Very Important: Take Action. Text “ACT NOW” to 73075
Many of us, pro-Israel, in Santa Fe and Albuquerque wish there was more we could do to help Israel. There is.
As you undoubtedly have read, some members of congress (MOCs) – particularly Bernie Sanders in the Senate and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez in the House – are demanding that congress reject Biden-approved needed arms sales to Israel. These sales, $735 million of precision-guided weapons that had been approved before Hamas attacked Israel, are included in the ten year Memorandum of Understanding between Israel and the US. The proposed sale would allow Israel to defend its citizens while minimizing civilian casualties. These arms have nothing to do with the recent conflict with Hamas in Gaza and won’t be delivered for a year. We need to make sure our MOCs know we are emphatically opposed to these efforts.
It only takes 30 seconds: text “ACT NOW” to 73075. You’ll be texted back a link with a template and information you can personalize that will go to our two NM senators and your MOC (Leger-Fernandez or Herrell, Haaland’s replacement has not yet been elected).
You can do something to help Israel. ACT NOW.
AND ASK YOUR FRIENDS, FAMILY, AND LIKE-MINDED PRO-ISRAEL ACQUAINTANCES TO TAKE THIS ACTION ALSO BY FORWARDING THIS EMAIL TO THEM.
FYI
On May 16 our two senators, Heinrich and Lujan, joined 27 other democratic senators and signed onto a letter to the President “calling for an immediate ceasefire agreement in Israel and the Palestinian territories to prevent further loss of life and further escalation of violence.” This may sound reasonable – as a way to stop the fighting initiated by Hamas, and it may not necessarily make them unsympathetic to the Israeli cause, as a ceasefire would also stop rockets raining down into Israel.
According to the Hill:
The statement, led by Georgia Sen. Jon Ossoff (D) ]…] was not signed by Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.), who has remained firm along with President Biden and Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) in their assertion that Israel’s military is carrying out defensive military action to which it is entitled.
SO…
The question is, do the signatories have an understanding that there is one side, Hamas – an internationally-designated terrorist organization – raining rockets down on Israel that could stop anytime, and the other side that is responding by defending its citizens against that Iran-sponsored terrorist organization? To our knowledge neither Senator from New Mexico put out a statement supporting Israel’s right to defend itself.
Unfortunately, Senator Heinrich has not publicly supported more recent peace efforts, for example, he didn’t sign onto resolutions congratulating the UAE, Bahrain, and Israel for their signing the peace accords. In the current case, the Ossoff letter oversimplifies the conflict: it blames both sides, hides behind “even handedness” and appears to be pro-peace when in fact it is preventing longer term peace by allowing Israel to accomplish its military objectives. Evenhandedness can have future devastating consequences, and is not a moral position in this case.
If you see Heinrich or Lujan during the Memorial weekend break, ask them what they were thinking and what their intent was for signing onto this letter, as it would not have allowed Israel to obtain its military objectives if the ceasefire had been enacted when they signed on. Ask them if evenhandedness is really a moral position when Hamas is raining rockets indiscriminately against Israel; when Hamas’ main purpose is to destroy Israel and kill Jews (as it says in its Charter).
Further, if you see our MOCs next weekend, be sure to reiterate your opposition to conditioning aid to Israel like the AOC or Sanders resolutions of disapproval.
SFMEW is a beneficiary of the Jewish Federation of New Mexico.