In the week since the release of this letter, more than 2 billion Muslims worldwide, including Palestinians, have welcomed the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. This month coincides with what appears to be annual escalations by Israeli occupation forces against Palestinian civilians. In the month of March alone, 17 Palestinians were killed by Israeli forces and armed settlers in the West Bank and Israel. On April 1st, Israeli forces shot a Palestinian man in the occupied West Bank city of Hebron.
The Senators urged the Biden administration to focus on major human rights issues, but not in Israel. They ask the administration to “redirect the wasteful use of funds and personnel on excessive devotion to disparaging Israel to allow the UN Human Rights Council to fairly promote human rights around the world.” It’s important to juxtapose this timidness in the US approach to Israeli human rights abuses as opposed to a warranted rapid response against the Russian invasion of Ukraine. AJP Action calls out this double standard and questions these Senators: does apartheid not qualify as a “major human rights problem”? WHY TAKE ACTION? The international consensus – from human rights organizations to international and regional institutions is clear — Israel practices apartheid. In fact, in February of this year, Amnesty International released a report officially recognizing Israel’s practice of apartheid against Palestinians, following similar declarations from B'Tselem, Human Rights Watch, and UNESCWA. Israel’s Apartheid against Palestinians: Cruel System of Domination and Crime against Humanity concludes that the ongoing demolitions of Palestinian properties, unlawful killings, forcible transfer, movement restrictions, and the denial of nationality and citizenship to Palestinians make up a system of apartheid. During the 49th session of the UN Human Rights Council, the US co-sponsored more than half of the resolutions adopted in order to uphold human rights globally and promoted “accountability for governments that abuse human rights.” In its attempt to pride itself as an upholder of international human rights, the US exposed its hypocrisy yet again by boasting about how it voted against all resolutions that “unfairly target Israel.” Don’t forget to take action and follow AJP Action (@ajpaction) as we continue to pave the way to an end to the occupation and a liberated Palestine. | 
