Palestinians in Gaza: Besieged & Attacked w/ U.S. Weapons
On December 27, 2008, Israel launched
a full-scale air and naval attack on the
occupied Palestinian Gaza Strip. On
January 3, 2009, Israel expanded its
attacks on the Gaza Strip by launching a
massive ground invasion.
Israel's three-week war on the occupied
Gaza Strip exacted a terrible toll on the 1.5
million Palestinians living there, killing more
than 1,300, injuring more than 5,000,
destroying 4,000 buildings, and causing an
estimated $2 billion in damage to civilian
infrastructure.
Israel's attacks come on top of a brutal
siege of the Gaza Strip, which has created
a humanitarian catastrophe of dire
proportions for Gaza's 1.5 million
Palestinian residents by restricting the
provision of food, fuel, medicine, electricity,
and other necessities of life.
Israel's war and siege on the Gaza Strip
would not be possible without the
weapons provided by the United States
and its veto at the UN preventing the
international community from holding
Israel accountable for its human rights
violations .
Here is a snapshot of the U.S. weapons
Israel is using to kill and besiege
Palestinians in the occupied Gaza Strip:

* Israel carried out its aerial bombardment
of the Gaza Strip with U.S.-provided F16
fighter jets and Apache helicopter gunships.
From 2001-2006, the United States
provided Israel with more than $200 million
in spare parts for its fighter jets and
more than $100 million in spare parts for
its helicopter gunships.

* In July 2008, the United States provided
Israel with 186 million gallons of JP-8
aviation jet fuel to fly its fleet of F16's and
Apaches.

* Israel bombarded the Gaza Strip by sea
with naval combat ships and on December
30, the Israeli navy intentionally rammed a
boat in international waters which was
carrying medical supplies to the Gaza Strip,
nearly causing it to sink. The passengers of
The Dignity included doctors and recent
Green Party Presidential candidate
Cynthia McKinney. In July 2008, the
United States signed a contract to transfer
$1.9 billion of naval combat ships to
Israel.

* Israeli aircraft and ships fired missiles and
bombs provided by the United States. In
October 2007, the United States signed a
$1.3 billion contract with Raytheon to
transfer to Israel thousands of TOW,
Hellfire, and "bunker buster" missiles.
Israel also is dropped GBU-39 small
diameter bombs on the Gaza Strip.
According to weapons experts, these
bombs contain uranium oxide and have
left behind radioactive contamination in
places such as Kosovo, Iraq, and
Afghanistan. In September 2008, Boeing
received a $77 million contract to
transfer 1,000 of these bombs to Israel.
* Israel invaded the Gaza Strip by ground
using tanks, armored personnel carriers,
and other military vehicles with troops
wearing night-vision goggles. Since 2001,
the United States has given Israel more
than $300 million in tank components
and spare parts and various military
vehicles, and nearly $150 million in
night-vision goggles and scopes.

Israel is the largest recipient of U.S.
military aid. In August 2007, the United
States and Israel signed an agreement to
increase arms transfers to Israel to $30
billion over the next decade. President-
Elect Obama already has pledged to
implement this agreement without any
conditions.

All U.S. aid programs, whether military or
economic, have built-in mechanisms to
prevent that aid from being used by
countries to commit human rights abuses.
According to U.S. law, countries that
commit human rights abuses with U.S. aid
are to be sanctioned and aid is to be cut off.
The Arms Export Control Act (P.L. 80-
829) stipulates that countries purchasing or
receiving U.S. weapons cannot use them
against civilians and must restrict their
usage to “internal security” and “legitimate
self-defense.” Israel repeatedly uses U.S.
weapons to commit human rights violations
against civilians in the Occupied Palestinian
Territories and in Lebanon. Indeed, Israel
could not maintain its illegal 41-year military
occupation and siege of the Palestinian
West Bank, East Jerusalem, and the Gaza
Strip without these weapons.

According to the Foreign Assistance Act
of 1961 (P.L. 87-195), “No assistance may
be provided under this part [of the law] to
the government of any country which
engages in a consistent pattern of gross
violations of internationally recognized
human rights.” As documented not only by
Palestinian, Israeli, and international human
rights groups, but by the U.S. government
as well, Israel has an atrocious human
rights record and therefore should be
ineligible for any form of U.S. aid.

TAKE ACTION

* Take to the streets and make your
opposition public. Hundreds of
protests are scheduled to take place
across the country. Find one near you or
add details of your own protest.

* Educate and organize people in your
community. Sign up to organize people
in your community to oppose military aid
to Israel and get an organizing packet.

* Contact the White House, State
Dept. and your Members of Congress.
Write a letter and set up a meeting with
your Members of Congress to demand a
lifting of the siege of Gaza, and
investigation into Israel's misuse of U.S.
weapons.

* Get the message out to the media.
Download talking points and make your
voice heard.

* Step up the pressure on President
Obama and the new Congress. Sign
our open letter and come to our Feb. 1-2
Grassroots Advocacy Training and
Lobby Day.

* Make a tax-deductible donation to us
and give less of your tax dollars to
Israel.

FOR MORE DETAILS, VISIT:
http://www.endtheoccupation.org
US Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation | PO Box 21539 | Washington, DC 20009
202-332-0994 | www.endtheoccupation.org | us_campaign@endtheoccupation.org
Take Action to Protest Israel's Misuse of U.S. Weapons