July 21, 2014

Onsite Press contacts:

Seth Morrison, 703.271.0370, sethmorrison30@gmail.com

Medea Benjamin, 415.235.6517, medea.benjamin@gmail.com

Jewish Voice for Peace & Code Pink Hold Israel Accountable for Gaza Deaths: Disrupt Israeli Ambassador Ron Dermer at Christians United for Israel (CUFI) “Night to Honor Israel” in Washington DC

Washington, DC – Tonight activists from Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP) and CODEPINK spoke out during Israeli Ambassador Ron Dermer’s speech to the Christians United for Israel (CUFI) annual conference to protest Israel’s war of destruction in Gaza and call on all Americans to stand against Israel's brutal occupation and assault against the people of Palestine. CUFI is the largest pro-Israel organization in the United States and is led by controversial Christian evangelist Pastor John Hagee who among other things, claims that Hitler was part of a lineage of  "accursed, genocidally murderous half-breed Jews."

“Americans must face the truth – that Israel is attacking 1.8 million Palestinians to perpetuate the illegal occupation of Palestinian land,” said Mark Gunnery, JVP member from Baltimore, MD and an event organizer. “Activists here in Washington DC are proud to be joining many others in civil disobedience to highlight the underlying cause of this terrible attack on women and children.”

"It's very telling that these Christians who purport to be peaceful and loving support the brutality of the Israeli attack on Gaza, and brutally attacked us when we spoke out," said Ben Norton, a student with CODEPINK who was roughed up by the audience for voicing his opposition to Israeli government policies.

Thousands of concerned Americans, including numerous Jewish Voice for Peace and CODEPINK chapters in cities across the country (including Chicago, Boston, New York, Seattle and Atlanta) have engaged in protests and acts of civil disobedience to demand an end to violence being perpetrated by the Israeli government and army against Gaza and the underlying causes of that violence. The US enables this violence with upwards of $3billion a year in unconditional military aid to Israel. Activists are calling for an immediate end to that military aid.

Far from being self-defense, the current violence is part of a long-standing pattern of Israeli aggression against the Palestinian people.  The Palestinians, who have been stateless for decades, are being attacked by troops and bombarded by some of the most advanced weapons in the world--funded by US dollars. The people of Gaza have no shelters to run to and no way to leave.

JVP and CODEPINK protesters delivered a message signed by 65,000 people who are calling for an end to the assault on Gaza in a Jewish Voice for Peace-sponsored open letter published in the Jewish Daily Forward and Israeli newspaper Ha’aretz.

Text from the letter:

In this time of tremendous suffering and fear, from Jerusalem to Gaza, and from Hebron to Be’er Sheva, we reaffirm that all Israelis and Palestinians deserve security, justice, and equality, and we mourn all those who have died.

Our unshakeable commitment to freedom and justice for all compels us to acknowledge that this violence has fallen overwhelmingly on Palestinians. And it compels us to affirm that this violence has a root cause: Israel's illegal occupation.

We are united in our belief that:

The denial of Palestinian human rights must end.

Illegal settlements must end.

Bombing civilians must end.

Killing children must end.

Valuing Jewish lives at the expense of others must end.

Only by embracing equality for all peoples can this terrible bloodshed end.

***

The action is sponsored by Jewish Voice for Peace and CODEPINK. JVP (www.jewishvoiceforpeace.org) is a national, grassroots organization dedicated to achieving a just and lasting peace that recognizes the aspirations of both Israelis and Palestinians for security and self-determination. Jewish Voice for Peace has over 140,000 online supporters, 40 chapters, a youth wing, a Rabbinic Cabinet, and an Advisory Board made up of leading U.S. intellectuals and artists. CODEPINK (www.codepink.org) is a women-initiated grassroots peace and social justice movement working to end U.S. funded wars and occupations, to challenge militarism globally, and to redirect our resources into health care, education, green jobs and other life-affirming activities.