(WASHINGTON, D.C., 6/22/2020) – The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, joined CODEPINK along with over 100 other organizations in urging presumptive Democratic Nominee Joe Biden and President Trump to adopt a just and principled foreign policy towards Israel and the Palestinian struggle. In a joint letter, the organizations noted policy positions that American voters are looking for in presidential candidates.
“Current U.S. positions supporting, indeed enabling, Israeli government violations are out of touch with voters. U.S. foreign policy on Israel/Palestine should be rooted in the same values and principles that are supposed to guide U.S. policy throughout the rest of the world — respecting human rights and international law, promoting the peaceful resolution of conflicts, supporting diplomacy over military intervention, and utilizing multilateralism and multilateral institutions for dispute resolution,” the groups said in the letter.
The policy positions addressed in the letter include:
- explicit opposition to Israel’s occupation of the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and its unlawful blockade of the Gaza Strip;
- recognition of Israel’s obligations toward the inhabitants of the Gaza Strip;
- support for conditioning U.S. military funding to Israel on an end to Israeli violations of Palestinian human rights and adherence to all relevant U.S. laws, including the Arms Export Control Act and the Leahy Law;
- support for H.R. 2407, the “Promoting Human Rights for Palestinian Children Living Under Israeli Military Occupation Act,” to ensure that no U.S. dollars contribute to Israel’s military detention, interrogation, abuse and/or other ill-treatment of Palestinian children;
- calling on Israel’s government to repeal the Jewish Nation-State Basic Law and to ensure that Palestinian citizens of Israel and other non-Jewish citizens in the country enjoy equal rights with Jewish citizens by passing a basic law guaranteeing those rights;
- opposition to the use of U.S. security assistance against protected populations, including in Gaza, and calling on Israel’s government to protect civilians from settler violence;
- support for Palestinian refugee rights consistent with international law and relevant UN resolutions;
- a promise to relocate the U.S. Embassy back to Tel Aviv until such time as the international status of East Jerusalem has changed from its current status as occupied territory;
- a promise to provide full U.S. cooperation with the International Criminal Court’s investigation into alleged war crimes committed by all sides in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and the Gaza Strip;
- rejection of U.S. recognition of Israeli sovereignty over any territories now occupied, absent an internationally recognized final agreement with the Palestinians.
- a promise to reduce regional tensions and enhance regional stability by restoring U.S. support for and participation in the Iranian nuclear agreement (The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action).
This letter comes as a recent Biden campaign statement conflates American Jews with Jewish support for Israel and brags about having increased military assistance to Israel at the end of Obama’s term. The statement also promised to continue, in violation of the First Amendment, attacks on individuals and organizations that boycott Israel for political reasons and referred to Palestinian “choices” to commit violence.
The letter is available here and is signed by the following groups: https://www.codepink.org/dearjoebiden
Action Corps
Alliance for Global Justice
Alliance for Water Justice in Palestine
American Friends Service Committee
American Muslims for Palestine
Asian American Advocacy Fund
Baltimore Nonviolence Center
Bay Area Women in Black
Cafe Palestina
Campaign for Peace, Disarmament and Common Security
Center for International Policy
Central Pacific Conference Palestine Israel Network
Chicago Area Peace Action (CAPA)
Chicago Committee Against War and Racism
Chicago Faith Coalition on Middle East Policy
CODEPINK
Christian Peacemaker Teams- Palestine
Community of Living Traditions at Stony Point Center
Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR)
Cultures of Resistance
Demand Progress
Dorchester People for Peace (Boston)
Episcopal Bishop’s Committee for Justice and Peace in the Holy Land ( Diocese of Olympia)
Episcopal Peace Fellowship – Palestine Israel Network
Fellowship of Reconciliation – USA
Feminist Foreign Policy Project
Florida Peace Alliance
Fox Valley Citizens for Peace & Justice
Freedom Forward
Friends of Palestine Wisconsin
Friends of Sabeel North America (FOSNA)
Gaza Freedom Flotilla Coalition
Global Exchange
Green Mountain Solidarity With Palestine
Ground Zero Center for Nonviolent Action
Historians for Peace and Democracy
Holy Land Ministry at Spirit of Grace
If Not Now
Indiana Center for Middle East Peace
Institute for Policy Studies, New Internationalism Project
Interfaith Communities United for Justice and Peace
International Civil Society Action Network (ICAN)
Islamophobia Studies Center
Jews Against Anti-Muslim Racism
Jewish Voice for Peace Action
Jewish Voice for Peace – Hudson Valley
Jews Say No!
Joining Hands for Justice, Palestine/Israel
Justice For All
Just Foreign Policy
Just World Educational
Kairos Puget Sound Coalition
Kairos USA
KPSC
Lutherans for Justice in the Holy Land
Madison-Rafah Sister City Project
MADRE
Mass Peace Action
Methodist Federation for Social Action
Middle East Children’s Alliance
Middle East Peace & Justice Coalition of Western Massachusetts
Muslim Peace Fellowship
Middle East Peace & Justice Coalition of Western Massachusetts
National Advocacy Center of the Sisters of the Good Shepherd
National Lawyers Guild – Palestine Subcommittee
Nonviolence International
Northwest Coast Presbytery Israel Palestine Mission
Ollin Women International
Pace e Bene and Campaign Nonviolence
Palestine / Israel Network (PIN) of Edmonds / Lynnwood
Palestinian American Coalition San Francisco
Palestinian Christian Alliance for Peace
Palestinian Media Center In Europe
PAX Christi USA
Peace Action
Peace Justice And sustainability NOW!
Peacehome Campaigns
PEACEWORKERS
Peregrine Forum of Wisconsin
Popular Education Project
Presbyterian Church, USA, Israel Palestine Mission Network (IPMN)
Progressive Democrats of America PDA
Quaker Palestine Israel Network
Rachel Corrie Foundation for Peace and Justice
Rethinking Foreign Policy, Inc.
Roots Action
Students Against Hindutva Ideology (SAHI)
Students for Justice in Palestine, UMass Amherst
Texas Coalition for Human Rights
The Resistance Center
Traprock Center for Peace and Justice
Tree of Life Educational Fund
Tzedek Chicago
Unitarian Universalists for Justice in the Middle East
United Church of Christ Palestine Israel Network
United for Peace and Justice
United Methodists for Kairos Response (UMKR)
United Methodists’ Holy Land Task Force
United Voices
University of the Poor
U.S. Boat to Gaza
Utahns for a Just Peace in the Holy Land
Vermonters for Justice in Palestine
Veterans for Peace
Voices for Creative Nonviolence
Voices For Peace in the Middle East – Whatcom County WA
We Are Not Numbers
WESPAC Foundation
Western Mass CODEPINK
Western New York Peace Center
Whatcom Peace & Justice Center
Win Without War
Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF) US
World Beyond War
World Beyond War – Central Florida
Yemen Relief and Reconstruction Foundation
CAIR is America’s largest Muslim civil liberties and advocacy organization. Its mission is to protect civil rights, enhance understanding of Islam, promote justice, and empower American Muslims.
La misión de CAIR es proteger las libertades civiles, mejorar la comprensión del Islam, promover la justicia, y empoderar a los musulmanes en los Estados Unidos.
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CONTACT: CAIR National
Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper, 202-744-7726, ihooper@cair.com; CAIR
Director of Government Affairs Department Robert S. McCaw, 202-999-8292, rmccaw@cair.com