Move Over AIPAC!

From:

Medea Benjamin, CODEPINK & Global Exchange
Rana Libdeh, US Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation

As the inspiring people's uprising in Egypt forges on, one group is very, very worried about the unfolding pro-democracy movement: AIPAC.  With its main goal to bolster military might in Israel, the Israel Lobby is quivering in its boots at the signs of democratic change in Egypt.  Supporting freedom for Egyptians and Palestinians also means standing up to the largest Israel Lobby in the US: AIPAC

CODEPINK, Global Exchange and the US Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation, together with other groups, are organizing a gathering in Washington, DC, from May 21 to 24, 2011, called "Move Over AIPAC: Building a New US Middle East Policy." We invite your group to be a part of this important national event!

Timed to coincide with the annual policy meeting of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), we will bring activists and concerned citizens from around the country to learn about AIPAC's extraordinary influence on U.S. policy, and how to strengthen an alternative that respects the rights of all people in the region.

As you know, AIPAC's unconditional support for Israel's illegal policies -- separation walls, settlements, the siege of Gaza -- has devastated Palestinians and the rest of the Middle East, but it also hurts Israel and the United States. While AIPAC is meeting at the DC Convention Center, we will be "unpacking AIPAC" -- educating the public about AIPAC's means, motives and support for Israel's war crimes.

We'll also offer workshops such as:

• Successful Boycott & Divestment Campaigns
• Unpacking AIPAC: The Israel Lobby and Ending Military Aid to Israel
• From Boats to Billboards: Creative Tactics for Building the Movement and Broadcasting the Message.

We'll have press conferences, book signings, music, poetry and film screenings. We'll also organize creative protests at the AIPAC convention itself. After the weekend gathering, we'll "join" AIPAC attendees on the Hill for an action-packed day of lobbying!

Late May 2011 will be the first anniversary of the Gaza Freedom Flotilla and the lethal IDF assault on the Mavi Marmara. News about the flotilla broke through the mainstream media and built momentum in the movement to lift the siege of Gaza and work for justice for Palestinians. One year after the flotilla, let's create a sea-change in Washington to break through AIPAC's strangle-hold on our Congress!

We would love to have your group's endorsement!

Endorsement means that you will encourage your members to attend, and we will include your organization's name on our forthcoming website.

Additionally, we invite you to help make the gathering a success by suggesting speakers/presenters, helping with outreach, and planning an action outside the AIPAC convention.

Endorsers and speakers include: Fellowship of Reconciliation, Global Exchange, US Palestinian Community Network (USPCN), Washington Peace Center, writer Alice Walker, consumer advocate Ralph Nader, Holocaust survivor Hedy Epstein, former American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee President Abdeen Jabara, author Naomi Klein, Jewish Voice for Peace Executive Director Rebecca Vilkomerson, former US Senator James Abourezk, Israeli activist and researcher Dalit Baum, blogger/writer Laila El Haddad, clown doctor Patch Adams, Rabbi Lynn Gottlieb, union organizer Bill Fletcher, analyst Phyllis Bennis and human rights advocate Anna Baltzer.