Calls To Boycott Netanyahu Speech Grow As Israeli PM Heads to DC
Dear Companions,
The statement below comes without formal approval by The Shalom Center Board. It includes an invitation to Congressfolk to avoid being present for the Netanyahu speech to Congress tomorrow. Several members of the Board especially praised the statement’s focus on the ultra-right-wing basis of Mr. N.’s policies, as distinct from the Israeli population as a whole.
— AW, ed
Brett Wilkins
July 22, 2024
Common Dreams
https://www.commondreams.org/news/netanyahu-congress-boycott
A new coalition of advocacy groups—some of them Jewish-led—are urging lawmakers to "amplify the voices of those in Israel, Palestine, and around the world who reject Netanyahu's failed leadership."
Pressure is mounting on U.S. lawmakers to skip Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's scheduled address to Congress later this week, as a newly formed coalition of civil society groups announced a protest against the far-right leader—whose policies and actions in Gaza are on trial for genocide at the World Court.
As Netanyahu "brings to Congress his message of extending and expanding the devastating war in Gaza, neglecting the safety of Israeli hostages, and ensuring impunity for the actions of his government, an alternative message must be heard," the new coalition said in a statement Monday. "To amplify a message of safety, freedom, just peace, collective liberation, and human rights for ALL Palestinians and Israelis, nine diverse groups have come together to form the Peace and Justice Protest Bloc."
The groups—American Friends of Combatants for Peace (AFCFP), Win Without War, T'ruah, Sisterhood of Salaam Shalom, Israelis for Peace, Halachic Left, and three local chapters of Supporters of Standing Together—"will come together in Washington this week to urge members of Congress to skip Netanyahu's speech, sponsor community events with peace activists from the region, and amplify the voices of those in Israel, Palestine, and around the world who reject Netanyahu's failed leadership."
"The bloc, made up of hundreds of Israelis, Palestinians, Arabs, Jews, and allies, will unite to demonstrate that collective struggle and liberation are possible, and there is a growing movement that embodies it," the coalition added. "We must act now to ensure that the voices for a just peace are louder than those of division and bloodshed."
[ . . . ]
Numerous congressional Democrats have already said they will not attend the address, as has Independent U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, who on Monday reaffirmed why he'll skip the speech.
"Netanyahu and his right-wing, extremist government have waged total war against the Palestinian people, killing at least 39,000 Palestinians and injuring 89,000—60% of whom are women, children, or elderly people," Sanders said. "Netanyahu should not be welcomed into the United States Congress."
"On the contrary, his policies in Gaza and the West Bank and his refusal to support a two-state solution should be roundly condemned," the senator added.
[ . . . ]
Axios Capitol Hill reporter Juliegrace Brufke said Monday that Vice President Kamala Harris… has "declined" to preside over Netanyahu's speech, as is her prerogative as Senate president. So has Senate President Pro Tempore Patty Murray (D-Wash.), leaving uncertainty as to who will preside over the session
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Brett Wilkins is a staff writer for Common Dreams.
Read the full article at: https://www.commondreams.org/news/netanyahu-congress-boycott.