November 2022
PHONE CALL AND EMAIL SCRIPT for use with congressional representatives
Use these links to obtain the contact information for your elected representatives:
· House of Representatives: https://www.house.gov/representatives/find-your-representative
· Senate: https://www.senate.gov/senators/senators-contact.htm?OrderBy%253Dstate%2526Sort%253DASC
1. State why you are calling/emailing:
I am contacting you about the urgent situation at the Tent of Nations, a family farm located outside of Bethlehem in the West Bank, under threat of confiscation by the Israeli military.
2. Provide a brief synopsis of the situation:
The Nassar family has been in the Israeli Military and Supreme Courts defending the land they have owned since 1916 from confiscation. Though they possess all the necessary documents proving their ownership, the military has delayed again and again reaching a final decision on the re-registration of their land.
The farm is a model of sustainable agriculture which provides programs for Palestinian women and children from the area. Pilgrimage groups and volunteers are welcomed to work with them in planting trees and harvesting crops. Tent of Nations is a place where people come together to learn, to share, and rekindle hope in the midst of what seems a hopeless situation. The Nassar family lives their faith through their non-violent resistance and in their motto of “refusing to be enemies.”
3. If you have visited the farm, you may wish to share a brief sentence or two to that effect, and its impact on you.
4. Ask your (Senator/Representative) to do the following:
- Make contact with the Israeli Embassy in Washington, DC asking them to see that the hearing of the re-registration committee scheduled now for January 16, 2023 is held and that the family’s land is re-registered in their name. (Re-registration Case Nos. 3714/2 and 3715/2)
- Request that the State Department send officials from the Office of Palestinian Affairs of the US Embassy in Israel to the hearing now scheduled for January 16, 2023 in support of the Nassar family’s claim.
5. Share why the Congressperson needs to act:
Over the past 2 years there has been continued violence directed not only at family members, but also at the property; including theft of animals and produce, destruction of irrigation lines, and two fires intentionally set which resulted in the loss of mature fruit and olive trees. The situation for this family, in addition to many living in Area C – which is under Israeli control – grows more urgent and life threatening by the day.
I think that this family’s non-violent resistance to the confiscation of their family farm provides a sign of hope for people around the world that justice can prevail. It is crucial that we stop turning a blind eye to the continued annexation of land in the West Bank by the military/civil administration.
6. End the call or email with a thank you and details indicating that you are a constituent (name, address, phone number).
Thank you for your vital advocacy work!
Beth Moore, FOTONNA Steering Committee Tour Planning and Finance Co-Director
Heidi Saikaly, FOTONNA Steering Committee Communications Co-Director