GRASSROOTS ADVOCACY TRAINING & LOBBY DAY
February 1 - 2, 2009 · Washington, DC
Press Release Template
Copy and paste the following Press Release Template to send to your local media.
To find contact information on your local media click here. Find additional contacts by searching the webpages of your local media outlets.
Email the release to reporters and editors and remember to make as many follow-up calls as possible. For tips on working with the media see IFPB's resource page here.
You can also adapt this release into a letter to the editor. Remember, you representatives' offices monitor the media and watch what comments are made on his/her policy work. This is another way to get heard.
Make sure you personalize the press release. It is recommended that this release be sent as soon as possible.
_______________________________________________________________________________
For Immediate Release
February ___, 2009
CONTACT: ____your name____
____your phone number (cell if available)_____
____your email____
Local Residents Meet with the office(s) of Representative(s) ______ and Senator(s) ______[names]____ in Washington DC: Demand Change in US Policy in Israel/Palestine
Constituents take part in nearly 70 meetings on Capitol Hill calling for aid to Gaza and an investigation into the illegal use of US weapons by Israel
Washington, DC — _____ [number of local people]______ from ____[your area]_____ traveled to Washington DC on February 1 and 2, 2009 to demand a change in US policy in Israel/Palestine. The group, constituents of ____[your state]_____ District ____[your congressional district]_____, called on elected officials to open up humanitarian and commercial access to the Gaza Strip and investigate Israel’s use of US weapons during its recent invasion of the coastal Palestinian territory.
In their meetings, local constituents urged Representative(s) _____ and Senator(s) ______ to take immediate action to relieve the humanitarian catastrophe faced in the Gaza Strip. They called for a comprehensive multi-lateral cease-fire, an end to the Israeli-imposed siege of Gaza, and an opening of its borders to free trade and commerce.
Constituents also presented evidence of Israel’s illegal use of US weapons, including white phosphorus munitions dropped on civilian areas in Gaza.* According to Amnesty International reports left with Representative(s) ________ and Senator(s) _______ office(s), Israel’s “extensive” and “repeated” use of white phosphorus munitions “is a war crime." Amnesty International also uncovered evidence that the US government had rushed “arms shipments totaling 325 containers of US munitions” to Israel “on December 31, four days after the start of Israel's current attacks on targets in Gaza.” These shipments contained, among other munitions, “white phosphorus, known for its potential to cause severe burns and an indiscriminate weapon when used as an airburst in densely-populated civilian areas” (Amnesty International Reports dated January 15 and 19, 2009).**
Given this evidence, constituents called on Representative(s) ________ and Senator(s) ________ to demand immediate hearings into Israel’s use of US weapons and to support a State Department investigation into possible violations of the Arms Export Control Act. Israel is the largest recipient of US military aid, recieving over $3 billion of military aid per year.
The meetings on Capitol Hill followed a Grassroots Advocacy Training sponsored by Interfaith Peace-Builders and the US Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation on Sunday, February 1. The training featured expert presentations and workshops focused on a variety of methods for achieving a just and equitable peace in Israel/Palestine.
Approximately 170 people from across the United States participated in the event and constituents organized nearly 70 meetings with the offices of Representatives and Senators from 26 states.
Local residents are eager to share their experiences with the media. For interviews please contact ___(your name)_____ at _____ (your phone number)____ or ____(your email)____.
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Begun as a program of the Fellowship of Reconciliation in 2000, Interfaith Peace-Builders’ mission is to give US citizens the opportunity to see and understand the Israeli-Palestinian conflict firsthand and to empower these citizens to educate their local communities and advocate for a more just US foreign policy when they return. For more information see www.ifpb.org.
The US Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation is a diverse coalition working for freedom from occupation and equal rights for all by challenging current US policy towards the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The Campaign is based on human rights and international law, providing a non-sectarian framework for everyone who supports its Call to Action. Its strategy is to inform, educate, and mobilize the public so as to change the US role in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict to support peace, justice, human rights, and international law. For more information see www.endtheoccupation.org.
* For further information on Israel’s use of US weapons in the Gaza Strip see www.endtheoccupation.org/downloads/gaza_us_weapons.pdf. A Congressional Briefing held on Capitol Hill also focused on Israel’s use of US weapons and featured the testimony of a Gaza Strip resident who lost two brothers to Israeli gunfire during the recent attacks (for a video of the briefing see _________).
** For the Amnesty International reports cited above see www.amnestyusa.org/document.php?id=ENGNAU200901158990 and
www.amnesty.org/en/news-and-updates/news/israeli-armys-use-white-phosphorus-gaza-clear-undeniable-20090119.
REGISTER TODAY TO GAIN IMPORTANT SKILLS FOR YOUR ACTIVISM & MAKE AN IMPACT IN THE NEW CONGRESS!
This event is sponsored by:
Interfaith Peace-Builders and the US Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation
This event is endorsed by:
The Fellowship of Reconciliation (USA), Global Exchange,
and the Middle East Resource and Information Project