IN THIS ISSUE

• Featured Issue: Why Was Syria Just Elected to the WHO’s Executive Board?
• ICYMI: “The Voice of the Church” brought to you by The Forums at MPAC
• Palestine: Share your Story
• Israel/Palestine Legislative Tracker

FEATURED ISSUE

Why Was Syria Just Elected to the WHO’s Executive Board?

By Guest Contributor: Zaher Sahloul
A critical care specialist in Chicago and the president of MedGlobal. This piece was originally published in the Foreign Policy on July 6, 2021.

Throughout the course of the Syrian civil war, the Syrian regime of President Bashar al-Assad has displaced half the country’s population. It has depopulated whole cities and villages by bombing hospitals and schools, thereby undermining the principle of medical neutrality and impartiality — which mandates noninterference with medical services in times of armed conflict and civil unrest. The regime has moreover starved its people by blocking convoys of humanitarian aid — including those carrying baby formula — from reaching besieged civilians. It has also used prohibited chemical weapons more than 300 times, with children frequently among the victims, and allowed infections like polio and leishmaniasis that were effectively eradicated in Syria to resurface by blocking vaccines and medications from reaching regions that fell under the control of the opposition. The life expectancy of a Syrian child has been reduced by 13 years.

In return, the Assad regime has been rewarded by being elected to a leading role in the World Health Organization (WHO). In May, Syria won a seat on the WHO Executive Board — atop the same organization that reported last year that it had documented 494 attacks on health care facilities in Syria from 2016 to 2019, mainly in areas under assault by Assad’s forces.

This is not a joke. 

ICYMI: “The Voice of the Church” brought to you by The Forums at MPAC

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LEGISLATIVE TRACKER:

Review status of  key legislation on issues we're covering — 

Please review our legislative tracker-- this is a resource MPAC updates on a weekly basis, allowing our supporters to see what legislation we are supporting. Our tracker includes the bill number, Representative or Senator who sponsored the bill along with a brief summary or description.

1. HR.2590 Introduced by Rep. McCollum, Betty [D-MN-4]
   Referred to Referred to the House Committee on Foreign Affairs on 4/15/21

   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]
   Referred to the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations on 5/19/21

   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} 
   Referred to the House Committee on Foreign Affairs on 5/20/21

   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.

UP-AND-COMING:

Each Friday until August 20, we’re bringing diverse voices to the table for informative discussions on the Palestinian struggle for peace. Join us tonight at 6pm PT to kick off our lecture series in collaboration with the Islamic Center of Southern California! We will begin by learning the history of Palestine with Hussein Ibish, columnist for Bloomberg Opinion and The National.