"Great Return March" reaches US Senate

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SEVEN JEWISH NEW YORKERS ARRESTED AFTER SHUTTING DOWN SENATOR CHUCK SCHUMER'S OFFICE FOR 90 MINUTES TO PROTEST VIOLENCE ON GAZA
http://ifnotnowmovement.org/2018/04/09/seven-jewish-new-yorkers-arrested-after-shutting-down-senator-chuck-schumers-office-for-90-minutes-to-protest-violence-on-gaza/

American Jewish millennials demand that Senator Schumer condemn the killing of 30 Palestinian protesters and the injuring of over 1000 more by Israeli live fire near the Gaza border.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

APRIL 9, 2018

CONTACT: Yonah Lieberman, press@ifnotnowmovement.org, (716) 537-6238

Follow on social media: #HowManyMore #EnoughOccupation

High-quality photo and video available upon request

NEW YORK, NY: This morning, seven young American Jews were arrested after blocking the doors of Senator Chuck Schumer's New York City office for 90 minutes. The demonstrators called on him to condemn Israeli violence against Palestinian protesters in Gaza, in which Israeli military forces have killed 30 Palestinian protesters and injured more than 1,000 others with live fire over two days of protest. The violence was Israel's response to The Great March of Return, one of the largest Palestinian protests the Gaza Strip has seen in years — a protest which has not injured or endangered Israeli soldiers or civilians.

"Senator Schumer claims to be a progressive champion and leader in the American Jewish community, so his silence in the face of Israel's use of deadly force against Palestinian protesters is deafening. As American Jews and as constituents, we demand that Senator Schumer live up to both progressive and Jewish values and do the bare minimum that we could expect from any moral leader: condemn the use of live fire against protesters," said Becca Kahn-Bloch, who was one of seven IfNotNow members arrested at the protest.

At 9am, about 40 young American Jews — all members of IfNotNow — entered the lobby of 780 3rd Avenue, where Senator Schumer's New York City Office is located. Once inside, they read the names of the 30 Palestinians that were killed by Israeli forces in the past ten days and recited the Mourner's Kaddish, a Jewish prayer traditionally recited for family or community members who have died. While the Senator is in DC this week, IfNotNow called for his staff to come down and agree to have the Senator release a simple statement condemning Israeli violence against Palestinian protesters. When they refused, the protesters left the lobby and began to block the entrance, in an attempt to disrupt business as usual.

Today's protest comes just three days after the second Friday in a row that Palestinian protesters in Gaza were met with live fire from Israeli snipers. Yet Schumer continued his silence, prompting the young Jews to chant periodically, "How Many More, Chuck?" in reference to how many more Palestinians would have to die for the Senator to speak out. They also had a series of massive posters asking that same question. The protesters noted that Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT), also an American Jew, had condemned the violence on the day it happened, saying: "The killing of Palestinian demonstrators by Israeli forces in Gaza is tragic. It is the right of all people to protest for a better future without a violent response."

On Friday March 30, just hours before Passover began, more than 30,000 Palestinians marched in Gaza and IDF snipers responded to the protest with live gunfire. Last Friday, tens of thousands of protesters returned and again the IDF shot into the crowd, killing 9 Palestinians. In response to the protest — which has been overwhelmingly nonviolent and led by a diverse coalition of young Palestinians — the U.S. condemned "leaders and protesters who call for violence or who send protesters including children to the [Gaza] fence, knowing that they may be injured or killed," and for the second week in a row, blocked the United Nations Security Council from calling for an independent investigation into Israel's use of force.

"A rising generation of American Jews are speaking out against the occupation, and the immoral policies that are needed to control an entire people and uphold it. We know that Gaza is still occupied — Israel controls the air above Gaza, the sea on one side and the land on the other side. The "defense" we've seen by Israeli forces is a defense of the occupation, not Israeli lives. We call upon our so-called leaders in the American Jewish community to stand against senseless violence and loss of life, and to an end to the occupation," said Eliana Fishman, who was also arrested at the protest.

