foundation for Peace and Justice
- Rethinking Foreign Policy, Inc.
- Roots Action
-
Sisters of St Francis
- Students Against Hindutva Ideology (SAHI)
- Students for Justice in Palestine, UMass Amherst
- Texas Coalition for Human Rights
- The Oakland Institute
- The Resistance Center
- Traprock Center for Peace and Justice
- Tree of Life Educational Fund
- Tzedek Chicago
- Unitarian Universalists for Justice in the Middle East
- United Church of Christ Palestine Israel Network
- United for Peace and Justice
- United Methodists for Kairos Response (UMKR)
- United Methodists' Holy Land Task Force
- United Voices
- University of the Poor
- U.S. Boat to Gaza
- Utahns for a Just Peace in the Holy Land
- Vermonters for Justice in Palestine
- Veterans for Peace
-
Veterans For Peace Chapter 014
- Voices for Creative Nonviolence
- Voices For Peace in the Middle East - Whatcom County WA
- We Are Not Numbers
- WESPAC Foundation
- Western Mass CODEPINK
- Western New York Peace Center
- Whatcom Peace & Justice Center
- Win Without War
-
Women Against Military Madness
- Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF) US
- World Beyond War
- World Beyond War - Central Florida
- Yemen Relief and Reconstruction Foundation