April 20, 2023 – Letter to Sierra Club
Dear Director Ben Jealous,
I have long admired your work for human rights in the past and hope you will
take action to end the Sierra Club trips to Israel. I have been a member of Sierra
Club for years and would love to renew my membership, but I cannot in good
conscience do so while your organization leads greenwashing expeditions to a
racist, apartheid country guilty of appalling human rights abuse. I was
disappointed you chose to lead “nature outing” to Israel this March.
As we celebrate Earth Day, it is important to recognize that environmental
protection is inseparable from issues of social justice and human rights. The Israeli
government’s policies of land theft, segregation, and occupation have resulted in
the displacement and oppression of the Palestinian people. Israeli settler
colonialism has also had severe environmental consequences, including the
destruction of natural resources and the displacement of indigenous
communities.
By taking “nature outings” to Israel, Sierra Club condones these human rights
violations and ignores the interconnectedness of social justice and environmental
protection. I urge you to cancel your trips to Israel and stand against
environmental colonialism.
I am looking forward to rejoining your organization when these trips to Israel are
no longer offered. ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE includes Palestine.
Sincerely,
Mary Miller
(former Sierra Club member #49830902)
April 15, 2023 – Deseret News Op-Ed
The Israel-Palestine conflict is neither ancient nor intractable. When it comes to solutions, there is another way
By Carrie Skarda, published in the Deseret News, Apr 15, 2023, 9:00pm MDT
April 1, 2023 – Letter to Utah Senator Lee’s Staff
Dear Mr. Axson,
We are a group of concerned citizens writing to ask you to use your influence to help Senator Mike Lee understand the plight of the Palestinian people living under Israel’s prolonged military occupation.
Our Concern
Our primary concern is the severity of Palestinian daily living conditions. We are troubled that the United States government does not stand up to Israel when Israel violates the rights of these people. Our tax dollars are funding these injustices without any of the same oversight it would require of other countries receiving U.S. aid.
Your Recent Visit
In light of your recent visit to Israel & the Occupied West Bank as a representative for Senator Lee’s staff, we would like to ask for your help. We need leaders in congress, like Senator Lee, who will speak out against Israel’s misuse of U.S. tax dollars to carry out human rights abuses against the Palestinian people including, but limited to, the following.
Human Rights Violations
- Israel exploits civil laws in ways that result in confiscation of Palestinian property, demolition of Palestinian homes and obstruction of Palestinian economic growth.
- Israel confiscates Palestinian water (in violation of the Johnston Agreement, brokered by the U.S. in the 1950’s) and then sells limited amounts of that water back to Palestinians at exorbitant prices.
- Israel uses military force to invade Palestinian homes, destroy water tanks, playgrounds, schools and to defend illegal Jewish settlers living on Palestinian land.
- Israel has created apartheid conditions and threatens ethnic cleansing of Palestinians.
- Palestinian children have no rights or legal process–children are taken away in the middle of the night & placed in solitary confinement with no adult present. They sign confessions in Hebrew which they don’t understand and plead guilty so they can go home. An offense as minor as throwing a rock, will be on their permanent record, stripping them of privileges for the rest of their life. Tried in the adult system, 98% lose their case.
Taking Action
As a concrete action, we respectfully request that Senator Lee introduce a companion bill in the Senate to Representative Betty McCollom’s H.R. 2590 “Defending the Human Rights of Palestinian Children and Families Living Under Israeli Military Occupation Act.” In summary, H.R. 2590 aims to promote and protect the human rights of Palestinians living under Israeli military occupation and to ensure that United States taxpayer funds are NOT used by the Government of Israel to support the military detention of Palestinian children, the unlawful seizure, appropriation, and destruction of Palestinian property and forcible transfer of civilians in the West Bank, or further annexation of Palestinian land and water in violation of international law.
Respectfully, your Utah constituents undersigned
(signed by about 20 individuals)
March 20, 2022 – Letter to the Editor, Salt Lake Tribune
By Frances ReMillard | The Public Forum | March 20, 2022, 6:00 a.m.
December 26, 2021 – Letter to the Editor, Salt Lake Tribune
By Warren S. Wright | The Public Forum | Dec. 26, 2021, 6:00 a.m.
September 7, 2021 – Letter to the Editor, Salt Lake Tribune
By Barbara Taylor | The Public Forum | Sep. 7, 2021, 6:00 a.m.
Utahns for a Just Peace in the Holy Land 
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