Dear Friends, Two weeks ago, over 300,000 of us from 150 countries came together to stop the war in Lebanon. Since we helped to achieve a fragile ceasefire there, we’ve received hundreds of emails from you suggesting that we continue our campaign by focusing on a root cause of problems in Lebanon and the region -- Israel/Palestine. Over a hundred civilians have been killed in this conflict over the last month, and strikes by both sides have residents caught in a desperate situation. Images of the Israeli/Palestinian conflict have haunted our televisions for decades. Experts agree that the occupation of the Palestinian territories is a root cause of the war in Lebanon, has promoted tensions between Israel and the Arab world, and been a rallying cry for Islamic radicals who commit terrorist attacks on the US and other countries. And yet for years there has been no concerted effort or leadership to restart the peace process, despite some hopeful signs and opportunities. Please click below to call upon the UN Security Council, the Israeli Prime Minister, and the Palestinian President and Prime Minister to immediately implement a ceasefire in Israel/Palestine and re-launch a new and comprehensive peace process www.CeasefireCampaign.org This is a moment of opportunity in the Middle East. The entire world’s attention is focused on the region, and world leaders like UK Prime Minister Blair and UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan will be visiting in the coming days. In September, almost every world leader will be gathering in New York for a United Nations summit. US President Bush has moved quickly to focus all this attention on his agenda of a wider confrontation with Syria and Iran. We need to act quickly before this moment passes to direct attention towards the right objectives, and ensure that leaders at the UN Summit call for an immediate ceasefire and a new peace effort in Israel/Palestine. Please click below to sign our call to action and send your personalized message directly to key decision makers: www.CeasefireCampaign.org In calling for peace, we stand with ordinary citizens in both Israel and Palestine. Polling consistently shows that a majority of citizens in both places want peace based on a viable “two state” solution that would give Palestine independence and both countries security. If enough pressure is created, we could help to achieve a ceasefire in Israel/Palestine within days. Restarting the peace process will take more time, but we can take a first step by helping to get this issue higher on the international agenda… With hope, Ricken, Priscila, Tom, Alicia, and the rest of the Ceasefire Campaign Team. --

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