I have here a protest announcement for this afternoon in Washington, DC, and a news release about a lawsuit filed against the State Department by Lebanese-Americans stranded in Lebanon in the past few days.
The protest will take the form of a funeral procession, at 5:30 PM today, at the Northwest corner of Van Ness St. and Connecticut Ave. NW (DC), and will then proceed north to Brandywine, west to 36th, south to the Israeli Embassy (3514 International Dr. NW).
Obviously, if you prefer not to protest on this issue, then feel free to disregard this announcement -- but give the lawsuit announcement a look instead.
Targeting Civilians is not Self-Defense: Funeral Procession to End at Embassy of Israel
WHAT:
Evening funeral procession and ceremony/rally.
WHEN:
5:30pm, Tuesday July 25
WHERE:
Northwest corner of Van Ness St. and Connecticut Ave. NW (DC), proceeding north to Brandywine, west to 36th, south to the Israeli Embassy (3514 International Dr. NW) in Washington, DC
WHY:
To call for an end to Israel's attacks on the populations of Lebanon and Gaza.
At 5:30 on Tuesday, July 25 a funeral procession of mourners carrying 50 coffins draped in black shrouds will proceed up Connecticut Ave. NW to the Embassy of Israel at 3514 International Dr. NW. At present, the UN High Commissioner on Human Rights estimates over 700,000 people have been displaced by Israeli attacks in Lebanon and nearly 400 are estimated dead, most of which are civilians; many children.
Travelling to Lebanon last week, the UN's top humanitarian official, Jan Egeland, called Israel's attacks on civilians "a violation of humanitarian law." In the past two weeks, six Israeli human rights organizations have also petitioned the Israeli High Court to intervene to prevent serious harm to the health of the civilian population, especially patients in hospital, and to prevent the breakdown of vital civilian infrastructure in Gaza.
Meanwhile, the Bush Administration continues to insist that "Israel has a right to defend itself", green-lighting the escalation of violence in the region, jeopardizing Israeli civilians, and further distancing US policy from International Law and consensus.
Tuesday evening, hundreds of mourners will draw attention to the approximately 400 Lebanese, 100 Palestinian and 17 Israeli civilians who have died as a result of Israel's massive invasion of Lebanon and actions in the occupied Gaza Strip and West Bank. The procession demands an immediate end to the Israeli invasion and bombing of Lebanon and the occupation of the Gaza Strip, West Bank and Golan Heights.
This action is endorsed by: The American Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (DC Chapter), Codepink, Interfaith Peace-Builders, The Council for the National Interest, Partners for Peace, Pax Christi USA, Peace Action, Student Peace Action, The Washington Interfaith Alliance for Middle East Peace, and The Women's International League for Peace and Freedom.
Here is the lawsuit announcement, posted yesterday by the ADC:
ADC Press Release:
Contact: Laila Al-Qatami | 202-244-2990 | media@adc.org
ADC Files Lawsuit Against Secretaries of State and Defense for Failure to Protect US Citizens in Lebanon
Washington, DC | July 24, 2006 | Today, the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC) filed a federal lawsuit claiming that Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld failed to fulfill their constitutional and professional obligations and protect US citizens in a crisis or time of war.
In the lawsuit, ADC alleges that the defendants placed US citizens in peril by not taking all possible steps to secure the safety and well being of US citizens in Lebanon. Further, the lawsuit asks the Federal Court to issue an order compelling the Secretary of State and Secretary of Defense to request a ceasefire and to stop any shipments of weapons or any other military support to Israel during the evacuation of all US citizens out of Lebanon.
ADC President Hon. Mary Rose Oakar said, "At no time has President Bush, Secretary of State Rice, or Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld called for a ceasefire in Lebanon. To the contrary, the Bush Administration has encouraged the violence by sending an urgent shipment of bombs to Israel giving that country the green light to continue in its indiscriminant bombing of Lebanon." Oakar continued, "This has placed innocent civilians, including thousands of US citizens, in harms way and has resulted in injuring several US citizens in Lebanon."
ADC is joined in today's lawsuit by several American citizens who have returned from Lebanon after escaping the violence and others who remain in Lebanon. The lawsuit was filed in Federal District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan. ADC and its co-plaintiffs are represented by the law firm of Nabih H. Ayad & Associates.