Tell U.S. Not to Veto Palestine's Membership in UN Security Council

Take Action:

Last Friday an estimated 2,000 Palestinians and Israelis marched together through the streets of Jerusalem in support of Palestinian efforts to gain UN membership and additional statehood recognition when the UN meets this fall.

Envisioning a future free of Israeli military occupation, apartheid and colonization, these protesters carried placards declaring "We March Together for Liberation," and "Solidarity with Palestine."

Take action now to echo their message to the Obama Administration.

Who stands in their way? Our government does. The United States is trying furiously to restart the morally bankrupt "peace process," which perpetually fails because our government acts as "Israel's lawyer," in the words of former negotiator Aaron David Miller.

By dangling before Palestinians the prospect of renewed, biased, and interminable negotiations in exchange for dropping their UN membership bid, the United States is hoping to avert the embarrassment of vetoing Palestine's application in the Security Council and thereby once again exposing itself as the guarantor of Israeli military occupation and apartheid.

Above: These signs appeared among the 2,000 protesters last Friday inJerusalem.

But, as Friday's demonstrators reminded us: "Only Free People Can Negotiate." And Palestinians are not free people while living under Israeli occupation, as second-class citizens of Israel, or as refugees whom Israel exiled from their homes.

Palestinians are seeking membership in the United Nations as a way toward Palestinian freedom and self-determination, but President Obama mistakenly has equated this with "efforts to single Israel out" at the UN and has promised to "stand up against" this initiative.

The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., wrote in his Letter from Birmingham Jail that the worst stumbling block to freedom's advance is the person who "believes he canset the timetable for another" person's freedom.

Join the US Campaign and other prominent national organizations--including: the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee, American Jews for a Just Peace, American Muslims for Palestine, CODEPINK--Women for Peace, Fellowship of Reconciliation, Friends of Sabeel--North America, Interfaith Peace-Builders, Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions (ICAHD)--USA, Jewish Voice for Peace, and Peace Action--to urge the Obama Administration not to set a timetable on another's freedom by vetoing Palestine's UN membership application.

This could be debated in the Security Council as early as July 25, so join us today in signing this important petition.

Above: Click to watch our hand-delivery of 7,500 signatures to Ambassador Rice last February, demanding the U.S. support a UN resolution against Israeli settlements.

If we get 100 organizations and10,000 individuals to endorse the petition, then we'll deliver it to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and U.S. Ambassador to the UN Susan Rice before the vote.

please take action today and then help us spread the word!

Want to learn more about Palestine UN membership and statehood recognition? Check out our FAQ to get our position and to explore the political, legal and historical issues. Plus, check out more in-depth analysis here.

Thank you for taking action to tell the Obama Administration not to veto Palestine's UN membership application.

In solidarity,

Josh Ruebner
National Advocacy Director

The views expressed in this article are the sole responsibility of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of this Blog!