#Middle East Peace

[ivygorgon]

AN OPEN LETTER to THE PRESIDENT & U.S. CONGRESS

Petition Against Israel's Forced Displacement and Threats of Violence

13 so far! Help us get to 25 signers!

Dear President Biden and Members of Congress,

We, the undersigned, express our deep concern and condemnation of Israel's ongoing acts of forced displacement and threats of violence against those who seek to return home.

The forced displacement of individuals from their homes is a violation of fundamental human rights and international law. It leads to immense suffering, loss of livelihoods, and perpetuates cycles of poverty and instability.

Furthermore, the threats of violence against those who seek to return home are reprehensible and undermine the basic principles of safety and security for all individuals, regardless of their background or beliefs.

We call upon the international community to take immediate and decisive action to pressure Israel to cease these illegal and inhumane practices. We urge governments, international organizations, and civil society to:

1. Condemn Israel's actions in the strongest terms possible and demand an immediate halt to all forced displacement and threats of violence.

2. Provide support and assistance to those affected by forced displacement, including access to shelter, healthcare, and legal aid.

3. Ensure accountability for those responsible for perpetrating and enabling these violations of human rights and international law.

4. Work towards a just and lasting solution based on the principles of equality, justice, and respect for human rights.

We stand in solidarity with the victims of forced displacement and violence and call for justice and accountability for all those affected.

▶ Created on April 16 by Fatima

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[dchan87]

This account will always stand with the Israeli activists working their asses off to get bibi netanyahu out of power and obtain peace with the Palestinians. They need our support now more than ever.

[dreaminginthedeepsouth]

Matt Davies ::@MatttDavies

* * * *

[Robert B. Hubbell Newsletter]

“We cannot give up on peace.”

October 20, 2023

ROBERT B. HUBBELL

          In a short but impactful speech, President Biden explained why American support for Israel and Ukraine is vital to national security and global peace. It was a great speech. Not a good speech or an excellent speech. It was a great speech that rose to a fragile and volatile moment in world history. He moved quickly and easily from global security to the importance of NATO unity in Ukraine to the right of Israel and the Palestinian people to self-determination to condemning antisemitism and Islamophobia to mourning the murder of a six-year-old Palestinian boy he called by name, “Wadea.”

          The video of President Biden’s speech is here, President Biden's Address to the Nation.

          As with his remarks in Israel, Biden did not shrink from difficult subjects. He simultaneously recognized the suffering of the Israeli and Palestinian peoples—as well as the suffering of Americans from Israel and Gaza. He said, “I see you. You belong. And I want to say this to you — you’re all Americans.” In an important acknowledgment, he said,

We must, without equivocation, denounce antisemitism. We must also, without equivocation, denounce Islamophobia.

          In a significant foreign policy shift, he equated the anti-democratic animus of Hamas and Vladimir Putin, saying that both sought to “annihilate” democracy. He said, “Hamas and Putin represent different threats, but they are both threats to democracy.” Biden linked Putin and Hamas—"dictators and terrorists”—in the following passage:

History has taught us that when terrorists don’t pay a price for their terror, when dictators don’t pay a price for their aggression, they cause more chaos and death and more destruction.

          Biden also urged Americans to recall the importance of America to maintaining world peace and stability. In memorable phrases, he said that America “is the indispensable nation” and “a beacon to the world.”

          Biden said that he would submit a $100 billion proposal to Congress to support Ukraine and Israel. He said that it represents “a smart investment that will pay dividends to Americans for generations.” There remains serious doubt whether House Republicans can elect a speaker to act on President Biden’s request. See below.

          As with his remarks in Israel, Biden urged Israel to consider the downstream consequences of its actions before acting to invade Gaza. Per The Guardian, “He stressed that Israel should not make the same “mistakes” made by the US after 9/11 when, he said, Americans were “blinded by rage.” (On that topic, there is conflicting evidence of Israel’s intentions. See below.)

          Shortly before Biden spoke to the American people, a US Navy ship in the northern Red Sea “intercepted three land attack cruise missiles and several drones that were launched by Houthi forces in Yemen.” See The Guardian. It is not clear whether the missiles were headed toward Israel or the US ship, but the incident may represent the first involvement by US forces in the Israeli war against Hamas.

Israel is on the verge of invading Gaza—or not.

