Activist groups from across the
United States have galvanized their efforts to raise public awareness about the
American Israel Public Affairs Committee, AIPAC in the country.
"We'll be meeting to educate people about what
is AIPAC, how it works, why it's become so strong, what is the negative
influence it has on U.S. policy and how we can change that," Medea Benjamin,
cofounder of CODEPINK told Press TV's U.S. Desk on Friday.
Benjamin continued that "Our goals are to promote a policy in the
U.S. that is even-handed and promotes the rights of everybody in the region. We
would like to stop giving 3 billion dollars of our tax dollars every year to
Israel to continue its militaristic policies. We want to promote a justice for
Palestinians [and] lift the siege
of Gaza and so during our gathering we'll be looking at ways of doing that as
well as going to the site of the AIPAC convention to protest AIPAC and its
policies."
Women for Peace (Code Pink), Global Exchange and the U.S. Campaign to
End the Israeli Occupation together with over 50 peace and justice groups, are
organizing a gathering in Washington DC from May 21-24, 2011, called "Move Over
AIPAC: Building a New U.S. Middle East Policy."
The gathering will coincide with AIPAC's annual meeting in
Washington.
AIPAC Policy Conference is held annually in Washington DC.
aipac.org On Monday, March 22, 2010, Code Pink staged a demonstration in front
of the Washington, DC Convention Center protesting AIPAC.
thepeoplesvoice.org Israel receives about $3 billion from the U.S. in direct foreign
assistance each year, which is roughly one-fifth of America's foreign aid
budget. ifamericansknew.org Late May 2011 will be the one year anniversary since the Gaza
Flotilla and the IDF assault on the Mavi Marmara. moveoveraipac.org
GH/HJ/SM