Actions You Can Take from MASSACHUSETTS AGAINST ISRAELI ANNEXATION

As we work to oppose formal or de facto Israeli annexation of Occupied Palestinian Territories and to condition (and eventually reduce) US military aid to Israel here are

THREE ACTIONS YOU CAN TAKE NOW:

  1. Demand and end to Israeli Vaccination Apartheid
  2. Support a new state law prohibiting lobbyist-paid trips – including to Israel
  3. Oppose efforts to restrict Free Speech on Israel/Palestine

 1) Demand an end to medical apartheid

 Please sign and circulate THIS petition telling Congress to demand that Israel provide COVID vaccines to Palestinians. https://act.newmode.net/action/mpower-change/tell-congress-demand-israel-provide-covid-19-vaccine-palestinians?emci=dcb3ebfc-916d-eb11-9889-00155d43c992&emdi=24c81e70-2871-eb11-9889-00155d43c992&ceid=329172

The infection rate in the West Bank, East Jerusalem and Gaza Strip is surging.  On Feb. 28, there were reportedly 206,440 cases in Palestine.  Some 55,000 of them are in the Gaza Strip.  More than 2,000 Palestinians have died of Covid-19, and hospitals are severely overstretched.

With Netanyahu offering 100,000 vaccines from a supply purchased from Moderna to more than 15 countries in exchange for diplomatic backing, international pressure has grown on Israel to live up to its Geneva Convention obligations and end what many see as ‘medical apartheid.’  A Feb. 25th tweet from Bernie Sanders slammed Israel for sending vaccines abroad while Palestinians are ‘still waiting,’ and Rep. Jamaal Bowman sent a letter to Israel’s consul general urging Israel to give vaccines to Palestinians.  The Israeli cabinet just approved the vaccination of up to 120,000 Palestinian workers who have permits to work in Israel or work in settlements.

To date, the PA has received 2,000 Moderna vaccines from Israel – it had been promised 5,000 – and 10,000 Sputnik V doses from Russia, 2,000 of which it transferred – with difficulty due to Israeli interference – to the Gaza Strip.  Gaza received an additional 20,000 Sputnik V doses from the UAE through the Rafah crossing with Egypt.

 2) Support a new state law prohibiting lobbyist-paid trips – including to Israel:

 Ask your state representative to support and cosponsor a new bill – HD 1630: “An Act to close travel loophole in the state conflict of interest law, and to provide for greater transparency and accountability regarding travel gifts – that would close a loophole in the Massachusetts state ethics law that allows lobbyists to pay for travel by state legislators, including propaganda tours of Israel sponsored by the JCRC.

 Background:

Massachusetts has tough ethics rules for public officials, banning the acceptance of any gift of substantial value from lobbyists.  But there is a glaring loophole. Legislators can accept lobbyist-paid travel of any amount simply by declaring, without any supporting explanation, that the travel is “in the public interest.”  The value of these trips can amount to thousands of dollars.  This travel is by its nature a conflict of interest and bolsters the role of money in Massachusetts politics. For example, legislators have attended conferences on state gambling policy funded by gaming interests; they attended meetings on internet regulation paid for by Google and Facebook; they traveled to meetings on regulating cable TV funded by cable operators. First-class JCRC junkets to Israel – which are the most frequent examples of the travel loophole — were valued at upwards of $6000 each.

 What travel would be restricted by the proposed legislation:

Any travel paid for by an organization which was registered as a lobbying organization (called a “client” in state law) during the year in which the travel takes place. (The state Ethics Commission maintains a database of lobbyist “clients” which can be viewed and searched here: https://www.sec.state.ma.us/lobbyistpublicsearch/)

What travel would be allowed:

Legitimate travel for educational or cultural purposes paid for by non-profit foundations and organizations which are not registered as lobbyists during the year of travel. Many pubic interest organizations sponsor travel to conferences on public policy, green energy, civil liberties that would not be restricted if they do not actively lobby for legislation. The great majority of paid trips taken by legislators are not paid for by Clients registered with the State Secretary. Consequently, closing the travel loophole will have no impact on the vast majority of free travel enjoyed by legislators.  Closing the loophole will help restore public confidence that legislators are not unduly influenced by extraneous matters in voting on legislation.

