An Open Letter to Northern California Voters from NorCal Friends of Sabeel

October 15, 2010

Dear Fellow Citizens:

We are members of Northern California Friends of Sabeel, a group supporting the aims of Sabeel, a Jerusalem-based ecumenical organization working for justice, peace and reconciliation in Palestine/Israel through non-violent action. As residents of Northern California, we address you concerning our common desire for justice and peace and a sane and responsible use of our tax money.

Unfortunately, almost all of our members of Congress have betrayed these aims in their unprincipled support for aid to Israel. At this time of economic crisis, they have voted to increase military aid to Israel by $205 million, on top of a record-breaking $3 billion in the 2011 budget.  Only Representative Pete Stark voted no on this measure and Representative John Garmendi abstained.  These two deserve our respect and gratitude.
 

All other representatives in Northern California have voted yes for the increase in funding, betraying liberals and conservatives alike by irresponsibly voting for military aid that:

*Places U.S. soldiers and citizens at risk
*Robs U.S. citizens of much-needed federal funds at a time of economic distress
*Violates the U.S. Arms Control Act of 1976 by providing weapons for aggressive attacks
*Violates U.S. prohibitions against aid to nuclear states outside of the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty
*Tarnishes our image abroad, especially in the Muslim and Arab worlds.

This unrestricted support for Israel is morally repugnant. Israel is a wealthy industrial state and the fourth strongest military power in the world, yet it receives more U.S. aid than any other country. With armaments supplied by the U.S., Israel has:

*Killed thousands of innocent civilians in Israel, Palestine and Lebanon
*Attacked humanitarian aid workers in international waters
*Killed and maimed non-violent U.S. citizens protesting the occupation
*Destroyed hospitals, schools, mosques, UN facilities, ambulances, farms and water
    treatment plants
*Colonized occupied Palestinian territory in defiance of international law
*Robbed Palestinians of land and water; demolished their homes, groves and
fields; and confined them to Bantustans behind military checkpoints and an illegal separation barrier.

We ask you, as citizens with the constitutional right to speak the truth, to join us in demanding answers from our representatives about why they are spending our tax money in this way, why they continue to support a regime that breaks U.S. and international law, and why they vote in a way that threatens the lives of our citizens and soldiers abroad – as General Petraeus himself has stated– breeding resentment and outrage throughout the international community.

Please urge your representatives to place conditions on aid to Israel and to require compliance with international and US law before any funds are dispersed.  Ask them to stand up for taxpayers who see their school districts and police departments struggle to survive in the face of budget cuts, while Congress increases aid to Israel. This aid harms us at home and abroad, and it supports an inhumane and repressive occupation.

Yours in the cause of Justice and Peace,


The Members of Northern California Friends of Sabeel

http://www.fosna.org

Email: norcal.sabeel@comcast.net