          There has been conflicting reporting over the last forty-eight hours about Israel’s intent to invade Gaza. The Guardian reported on Thursday evening as follows:

Israel’s defense minister, Yoav Gallant, visited troops on the Gaza border on Thursday, telling them: “You see Gaza now from a distance, you will soon see it from inside. The command will come.”

          But Israeli troops have lingered on the Gaza border for longer than expected, and some sources in Israel have cautioned against expectations for a full-scale invasion. See Dennis Aftergut and Edward Story, MSNBC, Why canceling its ground invasion could help Israel defeat Hamas. Per Aftergut and Story,

In a faint sign of hope, the Israeli military reportedly said on Tuesday that a Gaza ground offensive is “not a certainty.” That tempering of Israel’s militant tone may reflect private conversations Biden had with Netanyahu urging restraint . . . . There is no shame in leaving its IDF forces massed around Gaza without escalating further. Doing so could give the army and intelligence forces more time to locate and possibly exchange the hostages without massive IDF or hostage casualties. Such a pause also gives both Israelis and Palestinians more time to think through how to fill the potential vacuum that will be left if Israel ultimately succeeds in destroying Hamas.

          President Biden has urged restraint and caution on three occasions regarding an invasion of Gaza. The US cannot tell Israel what to do, but Biden is highlighting “mistakes” that the US made after 9/11. We will learn in the coming days whether Israel will slow or avoid its invasion of Gaza in light of America’s difficult and costly 9/11 wars.

Concluding Thoughts.

          We are living through a difficult moment in our nation’s history. American democracy is threatened as never before while Israel’s war on a terrorist group hiding among civilians has divided friends and allies in the fight to preserve democracy in this country. There are no “easy” or “right” answers that will avoid all harm, protect all legitimate interests, and vindicate all wrongs in the Middle East. We must not pretend otherwise.

          Recognizing that there is no single answer that will fix everything, we must not make enemies of fellow citizens with whom we disagree about the Middle East—but with whom we agree about the vital task of defending American democracy. If we treat allies as enemies because we disagree over problems for which there are painful solutions only, we will weaken our efforts to preserve democracy in America. If we lose that battle, nothing else matters.

         A strong, stable democracy in America will advance the cause of global peace. To achieve that goal, we must work together despite our disagreements about the path forward in the Middle East. We share a common purpose and need one another to succeed. The Founders showed us the way when they forged our nation from thirteen quarrelsome, fractious colonies. The process wasn’t easy, pretty, or perfect. But in rising above their differences to promote the common good, they achieved mighty things. Let’s do the same!

[Robert B. Hubbell Newsletter]

[redvelvetwishtree]

[kinialohaguy]

The End Of The Petrodollar

Aloha kākou. The end of the Petrodollar should be extremely concerning to all Americans. Not only will it damage our economy, but it could also trigger a worldwide depression should the petrodollar collapse. America would shrink from a world economic superpower to a second world nation if nothing is done. Under this current regime, nothing is being done to stop a potential economic…

[paulthepoke]

This Week in Prophecy: Fighting in Rafah Continues, China, Food Security, Pride Month

This Week in Prophecy: Fighting in Rafah Continues, China, Food Security, Pride Month

Exodus 2:11-12 One day, after Moses had grown up, he went out to his own people and observed their hard labor. He saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one of his own people. After looking this way and that and seeing no one, he struck down the Egyptian and hid his body in the sand. BREAKING:2 Egyptian soldiers killed after an exchange of fire with the Israeli Army at the Rafah border crossing…

[uboat53]

In early October, the US Secretary of State wrote an op-ed in which he claimed that the Middle East was more peaceful than it had been in a long time. Obviously, that was particularly bad timing, but it's worth understanding why, exactly, he was wrong.

Today, of course, we have Israel bombing Gaza in a horrific manner, increasing its repression in the West Bank, and occasionally bombing Lebanon as well. Hamas and Hezbullah are firing rockets into Israel, US bases are being attacked in Iraq and Syria, Houthi rebels in Yemen are attacking ship traffic in the Red Sea and being attacked by the US and UK in turn, Iran was hit by a terror attack at a state funeral, and Iran and Pakistan are exchanging fire across their border at Baloch rebels.

