Resources

Of course you can find your own resources with search engines. Wikipedia is also recommended. Its submissions
are required to meet the standards of "Verifiability", "Neutral Point of View" and "No original research".

For links suggested by the 4 panelists at the AIME April 14, 2013 Forum (Meyers, Munayyer, Ruebner, Shive) click here.

There are 16 categories of links below:

Recommended extensive lists of links

United Methodist Holy Land Task Force - Useful Links

Episcopal Peace Fellowship Palestine Israel Network - Educational Resources

Institute for Middle East Understanding (IMEU)

Vermonters for a Just Peace in Palestine/Israel - links
 

Background material and countering conventional questions

United Methodist Holy Land Task Force - Nice background material
https://www.umhltf.org/Background.html

Mini- primer about why Israelis and Palestinians are fighting,
http://jewishvoiceforpeace.org/content/israeli-palestinian-conflict-101
about why Israelis and Palestinians are fighting, why the US-backed peace process has been an impediment to peace, and what you can do to make a difference. This conflict is essentially about land and human rights, not religion and culture.  [We believe this primer could have provided more coverage of Palestinian human rights violations. See Palestinian violations.]

They Say, We Say - countering rhetoric of the religious and right-wing
http://peacenow.org/pages/they-say-we-say.html

Counter-Rhetoric - Challenging “conventional wisdom” & reframing the conflict
https://www.umhltf.org/Counter_Rhetoric.html

What The New York Times doesn't tell you about Palestine and Israel
http://timeswarp.org/

Links to references made in the PCUSA version of the church letter sent by 15 church leaders to Congress (10-5-2012)

Foreign Assistance Act - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Arms Export Control Act - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arms_Export_Control_Act

2011 Human Rights Reports: Israel and The Occupied Territories
http://www.state.gov/documents/organization/190656.pdf

2012 Human Rights Reports: Israel and The Occupied Territories
http://www.state.gov/j/drl/rls/hrrpt/2012/nea/204363.htm

B'Tselem | The Israeli Information Center for Human Rights in the Occupied Territories
http://www.btselem.org/
[
B’Tselem, in its 23rd year of reporting, stands out for its respected, factual and comprehensive reporting of events in the region.]

Footnotes to the Friends Committee on National Legislation (Quaker) version of the letter)

[Cited in the body of the Quaker letter] Unconditional US military aid fuels Israeli-Palestinian violence
http://thehill.com/ Kate Gould October 8, 2012

1 http://www.state.gov/documents/organization/190656.pdf

2 Weapons in this instance include “crowd control” items such as tear gas. The Consolidated
Appropriations Act, 2012 (P.L. 112-74) which is included in the US Foreign Military Financing
regulations stipulates that “not later than 90 days after enactment of this act and 6 months
thereafter, the Secretary of State shall submit a report to the Committees on Appropriations
detailing any crowd control items, including tear gas, made available with appropriated funds or
through export licenses to foreign security forces that the Secretary of State has credible
information have repeatedly used excessive force to repress peaceful, lawful, and organized
dissent.”

3 While this letter focuses on US-Israel relations and the Israel-Palestine conflict, these are laws
that we believe should be enforced in all instances regardless of location. All allegations regarding
the misuse of US supplied arms should be investigated.

4 http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2012/07/11/v-print/155813/report-violence-against-palestinians.html

For more information see also: http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/lambs-to-thesettlers-slaughter-screaming-and-unheard.premium-1.455937

5 Details available at http://www.weaponstoisrael.org/article.php?id=2940 and through original date from
 B’Tselem at www.btselem.org/statistics.

6 http://www.unocha.org/annualreport/2011/pse

7 http://www.amnesty.org/en/news-and-updates/news/israeli-army-used-flechettes-againstgaza-civilians-20090127

8 http://www.ochaopt.org/documents/ocha_opt_MovementandAccess_FactSheet_September_2011.pdf

9 http://www.ochaopt.org/gazablockade/

Peace movement, human rights websites

ADDAMEER Prisoner Support and Human Rights Association

Al-Haq Defending Human rights in Palestine since 1979

ACRI Association for Civil Rights in Israel

American Jews for a Just Peace | Justice is the key - Boston
American Jews for a Just Peace (AJJP) is an alliance of activists in the United States working to ensure equal rights, safety, and dignity for all the people of historic Palestine.  We were founded in Boston in September, 2008. 

American Muslims for Palestine The mission of the American Muslims for Palestine is to educate the public about the just cause of Palestine and the rights of self-determination, liberty and justice.

Amnesty International - Middle East Campaigns to end grave abuses of human rights

Breaking the Silence Israeli soldiers talk about the occupied territories

B'Tselem The Israeli Information Center for Human Rights in the Occupied Territories

End the Occupation US Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation

Friends of Sabeel North America  Sabeel is an international peace movement initiated by Palestinian Christians in the Holy Land, who seek peace in Israel Palestine as defined by international ...

