Israel 6-20-2002

20, June 2002

Dear President Bush,           RE: Israel

I am writing to you out of profound concern over the appalling loss of life in the Middle East. I am particularly concerned that our tax dollars are being grossly misused to refill Israel's arsenal of weapons. These weapons have been and are continuing to be used to commit atrocities against the Palestinians. The majority of weapons used by the Israeli Defense Forces are made by the US, in particular Apache helicopters and F-16 fighter jets. As a longtime member of Amnesty International, I am deeply disturbed that your administration has been adversely influenced by the Israeli lobby and continues to support the misguided policies of the Israeli government. Israel has refused to allow human rights groups such as ours to monitor activities and have attempted to manage news to deflect criticisms of gross human rights violations. For example mass graves were discovered after human rights groups and reporters were finally allowed entry into Jenin.

Our foreign policy should be based on honesty, compassion and upholding the basic rights of people regardless of ethnicity and religion. Sadly, the policies your Administration do not reflect these values.

I ask that you stop the shipment of arms to Israel and call a halt to illegal settlements and demand that those swaths of land held by Israeli settlers be returned to the Palestinians. I also call upon you to organize a UN peace keeping force in the Middle East to halt further senseless violence.

Please respond and let me know what action you propose to take.

Israeli Atrocities 6-20-2002

20, June 2002                            RE: Israeli Atrocities

Dear Prime Minister Sharon,
I am writing out of profound concern over the appalling loss of life in the Middle East. As a longtime member of Amnesty International, the world-wide human rights organization, I am outraged over the human rights violations committed against the Palestinians in response to the morally repugnant actions of the suicide bombers. It is morally indefensible to wage a war against the civilian population of Palestine for the misguided actions of a few. It is tragic that the Jewish people, who have been victimized for centuries, should now become the oppressors and deny the aspirations of the Palestinians for their own homeland.
Your armed forces have unleashed a reign of terror on the Palestinians and have resulted in deepening the hostility and diminished the hopes for a just peace. Your forces have demolished the Palestinian infrastructure, disrupted food and medical supplies, the airport, destroyed television stations, bulldozed homes often killing the occupants. A disproportionate number of Palestinians have been killed with US taxpayer supplied tanks and helicopter gunships. On many occasions Israeli forces refused to allow wounded Palestinians to be removed to hospitals. It is this callous disregard for human life that has earned Israel, and its backer, the United States, opprobrium in many parts of the world. You have violated your election pledge to halt further illegal settlements by orchestrating the construction of 34 new settlements.

The conscience of your own reservists has been stirred and many have refused to serve in the West Bank and Gaza Strip because your policies 'contributed to dominating, starving and humiliating an entire people'.

Your refusal to allow human rights groups and UN officials into Jenin has exposed your callous disregard for truth and fairness. The massacre of innocent civilians and attempts at a cover-up has outraged many of your former friends and allies.
I ask that call an immediate halt to these devastating acts of violence your forces have unleashed on the Palestinians.

I am writing a similar letter calling on the Palestinian Authority asking them to halt these cruel, senseless suicides attacks that have resulted in so much loss of life.

Prime Minister Sharon Office of the Prime Minister 3 Kaplan Street Hakirya, Jerusalem 91007 Israel

Israel 6-12-2002

12, June 2002 Response to local letters RE: Israel
Letters from the Kaye's, Mr. Segal, and Sheree Roth (Wednesday June 12) clearly show their collective bias. There seems to be a disturbing trend to stifle debate on the misguided belief that criticism of Israel is anti-Semitic. Nothing could be further from the truth. Blatant support for the cruel policies of the Israeli government have contributed and indeed encouraged the persecution and oppression of the Palestinian people. The actions of suicide bombers are indefensible and morally repugnant. Likewise the Israeli state sponsored terrorism, unleashed on the Palestinians, is morally repugnant and needs to be strongly condemned. It is a pity that the Jewish people who have been victimized and oppressed for centuries should now become the oppressors and deny the aspirations of the Palestinians for their homeland.

Israeli forces have demolished the Palestinian infrastructure, disrupted supplies of water, food and medical supplies, destroyed independent televisions stations, the airport, bulldozed homes, killing the occupants. A disproportionate number of Palestinians have been killed with US taxpayer supplied tanks and helicopter gunships. On many occasions Israeli forces refused to allow wounded Palestinians to be removed to hospitals. It is this callous disregard for human life that has earned Israel, and its backer the United States, opprobrium in many parts of the world. Large swaths of land have been seized from the Palestinians to create illegal settlements which have been a major bone of contention and hindered the peace process. Sharon promised to call a halt to new settlements but has orchestrated the construction of 34 new settlements since he has assumed power. Can this action be construed as a peace offering to the Palestinians?

The Kaye's, Mr. Segal and Sheree Roth need to do some serious soul searching and take heed of Ben Eliezer, who threatened to resign over the invasion of Ramallah and the courageous actions of Israeli reservists who signed statements refusing to serve in the West Bank and Gaza Strip because Israel's policies 'were involved in dominating, starving and humiliating an entire people'.