So how did a region that was "peaceful" just a few months ago suddenly blow up with so much fighting. Well, to quote Ultron from the second Avengers movie: "You're confusing peace with quiet"

The Middle East was not peaceful in September of 2023, it was just precariously balanced such that no one was actively shooting. Now, I'm not sure if Secretary Blinken genuinely thought that that represented peace or was simply hoping that he could will it to continue, but either one says some interesting things about US policy in the region.

If he genuinely thought it was peaceful, then we're in a lot more trouble than we thought, because that's a wild misread of the situation. If, as I think is far more likely, he was trying to will a sense of quiet to continue and maybe take some political credit for it, it represents the limits of US power in a region where we have too often let our short-term interests overwhelm our long-term interests.

Backing Israel to the hilt helps a US President's political interests in the US where a majority have supported Israel consistently (though that is shifting as a result of the current war) but our interest in a peaceful Middle East would have been better served by a more confrontational posture that forced Israel to make concessions beyond what its recent hard-right governments would have been willing to make on their own; at the very least to stop them from funding and building up Hamas while strangling the peace-minded PLO.

That's obviously the most relevant case for current events, but it's hardly the only one. From our support of the Saudi intervention in Yemen that exacerbated one of the worst humanitarian crises of the time and led to the growth of the powerful Houthi movement to our consistent unwillingness to engage with Iran even in cases where we could have turned down the temperature on key regional conflicts, American foreign policy in the region has been marked by a consistent insistence on letting short-term politics dictate over long-term interests to the point where even a period of precarious quiet is something that the Secretary of State feels he needs to grab credit for before it's too late.

Make no mistake, the Middle East will continue to be a powder keg. Even if we somehow douse the fires this time, there will be another and likely another after that. The only way that we're going to see actual peace in the Middle East is for the US to start prioritizing it over short-term domestic politics.

Personally, I don't see that happening anytime soon. US politics these days are so closely divided that no President of either party is going to risk angering even a fairly small constituency immediately in exchange for gains that are a half a world away and could take a decade or more to truly take hold. So, as sad as what's happening now is for everyone involved, be prepared for more; the Middle East isn't going to improve as long as America politics remains so evenly split and key groups take sides in a way that prevents long-term peace, and that's probably going to be the case for the next while.

[headlinehorizon]

Headline Horizon: Israeli PM Netanyahu's Groundbreaking Speech on Peace and Challenges Ahead

Get the latest news on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's groundbreaking speech at the UN General Assembly, where he condemned Iran and expressed hope for peace with Saudi Arabia. Explore the challenges and prospects for Middle East peace and other critical global issues.

[luminalunii97]

It's never felt more like a 'Fuck western lefties' time for Iranians than now! My people are struggling socially and economically under the rule of a fascist dictator terrorist regime, getting beaten, murdered and silenced by a corrupt government, that is vastly unpopular, day in day out. Now we're at the brink of a costly war on top of everything. And western left wingers are CHEERING ON THE ISLAMIC REPUBLIC! Twitter and Instagram are full of dumb westerners acting like the IR is some kind of hero here. Fuckin hell. Two terrorist regimes are going at each other, the result is going to be more misery and civilian deaths. More destruction and casualties. There's nothing to cheer for here.

I can just hope this won't escalate into another humanitarian crisis. God knows the world doesn't need more war and loss of innocent lives right now.

[ivygorgon]

AN OPEN LETTER to THE PRESIDENT & U.S. CONGRESS

The United States must uphold universal values of fairness and equality

50 so far! Help us get to 100 signers!

President Biden, Ladies and gentlemen of Congress,

I rise today deeply troubled by the ongoing atrocities committed by Israeli soldiers, which include acts of rape, theft, murder, mutilation, torture, starvation, kidnapping, occupation, and terrorism. These actions, while perpetrated under the guise of self-defense, cannot be ignored or excused.

For far too long, Israel has played the victim on the international stage while simultaneously rejecting international law and engaging in egregious human rights violations. This pattern of behavior has persisted for nearly a century, and it is time for us to acknowledge the truth and take a stand for justice.

As representatives of a nation that claims to uphold universal values of fairness and equality, we cannot turn a blind eye to the suffering of innocent civilians at the hands of Israeli forces. Our unwavering support for Israel must not come at the expense of ignoring the injustices inflicted upon the Palestinian people.

It is incumbent upon us to hold Israel accountable for its actions, to demand adherence to international law, and to advocate for a just and peaceful resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. We cannot claim to champion justice while defending such grave injustices.

