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.
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