AMP launches 'Lift the Siege on Gaza' campaign

Representatives of the American Muslims for Palestine met with Egyptian officials and held a press conference in Washington D.C. recently to focus attention on the humanitarian crisis in Gaza caused by Israel’s siege.

Attends press conference in D.C. and meets with the Egyptian embassy

(PALOS HILLS, IL 1/21/10) – Representatives of the American Muslims for Palestine met with Egyptian officials and held a press conference in Washington D.C. recently to focus attention on the humanitarian crisis in Gaza caused by Israel’s siege.

An AMP representative along with other members of the American Muslim Task Force, an umbrella organization of 13 leading American Muslim organizations, met with Egyptian embassy officials on Jan. 12 to discuss the underground barrier Egypt is building along its border with Gaza. When complete the wall, which will be 100 feet deep and six miles long, will shut down a network of tunnels the Palestinians of Gaza rely upon for much needed food, medicines and other humanitarian supplies.

While Egyptian officials said the tunnels were a threat to Egyptian national security, an AMP representative pointed out that if Egypt opened its Rafah border and allowed the free flow of goods and humanitarian aid into Gaza, Egypt could monitor those shipments more closely. If the border were open, there would be no need for the tunnels – which are extremely dangerous for the Palestinians working in them – and they could be shut down.

On Tuesday, Jan. 19, the American Muslim Task Force – including AMP – held a news conference at the National Press Club in Washington D.C. Speakers included Kristin Szremski, AMP director of media and communications; Nihad Awad, executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR); Mahdi Bray, executive director of MAS Freedom; and Dr. Zahid Bukhari, president of the Islamic Circle of North America.

During the press conference, AMP called upon the Egyptian government to “return to its historical position of supporting the human rights and self-determination of the Palestinian people.” AMP also called on Egypt to open its Rafah border and to stop construction of the wall.

Finally, Ms. Szremski called upon the American public to “partner with AMP and through increasing education and awareness on this issue to urge their elected officials to uphold American values of justice and fairness and to hold Israel accountable and to demand Israel lift the siege on Gaza.” Read the statement.

To educate yourself on the siege and the impact of Operation Cast Lead, make sure you read AMP’s latest publication, “Rising From the Ashes: Gaza’s Indestructible Spirit,” by clicking here.

Then, click on the tab “About Us,” followed by the tab, “What You Can Do,” for a list of action items. Finally, you can contact your elected officials and ask them to pressure Israel into lifting the siege on Gaza. Tell them the siege is against international law and violates the very principles of human rights that we, as Americans, hold so dear. Find your elected official by clicking here.