Settler Problem

You may have hear or read about Israeli "settlers" and "settlement activity" in the news. Describing Israels violent land grabs as "settlement activity" is like referring to the whole of Vietnam as a "police action." The "settlers" have branded their ruthless policies with similarly unsettling euphemisms like "Mutual Concern" and "Price Tag." "Settlers" are not pastoral peace loving hippies. They threaten and often kill the Palestinians whose land they steal. If the Palestinians retaliate, the IDF comes to the settlers rescue. They cut down fields of 300-year-old olive trees, build concertina barbwire fences around their newly occupied land and man trenches with military issue rifles. They murder Palestinian shepards and steal their livestock. The "price tag" and "mutual concern" policies explicitly offer rewards for dead Palestinians, they'll give you a $50,000 to kill a Palestinian in the West Bank. Want to murder a moderate Israeli scholar or peace activist, you might fetch $100,000. These people are nothing more than contract killers, thugs, people determined to drive every last Palestinian off what they consider their rightful land according to their fundamentalist understanding of the Old Testament. Many of them are first generation immigrants driving out families that have been there for a thousand years. In a real democracy these people would spend life in prison. These "settlers" are so psychotic and malicious they even fire on the IDF soldiers sent to protect them and their illegal outposts

Can you imagine? One day people speaking a different language show up and put their trailer in your backyard. You're not home so your kid goes out to see what the fuss is all about. If he or she is lucky they get beat up and stoned, many don't fare that well. The family olive orchard, handed down from your great grandfather, your livelihood , has a large fence around it. Whatever they can't protect for themselves they destroy. The semblance of government you have cannot lift a finger. Soon the government of the settlers sends soldiers, not to return your land but to protect the people who stole it. The tragedy doesn't end there. In a matter of weeks your neighbors land has also been stolen. A compound emerges on a hill where your sheep used to graze. The people occupying it shoot at you and your family for amusement. Even if they don't kill you, soon you'll be so terrified that your family will move to another village, or a refugee camp. More than likely the same thing will repeat itself at your new residence. You can't leave the country. The only place you're safe from the "settlers" is a refugee camp where instead of rogue settlers your concrete shelter is raided regularly by IDF combat units. You decide whether there's any dignity or humanity left for them to steal.

Below is a letter, please send it to your senators and representative. Most of you are more well educated and articulate than myself, feel free to write your own version. Send it over and over. This is a human rights catastrophe, and we're (US taxpayers) are paying for the walls and soldiers that protect these extremist settlers. They're even using our money to help fly these people to Israel to occupy the land.

Best Regards,

Mike

Dear Honorable Senator/Representative (...),
I am writing because I would like you to reconsider your stance on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Every year the United States delivers it largest foreign aid package to Israel (ranging from 2.5 billion this year to an estimated 3.1 billion in 2010. The most recent Memorandum of Understanding signed between the US and Israel pledges to give Israel $30 billion over the next 10 years). As a taxpayer and a patriot I would like our foreign aid, especially such a substantial amount, to be used in the best interest of the United States. Unqualified support for Israeli policies has been an unmitigated disaster in terms of achieving US strategic objectives and promoting stability throughout the Middle East. Our aid to Israel needs to serve the best interests of United States. Additionally, most citizens of Israel are for policies that will foster a peaceful and prosperous relationship with their Palestinian neighbors. A small fringe group of settlers, who often engage in terrorist acts (policies like "Mutual Concern" and "Price tag," in which they hire contract killers to kill Israeli peace activists and Palestinian civilians) are preventing a lasting peace. An issue of major concern is the proliferation of illegal Israeli settlements. These settlements are against stated US policies, they're against international law, and they're against the best interests of Israel. Sufficient pressure on the government of Israel will lead to a resolution of the conflict, and and peace between Israelis and Palestinians will have the following effects:

1) Iran's anti-Israel messages will no longer appeal to the Arab world, Iran will be truly isolated, giving us more leverage to deal with them

2)Terrorist groups will lose their main and most important talking point

3)Autocrats throughout Middle East will no longer be able to distract their own populations with plight and injustice suffered by Palestinians, leading to reform within their own societies

5) A major humanitarian crisis will begin to be resolved (Palestine has more refugees than any place on the planet)

8) Most Israelis want peace on terms Palestinians have already agree to (Israelis get 78% of land, Palestinians get 22%), it's the fringe on Israeli side preventing resolution

9) Peace is in the best interest of Israel

Thank you for your time Senator/Congressman (...).
Sincerely,