Occupy Wall St. GA: Any blocks? No! We have consensus about standing in solidarity against AIPAC. #ows #nycga. Additionally, OWS occupiers will be joining the hundreds of others at Occupy AIPAC>
See the entire GA livetweets here: http://livetweets.occupy.net/display/2012-03-01
People of Color Working Group | Occupy DC
In solidarity with the Washington Peace Center, Institute of Policy Studies, End the Occupation of Palestine, Alliance for Global Justice, Code Pink and 100 more organization, Occupy DC’s People of Color Working Group stands in support of Occupy AIPAC.
Special interest lobbying groups and war profiteers make up part of the 1% profiting from exploitation, societal injustice and oppression. Special interest lobbying groups like American Israeli Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) are once again pushing us into war. Just as AIPAC pushed for war with Iraq, they are now dragging us into war with Iran.
AIPAC is among the ten most powerful lobbying groups in DC and has great influence over American politicians. Senators and representatives of both parties attend AIPAC’s annual conference in droves. Many take generous campaign contributions from this group. With a budget of over $30 billion, it is no wonder many on Capitol Hill consider it one of the most powerful and effective lobbies in the nation’s capital.
Our communities have long been subjected to AIPAC’s exploitation, war crimes, military occupation, and manipulation of US foreign policy. Not only are the people of the Middle East negatively impacted by the policies and actions that AIPAC is influencing, but US communities of color are disproportionately impacted by their imperialist agenda. The war on terror and its subsequent military actions have targeted Arab and Muslim communities with surveillance, racial profiling, and illegal detention across the globe. Young people of color across the US are disproportionately targeted by military recruiters to fight wars that create profits for corporations like Blackwater and Haliburton.
The Institute for Middle East Understanding
1. What are the results of the almost unconditional support given to Israel by many members of Congress and the American government?
Continue reading »
No War On Iran!
The drumbeat for war will reach a fever pitch when AIPAC, with 10,000 attendees, holds its annual policy conference on March 4. The bellicose stance of keynote speaker Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will push our nation closer to a catastrophic war.
Come show that the American people demand “Diplomacy, Not War.” We’ll have an open mic, so if you have a personal story or message that you want to share about Iran, come prepared to speak your mind.
When: Sunday, March 4th, 11:00am – 2:00pm
Where: Mt. Vernon Place (corner of Massachusetts and 9th)
Take action now: sign this petition calling on President Obama to Take War With Iran “Off the Table”!
Rae Abileah | The Huffington Post
The American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) has contributed to a disastrous American course in the Middle East and will be back at it this week in Washington, D.C. Self-described as a “pro-Israel lobby” whose goal is to “enact public policy that enhances the U.S.-Israel relationship,” the organization has enhanced this relationship while simultaneously making the region far more dangerous. More than ever in this election year with Republicans calling for the bombing of Iran and candidate Newt Gingrich claiming Palestinians are an “invented” people, AIPAC has the US Congress and presidential candidates in its thrall. Yet this year’s AIPAC policy conference in Washington, D.C. is more controversial than ever as Occupy activists seek to highlight the role of big-money lobbyists in elections while standing in solidarity with the global 99% opposed to Israel’s violations of human rights and international law.
Each year at AIPAC’s policy conference in Washington, D.C., the president, powerful senators and members of Congress parade across the stage in order to prove their loyalty to the Israeli government. AIPAC’s outsized influence on U.S. foreign policy can be linked to the disastrous war in Iraq, as well as to the current push for an attack on Iran. AIPAC is also known for drafting extreme anti-Palestinian, anti-human rights legislation that it then funnels into Congress. AIPAC Director Howard Kohr will likely appear on stage this March at the 2012 AIPAC conference to make the annual roll call, rattling off the names of congressional representatives, diplomats and dignitaries present in the room as if he is the auctioneer at an estate sale. And in a way, he is.
An Open Letter to Student Delegates at the 2012 AIPAC Policy Conference
subtitle: From Student Advocates for Justice, Peace and Human Rights
Dear Student AIPAC Delegates,
You are a community leader on your campus and your peers look up to you. Your influence is why AIPAC has invested so much money in having you attend this convention.
This weekend is a grand effort to paint a rosy picture of Israel, one that ignores ongoing human rights violations. You will hear from various important political players, all slated to speak about the good Israel does. They will give the impression that Israel’s values and actions promote peace and security in the world, and that anyone who questions Israel is aligned with terrorism and instability. Indeed, this AIPAC conference puts all its efforts into dazzling you – whom they assume to be an impressionable student with little knowledge of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict – with its political influence.
