Green Party of New York State
www.gpnys.org
Howie Hawkins for US Senate
www.hawkinsforsenate.org
August 8, 2006
For more information:
Howie Hawkins, (315) 425-1019, howie@hawkinsforsenate.net
Sally Kim, (518) 451-9469, green_sallyk@yahoo.com
Hawkins Renews Calls for Immediate Ceasefire and Israeli Withdrawal from Lebanon;
Urges Jewish Leaders to Speak out on Need for Ceasefire in the Middle East
NEW YORK -- Howie Hawkins, the Green Party candidate for US Senate, called today for Jewish leaders to speak out in support of an immediate ceasefire in the Middle East and an Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon.
Hawkins also said that any UN ceasefire agreement should also require Israel to leave Lebanon. Hawkins strongly opposed a ceasefire being push by the Bush administration that would allow Israeli forces to occupy parts of Lebanon.
“As with any war, there are grievances that can be cited by all parties. It is wrong for both Israel and Hezbollah to be firing missiles that are likely to injure and kill civilians. I have previously criticized Hezbollah for taking unilateral action, the capturing of Israel’s soldiers, that led Lebanon into the present conflict. But the response of the government of
Israel to this provocation is way beyond any rational response, clearly violating international restrictions on attacking civilian populations, and leaves Israelis open to being prosecuted for war crimes,” remarked Hawkins.
Hawkins said that it appeared that the Israeli military had long been planning an invasion of Lebanon and seized upon the capturing of the two soldiers as the excuse to launch the war. And while it is illegal to capture soldiers to use as negotiating tool to obtain an exchange of prisoners, even one that has previously been promised, it is a more serious war crime to
launch a wholesale attack on civilians and civilian infrastructure in response.
Many of the hundreds of deaths in Lebanon have been children. Israeli peace groups have reported that a number of Israeli pilots have begun to purposely miss their targets because the intelligence provided to them has turned out to be false and they have ended up killing innocent civilians.
It is estimated that more than 900 civilians have been killed in the Israeli attack on Lebanon and over 175 civilians have been slain in the Palestinian territory of Gaza. According to the Aug. 7 New York Times, 36 Israeli civilians have been killed by rockets fired by Hezbollah from Lebanon. One Israeli civilian was killed as a consequence of the war on Gaza.
“Israel is killing and starving children and civilians in Lebanon and Gaza. They are preventing relief and medical supplies from reaching victims. This is a major humanitarian crisis. Clinton has turned a cold shoulder to their plight and instead callously cheerleads Israel’s bombings,” noted Hawkins. “The villages that it takes to raise a child are being bombed into ashes. Clinton is waving on the bombs that are destroying a painfully rebuilt democracy in Lebanon that only recently was able to climb out from under the decades long occupation by Israel and Syria,” added Hawkins.
Hawkins harshly criticized Senator Clinton for failing to publicly demand that the Bush administration stop blocking efforts to affect an immediate ceasefire. Hawkins is also concerned about reports that the Bush administration has sent personnel to assist Israel in selecting targets for cruise missile first strike attacks, possibly in Syria or Iran.
“Israel is using weapons supplied by the American government to assist in their attacks on Lebanon in violation of the restrictions imposed by us on their use. Yet Clinton and Bush have not taken any action to stop this illegal use,” noted Hawkins. “It is American tax dollars that are being used to slaughter children and other civilians.”
Hawkins said it was important that Jewish leaders committed to peace speak out in support of an immediate ceasefire and an Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon. “The American media has been quite vocal for calling upon Muslims leaders to speak out against attacks by Muslims on civilians but they have been silent in calling for Jewish leaders to speak out against Israeli
bombings of civilians. Israel remains the third rail of American politics, where politicians like Clinton cower when confronted by improper and illegal actions by Israel. We need our Jewish leaders to stand up and be heard in calling for peace and to reign in the Israeli aggression,” noted Hawkins.
Hawkins said it was clear that the Israeli military had made a grave miscalculation in launching a war on Lebanon. “Rather than disarm Hezbollah, the Israeli generals are rapidly transforming them into heroes throughout the Middle East. It was the invasion of Lebanon by Israel two decades ago that first instigated the rise of Hezbollah. Rather than learning from their mistakes, the Israeli generals seem intent on punishing innocent civilians in Lebanon for the humiliation of previously being forced to withdraw by Hezbollah fighters. This misguided war is a tremendous threat to the long term security of Israel. After a half century, it is time for the US and Israel to admit that the sledgehammer approach to dealing with the Arab/Israeli conflict will never work. The biggest favor the US could do to Israel is to stop spending billions of dollars to arm them and stop using its unilateral veto at the United Nations to protect Israel from the consequences of its actions. And Israel will never find peace as long as it illegally occupies the Palestinian territories,” added Hawkins.
Earlier this year, the Green Party of the United States called upon American companies, governments and individuals to divest from Israel until they end their illegal occupation of Palestine. The recent invasions and attacks on civilians by Israel have greatly strengthened the divestment movement.