Interfaith Peace-Builders Interfaith Peace-Builders fosters a network of informed and active individuals who understand the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the United States’ political, military, and economic role in it. To build and nurture such a network, we lead delegations of people from diverse backgrounds to Israel/Palestine.

J Street The political home for Pro-Israel, Pro-Peace Americans

Jewish Voice for Peace Israelis and Palestinians Two Peoples One Future
   
The Young Jewish Declaration is a project created by young leaders within Jewish Voice for Peace.

Mondoweiss Mondoweiss is a news website devoted to covering American foreign policy in the Middle East, chiefly from a progressive Jewish perspective.

Peace Now Americans for Peace Now - Sister organization of Shalom Achshav, Israel's peace movement

Palestinian Center for Human Rights

S. Daniel Abraham Center for Middle East Peace  Works with leaders and policymakers in the United States and the Middle East to help reach a just and comprehensive peace that will bring an end to the Arab-Israeli conflict.

United Nations Human Rights The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) represents the world's commitment to universal ideals of human dignity. We have a unique mandate from the international community to promote and protect all human rights.

Human Rights - recommended reports

Detailed lists from various organizations
http://www.twopeoplesonefuture.org

US Department of State - Human Rights Reports
http://www.state.gov
[ Click on Countries & Regions, then scroll down to Israel and the Occupied Territories]

World Report 2013 | Human Rights Watch  (pages 551-562 for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict)
http://www.hrw.org

Carter Center Supports Calls to Investigate Human Rights Violations
http://www.cartercenter.org

Overview of the Leahy Vetting Process 
http://www.humanrights.gov

US church websites for Middle East issues (Links in green are for advocacy pages)

Churches for Middle East Peace
       http://www.cmep.org/get-involved

Episcopal Peace Fellowship - Palestine Israel Network
       http://epfnational.org/PIN/advocacy/
       http://epfnational.org/epf-peace-tool-kit/

(Ecumenical) Friends of Sabeel North America
        http://www.fosna.org/content/organize-locally

 Evangelical Lutheran Church Peace Not Walls.

Mennonite Central Committee resources on Palestine and Israel
       http://www.mcc.org/getinvolved
       
Mennonite Central Committee's page on their work in Palestine and Israel


Mennonite MCC's Washington Office's page on U.S. policy and Israel-Palestine

Presbyterian) The Israel/Palestine Mission Network of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)
        http://israelpalestinemissionnetwork.org/main/advocacy

(Presbyterian) Middle East Task Force of Chicago Presbytery
This Presbytery overtured the 2010 PCUSA General Assembly with language very similar to that of the church letter.

(Presbyterian) The report of the Middle East Study committee as approved by the 219th General Assembly (2010) including the report of the Middle East Monitoring Group as approved by the 220th General Assembly (2012)

An exerpt: Part Two: (Recommendations) 6C (Addressing Our Own Government) Page numbered 35 at bottom of page:

"Calls on the U.S. government to give a thorough accounting to its citizenry as to the amounts of its foreign aid to countries in the Middle East that have been used by the recipient nations to finance human rights violations, breaches of international law and UN Security Council Resolutions, ; and to redirect adequate allocations of aid toward (1) the rebuilding of Gaza and humanitarian assistance for its people, and (2) Palestinian reuse or dismantling of the remaining settlement infrastructure following the establishment of a Palestinian state."

Commentary on above
Full Report of PCUSA Middle East Study Committee | Friends of Sabeel -- North America
http://www.fosna.org/content/full-report-pcusa-middle-east-study-committee

Presbyterian Peace Fellowship

(Quakers) Friends Committee on National Legislation: Middle East
       
Friends Committee on National Legislation

Unitarian Universalists for Justice in the Middle East (UUJME)
UUs for Justice in the Middle East (UUJME) is an independent organization of concerned UUs working to educate ourselves and our fellow UUs and citizens about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and its legal, moral and ethical issues in an effort to bring about peace and justice in Israel-Palestine, including a settlement of the conflict affirming the equality, dignity, freedom and security of all peoples involved.

United Church of Christ and Disciples of Christ Middle East and Europe News
http://globalministries.org/ http://www.uccpalestineisraelnetwork.org
also more specifically regarding the church letter:
UPDATED: UCC and Disciples join Christian leaders in letter to Congress outlining human-rights violations in the Middle East
 

United Methodists' Holy Land Task Force
        https://www.umhltf.org/Taking_Action.html

United Methodist Kairos Response In October, 2010, United Methodist clergy and laity from around the United States came together in a grass roots effort to respond to the “Kairos Palestine Document.” This document is an urgent plea from Christians in the Holy Land for decisive action in support of a just peace.  It is a powerful call to churches around the world to stop talking about peace and take real steps to make peace happen.

