Cannot stand by

A Letter to Burlington Free Press    May 6, 2001

        The Israeli government is committing war crimes and flagrantly violating U.S. law through their use of American helicopters to bombard civilian areas. The Israeli war crimes also include an ethnic cleansing, collective punishment of civilian population, use of torture on suspects in custody, deportation and expulsions from illegally held property and towns, demolishing of Palestinian homes for undefined security purposes, and assassinations for political leaders. The Israelis conduct illegal blockades of towns, starving the population and embargoing medical and other critical supplies, through any number of means formally outlawed by both the Geneva Convention and various UN resolutions.

        The American media are complicit in these crimes when it portrays desperate acts of resistance by Palestinians against the occupation as justification for vicious state terrorism, in an irresponsible parroting of the official Israeli propaganda. We must call on Sens. Patrick Leahy and James Jeffords and Rep. Bernie Sanders to introduce legislation calling for immediate introduction of a neutral international observers to protect Palestinians. We must also act to deprive Israel of the billions of American dollars that are used to support these attacks. We cannot afford to stand by complacently and thereby abet this illegal and unjust occupation.

ROBERT GREEN

South Burlington