Category: Press Releases

Oregon Palestine solidarity & Occupy activists to protest AIPAC

April 21st, 2012 · Posted by

For Immediate Release

Portland, Oregon. A coalition of peace, human rights, and Palestine solidarity organizations announced today that they would hold a demonstration outside the annual Oregon fund-raising dinner of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) on Sunday, April 29. The demonstration will protest AIPAC’s role in promoting a military attack on Iran’s nuclear energy facilities. The protest is also calling for an end to U.S. military aid to the Israeli apartheid government, which refuses to halt the construction of illegal settlements and routinely violates the human rights of Palestinians living under Occupation. Israel controls the lives of more than 4 million Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza Strip but denies them the right to vote or to exercise their right to self-determination.

Some Oregon political leaders have regularly attended AIPAC’s annual fundraiser in past years. This year the protesters are asking Oregon’s leaders to represent their constituencies’ opposition to another unjust war in the Middle East by boycotting AIPAC’s gala. Among the groups protesting are Americans United for Palestinian Human Rights (AUPHR), Jewish Voice for Peace – Portland (JVP), Occupy Portland, Peace and Justice Works – Iraq Affinity Group, and Students United for Palestinian Equal Rights (SUPER).

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OWS Activists Disrupt Sen. Levin in AIPAC

March 6th, 2012 · Posted by

For Immediate Release

Occupy Wall Street Activists Disrupt Sen. Levin in AIPAC Conference Final Plenary: Don’t Bomb Iran, Equality for Palestinians

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Washington, DC—On Tuesday, March 6, during Senator Carl Levin’s address to AIPAC, an activist with Occupy Wall Street and CODEPINK unfurled a large “Don’t Bomb Iran” banner and shouted “Don’t bomb Iran; Equal rights for Palestinians.” Responding to the theme of the 2012 AIPAC Policy Conference–Shared Values–the activist proclaimed, “Nonviolence is a shared value!” She was grabbed by security and escorted out of the building. The protesters were Katie Falkenberg and Paul Talbot from New York City, who have been dedicated Occupy Wall Street activists and are members of the Revolutionary Games Collective. They worked with CODEPINK and Occupy AIPAC to coordinate the action.

As head of the Senate Arms Services Committee, Carl Levin has been pushing for every war in the last 10 years, while his constituents in Detroit are suffering from lack of funds for social services, and high unemployment. Levin has supported crippling sanctions that only hurt the Iranian people instead of listening to the military leaders who have cautioned against war on Iran. Senator Carl Levin is fiddling with war while Detroit is burning.

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Open Letter to Congress in Full Page Ad in The Hill: AIPAC Wants War on Iran; We Don’t

March 6th, 2012 · Posted by

For Immediate Release

Open Letter to Congress in Full Page Ad in The Hill: AIPAC Wants War on Iran; We Don’t

What: Activists distribute letter to Congress and occupy the office of Sen. Lindsay Graham, sponsor of S. Res. 380
When: 12pm, Rayburn Cafeteria; 2pm, Russell Senate Office Building, Room 290

Washington, DC—On the heels of a full page ad placed by prominent generals in the Washington Post on March 5 (https://www.commondreams.org/headline/2012/03/05-4), a coalition of organizations, interfaith groups, and individuals have placed a full page ad in the daily newspaper The Hill opposing war on Iran.

The ad reads in part, “The American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) is on the warpath—this time with Iran. They say the U.S. should be willing to attack Iran or support an Israeli attack. AIPAC pushed our government into the catastrophic war in Iraq… The majority of Americans do not want another war in the Middle East and the US can’t afford a war during the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression.” (See full ad text here: http://j.mp/hillad)

President Obama stated to AIPAC on Sunday, “I have said that when it comes to preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon, I will take no options off the table, and I mean what I say. That includes all elements of American power: a political effort aimed at isolating Iran, a diplomatic effort to sustain our coalition and ensure that the Iranian program is monitored, an economic effort that imposes crippling sanctions and, yes, a military effort to be prepared for any contingency.”

An anti-war contingent with Occupy AIPAC plans to occupy the office of Senator Lindsey Graham to show opposition for S. Res. 380, a bill he sponsored which would lower the threshold for the US to go to war with Iran. They will also be visiting the offices of all the members of the House and Senate Foreign Affairs and Armed Services Committees.

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Category: Press Releases

Press Conference at National Press Club on AIPAC and Israel’s Policy on Iran, followed by protest at White House

March 5th, 2012 · Posted by

For Immediate Release

Press Conference: 11am, Monday, March 5, 2012, Morrow Room, National Press Club, 529 14th Street, Washington, DC 20045
Protest: 12:30pm, White House (Pennsylvania Ave)

Washington, DC—Veteran, Iranian-American and interfaith groups will challenge The American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) and its support for an Israeli attack on Iran in a press conference, at 11am, Monday, March 5, 2012 as President Obama meets with Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu. The Conference and protest are timed to coincide with AIPAC’s annual conference, which has been laying the groundwork for a military confrontation with Iran.

