NEWS RELEASE
Citizens For Justice In The Middle East
6100 W. 52nd Street,
Kansas City, Missouri
816-524-3905

Contact: Matt Quinn
For: Immediate Release
816-524-3905

“Vigil for Peace” Adds to Israel Ambassador’s Visit to Kansas City

Kansas City, Missouri – May 22, 2004 -- This Sunday, May 23rd at 3:30 pm, the Israel Ambassador to the U.S. Daniel Ayalon is the featured speaker at a rally to support Israel at Beth Shalom Synagogue at 9400 Wornall Road, Kansas City, Missouri. Many dignitaries are scheduled to attend, including Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius; U.S. Senator Sam Brownback; U.S. Senator Jim Talent; U.S. Representative Karen McCarthy; U.S. Representative Dennis Moore; Deputy Consul General of Israel to the Midwest David Roet. Given the recent atrocities in the Rafah refugee camp, and the constant killing of thousands of Palestinian and hundreds of Israeli civilians, Citizens for Justice in the Middle East (CJME) calls concerned Kansas City area resident to a vigil starting at 3:00 pm on the sidewalk near the synagogue to promote peace for both Israelis and Palestinians with a viable, secure state for each. Some members of the local Tikkun community and Brit Tzedek are supportive of the vigil.

“We feel that a rally to support Israel is the perfect venue for this vigil,” said Matt Quinn, President of CJME. “We believe that to support Israel is to support peace and justice for all, including the Palestinians. Peace and security for Israel is dependent on peace and security for Palestine, and we wish to highlight how the occupation hurts Israel, and mourn for all the victims of the conflict.”

There are constructive options for peace between Israelis and Palestinians. One option includes placing an international security force in the Palestinian Territories to reduce tensions. Another option includes granting authority to international efforts to resolve the conflict. The U.S. should place top priority on Mideast Roadmap. The Roadmap negotiations include steps to reduce tensions, including an end to assassinations by Israeli forces and suicide bombings by Palestinians.

Most Americans are not aware of the daily impact of the Israeli occupation. Closures, checkpoints, assassinations and house demolitions are forms of collective punishment against Palestinian people, strictly forbidden in international law. 191 homes in Rafah have been demolished in the past week, leaving thousands homeless. Rafah residents desperately need access to food, water and medicine.

CJME calls on the state of Israel to stop violating human rights as expressed by United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) Commissioner-General Peter Hansen on May 10: "UNRWA condemns without reservation the May 2 killings [of an Israeli mother and her kids], as it does the killing of innocent Palestinians and their children, but international law simply forbids collective punishment. The overwhelming majority of the more than 17,000 Palestinians who have lost their homes in Gaza since the start of the intifada [September 2000] have been guilty of nothing more than living in the wrong place at the wrong time."

> When: Sunday, May 23rd, 2004, 3:00 pm – 4:00 pm
> Where: Beth Shalom Synagogue, 9400 Wornall Rd (95th & Wornall), Kansas City, Missouri
> More information on the event: http://www.cjme.org/alert6.htm 

-30-

About Citizens for Justice in the Middle East:
Kansas City-based Citizens for Justice in the Middle East seeks to educate the American public about the issues involved in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and to end U.S. support for the Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territories. Composed of Kansas City area citizens concerned about the direction of U.S. policy in the Middle East, Citizens for Justice in the Middle East urges ordinary American citizens to speak out in favor of an even-handed U.S. policy in the Middle East that recognizes the rights and aspirations of both Israelis and Palestinians. Only by respecting the need to provide both parties in the conflict with security and self-determination can a viable and just peace be assured.