The groups' statement says the current conflagration is part of a "broader context of Israel's ongoing policy to forcibly remove Palestinians from their homes through eviction, home demolition, and displacement."
Published on Friday, May 14, 2021
by Common Dreams
Gaza residents gather at the site of homes destroyed by Israeli air and artillery attacks on May 14, 2015. (Photo: Ahmed Zakot/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
by Common Dreams
Gaza residents gather at the site of homes destroyed by Israeli air and artillery attacks on May 14, 2015. (Photo: Ahmed Zakot/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
As the death toll from Israel's ongoing air and artillery strikes in Gaza topped 120 on Friday and as Israeli security forces killed at least 10 Arab protesters in the occupied West Bank, over 100 U.S.-based advocacy groups issued a statement urging the Biden administration to condemn the Israeli government's plan to ethnically cleanse thousands of Palestinians from neighborhoods in East Jerusalem.
"Israeli state violence is, of course, not limited to Jerusalem. We are horrified by Israel's use of disproportionate and deadly force against Palestinians in Gaza which have already resulted in the killings of dozens of Palestinians, including children."
—100+ groups' statement
The groups—which include peace, faith-based, labor, racial justice, and other organizations—wrote that they "stand in solidarity with the Palestinian residents of occupied East Jerusalem currently at risk of losing their homes and call on the Biden administration to immediately and publicly condemn the Israeli government's plans to forcibly displace 1,550 Palestinians from their homes in the Sheikh Jarrah and Al-Bustan neighborhoods," while urging the U.S. administration to "exert the utmost diplomatic pressure to prevent these potential war crimes from taking place."
The statement says the planned expulsions are occurring in the "broader context of Israel's ongoing policy to forcibly remove Palestinians from their homes through eviction, home demolition, and displacement, with the express intent of pushing Palestinians out of Jerusalem in order to create and maintain a Jewish majority and supremacy in the city."
Proud to be part of this statement signed by over 100 progressive organizations demanding that the Biden administration stop Israel's forced displacement of Palestinians in #SheikhJarrah, and flanking the calls of @RepMarieNewman & @repmarkpocan's letter https://t.co/7nNbmI2yWc
— Jewish Voice for Peace Action #SaveSheikhJarrah (@JvpAction) May 13, 2021
Decrying the "overwhelming violence and force from Israeli police and settlers" against Palestinians at the Al-Aqsa Mosque during the holy month of Ramadan, the statement notes specific disturbing incidents that have occurred in East Jerusalem, including "a police officer kneeling on a protester's neck while he shouts he is being suffocated" and Jerusalem Deputy Mayor Arieh King telling a Palestinian activist it was a "pity" that he wasn't shot in the head.
The statement continues:
Israeli state violence is, of course, not limited to Jerusalem. We are horrified by Israel's use of disproportionate and deadly force against Palestinians in Gaza which have already resulted in the killings of dozens of Palestinians, including children. This comes within the context of Israel's 14-year illegal blockade on Gaza which has created an open-air prison with severe shortages of life-saving medicines, food, electricity, and clean water, making life unsafe and unbearable. We call on the Biden administration to condemn this violence and address its root causes: Israeli blockade and occupation.
The signatories said that the Biden administration must "uphold international law and act in accordance with the urgency of the moment to prevent the Israeli government's forced displacement of thousands of Palestinians."
Finally, they affirmed their support for a letter led by U.S. Reps. Marie Newman (D-Ill.) and Mark Pocan (D-Wis.) and signed by 23 other House Democrats urging the Biden administration to pressure Israeli leaders to "desist from its plans to demolish Palestinian homes in Al-Bustan and evict Palestinians from their homes in Sheikh Jarrah."
"We call on the Biden administration to condemn this violence and address its root causes: Israeli blockade and occupation."
—statement
The groups' statement comes a day after progressive members of the U.S. House of Representatives convened a special hour—also organized by Newman and Pocan—during which the lawmakers discussed the root causes of Israeli-Palestinian violence, namely the foundation of Israel through settler colonization, ethnic cleansing, and ongoing oppression and apartheid.
"If we are to make good on our promises to support equal human rights for all, it is our duty to end the apartheid system that for decades has subjected Palestinians to inhumane treatment and racism, reducing Palestinians to live in utter fear and terror of losing a child, being indefinitely detained or killed because of who they are, and the unequal rights and protections they have under Israeli law," said Rep. Rashida Tlaib, a Michigan Democrat and the first Palestinian-American woman elected to Congress. "It must end."
