Stop Israel war crimes! — ABILEAH

Edited excerpt by Carolyn Bennett

From Democracy Now segment with RAE ABILEAH

Standing in the congressional gallery, she yelled ‘No more occupation! Stop Israel war crimes! Equal rights for Palestinians! Occupation is indefensible!’

A Jewish-American activist with the group CodePink, Rae Abileah disrupted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s speech before the U.S. Congress. In her interview with Amy Goodman, Rae Abileah said this.

“Yesterday I stood up, unfurled a banner and spoke the truth about what is going on in Israel — 

The war crimes and occupation, oppression and inequality that Palestinians are suffering from must end.

It was absolutely despicable to see our Congress [the Congress of the United States of America] pandering to [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu as if he was the president of the United States. 

I think after seeing the speech, every American should be outraged, and the progressive community needs to rise up and take courage and take action for justice, democracy, freedom and equality, in the Middle East as well as here at home.… 

“Every day, as Americans, we have an opportunity to stand up. And whether it’s putting our money where our hearts are, by participating in economic pressure against Israel through the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement, or calling our Congress people or taking other actions, it’s time for us to say no to this terrible policy ….

“Netanyahu proved yesterday that he is the primary obstacle to peace and justice for Israelis and Palestinians. To see our Congress giving away three billion of our tax dollars every year to Israeli war crimes — while our economy suffers, while our kids can’t go to college, while our needs aren’t being met here at home — is absolutely an outrage.”

Sources and notes

“‘Netanyahu is the Main Obstacle to Peace’: CodePink Activist Disrupts Israeli PM Speech to Congress,” May 25, 2011, http://www.democracynow.org/2011/5/25/netanyahu_is_the_main_obstacle_to

Benjamin Netanyahu, [Benjamin also spelled  Binyamin , byname  Bibi, b. 1949, Tel Aviv [now Tel Aviv–Yafo], Israel, Israeli politician and diplomat, Israel’s prime minister (1996–99;  2009–

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