This is encouraging, that such a visit and interview would take place.
Miriam
From: Issa Amro, Friends of Hebron <info@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Tuesday, June 1, 2021 9:04 AM
To: Miriam Vieni <miriamvieni@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Subject: Secretary Blinken and me
Last week, U.S. Secretary of State Blinken and I met in Ramallah
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Special Update: I Met With The U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken
Dear Miriam,
The last few of weeks have been intense. The world watched in horror as Israel
bombed the daylights out of Gaza, sought to expel Palestinian families from
their homes in Sheikh Jarrah, and attacked worshipers in the Al Aqsa mosque.
The city of Hebron settlers had free rein to attack and soldiers fired live
ammunition.
However, in these difficult times, I am optimistic to share some news with you:
last week I met with the U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken. Here is a
special update about my meeting with Blinken and how the latest round of
violence has affected our lives here in Hebron.
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Please make a $10, $20, $50, $100, or more donation to support the ongoing
nonviolent Palestinian resistance
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DONATE NOW
Last Tuesday, I traveled to Ramallah to met with U.S. Secretary of State Antony
Blinken and U.S. envoy Hady Amr who had come to Israel-Palestine in the wake of
the Gaza-Israel ceasefire. After four years of an extreme pro-Israel foreign
policy under the Republican administration, it is a stark difference for such a
high-standing U.S. official to agree to meet with Palestinian civil society. I
used this chance to tell him clearly that the situation now amounts to the
crime of apartheid.
I told Secretary Blinken that it is crucial to cut military aid to Israel—to
stop funding the oppression of my people. They must start by blocking the
pending sale of $375 million in precision guided weapons to Israel. Senator
Bernie Sanders and Rep. Alexandria Ocaso-Cotez and Rashida Tlaib have
introduced legislation to this end.
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Can you make a donation to support the my work? Getting a meeting with
Secretary Blinken means we are making progress. There is still an enormous ways
to go, but I have no intention of giving up.
Additionally, I called for Hamas to be part of the political system. I am a
clear supporter of pure nonviolent resistance and have spend nearly two decades
encouraging peaceful community activism, and so this proposal may come as a
surprise to those Americans who do not support any dealings with Hamas. Yet,
rather than be part of the problem, Hamas needs to be at the negotiating table
and part of the solution, and such I believe that the US needs to include
everyone on the Palestinian spectrum to affect real change. The U.S. still
considers the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) a terrorist
organization, after designating it as such in 1987. I asked Secretary Blinken
for this designation to be reversed to mark a new way forward in U.S.’s
approach to Israel-Palestine. As I told him, we Palestinians have yet to see
the U.S. as neutral in its handling of Israel and the Palestinians.
Finally, I emphasized that Blinken must personally visit the families in Sheikh
Jarrah to hear their stories, and to visit Gaza to see the damage and
destruction caused by Israeli airstrikes. I also encouraged him to visit Hebron
and tour the city to see the clear case of Israel’s segregation and apartheid.
Recently, Human Rights Watch and the Israeli organization B’Tselem issued
reports labeling the situation in all in all of Israel-Palestine as
“apartheid.” It is a powerful term, and I asked Secretary Blinken for the U.S.
administration to call it what it is: apartheid.
_____
CNN heard about my meeting with Blinken and came to Hebron to interview me. I
told them about the meeting, showed them the checkpoints, closures, and racism.
They got a first hand experience when their entire crew, including camera
people were detained with me.
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Watch the interview here on my Twitter account and please make a
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donation to support the work of Friends of Hebron.
_____
A Summary of Recent Events in Hebron
• Palestinian protests in Hebron were forcefully suppressed by the Israeli army
who shot live ammunition into the crowd.
• Israel shot and killed a protester in a refugee camp in south mount Hebron.
• The Israeli army invaded my house and the community center of Youth Against
Settlements after Israeli settlers attacked us.
• Twice, Israeli settlers attacked me by spraying pepper spray into my face and
throwing stones toward me.
• Israeli settlers attacked my neighbor Wujdan.
_____
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DONATE $10
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DONATE $25
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DONATE $50
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DONATE $100
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DONATE $500 or more
In peace,
Issa Amro and everyone at Friends of Hebron
Friends of Hebron/Working for Peace and Justice
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