AFT 2121 Resolution On Israel/Lebanon Crisis

• WHEREAS the recent warfare in the Middle East has resulted in hundreds of thousands of refugees and over 1000 deaths in Lebanon, and has intensified the existing humanitarian crisis in the West Bank and Gaza, and has endangered communities in Northern Israel, causing death to Israeli civilians and military personnel, and

• WHEREAS in order to effect a peaceful solution in Lebanon, Israel, Gaza and the West Bank, the U.S. must play an active role in promoting and sustaining the current cease-fire and call upon all parties to end their reciprocal attacks and retaliation and to resolve their differences through negotiations, and

• WHEREAS the AFT at its national convention in July narrowly passed a resolution after heated debate in support of Israel's right to defend itself against terrorist attacks, and

• WHEREAS almost half the delegates on the convention floor vigorously opposed this resolution because it did not call for an immediate cease-fire and made no criticism of Israel's attacks on Lebanese civilians and the destruction of the infrastructure of that country, and

• WHEREAS terrorism includes attacks on civilians not only by individual insurgents or so-called terrorists but by the armed forces of a nation, and

• WHEREAS Israel's attacks on non-combatants were committed with U.S. supplied weapons and the support of the Bush administration, and

• WHEREAS AFT 2121 does not question Israel's right to exist, therefore

Be it resolved that AFT 2121 ask Congress to support a continuing cease-fire in Lebanon and Israel, to urge a stop to the arms flow into the region including U.S. arms to Israel, and to conduct a Congressional Investigation into Israel's use of U.S. supplied weapons to kill Lebanese civilians and to destroy the infrastructure of the country, and further

Be it resolved that AFT 2121 submit this resolution to the CFT and the AFT and request that the San Francisco Board of Supervisors pass a similar resolution regarding the Israel/Lebanon crisis.