Call & Vigil to Demand a Ceasefire in the Middle East
Call Congress & the President: to demand that the U.S. help to broker a ceasefire in the Middle East and to call for the protection of civilian life and a re-starting of the peace process. (sample script and phone numbers below)
Candlelight Peace Vigil: ICPJ and Michigan Peaceworks will host a Candlelight Peace Vigil on Sunday to call for a ceasefire in the Middle East on July 30 at 8:30 p.m. in downtown Ann Arbor. Meet at the corner of Main and Liberty, we’ll have signs, banners, and candles. You just need to bring yourself and your desire to promote peace.
The Issue at a Glance:
According to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, Since the start of the fighting on July 12th, “there are now 363 dead in Lebanon, 320 of them civilians, and 37 dead in Israel, including 17 civilians. Hundreds of thousands more are homeless.”
“The Bush administration is trying to hold off international pressure for an immediate halt to the Israeli assault in southern Lebanon, apparently to allow Israel a short window to do as much damage as possible to the Hezbollah guerrillas.” —Associated Press, July 18, 2006.
“The Israeli and Lebanese governments, and Hezbollah, must take immediate steps to end the ongoing attacks against civilians and civilian objects. Such attacks are a blatant breach of international humanitarian law and amount to war crimes. It is vital at this time of rapidly rising tension that all parties observe the requirements of international humanitarian law, and that other governments take all appropriate steps to insist that they do so.” —Amnesty International, July 13, 2006.
“In order to ensure respect for and protection of the civilian population and civilian objects, the Parties to the conflict shall at all times distinguish between the civilian population and combatants and between civilian objects and military objectives and accordingly shall direct their operation only against military objectives.” – from Protocol 1 Additional to the Geneva Conventions
Sample script
Hi, my name is [your name] and I live in [your town]. I am calling to ask [name of Congressperson] to work with Congress and the President to use diplomatic pressure to bring all parties to the table to reach an immediate ceasefire agreement in the Middle East. As a member of [name of congregation] and a person of faith, I believe that our government must take action to end civilian killings within Lebannon, Israel, and the Gaza Strip.
Call-In Details
Capitol Switchboard: 202-224-3121
White House Comment Line: 202-456-1111.
