You can find your MP by going to the following website:  http://www.faxyourmp.com

Your MP is obligated to write back to you, and will therefore HAVE to take note of your letter!

Regards,

Friends of Palestine


Sample letter:

Dear

I am writing to express my condemnation of the Israeli occupationist war against the Palestinian people albeit in the name of combating terrorism. I am even more concerned by the attitude of Her Majesty’s government towards the humanitarian conditions and massive loss of life in the territories.

Contrary to the staple diet presented in our national media many people in my community have come to the realization that this is not only a war upon the Palestinians people, Arabs or Muslims. It is moreover a war against international law, British and European economic interests and the Christian presence in Palestine.

From a total 1.5 million acres of land that Britain recognizes as the Occupied Territories, the Israelis have confiscated almost 750,000 acres since 1967. Following the outbreak of the current uprising nineteen months ago 112,900 trees have been uprooted and 559 residential buildings destroyed. More than 190,000 students have been deprived of schooling while 196 ages 18 and below have been killed by the occupying army. The cost of this wanton destruction has now exceeded $1.5bn. Most of the funds donated to build the Palestinians infrastructure were provided by European aid including the British. I therefore call upon you to seek immediate and full reparations for these damages.

Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza are currently experiencing a huge military offensive by Israel. They are largely an unarmed and defenseless civilian population facing the force of a major military power. The human rights abuses committed by Israel in the towns, villages and refugee camps of the occupied Palestinian territories are breathtaking both in their scale and brutality, yet the states which call themselves the international community are leaving them to the mercy of the Israeli Army.

Israel justifies these attacks on civilian areas as necessary to root out ‘terrorists’ and destroy ‘terrorist bases.’ But their actions go far beyond any possible claims of self-defense. Rather, Israeli actions appear designed to punish the entire Palestinian civilian population, in violation of human rights and humanitarian law. These include the use of heavy weaponry in intensive strikes on densely populated civilian areas, utterly disproportionate to any perceived or real threats. The failure of the Israeli forces to distinguish between civilian and military targets has resulted in high numbers of civilian deaths and injuries; from February 28th more than 200 Palestinians have been killed and approximately 500 injured.

Children, women and refugees have been indiscriminately attacked in contravention of international law that provides them with special protection. Particularly striking for human rights observers have been the mass roundups of Palestinian males between the ages of 14 to 50 in the past weeks. Inhuman, degrading methods are routinely being used during these arrests and detentions include blindfolding, strip-searching and tattooing numbers on detainees arms-a practice used by the Nazis during the holocaust. Despite the glare of publicity, Israel even feels free to attack humanitarian agencies, and any civilian access to medical supplies and treatment. Recently there has been an effective ban on any movement of Palestinian vehicles in the West Bank, including ambulances, unless they have expressed permission. Otherwise they are shot at on sight. Since February 28 there has been an alarming increase in the number of attacks on medical staff, ambulances, hospitals and field clinics, with at least 6 medical staff killed, 12 injured and five ambulances destroyed.

These attacks are in direct violation of the fourth Geneva Convention 1949, which is legally binding on Israel. Several are classed as ‘grave breaches’-in other words, war crimes-included documented cases of murder and manslaughter, instances of intentionally causing ‘great suffering or serious injury to body or health’ and ‘extensive destruction of property not justified by military necessity and carried out unlawfully or unwantonly.’

All states have an express legal obligation to ensure that Israel’s respect for the 4th Geneva Convention. Crucially all states are specifically obliged to search for, investigate and bring perpetrators of war crimes to justice. Britain’s self-proclaimed ethical foreign policy should make it a straightforward matter to comply fully with these legal obligations. Instead the UK government supports the export of British made arms and components to Israel, including those used to perpetrate the war crimes against the Palestinian civilians. In fact Britain and its EU partners provide funds and maintain crucial trade agreements that bolster the Israeli regime.

Many civilians living within Israel’s borders have also been injured and killed as a result of the attacks carried out by the Palestinians. These attacks are carried out due to the desperation and extreme oppression of the Palestinian people as a result of the unjustified military occupation. It is in the interests of the security of the Israeli civilians therefore for the military occupation to be brought to a swift end.

In my opinion, the first urgent step to secure a just and lasting peace in the region is the immediate deployment of an independent, international presence to protect the Palestinians and stop the war crimes. Sanctions must be imposed on Israel to force it to accept this presence and engage in peace negotiations leading to a complete withdrawal from the Occupied territories. Part of an overall settlement must now include an end to impunity; that requires the prosecution of war criminals.

As Her Majesty’s government prepares to support the USA’s war of aggression against Iraq on the pretext that it is a danger to regional peace, I ask which is worse, being a threat or being a brutal occupier?

I am frankly quite unimpressed by the double standards of Her Majesty’s government and it’s acquiescence to oppression and injustice. As our elected representative what can you do to influence the British Government to resolve the situation? I look forward to hearing your views and plan of action.

Yours Sincerely,