December 7, 2012

Dear Activist,

As bombs soared back and forth over the border between Israel and the Gaza Strip, CODEPINK rushed to join an emergency delegation to bring much-needed medical supplies to Shifa Hospital in Gaza City. With your help, we raised an amazing $28,000 and presented it to Shifa Hospital, the Red Crescent, and survivors of the attack who had lost their loved ones and homes. Jamal Dalu, who lost his wife, children and all his possessions, received our donation as a gesture of sympathy from Americans who value their lives and oppose our government's support for Israel's militarism.

Despite the implementation of a ceasefire on November 21, 2012, the violence hasn't stopped. While the fishermen of Gaza were promised they could fish without fear of attack from the Israeli navy, attacks resumed within days of the agreement. In the past two weeks, the Israeli military has arrested 29 fishermen and impounded 9 fishing boats. Gaza fishermen face a harrowing choice: go out to sea and risk being shot by Israeli soldiers, or have no food to feed their families.

Watch this heartbreaking firsthand account.

The same thing happens to Gazan farmers, who are still unable to farm their land if Israel considers it too close to the Israeli border-- and some farmers have even been shot and seriously injured since the ceasefire.

Please join us in sending a message to President Obama and Secretary Clinton. Tell Israel to respect the terms of the ceasefire: Allow the farmers to farm and the fishermen to fish without fear of attack. As farmer Jaber Abu Rgela told us, “We are merely trying to make a living so we can feed our families. Is that too much to ask?”

With hope for lifting the siege of Gaza,
Medea Benjamin

P.S. Save the date! AIPAC Exposed will take place from March 2-5th in 2013 in Washington DC, during the time that AIPAC has its annual policy meeting.