MEDIA ALERT
Take action to Encourage Fair and Open Media Coverage of the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict
As part of our efforts to support the work of our returned delegates, Interfaith Peace-Builders often encourages action on certain specific topics of interest. As the presidential election approaches, the US media has only sparingly set its sights on the continued crisis in Palestine/Israel.
This weekend, three major US newspapers published editorials and opinion pieces on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The three action alerts below encourage action on these three editorials - in the Wall Street Journal, the Los Angeles Times, and the Washington Post. The first alert was passed on by an IFPB Board Member. The second two were written by our friends at WRITE! For Justice Human Rights and International Law in Palestine.
Please consider writing to one of the publications here. For tips on writing an effective letter to the editor see the tips on IFPB's resources page here.
I. Support Palestinian Rights by Writing to the Wall Street Journal
The Wall Street Journal published on Friday (September 19, 2008) a powerful assertion of Palestinian rights by Mahmoud Abbas, President of the Palestinian Authority.
Please send your letter upholding Palestinian rights to The Wall Street Journal today. Denunciations of Palestinian rights are likely to be sent at a rapid pace. Consequently, it is critical that our letters defend crucial Palestinian rights related to refugees and Jerusalem.
Letters can be emailed to letters@wsj.com and should be under 150 words. Please include your name, address, and telephone numbers for verification purposes.
Also, please add your online comments by clicking here.
II. Support a Sane Analysis of Settlement Expansion in the LA Times
From WRITE!: On Saturday (September 20, 2008), the Los Angeles Times published an opinion piece by Gershom Gorenberg, 'Ehud Olmert's failed promises'. Author of “The Accidental Empire: Israel and the Birth of Settlements 1967 – 1977”, Gorenberg chides outgoing Israeli Prime Minister, Ehud Olmert for failing to reach a substantive agreement with the Palestinians on a two-state solution and curb the illegal settlement expansion in the West Bank.
Gorenberg is correct in his assessment that “Settlements have one purpose: to prevent an Israeli pullback” from the Occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem. He goes on to explain that Olmert was a weak leader and his position was weakened by disastrous foreign policies moves including an illegal war with Lebanon. In fact, much of the blame lies with the Israeli Government and the US Government who did not work to stop the settlement expansion.
Please let the LA Times letters@latimes.com know that Gorenberg is correct about Olmert's legacy -- and there is no more time for inaction and excuses regarding the illegal settlements and lack of a resolution generally.
For further information:
- World Bank report: Palestinian Economic Prospects
- UN Report: The Humanitarian Monitor - Occupied Palestinian Territory
- Peace Now: West Bank Settlement Construction Nearly Doubled This Year
III. Tell the Washington Post that the US Should Increase its Efforts to End the Israeli Occupation
From WRITE!: On Monday (September 22, 2008), the Washington Post published a cynical op-ed by Jackson Diehl, 'A Peace from the Bottom Up', which argues that the Bush administration's attempt at brokering a Israeli-Palestinian peace deal has 'quietly expired,' that promoting Mideast peace won't 'crack the top ten priorities of the next administration,' and the focus should shift to the development of vibrant Palestinian civil society.
While there is no doubt that the indigenous development of Palestinian civil society is of critical importance, neither the op-ed, nor the Bush administration for that matter seriously considered that a foreign military occupation with 450,000 settlers and a wall ruled illegal by the ICJ might have something to do with the difficulties encountered. Furthermore, as conditions continue to deteriorate on the ground in the midst of turmoil across the region -- the notion that this conflict should not be a 'top ten' priority for a new administration should be soundly rejected.
Please let the Washington Post letters@washpost.com know that Jackson Diehl has it wrong and efforts to bring peace with justice should intensify at this critical juncture, not recede. Be sure to include your name, address, and keep your letters under 150 words.
For further information:
- UN - OCHA (Closure Report)
- 4 years after the ICJ decision --- Humanitarian impact of the barrier
- Palestinian children's rights being violated
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