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9/22 Petition to Biden & U.S. Congress

Israel closing the Al Jazeera office in Ramallah, West Bank is absolutely ludicrous and demonstrates the overreach and complete occupation of Palestinian territories. They have no right to force journalists out of their offices and suspend operations in a town clearly internationally recognized as Palestinian land. Their defacement of the building’s banners of Palestinian-American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh is unacceptable. This is not Israel’s land, and even if it were, how would defacing the building by removing banners memorializing someone’s death be acceptable in any context?

Experts in Israel’s policies and strategies towards Palestinians are concerned this is a signal of Israel’s intent to escalate the violence towards Palestinians in the West Bank. I, too, am deeply concerned of what this most recent attack on journalism will bring. We’ve seen over and over again how these types of actions precede horrific Israeli attacks.

I demand you do everything in your power to:

– Hold Israel accountable to a permanent, immediate ceasefire and for their repeat violations of international law

– Call for the immediate end of Israel’s occupation and apartheid

– Support Palestinians in their fight for freedom and peace

– Secure the immediate release and safety of all hostages, including Palestinians held by Israel in “military prisons”, including those whose indefinite detention began prior to 10/7

– Permanently end all monetary, diplomatic, and military aid given to Israel and enforce U.S. laws like Leahy Law and the Arms Export Control Act

– Resume full funding of UNRWA and allocate more funds to aid humanitarian efforts to rebuild Gaza, and provide Palestinians with the resources to survive and thrive

– Immediately withdraw all U.S. troops, military assets, and all other assets deployed throughout the Middle East and cease all actions that further escalate a larger regional conflict

– Void all anti-BDS laws and other laws that infringe on my right to freedom of speech to criticize any political ideology or country, and to use my money in ways that align with my values

SOURCES

Al Jazeera 9/22 Live Updates

Al Jazeera “Israel has no legal right to close Al Jazeera offices in Ramallah: Analysis“

Al Jazeera “Israel’s shutdown of Al Jazeera could facilitate more settler violence in West Bank: Analysis“

Al Jazeera “Shutdown threat: When has Israel targeted Al Jazeera before?“

Al Jazeera “Watching the watchdogs: Israel’s attacks on journalists are backfiring“

Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) “Journalist casualties in the Israel-Gaza war“

NPR “Gaza war is deadliest conflict for journalists in over 30 years, press advocates say“

United Nations “UN experts urge Israel to stop attacks and harassment against journalists in occupied West Bank“

Free Press Unlimited “Safety of journalists and media coverage in Israel & Palestine“

Article 19 “Palestine: Israel’s attacks on journalists and free expression must end“