AMP supports Israel Apartheid Week

(CHICAGO 02/29/2012) – The American Muslims for Palestine (AMP) stands in solidarity with all Palestinians affected by Israel’s apartheid policies in the West Bank, Gaza, inside historic Palestine and those in Diaspora. AMP hails Israel Apartheid Week as a means to raise awareness about Israel’s systematic and institutionalized racism that results in the denial of Palestinians’ basic human rights.

Israel Apartheid Week, now in its seventh year, supports the Palestinian call for Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions against Israel as a means to force it to comply with international law by ending its occupation of all Arab lands; affording Palestinians citizens of Israel their full human and civil rights; and allowing all Palestinian refugees their individually guaranteed right of return as enshrined in the Fourth Geneva Convention and UN Resolution 194.

The Apartheid Wall, more than 600 checkpoints, obstacles and closures, and restrictive travel permits have banished Palestinians in the West Bank into isolated Bantustans and their freedom of movement is severely restricted. The Palestinians in Gaza are forced to live under continued Israeli blockade. Palestinian citizens of Israel are restricted from pursuing certain fields of study and careers that are available to Jews. And 7 million Palestinian refugees – the largest and longest-lasting refugee group in the world – are prohibited from returning to their homeland.

Israel continues to impose racist laws that deny Palestinians their history and criminalizing their commemoration of tragic events such as the Nakba; prohibit the non-Israeli spouses of Palestinian citizens of Israel to reside in historic Palestine; and allow for the seizure of private Palestinian land. Palestinians are subjected to a military court system while Jews are granted a civilian court system. The state of Israel openly supports a segregated school system that spends more than $1,000 per Jewish student but less than $200 per Palestinian student. Random arrests and detention and home demolitions are just two of the many tactics the racist state uses to enforce its apartheid policies.
All of these repressive measures are fully supported by more than $3 billion in unconditional U.S. foreign aid to Israel every year, which amounts to about $8 million per day.

AMP believes that U.S. unconditional financial, political and diplomatic support of Israel threatens our national security and weakens our stance in the Arab and Muslim worlds. AMP believes the United States is in the unique position to force Israel to comply with international obligations that guarantee human rights and calls on Congress to end military aid to Israel.