'Where's the Outrage, POTUS?' Rashida Tlaib Demands US Action as Israeli Forces Assault Al-Aqsa
As Israeli police wounded more than 300 Palestinians, Tlaib said U.S. lawmakers "must condition the aid we send to Israel, and end it altogether if those conditions are not followed."
Palestinian paramedics transport a protester wounded by Israeli security forces at Lions Gate in the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in Jerusalem's Old City on May 10, 2021. (Photo: Ilia Yefimovich/Picture Alliance via Getty Images)
Democratic Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib, the first Palestinian-American woman ever elected to Congress, demanded Monday that U.S. lawmakers and President Joe Biden take immediate and concrete action in response to Israeli forces' latest assault on the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, where more than 300 Palestinians were injured by rubber bullets, stun grenades, and tear gas.
"This is equivalent to attacking the Church of the Holy Sepulchre for Christians, or the Temple Mount for Jews. Israel attacks it during Ramadan."
—Rep. Rashida Tlaib
"Al-Aqsa is the third holiest site in Islam, and people praying during the holiest days of the holy month of Ramadan have been beaten, gassed, shot, and killed by Israeli forces," Tlaib tweeted Monday morning. "They are denied medics and forced to use prayer mats as stretchers. A place of peace desecrated by violence."
The Michigan Democrat went on to call out the bipartisan coalition of U.S. House members who rejected conditioning aid to Israel last month, shortly before Israeli settlers and state forces resumed efforts to forcefully expel Palestinians from the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood of occupied East Jerusalem—an effort that sparked outrage from Tlaib, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), and other progressive lawmakers.
"American taxpayer money is being used to commit human rights violations," said Tlaib. "Congress must condition the aid we send to Israel, and end it altogether if those conditions are not followed. Statements aren't working, [Secretary of State Antony] Blinken. Enough is enough."
"I was seven years old when I first prayed at the Al-Aqsa with my sity. It's a sacred site for Muslims," Tlaib added. "This is equivalent to attacking the Church of the Holy Sepulchre for Christians, or the Temple Mount for Jews. Israel attacks it during Ramadan. Where's the outrage, POTUS?"
Al-Aqsa is the 3rd holiest site in Islam, & people praying during the holiest days of the holy month of Ramadan have been beaten, gassed, shot, & killed by Israeli forces. They are denied medics & forced to use prayer mats as stretchers.
A place of peace desecrated by violence. https://t.co/S7kc74ceHE
— Rashida Tlaib (@RashidaTlaib) May 10, 2021
The Palestinian Red Crescent Society said at least 305 Palestinians were injured, several critically, in the Israeli forces' attack on Al-Aqsa Monday, which came on the Israeli national holiday that marks the country's seizure of East Jerusalem during the Six-Day War of 1967.
"We want Israel to be held accountable for its crimes against Palestinians. The Biden administration and the language of false equivalency continue to uphold this occupation."
—Mohammed El-Kurd
Observers feared that tensions and violence would continue escalating throughout the day as thousands of right-wing Israelis were planning to march through the Muslim Quarter of the Old City, but the demonstration was reportedly rerouted at the last minute.
"This is good news," said Yair Rosenberg, senior writer at Tablet magazine. "Hopefully it's not too late and the police can actually keep the marchers to the new route. Let's hope more responsible decision-making follows."
Video footage of the Monday attack posted to social media shows Israeli police beating a Palestinian detained at the compound, women and children scrambling to find cover amid Israeli forces' bombardment of the mosque, and medics escorting wounded Palestinians away from the chaotic scene.
Khaled Zabarqa, a 48-year-old lawyer who had been praying at Al-Aqsa just before Israeli forces began firing on the compound, asked in an interview with the New York Times, "Why have they been attacking the Aqsa Mosque during Ramadan?"
"The Aqsa Mosque is a sacred place for Muslims," said Zabarqa. "Israel is starting a religious war."
Women are being targeted by Israeli forces in Al Aqsa Mosque. Grenades are being thrown at defence less women. (R) pic.twitter.com/koZRFPWslp
— TIMES OF GAZA (@Timesofgaza) May 10, 2021
On top of the violence at Al-Aqsa, Israeli forces also reportedly attacked Palestinian demonstrators in Sheikh Jarrah on Monday as they protested Israel's ongoing efforts to expel them from their homes.