Grassroots advocacy support

Also see green links in the section above

Influencing your Congressman

Communicating with Congress

How the Internet has Changed Citizen Engagement

What You Can Do to Help Bring Peace to the Holy Land! by Churches for Middle East Peace

US Aid to Israel, AIPAC, Congress

U.S. Foreign Aid to Israel - Congressional Research Service - March 12, 2012

American Israel Public Affairs Committee - Wikipedia

Book on AIPAC - The Israel Lobby and U.S. Foreign Policy - Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Israel_Lobby_and_U.S._Foreign_Policy

 John Mearsheimer and Stephen Walt August 2007
[It was a New York Times Best Seller. The Wikipedia article provides critiques that both support and criticize the book.]

By Josh Ruebner, National Advocacy Director, US Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation, March 2012

US Politicians and Israel - Tom Friedman - Newt, Mitt, Bibi and Vladimir
http://www.nytimes.com Tom Friedman December 31, 2011

President Obama's speeches in Israel-Palestine March 21, 2013

[Full Text] Remarks by President Obama and Prime Minister Netanyahu of Israel in Joint Press Conference
http://www.ibtimes.com/full-text-remarks-president-obama-prime-minister-netanyahu-israel-joint-press-conference-1142797#
March 21, 2013

Transcript of Obama’s Speech in Israel (to mainly student audience)
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/22/world/middleeast/transcript-of-obamas-speech-in-israel.html?pagewanted=all
March 21, 2013

Full text: Obama, Abbas remarks in Ramallah | Maan News Agency
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=577528
March 21, 2013

Important Documents

Kairos Document | the moment of grace and opportunity
http://www.kairosusa.org/
[ Excerpt for Wikipedia article: "The Kairos Document (KD) is a theological statement issued in 1985 by a group of black South African theologians based predominantly in the black townships of Soweto, South Africa. The statement challenged the churches' response to what the authors saw as the vicious policies of the Apartheid state under the State of Emergency declared on 21 July 1985. The KD evoked strong reactions and furious debates not only in South Africa, but world-wide."]

The Amman Call Document
(World Council of Churches) http://www.oikoumene.org/
[Issued at WCC International Peace Conference "Churches together for Peace and Justice in the Middle East",Amman, Jordan, 18-20 June 2007]

Geneva Accord/Initiative Wikipedia entry   Full text
[The Geneva Initiative, also known as the Geneva Accord, is a model permanent status agreement to end the Israeli-Palestinian conflict based on previous official negotiations, international resolutions, the Quartet Roadmap, the Clinton Parameters, and the Arab Peace Initiative. The Geneva Initiative addresses and presents a comprehensive solution to all issues vital to ensuring the end of the conflict and the realization of the national visions of both parties.]
Initially published December 1, 2003, 13 annexes added in September 2009

(Quartet) Road map for peace
[
The roadmap for peace or road map for peace is a plan to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict proposed by the Quartet for the Middle East: the United States, the European Union, Russia and the United Nations.]
Drafts began in 2002

Arab Peace Initiative - Wikipedia
[
The Arab Peace Initiative is a comprehensive peace initiative first proposed in 2002 at the Beirut Summit of the Arab League by then-Crown Prince, King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia, and re-endorsed at the Riyadh Summit in 2007.[1]
Full text of initiative

Martin Luther King, Jr.'s Letter From the Birmingham Jail
Addresses the injustices of segregation and defends his non-violent resistance tactics from criticism, that criticism expressed in a letter drafted by 8 prominent white church leaders in Alabama.

News programs and blogs

Haaretz
Haaretz.com is a leading English-language Website for real-time news and analysis of Israel and the Middle East.

Democracy Now
Democracy Now!’s War and Peace Report provides our audience with access to people and perspectives rarely heard in the U.S.corporate-sponsored media, including independent and international journalists, ordinary people from around the world who are directly affected by U.S. foreign policy, grassroots leaders and peace activists, artists, academics and independent analysts.

 BBC News Middle East
Get the latest BBC News from the Middle East: breaking news, features, analysis and debate plus audio and video coverage from across the Middle East.

+972
+972 is a blog-based web magazine that is jointly owned by a group of journalists, bloggers and photographers whose goal is to provide fresh, original, on-the-ground reporting and analysis of events in Israel and Palestine.

Informed Comment blog by Juan Cole
Thoughts on the Middle east, History and Religion

Timeswarp
"What The New York Times doesn't tell you about Palestine and Israel"

"Palestinian perspective

Electronic Intifada
The Electronic Intifada is an independent online news publication and educational resource focusing on Palestine, its people, politics, culture and place in the world.