America must demand an immediate end to Israel's genocide of Palestinians and the ecocide of their land. We must enact laws that grant Palestinians freedom from occupation, starting with a permanent ceasefire, dismantling apartheid policies, divesting funds and arms, and implementing sanctions against Israel.

The weaponization of starvation by Israel cannot be tolerated. America must ensure that humanitarian aid flows freely into Gaza to alleviate the suffering of innocent civilians trapped in this conflict.

It is time for us to take meaningful action to address these grave injustices and work towards a just and peaceful resolution for all parties involved.

Your immediate attention to address my each concern is needed without delay. I look forward to your response.

▶ Created on April 5 by Fatima

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[Sources]

[reasonsforhope]

Where can I find Free Palestine protests and Ceasefire protests?

A super international and continually updated list of actions can be found at Samidoun: Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network's:

Calendar of Resistance for Palestine 2024

They list events by date, then alphabetically by country, then by city - and it's common for them to have dozens of actions listed for a single date, especially on the weekends.

The United States especially often has 40+ events on a single day, especially on the weekends.

Events are posted with links to the event info posted by whoever's hosting the vast majority of the time.

Look blow the read-more for a list of many of the countries that have been on this protest calendar, in alphabetical order, since I know so many websites/lists of actions are country-specific

*Obviously this isn't the only good source of listings for protest events - there are many others. This is by far the biggest/most international roundup I've found, though, so I started with this. If you know another good place for finding ceasefire protests/events, please feel free to add it in the notes, bc I'm planning to put a bigger roundup together once I find enough other sites

Countries that Samidoun has listed/does list protests for include (in alphabetical order):

North America:

United States

Canada

Mexico

Puerto Rico (listed separately in anti-colonial solidarity)

Hawai'i (listed separately in anti-colonial solidarity)

Europe:

Austria

Belgium

Bulgaria

Denmark

England

Finland

France

Germany

Greece

Hungary

Iceland

Ireland

Italy

Netherlands

Norway

Portugal

Romania

Scotland

Serbia

Spain

Sweden

Switzerland

Wales

SWANA Region (Southwest Asia/North Africa)*:

Bahrain

Iraq

Jordan

Kuwait

Lebanon

Palestine

Tunisia

Turkiye (Turkey)

*Samidoun notes that "We know that these events are mainly international and that the Arab people are marching everywhere for Palestine – we will be honored to add more Arab events whenever we are informed!"

Asia:

Bangladesh

India

Indonesia

Japan

Malaysia

Maldives

Pakistan

South Korea

Africa:

Kenya

Mauritius

Nigeria

South Africa

Tanzania

Tunisia

*Duplicating North African countries (well, Tunisia) here from the SWANA list btw

South America:

Brazil

Colombia

Chile

Peru

Venezuela

Australia and Oceania:

Aotearoa (New Zealand)

Australia

[spanishsongs]

There's been a lot of support for organisations like Standing Together, B'Tselem, etc.... But this won't be solved by just Israeli organisations. The sister side of this is combating antisemitism, and here are some Arab and Muslim organisations that are doing just that, so please consider supporting them as well.

The Council of Muslims Against Antisemitism - https://stopglobalantisemitism.com/

Muslims from across the political spectrum dedicated to fighting antisemitism. Officially endorses the IHRA definition of antisemitism, and have been raising awareness of the sexual violence committed by Hamas.

American Muslim and Multifaith Women's Empowerment Council - https://ammwec.org/

Empowering Muslim women on the frontlines, their goal is to get more Muslim women involved in all facets of political life, and they worked with the Obama administration on counter-radicalization efforts.

Builders of the Middle East - https://linktr.ee/buildersofmideast

Social media initiative dedicated to promote anti-extremism, and to building a more tolerant, stable and hopeful Middle East. Funders come from across the political spectrum include Israelis and Jews, Palestinians and Muslims.

Sharaka - https://www.sharakango.com/

An NGO dedicated to young leaders in the Middle East to encourage people-to-people engagement. Includes Israelis, Arabs, Jews, Muslims, Christians and Druze.

Sharaka has an entire program to dedicated to Holocaust education, and their members were participants in the first ever official delegation of Arabs and Muslims to participate in the March of the Living.

[alwaysbewoke]