- Billboards criticizing US aid to Israel taken down under
pressure
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- A few weeks ago we posted about ten billboards going
up around Albuquerque, NM calling for congress to cut off aid to Israel.
They were put up by The Coalition to Stop $30 Billion to Israel, a multi-ethnic,
multi-religious coalition working to "end to the ten year commitment
of $30 billion in U.S. taxpayer-funded military aid pledged to Israel in
2007 by the Bush administration." Today, the coalition sent out a
press release saying that although Lamar Outdoor Advertising had signed
a contract to run the billboards for eight weeks, they are coming down
after three.
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- From the press release:
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- On April 8th, the Coalition to Stop $30 Billion to Israel
erected the billboards throughout the Albuquerque area in order to inform
the public about the misuse of their tax dollars, denominated in human
lives. The group was motivated by concern for the Palestinian people who
had recently been subjected to a massive invasion of the Gaza Strip by
the Israeli military. Over 1,400 Palestinians mostly civilian, including
three hundred children were killed and over 5,000 were injured. In
2007 the Bush administration signed a Memorandum of Understanding that
provides $30 billion of U.S. taxpayer dollars to Israel over a ten year
period beginning in 2008. The majority of these dollars will be used to
purchase American-made weapons.
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- The design of the billboard had been approved by Lamar
and the billboards' wording and final image were suggested by Lamar's graphics
designer.
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- According to information from Lamar, it appears groups
claiming to be pro-Israel have conducted a campaign to pressure Lamar to
remove the billboards. The Coalition believes this is a deliberate attempt
to silence its right to free speech because the humanitarian message of
the billboards supports equal rights for the Palestinian people, thereby
necessitating criticism of Israel.
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