"They beat me up then a minute later, completely denied they had done such a thing," one protester who said he was assaulted by Israeli police told Al Jazeera. "This is a terrorist government. This is what a government that protects and abets terrorist ministers within its ranks is."
In an appearance on Democracy Now! Monday morning, Palestinian writer and poet Mohammed El-Kurd—whose family lives in Sheikh Jarrah—said that "we want more than just condemnations" of Israeli conduct from the U.S. and the rest of the international community.
"We want Israel to be held accountable for its crimes against Palestinians," said El-Kurd. "The Biden administration and the language of false equivalency continue to uphold this occupation."
Palestinian writer Mohammed El-Kurd says Israel is "doing everything it can to terrorize Palestinians" while Jewish settlers "can just walk around our neighborhoods, steal our homes and wield their guns." pic.twitter.com/19rXZ9UJoG
— Democracy Now! (@democracynow) May 10, 2021
"I think you can deescalate the situation and the tension and the violence in Jerusalem by ending the occupation. That is the only solution," El-Kurd continued. "It is insane for Palestinians to continue living under this occupation for 73 years."
Mairav Zonszein, a senior analyst on Israel-Palestine with the International Crisis Group, argued in a column for The American Prospect on Monday that "the least Biden can do is stop the harm to Palestinians, which in turn will also prevent harm to Israelis."
"One of the first steps Biden could take is to unequivocally disavow the Trump administration's January 2020 'Peace to Prosperity' plan, which put a stamp of approval on Israel's taking of land and resources by force and excluded Palestinians from the process outright," wrote Zonszein. "The administration should also plainly condemn, as the U.K. has, the systematic efforts by Israel to dispossess Palestinians from their homes."
"The Biden administration should also enforce America's own foreign-aid laws by ensuring greater transparency and accountability for how its aid to Israel is currently used, so that Israel is held to U.S. human rights standards and other benchmarks for aid recipients—something that has increasing support within the Democratic Party," Zonszein added.
Correction: This article previously misstated that Rep. Rashida Tlaib was the first Palestinian-American ever elected to Congress. She was the first Palestinian-American woman ever elected to Congress.
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
As Israeli police wounded more than 300 Palestinians, Tlaib said U.S. lawmakers "must condition the aid we send to Israel, and end it altogether if those conditions are not followed."
Palestinian paramedics transport a protester wounded by Israeli security forces at Lions Gate in the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in Jerusalem's Old City on May 10, 2021. (Photo: Ilia Yefimovich/Picture Alliance via Getty Images)
Democratic Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib, the first Palestinian-American woman ever elected to Congress, demanded Monday that U.S. lawmakers and President Joe Biden take immediate and concrete action in response to Israeli forces' latest assault on the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, where more than 300 Palestinians were injured by rubber bullets, stun grenades, and tear gas.
"This is equivalent to attacking the Church of the Holy Sepulchre for Christians, or the Temple Mount for Jews. Israel attacks it during Ramadan."
—Rep. Rashida Tlaib
"Al-Aqsa is the third holiest site in Islam, and people praying during the holiest days of the holy month of Ramadan have been beaten, gassed, shot, and killed by Israeli forces," Tlaib tweeted Monday morning. "They are denied medics and forced to use prayer mats as stretchers. A place of peace desecrated by violence."
The Michigan Democrat went on to call out the bipartisan coalition of U.S. House members who rejected conditioning aid to Israel last month, shortly before Israeli settlers and state forces resumed efforts to forcefully expel Palestinians from the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood of occupied East Jerusalem—an effort that sparked outrage from Tlaib, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), and other progressive lawmakers.
"American taxpayer money is being used to commit human rights violations," said Tlaib. "Congress must condition the aid we send to Israel, and end it altogether if those conditions are not followed. Statements aren't working, [Secretary of State Antony] Blinken. Enough is enough."
"I was seven years old when I first prayed at the Al-Aqsa with my sity. It's a sacred site for Muslims," Tlaib added. "This is equivalent to attacking the Church of the Holy Sepulchre for Christians, or the Temple Mount for Jews. Israel attacks it during Ramadan. Where's the outrage, POTUS?"
