To: President Donald Trump, The United States House of Representatives, and The United States Senate
Tell @WhiteHouse & @JohnKerry: Heed J Street, Call Israeli Settlements Illegal
Just Foreign Policy
President Obama and Members of Congress should heed J Street's call to say that Israeli settlements in the West Bank are illegal and to make it clear that U.S. opposition is not just symbolic. As J Street says, "It's time for the U.S. to call the settlements illegal and review American policy on settlements to identify ways the message can no longer be ignored."
Why is this important?
Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu has announced that the Israeli government is seizing nearly 1,000 acres of West Bank land for another massive settlement project. The Israeli group Peace Now has called it the largest land grab in 30 years.
State Department spokesperson Jen Psaki said that the U.S. is “deeply concerned” about the announcement and called on Israel to reverse the decision. However, when asked what consequences Israel would face if it didn’t reverse the decision, Psaki had no answer.
We’ve been here before. Whenever Israel announces new settlement expansion, the U.S. issues a statement of mild condemnation backed by little substantive action. And while it is the consensus of the international community that Israeli settlements are illegal, the U.S. continues to refer to them instead as “illegitimate” and “unhelpful”.
The “pro-Israel, pro-peace” lobby J Street issued a statement saying that it’s time for the U.S. government to “stop issuing toothless statements of regret and do something real” and to “make it clear that the U.S. opposition to settlements is not just symbolic.”
We agree.
Tell the Obama administration and Congress to heed J Street’s call to declare Israeli settlements illegal by signing our petition.