Dear readers,
Please sign the following and pass it on. Thank you!
- Michelle
EXPLANATION:
On Monday October 15th, UN Ambassador Susan Rice has just refuted the Levy Report stating that the United States would not recognize Israel's claim to the settlements. Prime Minister Netanyahu is now asking the Knesset to confirm Israel's claim as published in the Levy Report.
The report concluded that “… according to international law, Israelis have the legal right to settle in Judea and Samaria and the establishment of settlements cannot in and of itself be considered illegal.”
The Levy Report reaffirms Israel's sovereign rights to Judea and Samaria. Showing strength at this time the Knesset's acceptance of the report will send a strong message from the Israeli Knesset. We ask the Prime Minister and the Knesset to accept the report in full as it confirms Israel's historical connection of the People of Israel with Palestine.
Send this letter to President Obama, Secretary of State Clinton, Congressional leaders, Prime Minister Netanyahu, and the Knesset and let them know you stand behind Prime Minister and this important report. Feel free to modify the letter as you see fit. If you did not participate in the last Action Alert, we encourage you to do this today.
Please sign the following and pass it on. Thank you!
- Michelle
EXPLANATION:
On Monday October 15th, UN Ambassador Susan Rice has just refuted the Levy Report stating that the United States would not recognize Israel's claim to the settlements. Prime Minister Netanyahu is now asking the Knesset to confirm Israel's claim as published in the Levy Report.
The report concluded that “… according to international law, Israelis have the legal right to settle in Judea and Samaria and the establishment of settlements cannot in and of itself be considered illegal.”
The Levy Report reaffirms Israel's sovereign rights to Judea and Samaria. Showing strength at this time the Knesset's acceptance of the report will send a strong message from the Israeli Knesset. We ask the Prime Minister and the Knesset to accept the report in full as it confirms Israel's historical connection of the People of Israel with Palestine.
Send this letter to President Obama, Secretary of State Clinton, Congressional leaders, Prime Minister Netanyahu, and the Knesset and let them know you stand behind Prime Minister and this important report. Feel free to modify the letter as you see fit. If you did not participate in the last Action Alert, we encourage you to do this today.
CLICK HERE TO SEND LETTER
LETTER:
Mr. President,
We strongly disagree with the statements recently made by Ambassador Susan E. Rice in behalf of your administration with regard to the legality of Israeli settlements in the areas of Judea and Samaria. On Monday October 15, 2012, Ambassador Rice stated before the UN Security Council that the United States "does not accept the legitimacy of Israeli settlement activity, and will continue to oppose any efforts to legalize outposts." Ambassador Rice further stated that such Jewish presence in "the West Bank," poses a “detriment to the international community's plan to solve the conflict by birthing a Palestinian Arab state.”
Mr. President,
We strongly disagree with the statements recently made by Ambassador Susan E. Rice in behalf of your administration with regard to the legality of Israeli settlements in the areas of Judea and Samaria. On Monday October 15, 2012, Ambassador Rice stated before the UN Security Council that the United States "does not accept the legitimacy of Israeli settlement activity, and will continue to oppose any efforts to legalize outposts." Ambassador Rice further stated that such Jewish presence in "the West Bank," poses a “detriment to the international community's plan to solve the conflict by birthing a Palestinian Arab state.”
We object to the US position articulated by Ambassador Rice. We believe the Ambassador’s statements send a clear and present danger signal to Israel, one of complete abandonment saying that the United States will not take a stand in defense of Israeli interests in the region.
Mr. President, We urge you to reconsider the posture taken by your administration. You should retract the statements made by Ambassador Rice. We ask that you do this on two counts: compliance with International Law and expressed concern for Regional Stability.
We object, first, with regard to international law. Opponents to Israeli presence who charge the West Bank constitutes “military occupation” are terribly misinformed. The question of alleged “military occupation” was thoroughly investigated by legal scholars who found that Jewish occupancy in Judea and Samaria simply does not fit the legal definition of “military occupation” according to international law. The Levy Report, the document that carries results of a thorough investigation based on not only international but also Jordanian, Israeli and Ottoman laws, presents the final legal opinion on the issue of “military occupation.” The Judges wrote:
“Our basic conclusion is that from the point of view of international law, the classical laws of ‘occupation’ as set out in the relevant international conventions cannot be considered applicable to the unique and sui generis historic and legal circumstances of Israel’s presence in Judea and Samaria, over the course of decades.”
Judges considered the very definition of “military occupancy.” The Levy Report states that definition of “military occupation” according to the Geneva Convention is “the seizing of another nation’s land.” The judges determined that the designation of “military occupation” as not applicable because “no nation legally controlled Judea and Samaria following the fall of the Ottoman Empire which itself ruled the area for over five centuries.”
Of further consideration was the question of territorial ownership. The Report states “Nor can the Jews be considered an outside force.” The Judges state that the Jews are “the historic founders of the territory as a unified nation-state.” The point could not be more clear. According to the Levy Report, “Jewish archeological finds dating back millennia abound in the ‘West Bank’.”
Mr. President, a second source of objection to your current stance is our concern for regional stability. Rising security risks are escalating in the West Bank, problems made ever so glaring given rapid Palestinian construction that goes entirely unchecked, devoid of regulation.
Mr. President, We believe that citizens of the United States, a democracy loving people, neither want nor can afford the loss of goodwill with Israel, the only faithful, democratic friend the United States has in the region.
Mr. President, We believe that citizens of the United States, a democracy loving people, neither want nor can afford the loss of goodwill with Israel, the only faithful, democratic friend the United States has in the region.
Respectfully,
CLICK HERE TO SEND LETTER