We, students and concerned citizens throughout the country, disagree with the AIPAC narrative that Israel’s values and actions promote peace and security in the world. In fact, we believe that the Israeli government’s lengthy track record of violating international law, ignoring the human rights of Palestinians, and using excessive military force against civilians is what promotes instability and violence.
We invite you to join with us, and the people of Israel and Palestine and throughout the world—including Jews, Christians, Muslims and others—who stand for peace, equality, self-determination and democracy for all regardless of religion, ethnicity, or the color of one’s skin.
We’d like to bring a few facts to your attention:
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.
Occupy AIPAC
Answer: you will both be in Washington DC for policy conferences in just a few weeks…
Dear friends,
It’s true. This year, both Netanyahu and Peres will be present at the annual AIPAC Policy Conference, along with a high number of our Congressional representatives. With the objective of pushing for war on Iran and justifying the ongoing, egregious violations of Palestinian rights, AIPAC will convene in Washington DC.
Under the banner of Occupy AIPAC, this long weekend will include a policy summit with panels on Iran, the Arab uprisings, Palestine/Israel and AIPAC, film screenings, mass protests, a teach-in on diplomacy and alternatives to war, creative actions, a cultural night, workshops, and a Capitol Hill policy briefing on the impact of U.S. military aid to Israel on Palestinians.
Featured speakers and performers will include author Suad Amiry, Egyptian activist Dina Darwish, Managing Editor of The Nation Roane Carey, Iranian activist Sanam Anderlini, lawyer and advocate Diana Buttu, Jadaliyya co-founder and editor Bassam Haddad, poet Remi Kanazi, AMP co-founder Hatem Bazian, comedian Said Durrah, activist Bill Fletcher Jr., Iran analyst Jamal Abdi, author Phyllis Bennis, and more!
Now is the time to make a large, people-powered push to oppose the Israel lobby’s stranglehold of our government. During this weekend, we will challenge the Israel lobby in their pursuit of war with Iran and promote a just foreign policy in the Middle East- in the streets and with our teach-ins and discussions.
Register for the conference and/or support this summit with a donation. Your outreach and presence is critical to help us ensure a strong turnout, because now is the time to Occupy AIPAC, not Palestine!
Medea Benjamin
The American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) is one of the most powerful lobby organizations in the country. AIPAC’s clout helps fuel a never-ending cycle of violence in the Middle East.
Here are ten reasons why AIPAC is so dangerous.
1. AIPAC is lobbying Congress to promote a military confrontation with Iran. AIPAC – like the Israeli government – is demanding that the U.S. attack Iran militarily to prevent Iran from having the technological capacity to produce nuclear weapons, even though U.S. officials say Iran isn’t trying to build a weapon (and even though Israel has hundreds of undeclared nuclear weapons). AIPAC has successfully lobbied the U.S. government to adopt crippling economic sanctions on Iran, including trying to cut off Iran’s oil exports, despite the fact that these sanctions raise the price of gas and threaten the U.S. economy.
2. AIPAC promotes Israeli policies that are in direct opposition to international law. These include the establishment of colonies (settlements) in the Occupied West Bank and the confiscation of Palestinian land in its construction of the 26-foot high concrete “separation barrier” running through the West Bank. The support of these illegal practices makes to impossible to achieve a solution to the Israel/Palestine conflict.
Chris Hedges
We are excited to announce Chris Hedges will be our closing speaker!
Chris Hedges was the Middle East Bureau Chief for the New York Times. He is an Arabic speaker and spent seven years in the region, including many months in the Israeli occupied territories. Hedges, who was part of a team at the paper that won the 2002 Pulitzer Prize for their work on global terrorism, is an outspoken critic of Israel’s treatment of the Palestinians as well as a fierce opponent of the Iraq war. He left the New York Times after being issued a formal written reprimand to stop speaking out against the invasion and occupation of Iraq, a restriction he refused to accept.
Hedges has authored nine books including the best sellers War is a Force That Gives Us Meaning, American Fascists: The Christian Right and the War on America, Empire of Illusion: The End of Literacy and the Triumph of Spectacle and Death of the Liberal Class. His newest book, Days of Destruction, Days of Revolt, which he wrote with the graphic illustrator Joe Sacco, is due out in June.
