Sanctions against Burmese military welcomed
American Jewish World Service welcomed the U.S. Government’s announcement Friday that it is imposing sanctions and visa restrictions on Burmese military leaders and divisions responsible for horrific violence against the Rohingya people in Burma,” said Robert Bank, President and CEO of AJWS. “Sanctioning the Burmese military for the atrocities against the Rohingya people in the Rakhine state is a crucial step in holding them and others responsible for the ethnic cleansing against the Rohingya people. This action sends the clear message that the United States is serious about using diplomacy to promote the safety and dignity of the Rohingya people,” said Bank.
“We applaud the U.S. government for taking these concrete steps under the Global Magnitsky Act, a law designed to hold perpetrators of gross violations of internationally recognized human rights to account. The actions of the Burmese military against the Rohingya people have violated the human rights of this ethnic minority community, and this action is an important step towards accountability. However welcome this action may be, it is not sufficient, and we call on the United States government to name additional individuals involved in this heinous and calculated violence against Rohingya communities.”
“We also look forward to the U.S. State Department’s long anticipated report, detailing the Burmese military’s ‘clearance operations’ and violence committed against the Rohingya people. This report represents a critical opportunity for the U.S. to take a leadership role in seeking justice and accountability for the Rohingya people by calling on its fellow U.N. Security Council members to refer the Burma situation to the International Criminal Court.”
“The Burmese military has been carrying out these intensified and highly destructive attacks on the Rohingya people since August 25, 2017, and each day we delay taking action, we delay justice for the Rohingya people. Those that survived and fled the violence are living in refugee camps, where they are vulnerable to flooding, landslides, waterborne diseases and overall insecurity. To secure justice for the Rohingya people, we must ensure their right live in Burma in peace and security.”
“We must act urgently as the hundreds of thousands of Rohingya still living in Burma are at grave risk. Confined to camps and ghettos, their rights are violated and they live in fear and worry about what other crimes will be committed against them. We insist that the U.S. call on Burmese authorities to allow international aid organizations, human rights monitors and independent journalists prompt and unfettered access to northern Rakhine State, where the remaining Rohingya communities in Burma are clustered.”
“As Jews who understand all too well from our history what happens when the world community does not stand up unequivocally in defense of oppressed minorities subject to state-sanctioned hate and life threatening assaults, we are gratified that the U.S. has taken these actions and urge our government to act decisively to forge a path for justice for the Rohingya people.” —From American Jewish World Service
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Anne Frank Center calls on Facebook to take down Holocaust denial pages
The Anne Frank Center for Mutual Respect called Friday on Facebook to cease its double standard on hate speech and remove Holocaust Denial pages from its social media platform.
Allowing Holocaust deniers to spread false information, hate and anti-Semitism is immoral, hurtful and insulting to the millions of survivors, those who perished and their families.
The Holocaust happened. This cannot be disputed. Period.
When these pages spread lies and untruths, it is veiled hatred and anti-Semitism designed to cast doubt on facts. Facebook, in hosting these pages makes it a willing participant in Holocaust denial.
For this reason the Anne Frank Center has partnered with the Holocaust Learning and Education Fund, Inc ( HLEF) and the Association of Holocaust Organizations to launch a petition calling for Facebook to take action. With 125,000 signatures and counting, the Anne Frank Center is asking the social media giant to recognize its role and responsibility.
Facebook’s double standard on hate speech is on full display in their form letter response to those who have complained about their policy:
“We take down any post that celebrates, defends, or attempts to justify the Holocaust. The same goes for any content that mocks Holocaust victims, accuses victims of lying about the atrocities, spews hate, or advocates for violence against Jewish people in any way. As you can imagine, posts and articles that deny the Holocaust often violate one or more of these standards and are removed from Facebook. But we do not remove lies or content that is inaccurate — whether it’s denying the Holocaust, the Armenian massacre or the fact that the Syrian government has killed hundreds of thousands of its own people. This is because we believe that people should be able to say things on Facebook that are wrong or untrue, even when they are offensive.’
Facebook is trying to have it both ways.
It has to choose whether it is on the right side of history, or is in the business of being complicit in spreading hate. It cannot sit on the fence. — From The Anne Frank Center for Mutual Respect
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Menendez says ending assistance to Syrian stabilization jeopardizes Israel
U.S. Senator Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, issued the following statement after the Trump Administration announced on Friday it is ending $230 million in foreign assistance funds appropriated by Congress for stabilization projects in Syria.
“I am dismayed to see President Trump sprinting down the path of abdicating American leadership on the global stage. By ending U.S. contributions to stabilization efforts in the most vulnerable Syrian communities recently liberated from the terrors of ISIS, this message of U.S. retreat and abandonment is an embarrassment. Worse yet, he is rolling out the red carpet for Russia and Iran who will seize the vacuum of U.S. presence and assistance to double down on their support of the Assad regime and make Syria a persistently unstable, terrorist and criminal nexus that will continue to threaten regional stability and the security of Israel.
“The U.S. Congress funded Syria stabilization programs recognizing our nation’s lasting stake in the stability of the region, and to avoid the short-sighted strategic mistake of failing to finish the fight after investing U.S. lives and tax dollars into a military campaign. The President once again failed to listen to his national security cabinet who know that the fight against ISIS is not complete until communities and local leaders are resilient enough to prevent and repel the next ISIS.
“Syrians will not forget if we turn our backs on them and our allies in the Middle East must be able to count on the United States as a partner who can be depended on to cross the finish line. The signal President Trump is sending by ending U.S. contributions to the stabilization of post-ISIS Syria is that Americans do not care and Syrian civilians are on their own.”– From Senator Bob Menendez