AMP thanks the following speakers: Raja Abulhaq, president of AMP-NY; Lamis Deek, director of Al Awda-NY; Abi Hassan of the National Lawyers Guild; Felice Gillman of Wespac Foundation and Michael Letwin of Jews for the Palestinian Right of Return.
AMP, an American organization whose mission is to educate the public about Palestine and its rich cultural and historical heritage, launched its “End Apartheid Now” ad campaign to coincide with President Barack Obama’s trip to the Middle East as a means to raise awareness about US political, diplomatic and financial support of Israel’s ongoing occupation of Palestinian land and its continued violations of international law and the human rights of Palestinians.
“The US foreign policy vis a vis Israel really runs counter to our American values of liberty, justice and democracy,” said AMP Chairman Dr. Hatem Bazian. “Our foreign policy and more than $3 billion per year in foreign aid is aiding and abetting Israel’s institutionalized racist policies toward the Palestinians.”
These include implementing apartheid tactics of a separate legal system on Palestinians, dividing and separating them into small Bantustans and prohibiting their freedom of movement, Dr. Bazian added. Random arrests and detentions, extrajudicial killings, and home demolitions are more tactics of the occupation.
The ads, which will appear on 25 Metro North stations for the next four weeks, came after months of planning and preparation and their placement this week had nothing to do with the Jewish liberation holiday of Passover, as some Zionist organizations are contending.
Michael Letwin of Jews for Palestinian Right of Return said though he knew the launch of the ad campaign and the start of Passover was a coincidence, he nonetheless said he was happy the two events coincided because Passover is a celebration of liberation.
“The campaign against U.S. aid for Israel targets neither Jews nor Passover, but rather Israeli apartheid and injustice. And the best way to honor Passover, which celebrates Jewish liberation from ancient oppression, is to champion Palestinian human rights today,” he said.
The American Muslims for Palestine is a national grassroots organization whose mission is to educate the American public about issues pertaining to Palestine and its rich cultural and historical heritage. For more information, go to http://www.ampalestine.org.
Jews for Palestinian Right of Return 