American Jews' Call for Immediate Ceasefire in Lebanon

[Robert Naiman <naiman.uiuc@xxxxxxxxx>]

Greetings. Robert Weissman (editor of Multinational Monitor) and I
have initiated a letter from American Jews to President Bush calling
for an immediate ceasefire in Lebanon. Please forward where
appropriate. The link follows and then the text.

http://www.democracyinaction.org/dia/organizationsORG/justforeignpolicy.org/petition.jsp?petition_KEY=319

Dear President Bush:

As American Jews, we are horrified by your apparent support for the
bombing and destruction of Lebanon, and your opposition to
international demands for an immediate ceasefire.

We condemn the violence by all sides, especially against civilians.
But we cannot accept your attempt to justify and abet the collective
punishment of the people of Lebanon -- including thousands of
Americans trapped there -- as part of "Israel's right to defend
herself."

The vast majority of Lebanese now suffering the destruction of their
country, along with hundreds of civilian deaths from the Israeli
bombing campaign, had nothing to do with Hizbollah's attacks on
Israeli soldiers, nor subsequent rocket attacks on Israeli cities.

The same is true in Gaza, where the capture of Israeli Corporal Gilad
Shalit on June 25 -- the original alleged pretext for Israel's
incursions and detention of the territory's elected leaders -- was
preceded just the day before by the abduction of two Palestinian
civilians from their home by Israeli forces, as reported by Gideon
Levy in the Israeli daily Haaretz. Here, too, it is wrong to portray
this ever-widening conflict as a "war against terrorism." According to
the Israeli human rights organization B'tselem, more than 100
Palestinians who were not engaged in hostile actions were killed by
Israeli forces since Israel withdrew from Gaza, and before the recent
escalation of violence.

The idea that the cycle of violence will come to an end by means of
more violence, and especially attacks on civilian areas, is wrong and
immoral.

We ask you to support an immediate cease-fire and a negotiated
solution to the conflict.

Sincerely,

Robert Weissman
Robert Naiman