A letter signed by 64 members of the American Congress addressed to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo today called on the American administration to oppose Israel´s demolition of Palestinian homes in the occupied West Bank, specifically in East Jerusalem, and refused to fund the states United for demolitions.
"We are writing with concern about the continued demolition of homes and the forcible transfer of Palestinian civilians in the West Bank, including recent demolitions in the Homs Valley and other local communities in East Jerusalem. We urge you to press the Israeli government to prevent the forcible transfer of more families and the destruction of their homes," the letter said. .
As the letter, which was led by deputies Ru Khanna, Anna Ashu and Steve Cohen, stated, “The Israeli government recently accelerated the rate of house demolitions, and in the West Bank, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs recorded a 45% increase in house and other civilian building demolitions in 2019 compared to 2018. .
The letter requests the State Department to examine Israel´s compliance with the requirements of the Arms Export Control Law to ensure that equipment provided by the United States is not used to destroy Palestinian homes.
The signatories point out that the United States "must work to prevent unlawful house demolitions, the forced transfer of civilians everywhere in the world, and prevent the use of American equipment in this devastating practice."
Representative Khanna said: "Military equipment supplied by the United States to Israel should only be used for legitimate self-defense against the real security threats facing Israel. Such military equipment should not be used to transform Palestinian homes into the ruins of family displacement and tearing societies, I look forward to the State Department providing Information necessary to ensure that the military equipment provided by the United States in the West Bank is not used in this devastating practice. "
The letter also embraced J Street, Amnesty International in the USA, Churches for Peace in the Middle East, Friends Committee for National Legislation, and Win without War.
