Washington DC | June 16, 2009 | www.adc.org | The American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC) reiterates its call upon the Obama Administration to pressure Israel to comply with International Law and previously made commitments in light of the recent policy address given by the Israeli Prime Minister.
In his address, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that the Palestinians should govern themselves but insisted on a number of conditions which would make viable and autonomous self-governance impossible. Furthermore, Netanyahu continues to ignore pleas from the United States, including President Obama’s Cairo remarks, and the International Community to halt settlement expansion. Instead, Netanyahu continues to take advantage of the excuse of natural growth, an excuse which has been evoked by numerous previous Israeli Administrations as a method of settlement expansion. As President Obama asserted, natural growth should not be used as an excuse to usurp more Palestinian land through the expansion of settlements whose presence on Palestinian territory is already illegal under international law.
ADC calls upon the White House to take immediate steps to pressure the State of Israel to freeze all settlement expansion and move toward negotiations that result in a settlement rooted in international law. Further, ADC calls upon Congress to support President Obama‘s statement that “the United States does not recognize the legitimacy of further settlements” and support a solution to the conflict based on UN Security Council Resolution 242 and General Assembly Resolution 194, the foundation of the Arab Peace Initiative.
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NOTE TO EDITORS: The American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC), which is non sectarian and non partisan, is the largest Arab-American civil rights organization in the United States. It was founded in 1980, by former Senator James Abourezk to protect the civil rights of people of Arab descent in the United States and to promote the cultural heritage of the Arabs. ADC has 38 chapters nationwide, including chapters in every major city in the country, and members in all 50 states.
The ADC Research Institute (ADC-RI), which was founded in 1981, is a Section 501(c)(3) educational organization that sponsors a wide range of programs on behalf of Arab Americans and of importance to all Americans. ADC-RI programs include research studies, seminars, conferences and publications that document and analyze the discrimination faced by Arab Americans in the workplace, schools, media, and governmental agencies and institutions. ADC-RI also celebrates the rich cultural heritage of the Arabs.
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Contact: Yousef Munayyer
American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee | www.adc.org
1732 Wisconsin Ave., NW | Washington, DC | 20007
Tel: 202-244-2990 | Fax: 202-244-7968 | E-mail: media@adc.org