In December 2017, Senator Schumer boasted about advising President Trump on the decision to unilaterally move the U.S. embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem — a reckless action that has fostered instability, violence, and further entrenched the now 51-year-old occupation.

IfNotNow is a movement led by young Jews to transform the American Jewish community's support for the occupation into a call for freedom and dignity for all Israelis and Palestinians. The organization was founded in 2014 during the Gaza War as a moral call to the American Jewish community to oppose the war. IfNotNow has over 1,700 members and chapters in Austin, Boston, Chicago, Denver, Detroit, Los Angeles, Minneapolis-St. Paul, New York City, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, the San Francisco Bay Area, Toronto, and Washington, DC.

Learn more about IfNotNow at www.ifnotnowmovement.org

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Jewish Activists Storm Senator's Office as Lawmakers Sound Off on Israel's Conduct at Gaza Border
https://www.haaretz.com/us-news/jewish-activists-storm-senator-s-office-as-lawmakers-sound-off-on-gaza-1.6008583

WASHINGTON - A group of around 30 demonstrators from the left-wing Jewish group "If Not Now" gathered Monday in front of the office of Senator Ben Cardin (D-MD) to protest Israel's use of deadly force against thousands of Palestinian demonstrators on the Israel-Gaza border in recent weeks. The demonstrators called on Cardin, one of the most senior Democratic Senators on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, to denounce Israel's response, specifically its use of live ammunition to keep Palestinian protesters away from the border fence between Israel and Gaza.

The protesters blocked the entrance to Cardin's office and asked: "How many more lives need to be lost until you will speak up about the violence in Gaza?" Cardin is slated to speak before the annual J Street conference in Washington later on Monday afternoon.

U.S. Jewish activists block the entrance to the office of Senator Ben Cardin (D-MD) on Monday, April 16 2018.
U.S. Jewish activists block the entrance to the office of Senator Ben Cardin (D-MD) on Monday, April 16 2018.Haaretz
Five participants were briefly detained during the demonstration, which took place as an increasing number of Democratic legislators in Washington have spoken out against Israel's handling of the events on the Gaza border. The most prominent Senate voice on the issue has been Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders who said two weeks ago that "the killing of Palestinian demonstrators by Israeli forces in Gaza is tragic. It is the right of all people to protest for a better future without a violent response."

Sanders also said that "the situation in Gaza remains a humanitarian disaster. The U.S. must play a more positive role in ending the Gaza blockade and helping Palestinians and Israelis build a future that works for all." On Friday, Haaretz reported about a letter Sanders is circulating among fellow Senators, asking the Trump administration to take steps to improve the humanitarian and economic situation in Gaza.

Sanders' letter mentioned an assessment made earlier this year by senior IDF officers who warned "the humanitarian crisis increases the chances of incidents at the border fence that can turn deadly," such as the events of the past two weeks. It further says that "Israeli security officials also believe conditions in Gaza could worsen to the point of a total collapse of order in the territory, leading to all-out confrontation between and among various Gazan factions and Israel."

Last week, five Democratic members of Congress published a joint statement calling on the Israeli military "to exercise utmost restraint in the use of deadly force and to fully comply with international law" in its response to the Gaza protest. The five, Mark Pocan from Wisconsin, Parmila Jayapal from Washington, Keith Ellison from Minnesota, Barbara Lee from California and Henry Johnson from Georgia, also called on the demonstrators in Gaza "to carry out their right to assembly nonviolently."

The members wrote: "we strongly reject the dangerous contention made on April 8 by Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman that 'there are no innocent people in the Gaza Strip.'" In addition, they wrote that they "applaud" Israeli human rights groups for "urging IDF forces to fully comply with international law and exercise utmost restraint in their use of deadly force. Such measures must only be used as a last resort to stop an imminent threat to life."

Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) also spoke up about the Gaza situation, telling the website The Intercept "that she was "deeply concerned about the deaths and injuries in Gaza" and that "the Israel Defense Forces should exercise restraint and respect the rights of Palestinians to peacefully protest." Another senior Democrat who has addressed the protests is Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) who said: "this violence is exceptionally destructive for both the Palestinians and the state of Israel. It must end. Violence is not the pathway to reconciliation."