Founded in 2001, The Electronic Intifada has won awards and earned widespread recognition for publishing original, high-quality news and analysis, and first-person accounts and reviews. The Electronic Intifada’s writers and reporters include Palestinians and others living inside Palestine and everywhere else that news about Palestine and Palestinians is made.

Epalestine blog
ePalestine is where I frequently post news and opinions from Palestine. As a Palestinian-American living and working in Ramallah/Al-Bireh, Palestine, I cover the issue from both a Palestinian and American vantage point. Most postings will be either eyewitness reports, opinion editorials or newsworthy items not readily found in the mainstream media.

The Jerusalem Fund
The Jerusalem Fund for Education & Community Development is an independent, non-profit, non-political, non-sectarian organization based in Washington, D.C. Funding for operational expenses is derived from investment income. This, together with donations from private individuals throughout the U.S., supports our humanitarian grants.

The International Middle East Media Center
IMEMC is a media center developed in collaboration between Palestinian and International journalists to provide independent media coverage of Israel-Palestine. IMEMC was founded by the Palestinian Centre for Rapprochement between People in 2003. (www.pcr.ps)

Al-Shabaka - The Palestinian Policy Network
Al-Shabaka, The Palestinian Policy Network, is an independent, non-partisan, and non-profit organization whose mission is to educate and foster public debate on Palestinian human rights and self-determination within the framework of international law. Al-Shabaka, which means "The Network," is a think tank without borders or walls that aims to:...

Ma'an News Agency
Ma’an Network is the largest independent TV, radio and online media group in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. It also broadcasts regionally via the Ma’an-Mix satellite channel.

Bdsmovement.net
The Palestinian BDS National Committee (BNC), a wide coalition of the largest Palestinian organizations, trade unions, networks and NGOs.

The Palestine Chronicle
The Palestine Chronicle is an independent online newspaper that provides daily news, commentary, features, book reviews, photos, art, etc, on a variety of subjects. However, it’s largely focused on Palestine, Israel, and the Middle East region.

The American Task Force on Palestine
Established in 2003, its mission is to articulate and educate about the United States
national interest in helping to create a Palestinian state living alongside Israel in peace, security and dignity. ATFP is committed to strengthening Palestinian-American relations at every level.

Faith Leaders

Rev. Mark Davidson - Pastor of the Church of Reconciliation Presbyterian Church, Chapel Hill, NC

Rev. John Heinemeier - Pastor of Saint Cyprians Episcopal Church, Oxford, NC

Rev. Ron Shive - Pastor of First Presbyterian Church, Burlington, NC

Jewish Voice for Peace Rabbinical Council

JStreet Rabbinical Cabinet

Rabbis for Human Rights

15 church leaders petition Congress to Condition military aid to Israel on compliance with human rights

Miscellaneous

Religious affiliations 113 Congress
http://www.pewforum.org/uploadedFiles/Topics/Issues/Government/113-Congress-relig-affil.pdf

Video of Full Speech: Mahmoud Abbas addresses the UN - November 29, 2012
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hsv0GUNcGG8

Text of Full Speech: Mahmoud Abbas addresses the UN - November 29, 2012
http://www.cfr.org/palestinian-authority/abbas-speech-un-general-assembly-november-2012/p29579

Israel fails to show up at mandatory UN human rights review | The Electronic Intifada Adri Nieuwhof January 29, 2013
http://electronicintifada.net/blogs/adri-nieuwhof/israel-fails-show-mandatory-un-human-rights-review

General news - progressive

www.intercept.com The Intercept is dedicated to producing fearless, adversarial journalism. We believe journalism should bring transparency and accountability to powerful governmental and corporate institutions, and our journalists have the editorial freedom and legal support to pursue this mission.

www.truth-out.com Truthout works to spark action by revealing systemic injustice and providing a platform for transformative ideas, through in-depth investigative reporting and critical analysis. With a powerful, independent voice, we will spur the revolution in consciousness and inspire the direct action that is necessary to save the planet and humanity.

www.commmomdreams.com Common Dreams is a non-profit independent newscenter created in 1997 as a new media model. By relying on our readers and tens of thousands of small donations to keep us moving forward -- with no advertising, corporate underwriting or government funding -- Common Dreams maintains an editorial independence our readers can count on.

www.democracynow.com Democracy Now! is a national, daily, independent, award-winning news program hosted by journalists Amy Goodman and Juan Gonzalez. Pioneering the largest public media collaboration in the U.S., Democracy Now! is broadcast on Pacifica, NPR, community, and college radio stations; on public access, PBS, satellite television (DISH network: Free Speech TV ch. 9415 and Link TV ch. 9410; DIRECTV: Free Speech TV ch. 348 and Link TV ch. 375); and on the internet. DN!’s podcast is one of the most popular on the web.