John,

In the 100 days since assassinating beloved Palestinian-American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh, the Israeli government has intensified its violent attempts to silence other Palestinians who speak out for Palestinian rights.

Last week, Israeli soldiers raided and shut down 7 prominent Palestinian human rights groups who have been fighting for the lives and freedoms of millions of Palestinians.

The week before that, the Israeli military bombed Gaza again—killing 49 Palestinians, including 17 children. Palestinian families in Gaza have nowhere to flee or escape; it’s an open-air prison whose resources are cut off regularly by Israel’s government.

And this whole time, the U.S. government has been silent, which enables more death and violence. We need justice for Shireen and for all Palestinians, and that means holding the Israeli government accountable—rather than using billions of U.S. tax dollars to fund human rights violations.

Please sign now to tell the State Department and Congress: It’s time to condition U.S. aid on whether Israel’s government ends its occupation, apartheid, and ethnic cleansing of the Palestinian people. We have leverage and must use it to uphold Palestinians’ human rights.

Thank you for taking action in solidarity with Palestinians. Together, we are united in our struggle against oppression everywhere.

Please feel free to read more from our original email below.

In solidarity,

Rashida

---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: Rashida Tlaib
Date: Fri, Aug 19, 2022
Subject: Palestinians deserve safety, freedom, and justice
To: [email protected]

John,

Yesterday marked 100 days since the Israeli military’s assassination of beloved journalist Shireen Abu Akleh, a dual Palestinian-American citizen.

Over her career, Shireen became well-known as the “Voice of Palestine” as she shone a light on what daily life was like under the Israeli occupation. For this, she was targeted, followed by the Israeli military’s attempted cover-up and brutal attacks on her funeral.

I’ve joined Shireen’s family in demanding that the U.S. hold a thorough, independent investigation for meaningful accountability. But our government continues to enable Israel’s violence with impunity.

In the 100 days since her murder, the Israeli government has intensified its violent attempts to silence other Palestinians who speak out for Palestinian rights, including raiding and shutting down 7 prominent Palestinian human rights groups this week.

The military also very recently bombed Gaza again—killing 49 Palestinians, including 17 children. Palestinian families in Gaza have nowhere to flee or escape; it’s an open-air prison whose resources are cut off regularly by Israel’s government.

By sending the Israeli military unconditional funding with zero accountability, our government is complicit in war crimes and the ongoing oppression of Palestinians.

Please sign now: We must ensure that U.S. tax dollars are not used to fund the Israeli military’s human rights abuses.

We cannot continue our country’s unconditional support of Israel, with billions of our taxpayer dollars funding what many human rights groups recognize as an apartheid regime.

Instead, it’s time to condition U.S. aid on whether Israel’s government ends its occupation, apartheid, and ethnic cleansing of the Palestinian people. We have leverage and must use it to uphold Palestinians’ human rights.

Clearly, the Israeli government wants to escape accountability.

This week, Israeli soldiers raided and shut down the offices of seven prominent Palestinian human rights groups. They ransacked the offices, taking important items like legal documents for detained Palestinian children, and welded the doors shut, leaving messages warning that it would be illegal for these organizations to continue operating.

One of the groups is Defense for Children International-Palestine, which has been documenting Israel’s human rights violations against children.

Brad Parker, a senior policy adviser to the group, said this was “a significant step forward in their campaign to criminalize and silence our work.”¹

Omar Shakir, Human Rights Watch’s Israel and Palestine director, called the raids “an attack on the global human rights movement.”

All people deserve safety, freedom, and justice. The U.S. must hold the Israeli government accountable for its ongoing violence against Palestinians.

Please sign now: We must ensure that U.S. tax dollars are not used to fund the Israeli military’s human rights abuses.

As the only Palestinian-American member of Congress, I’ve been pushing for Palestinian rights despite pushback. I won’t back down in the fight for a world where we can all be free.

In solidarity,

Rashida