  1. TELL YOUR MAYOR: Don’t sign on to the IHRA definition of anti-Semitism. It’s a wolf in sheep’s clothing.

We all want to fight the rise in anti-Semitism, especially after witnessing the neo-Nazi and white supremacist storming of the Capitol on January 5th.  Our collective safety depends on taking up this fight.

But, as we highlighted in our last MAIA action alert, pro-Israel forces are co-opting this fight in the interests of silencing the movement for justice for Palestinians and protecting Israel from criticism.  They are engaged in a major global campaign that focuses not on right-wing neo-Nazi extremism, but on falsely claiming that critiques of Israel are anti-Semitic.  This entails an aggressive campaign to get the IHRA definition of anti-Semitism adopted by countries, municipalities, and universities all over the world.  This campaign is ramping up in the U.S.  Just this week, Kentucky became the first state to officially adopt the definition. 

We are writing to alert you to a specific, local aspect to this campaign and to invite you to take action.  This is the campaign to get mayors to adopt the IHRA definition of anti-Semitism.

Your mayor is being invited by the American Jewish Committee (AJC) to sign on to a Mayors United Against Antisemitism initiative and by the Combat Anti-Semitism Movement (CAM) to attend a virtual Mayors Summit Against Antisemitism on March 16.    According to its website, AJC’s mission is “advocating for Israel and the Jewish people…” and “AJC advocates for the adoption of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) Working Definition of Antisemitism as a crucial first step in addressing the horrific rise in antisemitism.”  Its Mayors United against Antisemitism initiative poses as fighting hate speech while in fact, its effect would be to chill free speech about Israel. The very first commitment it asks mayors to make is to condemn antisemitism in all its forms, including … “denying the Jewish people’s right to self-determination and/or the Jewish state’s right to exist”; signatories then to commit to rejection “the notion that opinions about the policies, actions, or existence of the State of Israel can ever justify or excuse antisemitic acts”.  More than 300 Mayors have already signed on to this statement, including the following mayors from Massachusetts:

Mayor Michael P. Cahill , Beverly, MA
Mayor Yvonne M. Spicer, Framingham, MA
Mayor Alex B. Morse, Holyoke, MA
Mayor Gary Christenson, Malden, MA
Mayor Jon Mitchell ,New Bedford, MA
Mayor Ruthanne Fuller, Newton, MA
Mayor David J. Narkewicz, Northampton, MA
Mayor Kimberley Driscoll , Salem, MA
Mayor Domenic J. Sarno, Springfield, MA
Mayor William C. Reichelt, West Springfield, MA
Mayor Joseph M. Petty, Worcester, MA

In addition, on March 16, 2021, the Combat Anti-Semitism Movement (CAM) will co-host the first-ever Mayors Summit Against Anti-Semitism with the City of Frankfurt am Main in Germany.  Mayors from several US cities will be participating and all U.S. mayors have been invited to attend. One of the explicit goals of the summit is to get mayors to sign on to the IHRA working definition of anti-Semitism.  To alert mayors that this is a wolf in sheep’s clothing, Jewish organizations across the world committed to challenging all forms of racism, antisemitism and Islamophobia have written a letter exposing the real intent of the conference (to silence critique of Israel).

Please contact us if you would like to work with the mayor of your city or town to challenge real anti-Semitism without falling into the trap of signing on to the IHRA definition or attending the Mayors Summit Against Antisemitism.  We can share the open letter with you and support you with resources for engaging with your mayor whether or not they have signed on to this initiative.

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 Prepared by MASSACHUSETTS AGAINST ISRAELI ANNEXATION and endorsed by the following organizations:

Alliance for Water Justice in Palestine * Arlington United for Justice with Peace * Boston College Students for Justice in Palestine * Dorchester People for Peace * Jewish Voice for Peace-Boston * Human Rights Awareness: Palestine Israel/CD3 * Massachusetts Peace Action * Merrimack Valley People for Peace * North Shore Coalition for Peace and Justice * Middle East Peace and Justice Coalition of Western Mass * Palestinian Community in Boston * Tree of Life Educational Fund * Unitarian Universalists for Justice in the Middle East, MA Chapter