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Via: US Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation

President Bush wants to spend your tax dollars wisely. Or so he claims. In his State of the Union address on Jan. 28, Bush stated that “Just as we trust Americans with their own money, we need to earn their trust by spending their tax dollars wisely. Next week, I’ll send you a budget that terminates or substantially reduces 151 wasteful or bloated programs”.

However, Bush’ FY2009 budget request to Congress includes $2.55 billion in military aid to Israel, a 9% increase over actual spending in FY2007. This increase in military aid is the first installment of a ten-year plan, signed by Israel and the United States in August, to increase military aid to Israel by 25%, totaling $30 billion over the next decade.

Since the deal was signed, you’ve sent more than 16,000 letters to the President and your Members of Congress opposing this military aid. To send your letter today, see below.

Not only is military aid to Israel a “wasteful or bloated” program in Bush’s language; it’s also illegal and immoral. It’s illegal because Israel uses this military aid in violation of the Arms Export Control Act and Foreign Assistance Act to commit human rights violations of Palestinians through its brutal military occupation and siege of the West Bank, East Jerusalem, and Gaza Strip. It’s immoral because the Israeli siege and occupation of Palestinians—and the humanitarian crises they are causing—are enforced with U.S. weapons, making every single U.S. taxpayer an accessory to Israel’s crimes.

Rather than giving Israel military aid to continue its human rights violations of Palestinians, can you think of a better way for the President and Congress to spend $30 billion of your taxes over the next decade? If so, let them know by sending a letter below.

Even though Bush’s budget request includes an increase in military aid to Israel, the fight is far from over. The US Campaign will be challenging this military aid to Israel throughout the year and at every stage of the appropriations process.

To learn more about this year’s military aid request to Israel and how you can join the US Campaign to organize in your community to oppose military aid to Israel, please join us for a special telephone briefing with Josh Ruebner, National Advocacy Director, on Tuesday, Feb. 19 at 9PM Eastern. To RSVP and get the call-in information, please send an email to congress@endtheoccupation.org.

Stay tuned for future alerts and don’t forget to send your message today below.

Sample letter:

Subject: Oppose $2.55 Billion in Military Aid to Israel in FY2009

I oppose President Bush’s FY2009 budget request for $2.55 billion in military aid to Israel and I urge Congress to reject it. This year’s request is the first in a ten-year understanding between the United States and Israel for $30 billion in military aid, representing a 25% increase over the current U.S. annual military aid appropriation to Israel of $2.4 billion. Israel is already the largest recipient of U.S. military aid before the proposed increase.

Rather than increasing military aid, the United States should sanction Israel by cutting off military aid to it for its continued violations of the U.S. Arms Export Control Act and U.S. Foreign Assistance Acts.

The U.S. Arms Export Control Act prohibits foreign countries from using U.S. weapons against civilians or civilian infrastructure and limits their use to ‘legitimate self-defense’ or for ‘internal security.’ The U.S. Foreign Assistance Act states that ‘No assistance may be provided under this part [of the law] to the government of any country which engages in a consistent pattern of gross violations of internationally recognized human rights’.

Rather than use U.S. military aid for ‘legitimate self-defense’ or ‘internal security’, Israel relies upon it to prosecute its illegal 40-year old foreign military occupation of the Palestinian West Bank, East Jerusalem, and Gaza Strip. ‘Gross violations of internationally recognized human rights’ against Palestinians living under Israel’s illegal military occupation have been well-documented by numerous Palestinian, Israeli, U.S., and international human rights organizations, as well as by the U.S. government.

I urge you to take action to uphold the laws of the United States and hold Israel accountable for its violations of U.S. law rather than provide it with additional military aid.

Find your elected officials contact, including the president, members of Congress, and more:
http://capwiz.com/fconl/dbq/officials/
President Bush: president@whitehouse.gov
White House Comment: comments@whitehouse.gov
Vice President Cheney: vice.president@whitehouse.gov
Contact the media:
http://www.fair.org/index.php?page=111
and
http://www.congress.org/congressorg/dbq/media/

or use this ready form to send the letter!

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