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Faith Leaders Speak Out on Gaza

This letter was signed by more than 75 Chicago area faith leaders and religiously identified organizations and individuals.  It was sent to President Bush, Secretary of State Rice, Senators Obama and Durbin and 13 Illinois Congresspeople.

October 31, 2007

From: Religious Leaders and Organizations of Greater Chicago

We are a coalition of faith-based organizations, religious leaders, and religiously identified organizations and individuals.  We are Christians, Muslims and Jews from the Greater Chicago region.  We represent communities with deep spiritual and family ties to Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories and communities who are deeply concerned about the humanitarian crises stemming from Israel’s 40-year long military occupation of the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

We are calling on you, our country’s leaders, to protest the Israeli government’s decision of September 19, 2007, to declare Gaza a “hostile entity.”

Israel claims that this designation gives it the freedom to cut electricity, fuel, and other basic necessities to the 1.5 million Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, half of whom are children and the majority of whom are impoverished.  Some 1.2 million Gazans already depend on international food handouts to survive.  Their situation has been made significantly worse by Israel’s frequent prevention of vital supplies and services from entering Gaza.  Through this new declaration, the Israeli government appears to be attempting to justify and gain political support for policies that already amount to the collective punishment of a whole population.

Secretary Rice has stated that the U.S. “will not abandon the innocent Palestinians in Gaza, and indeed will make every effort to deal with their humanitarian needs.”  How can this commitment be upheld if our government stands by silently while Israel moves to exacerbate an already dire humanitarian crisis in Gaza?  If the United States is genuinely interested in fostering peace between Israelis and Palestinians, the Israeli action cannot stand without rebuke.

The Israeli government justifies its policies as a way to pressure Gazans to turn against those who fire crude homemade rockets into Israel.  Indeed, Palestinian rocket attacks on Israeli communities are illegal and must be condemned.  The firing of these Qassam rockets killed four Israelis in 2006-2007; at the same time Israeli missile strikes and military actions in civilian areas killed hundreds of Palestinians in Gaza, including at least 147 children.  These illegal acts also deserve condemnation.

Israel’s harsh strategy will only prejudice future negotiations to end the conflict, which needs unified and empowered Palestinian and Israeli leadership to reach a comprehensive peace agreement.

Therefore, we urge you to take immediate action to:

• Call on the Israeli government to immediately rescind its decision to designate Gaza as a “hostile entity.”

• Demand that Israel’s government fulfill its obligation as an occupying power under international humanitarian and human rights law to ensure the welfare of the Palestinian population in the Gaza Strip, notably its obligation to ensure the supply of essential necessities such as electrical power and to allow the movement of people and goods.

Remaining silent in the face of growing impoverishment and threats against the people of Gaza implies our consent.  As people of faith and as Americans, we expect our government to support policies that foster peace and prosperity, not further violence and suffering in the Middle East.

Signed by 75 Chicago area faith leaders and religiously identified organizations and individuals

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