Saturday, February 05, 2005
CNI Protests New Aid for Israeli Occupation
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PRESSRELEASE
Date:February 4,2005
CNIProtests NewAid for Israeli Occupation
In a letter to President Bush, Eugene Bird,President of theCouncil for the National Interest, agreed with Jewish organizations,includingAmericans for Peace Now, in protesting the latest request for aid, areported$180 million to help construct new "state of the art" checkpoints alongthesecurity wall separating Israelis and Palestinians.
"These checkpoints are not all located in Israeliterritory,but are mostly located on Palestinian land illegally enclosed by theconstruction of the Separation Wall. We understand the securityinterest Israelmight have in constructing a wall, as long as it follows the GreenLine, whichIsrael agreed to withdraw to in accepting the 1967 UN Security CouncilResolution 242, which is still accepted as the basis of peacenegotiationsbetween Israel and the Palestinians.
"The proposed permanent gates controlling thePalestinianpopulation in their own land are a giant step toward annexing that landanddepriving any future Palestinian state of territorial contiguity."
"In our view," the letter states, "supporting thisprojectwould be in direct violation of our own policies calling for a viablePalestinian state and opposing taxpayer dollars going to support theoccupation. It would also be aviolation of international law and of the Leahy Amendment - whichprohibits theuse of US aid to Israel outside Israel proper."
Mr. Bird concluded, "The proposed upgrading andconstructionof gates is simply a way for Israel to gain U.S. involvement andapproval forwhat is obviously an effort to annex occupied territory, and to maketheoccupation permanent. Both are againstU.S. policy and both make peace less, rather than more, likely."
Contact: Terry Walz, 202-863-2951
The Council for the National Interest
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