Veterans for Peace National President Retired US Navy Commander Leah Bolger said, “Obama needs to talk sense to Netanyahu when he meets him on Monday.” Bolger emphasized that “we need the President to announce that he will not allow the United States to be drawn into war if Israel attacks Iran or provokes hostilities in some other way.”

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Jewish Activist to AIPAC: Stop Silencing Dissent!

March 4th, 2012 · Posted by

Young Jewish activist disrupts AIPAC panel about “Israel on Campus”: Stop Silencing Dissent and Supporting Settlement Expansion

Liza Behrendt, 22 year old member of Young Jewish and Proud, the youth wing of Jewish Voice for Peace, stood up during a breakout session called “The Struggle to Secure Israel on Campus” to call attention to the silencing of Palestinians— and young Jews who support them — on U.S. campuses.  Liza stood on stage and unfurled a banner that read, “Settlements Betray Jewish Values” and “Tzedek Tzedek Tirdof,” the Jewish text from Deuteronomy meaning “Justice, Justice, You Shall Pursue.”

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The panel included officials from AIPAC, Stand With Us, The David Project, and Hillel, who discussed tactics for opposing human rights groups on campus, an in particular those that promote the use of Boycott, Divestment or Sanctions (BDS) to pressure Israel to be accountable to international law. Panelist Wayne Firestone, CEO of Hillel, last year issued controversial guidelines barring Hillel groups from partnering with organizations that support any facet of the BDS movement or that lack a specifically Zionist stance. “I felt it was necessary to confront Wayne Firestone, whose condescending guidelines barred my Brandeis University chapter of Jewish Voice for Peace from joining Hillel last spring. Hillel’s guidelines are part of organized efforts to enforce an ideological status quo among young Jews on Israel, but they are completely out of touch with what’s happening among young people,” said Liza Behrendt.

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Protesters to rally outside of AIPAC Conference, Oppose war on Iran

March 4th, 2012 · Posted by

For Immediate Release

11AM-2PM Washington, DC: While President Obama and Israeli President Shimon Peres are speaking at the AIPAC Forum, some 400 Occupy AIPACers and local occupiers will demonstrate outside AIPAC Policy Conference urging Obama to engage in diplomacy with Iran.

Visuals: Giant letters to spell out “NO WAR ON IRAN”, puppets, mock checkpoint and Annexation Wall, flashmob, and more.

The hyperbolic rhetoric promoted by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has spread to American politicians in an escalating discourse over US Foreign Policy towards Iran. Hundreds of people will be countering this rhetoric with messages of peace in the Middle East.

“After 10 years of war, the American people need a foreign policy that focuses on diplomacy, not military intervention,” Medea Benjamin said. “We are rallying to demand that our current leaders not take us down the same path as past leaders did in Iraq.”

The Occupy AIPAC coalition is gathering to urge Obama to reject the Israeli administration’s push for war on Iran and insist on respect for Palestinian rights. Timed to coincide with the annual AIPAC policy conference from March 3-6, the Occupy AIPAC summit will be a long weekend of events and protests that draw attention to the role of AIPAC as a special interest lobby that maintains a stranglehold over US policies. As the Occupy Movement has focused public ire on the role of large corporations and powerful lobby groups, hundreds will gather in DC to protest AIPAC’s push for war.

Category: Press Releases

Planned Protests and Events Will Urge Obama to Reject Netanyahu’s Policies about War on Iran and Palestinian Conflict during AIPAC Policy Conference

February 29th, 2012 · Posted by

For Immediate Release:

For more information, please contact: occupyAIPAC@gmail.com

Over 130 Groups Urge Obama to Reject Netanyahu’s Policies about War on Iran and Palestinian Conflict
Protests and Events Planned Throughout Weekend Expose AIPAC Lobby as a Barrier to Peace

Washington, DC – The Occupy AIPAC coalition is gathering to urge Obama to reject the Israeli administration’s push for war on Iran and insist on respect for Palestinian rights. Timed to coincide with the annual AIPAC policy conference, the Occupy AIPAC summit will be a long weekend of events and protests that draw attention to the role of AIPAC as a special interest lobby that maintains a stranglehold over US policies. As the Occupy Movement has focused public ire on the role of large corporations and powerful lobby groups, hundreds will gather in DC to protest AIPAC’s push for war.

The Occupy AIPAC summit, organized by CODEPINK, is endorsed and supported by a variety of groups including the Interfaith Peace Builders (IFPB), the US Palestinian Community Network (USPCN), Jewish Voice for Peace, Students for Justice in Palestine chapters, Occupy groups and over 130 others.

