MPAC commemorates the tragic loss of...
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Issue 27: Friday, 28 May 2021
THIS WEEK IN DC — Biden to Nominate Thomas Nides as Envoy to Israel, Eric Garcetti as Ambassador to India; Biden discusses Gaza Ceasefire with Egypt’s President el-Sisi; Biden Asks Intelligence Agencies to 'Redouble' Efforts to Determine Coronavirus Origins; Renewed Iran Nuclear Deal ‘Feasible’ as Talks Enter Likely Final Round; Senate Republicans Offer Nearly $1T Infrastructure Counterproposal; Senate Republicans Expected to Block Vote on January 6 Commission; Senate Confirms Christine Wormuth as First Female Army Secretary; Mother of Fallen Capitol Police Officer Lobbies GOP Senators on Jan. 6 Commission; Biden to Meet GOP Next Week on Infrastructure as Clock Ticks; White House to Propose $6 Trillion Budget Plan as Administration Seeks to Reshape Economy, Safety Net.
Commemorating the tragic loss of generations of youth from the devastation of war.
IN THIS ISSUE
* Featured: Memorial Day - "The Catastrophe"
* Palestine: Tell Your Story
* Legislative Tracker
FEATURED ISSUE
Source: "The Wall" by Mohammad M'ali, depicting the Aida refugee camp in Bethlehem.
** Memorial Day: "The Catastrophe"
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By: MPAC DC Bureau
Memorial Day emerged in the aftermath of the Civil War, which claimed the highest American casualties from any war. Over time, the holiday expanded to honor American military deaths across every war. The Second World War (WWII) shares a special relationship with Memorial Day: the Allied forces defeated the fearmongering, ethnonationalist Nazi regime on this same month, in 1945, bringing a close to the European theater of the war. As we remember the lives and sacrifices of the American soldiers who died fighting against the perpetrators of the Holocaust, it is important to note another day of remembrance this month--the Nakba--whose existence is inextricably tied to WWII.
Occurring in parallel with the events of WWII was the creation of a condition of the Jewish people leaving Europe, pressed for the need to create the Jewish state of Israel. And thus, one injustice gave birth to another. On May 14, 1948, Israel entered statehood. Less than 24 hours upon inception, Israel instituted an ethnic cleansing of the Palestinian people and the violent upheaval of their society, forcing over 700,000 Palestinians to become refugees. Palestinians observe that day, May 15, as the Nakba, which translates to “the Catastrophe”, to commemorate the destruction. The Nakba deserves to be commemorated by giving voice to those who have lost everything and continue to suffer. Without hope for relief from over 70 years of misery, the cycle of violence will only continue. In order to do justice to this commemoration, it is imperative that we equip ourselves with a deeper understanding of the history of the Palestinian struggle.
Read the full article → ([link removed])
Palestine, the world needs to hear your accounts of what is happening.
In order to advocate for meaningful change in U.S. policy impacting Palestine, the Muslim Public Affairs Council is amplifying human stories of Palestinians and their families by ensuring top officials in the Biden administration see them. To submit your story, please use the form below. Upon submission you will receive an email acknowledging its receipt. If your story is one we’d like to follow up on for further details or if we have questions, we will contact you at the phone number and email provided.
Your voice, and your stories can impact change.
SHARE YOUR STORY → ([link removed])
LEGISLATIVE TRACKER:
Review status of key legislation on issues we're covering —
The bills below seek to address the ongoing plight of the Palestinian people.
1. HR.2590 Introduced by Rep. McCollum, Betty [D-MN-4]
To promote and protect the human rights of Palestinians living under Israeli military occupation and to ensure that United States taxpayer funds are not used by the Government of Israel to support the military detention of Palestinian children, the unlawful seizure, appropriation, and destruction of Palestinian property and forcible transfer of civilians in the West Bank, or further annexation of Palestinian land in violation of international law.
2. S.Res.225 - Introduced by Sen. Sanders, Bernard [I-VT]
A resolution expressing the sense of the Senate regarding the value of Palestinian and Israeli lives and urging an immediate cease-fire and diplomatic efforts to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
3. H.J.49 - Joint Resolution introduced in the House by Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez [D-NY-14}
A resolution calling for congressional disapproval of the proposed direct commercial sale to Israel of certain weaponry and munitions.
What can you do to help?
Contact your local congressional offices. ([link removed])
GOOD TO KNOW
* New data confirms ([link removed]) Pfizer vaccine Is highly effective against two variants
* American Jews and Muslim interfaith groups resume ([link removed]) efforts after Gaza battles
* Authorities look ([link removed]) for motive in San Jose transit shooting as community mourns 9 victims
* Murder charges filed ([link removed]) against officers in Manuel Ellis’ death
* Israeli strikes in Gaza may be war crimes, U.N. rights chief says ([link removed])
* Interest in vaccinations Increased ([link removed]) after CDC announced new mask guidance
— THIS WEEK IN HISTORY —
May 23, 1218 - The Fifth Crusade leaves Acre for Egypt; May 23, 1939 - British parliament plans to make Palestine independent by 1949; May 23, 1948 - Ramat Rahel gateway to Jerusalem is occupied by Israel; May 25, 1923 - Britain recognizes Transjordan with Abdullah as its leader; May 25, 1979 - Israel begins to return Sinai to Egypt; May 25, 1991 - Israel evacuates 14,000 Ethiopian Jews; May 25, 2000 - Liberation Day of Lebanon. Israel withdraws its army from most of the Lebanese territory after 22 years; May 26, 1908 - First major commercial oil strike in the Middle East, at Masjed Soleyman in Persia, rights acquired by the UK; May 26, 1984 - US President Ronald Reagan rules out US military intervention in Iran-Iraq war; May 27, 1921 - After 84 years of British control, Afghanistan achieves sovereignty; May 28, 1964 - Palestine National Congress forms the PLO in Jerusalem; May 29, 1988 - Pakistan President Zia ul-Haq dismisses government and disbands parliament; May 29, 1993 - Neo-Nazis
kill 5 Turkish women in Germany; May 29, 2004 - The Al-Khobar massacres in Saudi Arabia kill 22.
May 23, 1900 - William Harvey Carney, first African-American soldier awarded the Medal of Honor for actions in Civil War; May 24, 1983 - Supreme Court rules government can deny tax breaks to schools that racially discriminated; May 25, 1964 - US Supreme Court rules closing schools to avoid desegregation is unconstitutional; May 26, 1637 - Known as the Mystic Massacre, 500 Pequot Native Americans are killed by Colonial forces; May 26, 1868 - President Andrew Johnson acquitted by Senate by one vote during impeachment trial; May 26, 2004 - The New York Times publishes admission of journalistic failings, claims its flawed reporting and lack of skepticism during buildup to 2003 Iraq War helped promote belief that Iraq possessed large stockpiles of weapons of mass destruction; May 27, 1907 - Bubonic Plague breaks out in San Francisco; May 29, 1851 - Sojourner Truth addresses first Black Women's Rights Convention; May 29, 2004 - The World War II Memorial is dedicated in Washington, D.C.
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