While the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) has been having its conference participants lobby on Capitol Hill this week for more U.S. support for Israel, we have also been on Capitol Hill meeting with Senators and Representatives about supporting Palestinian human rights.
Call and email your Members of Congress and ask them not to co-sponsor the Israel Anti-Boycott Act!
The top of AIPAC’s pro-occupation agenda is to get your members of Congress to cosponsor the Israel Anti-Boycott Act (S.720 and H.R.1697), introduced last week by Sens. Ben Cardin (D-MD) and Rob Portman (R-OH), and Reps. Peter Roskam (R-IL) and Juan Vargas (D-CA).
This anti-free speech bill would fine and deny loans to corporations that boycott or divest from illegal Israeli settlements. It is a blatant attempt to legitimize Israel’s settlements despite the United Nations unequivocal stance that settlements are entirely illegal and an impediment to peace!
AIPAC is pushing this bill because they know the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions Movement is working! The power of nonviolence is why Israel is persecuting nonviolent human rights defender Issa Amro, levying 18 charges against him to halt his work for human rights. Yesterday, while AIPAC participants were on Capitol Hill, our campaign director Ariel Gold was attending meeting after meeting with Senators and Representatives to educate them on why Israel should drop its charges against Issa.
Sign the petition to stand with Issa!
Whether it is silencing free speech or imprisoning nonviolent human rights defenders, Israel is becoming more desperate to maintain the status quo of apartheid and occupation.
Show your support for nonviolence in action by sharing the image at the top of this page on Facebook and Twitter.
Toward Palestinian human rights,
Ariel Gold and the entire CODEPINK staff