“After 10 years of war, the American people need a foreign policy that focuses on diplomacy, but AIPAC takes us down the dangerous path of war with Iran,” CODEPINK cofounder and Occupy AIPAC organizer Medea Benjamin said. “We are gathering to demand that our leaders break with AIPAC’s disastrous path of attacking Iran, as well as supporting Israel’s human rights violations and illegal settlements in the West Bank.”

Schedule of planned actions includes a Middle East Summit on Saturday, March 3 and protests on Sunday, March 4. See details below or visit OccupyAIPAC.org.

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AIPAC Member Identified as Assailant of Rae Abileah

February 8th, 2012 · Posted by

For Immediate Release

AIPAC MEMBER IDENTIFIED AS ASSAILANT OF PEACEFUL DEMONSTRATOR DURING PRIME MINISTER NETANYAHU’S SPEECH TO THE UNITED STATES CONGRESS

A recent response to a subpoena from the United States Capitol Police has revealed the main assailant of a peaceful demonstrator who was physically attacked and injured on May 24, 2011, to be Stanley Anthony Shulster, allegedly a member of the American-Israeli Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC). According to the lawsuit, Mr. Shulster, a retired lawyer, admitted to assaulting Rae Abileah, a member of CODEPINK, in the House of Representatives while she protested the Israeli occupation of Palestine during the speech by Benjamin Netanyahu, Prime Minister of Israel. The Capitol Police issued an arrest warrant for Mr. Shulster for this attack.

Mr. Shulster’s biography on the Jackson County, Oregon Republican Women website identifies him as “an Unpaid Lobbyist,” and a “Volunteer in the Israel Defense Forces Medical Unit and a member of AIPAC.” The bio states: “At the last AIPAC meeting in May of 2011 Stan was present to hear the stirring address that Prime Minister Netanyahu gave to Congress and he grabbed the woman who heckled the Prime Minister while he was speaking.” (http://jcrw.us/node/362)

Rabbi Shmuley Boteach also attested to the assault when he wrote in his blog, “The elderly gentleman to my right, whom I had been talking to just before the speech started, pulled the flag out of her hands, cupped his hands over her mouth, and assisted in subduing her.” (http://j.mp/wUcCke) Additional witnesses have been identified by the U.S. Capitol Police.

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CODEPINK Organizer Files Suit Against Attackers

August 18th, 2011 · Posted by

Rae Abileah, a peaceful demonstrator who was physically attacked and injured on May 24, 2011, while protesting the occupation and oppression of Palestinians during the speech of Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, filed a civil action in District of Columbia Superior Court today against the unknown individuals who attacked her in the House Gallery, and caused her serious physical injury.

Ms. Abileah is a 28 year old American Jew of Israeli descent, who works as the Middle East Campaigns Coordinator for CODEPINK, a women-initiated grassroots peace and social justice organization that seeks to end U.S. wars and the U.S. funded occupation of Palestine. After a security check by the Capitol Police, she was given a seat in the House Gallery, as were other individuals who were given passes by members of Congress for the May 24, 2011 session. About 10 minutes after Mr. Netanyahu began speaking, Ms. Abileah stood up from her seat in the Gallery and opened a banner that read “Occupying Land is Indefensible,” and shouted, “No more occupation. Stop Israeli war crimes! Equal rights for Palestinians! Occupying land is indefensible!”

Four to five other persons sitting in the House Gallery began to attack her, including one man who used his hand to attempt to gag and suffocate Ms. Abileah, and then violently yanked her head back, injuring her neck. As a result of the attack, Ms. Abileah suffered severe emotional trauma and sustained a neck strain, swollen neck and muscle strain, and has since suffered from frequent headaches.

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CODEPINK Files Complaint with Congressional Ethics Committee Against AIPAC-Funded Junkets to Israel

August 14th, 2011 · Posted by

Calls for end to loophole that allows front group to act as conduit for Lobby trips

The peace group CODEPINK has filed a formal complaint with the Congressional Ethics Committee, calling for an investigation of the junkets to Israel paid for by the powerful Israel lobby AIPAC but channeled through their educational front group, The American Israel Education Foundation (AIEF). This summer recess, a staggering 81 Congresspeople—one out of five members—are participating in these trips.

According to the House Ethics Rules, Congress is prohibited from participating in any multiple-day trip that is planned, organized, requested, or arranged by a lobbyist. AIPAC skirts the law by funneling the trips through AIEF.

According to the latest publicly available tax returns, in 2009 AIEF did not even have paid staff, relying on AIPAC employees to do its work. AIPAC contributed more than $3.2 million of employee salaries to cover the staff costs of AIEF in 2009. In other words, a 501(c)(4) organization with registered lobbyists is paying for the staff of a 501(c)(3) organization to run congressional delegations that cannot legally be funded by an organization that employs registered lobbyists.

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