Al-Aqsa is the 3rd holiest site in Islam, & people praying during the holiest days of the holy month of Ramadan have been beaten, gassed, shot, & killed by Israeli forces. They are denied medics & forced to use prayer mats as stretchers.
A place of peace desecrated by violence. https://t.co/S7kc74ceHE
— Rashida Tlaib (@RashidaTlaib) May 10, 2021
The Palestinian Red Crescent Society said at least 305 Palestinians were injured, several critically, in the Israeli forces' attack on Al-Aqsa Monday, which came on the Israeli national holiday that marks the country's seizure of East Jerusalem during the Six-Day War of 1967.
"We want Israel to be held accountable for its crimes against Palestinians. The Biden administration and the language of false equivalency continue to uphold this occupation."
—Mohammed El-Kurd
Observers feared that tensions and violence would continue escalating throughout the day as thousands of right-wing Israelis were planning to march through the Muslim Quarter of the Old City, but the demonstration was reportedly rerouted at the last minute.
"This is good news," said Yair Rosenberg, senior writer at Tablet magazine. "Hopefully it's not too late and the police can actually keep the marchers to the new route. Let's hope more responsible decision-making follows."
Video footage of the Monday attack posted to social media shows Israeli police beating a Palestinian detained at the compound, women and children scrambling to find cover amid Israeli forces' bombardment of the mosque, and medics escorting wounded Palestinians away from the chaotic scene.
Khaled Zabarqa, a 48-year-old lawyer who had been praying at Al-Aqsa just before Israeli forces began firing on the compound, asked in an interview with the New York Times, "Why have they been attacking the Aqsa Mosque during Ramadan?"
"The Aqsa Mosque is a sacred place for Muslims," said Zabarqa. "Israel is starting a religious war."
Women are being targeted by Israeli forces in Al Aqsa Mosque. Grenades are being thrown at defence less women. (R) pic.twitter.com/koZRFPWslp
— TIMES OF GAZA (@Timesofgaza) May 10, 2021
On top of the violence at Al-Aqsa, Israeli forces also reportedly attacked Palestinian demonstrators in Sheikh Jarrah on Monday as they protested Israel's ongoing efforts to expel them from their homes.
"They beat me up then a minute later, completely denied they had done such a thing," one protester who said he was assaulted by Israeli police told Al Jazeera. "This is a terrorist government. This is what a government that protects and abets terrorist ministers within its ranks is."
In an appearance on Democracy Now! Monday morning, Palestinian writer and poet Mohammed El-Kurd—whose family lives in Sheikh Jarrah—said that "we want more than just condemnations" of Israeli conduct from the U.S. and the rest of the international community.
"We want Israel to be held accountable for its crimes against Palestinians," said El-Kurd. "The Biden administration and the language of false equivalency continue to uphold this occupation."
Palestinian writer Mohammed El-Kurd says Israel is "doing everything it can to terrorize Palestinians" while Jewish settlers "can just walk around our neighborhoods, steal our homes and wield their guns." pic.twitter.com/19rXZ9UJoG
— Democracy Now! (@democracynow) May 10, 2021
"I think you can deescalate the situation and the tension and the violence in Jerusalem by ending the occupation. That is the only solution," El-Kurd continued. "It is insane for Palestinians to continue living under this occupation for 73 years."
Mairav Zonszein, a senior analyst on Israel-Palestine with the International Crisis Group, argued in a column for The American Prospect on Monday that "the least Biden can do is stop the harm to Palestinians, which in turn will also prevent harm to Israelis."
"One of the first steps Biden could take is to unequivocally disavow the Trump administration's January 2020 'Peace to Prosperity' plan, which put a stamp of approval on Israel's taking of land and resources by force and excluded Palestinians from the process outright," wrote Zonszein. "The administration should also plainly condemn, as the U.K. has, the systematic efforts by Israel to dispossess Palestinians from their homes."
"The Biden administration should also enforce America's own foreign-aid laws by ensuring greater transparency and accountability for how its aid to Israel is currently used, so that Israel is held to U.S. human rights standards and other benchmarks for aid recipients—something that has increasing support within the Democratic Party," Zonszein added.
Correction: This article previously misstated that Rep. Rashida Tlaib was the first Palestinian-American ever elected to Congress. She was the first Palestinian-American woman ever elected to Congress.
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
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