Let’s be clear: the goal of our trip was to witness firsthand what is happening on the ground in Palestine and hear from stakeholders —our job as Members of Congress.
But since we were unable to fulfill our role as legislators, I am sharing what we would have seen. (THREAD)
First, I planned to hold meetings with members of the Knesset (both Jewish and Arab) along with Israeli security officials.
The claims of @IsraeliPM otherwise are not true.
As a delegation, we were also were scheduling a meeting with @USAmbIsrael.
Then, the delegation was going to receive a briefing on the Bedouin community in East Jerusalem. For decades, Bedouin homes have been bulldozed and communities have been uprooted in order to build settlements on Palestinian land.
Though these settlements are illegal under international law and threaten peace, settlement growth has skyrocketed under Trump. middleeasteye.net/news/how-israe…
Then the UN was going to brief us about the effect of humanitarian aid cuts on Palestinians.
Last year, the Trump Admin announced the U.S. will no longer contribute to the United Nations’ relief agency for Palestinian refugees, threatening the livelihood of millions and violating international law.
washingtonpost.com/world/middle_e…
We planned a video conference with youth from Gaza.
The humanitarian crisis in Gaza is one of the worst in the world—with 97% of water unfit for human consumption and on the verge of collapse. Most of the people in Gaza are children.
Israeli officials do not let Members of Congress visit Gaza.
thenation.com/article/these-…
We then planned to visit Hebron. Once a bustling economic hub, settlement expansion has resulted in a two-tiered city, with Palestinians under military occupation forced to walk on the opposite side of the street from Israelis. btselem.org/hebron
77% of shops have closed bc of military occupation. Palestinians walk with garbage nets above their heads, put up to catch trash thrown by settlers. Violent attacks on Palestinians are routine.
We were going to receive a tour of the city from @btsisrael, Israeli military veterans who aim to raise awareness about their experiences with the occupation.
We planned to visit the separation wall around historic Bethlehem. Only 13% of Bethlehem is now accessible to Palestinian use.
The wall, built in 2002 against international law, was said at the time to be “temporary.”
It still stands. openbethlehem.org/wall
This was not the first trip of its kind. Last year,@repmarkpocan, @rephankjohnson and others visited with an almost identical itinerary.
Other Members of Congress have done similar trips.
But my colleagues and I are not the only ones who are being denied the right to see for themselves the reality on the ground in the West Bank. @OmarSShakir is currently facing deportation for his work with Human Rights Watch.
In 2018, the Netanyahu government refused entry to Katherine Frank and my friend @VinceWarren who had arrived on a mostly-POC human rights mission. haaretz.com/israel-news/.p…
And of course, this lack of respect for freedom of movement and freedom of expression is part of the day-to-day lives of Palestinians living in the occupied territories.
btselem.org/topic/freedom_…
Though we were unable to witness this firsthand, there are other ways for people to learn about the occupation.
Follow @alhaq_org, @btselem, @amnesty and other groups speaking out about human rights violations.
Follow @PeterBeinart, who has an excellent piece laying out the realities of the occupation and making the case for more reporting and visits by Members of Congress. forward.com/opinion/429680…
Follow @IfnotnowOrg, who gave a virtual tour of the occupied territories here. facebook.com/IfNotNowOrg/vi…
As many of my colleagues have stated in the last 24 hours, we give Israel more than $3 billion in aid every year. This is predicated on their being an important ally in the region, and the 'only democracy' in the Middle East.
Denying visits to duly elected Members of Congress is not consistent with being either an ally or a democracy. We should be leveraging that aid to stop the settlements and ensure full rights for Palestinians.
The occupation is real.
Barring members of Congress from seeing it does not make it go away.
We must end it—together. (END)
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