HOUSE
FIELD HEARING: "Comprehensive Immigration Reform: Examining the Need for a Guest Worker Program"

HEARING: "Russia: Back to the Future?"

K STREET
Supreme Court Says Guantanamo Bay Military Commissions Are Unconstitutional; ACLU Calls Decision a Victory for the "Rule of Law"

"Israel/Occupied Territories: Deliberate Attacks a "War Crime"

"Washington Notes" is MPAC's weekly round-up of Washington, DC news and events that impact the American Muslim community. By highlighting Congressional hearings and policy forums, MPAC connects you directly with the Senate, House of Representatives, think-tanks, organizations, and federal agencies. We monitor important conversations on Islam and Muslims in order to enhance the role of American Muslims in the future of our nation. We invite you to do the same...

July 5, 2006
FIELD HEARING: "Comprehensive Immigration Reform: Examining the Need for a Guest Worker Program"
Senate Judiciary Committee
Chairman: Arlen Specter (R-PA)

"Among those who signed the Declaration of Independence were nine immigrants, and at every other crucial stage in American history – from ratification of the Constitution to the Civil War to the Industrial Revolution to the computer age – immigrants have propelled America to greatness.

"Today, we remain a nation of immigrants. People from around the world continue to come here seeking opportunity, and they continue to make America the most dynamic nation in the world. But it's clear we also have a problem on our hands – our immigration laws are fundamentally broken. It's as if we expect border control agents to do what a century of communism could not: defeat the natural market forces of supply and demand... and defeat the natural human desire for freedom and opportunity. You might as well as sit in your beach chair and tell the tide not to come in.

"As long as America remains a nation dedicated to the proposition that 'all men are created equal, endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness," people from near and far will continue to seek entry into our country." – Mayor Michael Bloomberg (R-NY)

SEE: Hearing Notice (Judiciary Committee, 7/5/06)

June 29, 2006
HEARING: "Russia: Back to the Future?"
Senate Committee on Foreign Relations
Chairman: Richard Lugar (R-IN)

"The Foreign Relations Committee meets to examine the current status of political developments in Russia and the future of the U.S.-Russia relationship. Today's inquiry builds upon two hearings on Russia that the Committee held last year. At those hearings, I noted that President Putin's increasingly authoritarian style, his control of the media, and his retribution against political opponents have left the fate of democracy in Russia more ambiguous than at any time since the collapse of the Communist system.

"These internal developments, coupled with Russia's increasing pressure on its neighbors, its resistance to resolute international action to the proliferation threat in Iran, and its willingness to use its energy supplies for political leverage have complicated U.S.-Russian relations." – Chairman Richard Lugar (R-IN)

SEE: Hearing Notice (Senate Committee on Foreign Relations 6/29/06)

June 29, 2006
ACLU CALLS SUPREME COURT DECISION ON GITMO TRIBUNALS A VICTORY FOR THE "RULE OF LAW"
American Civil Liberties Union

"Today's decision is a victory for the rule of law in the United States. The Supreme Court has made clear that the executive branch does not have a blank check in the war on terror and may not run roughshod over the nation's legal system. This decision moves us one step closer to stopping the abuse of power that has become the hallmark of this White House. Now that the Supreme Court has issued its decision, the president should make good on his promise and close Guantanamo." – Anthony Romero, Executive Director

SEE: "Supreme Court Says Guantanamo Bay Military Commissions Are Unconstitutional; ACLU Calls Decision a Victory for the 'Rule of Law'" (ACLU, 6/29/06)

SEE ALSO: ACLU Amicus Brief in Hamdan vs. Rumsfeld (ACLU, 1/4/2006)

"This holding would not only apply to the handful of Guantanamo detainees charged with crimes, but to all the detainees held by the United States in the 'global war on terror', including those at Guantanamo and at Bagram in Afghanistan, as well as the 'ghost detainees' held at secret prisons. It strongly calls into question the legality of holding detainees incommunicado and the CIA's use of coercive interrogation techniques.

"The commissions effectively allowed the use of evidence acquired through abusive interrogations, placed undue restrictions on military and civilian defense counsel to present an effective defense, and denied meaningful review by civilian courts.

"The Supreme Court decision will likely compel the Bush administration to transfer Guantanamo cases to federal courts or courts-martial, or to drop pending criminal charges. Prosecuting terrorist suspects before such regular courts will better ensure that fair trial rights are respected. Showing that justice will be done is an essential component of any effective counterterrorism strategy that seeks to enlist allies concerned about torture, arbitrary detention or fair trials." – Human Rights Watch

SEE: "U.S. Guantanamo Ruling Rejects Unfair Trials" (Human Rights Watch, 6/29/06)

June 30, 2006
"ISRAEL/OCCUPIED TERRITORIES: DELIBERATE ATTACKS A WAR CRIME"
Amnesty International

"Deliberate attacks by Israeli forces against civilian property and infrastructure in the Gaza Strip violate international humanitarian law and constitute war crimes, Amnesty International said today.

"'Israel must now take urgent measures to remedy the long-term damage it has caused and immediately restore the supply -- at its own cost -- of electricity and water to the Palestinian population in the affected areas,' urged the organization. 'As the occupying power, Israel is bound under international law to protect and safeguard the basic human rights of the Palestinian population.'"

SEE: "Israel/Occupied Territories: Deliberate Attacks a War Crime" (Amnesty International, 6/30/06)

"The laws of war prohibit attacks on "objects indispensable to the survival of the civilian population." Israel's attack on Gaza's only power plant is in violation of its obligation to safeguard such objects from attack. Even though Israel unilaterally withdrew its troops and settlements from Gaza in 2005, it continues to have obligations as an occupying power in Gaza because of its almost complete control over Gaza's borders, sea and air space, tax revenue, utilities, and the internal economy of Gaza.

"At a minimum, Israel continues to be responsible for the basic welfare of the Palestinian population in Gaza, in particular the health, educational, and humanitarian needs of the population to the extent these are affected by the restrictions imposed on Gaza by Israel. Olmert reportedly threatened to block the entry of fuel and food to Gaza if Shalit is not released, which would violate these obligations.

"Human Rights Watch urges Israel to take all possible precautions to limit the impact of its military campaign in Gaza on the civilian population. In particular, the laws of war require Israel to ensure that the impact of its military actions on the civilian population is not disproportionate to the military objectives it seeks to achieve, and that it does not target objects indispensable to the survival of the civilian population."

SEE: "Gaza: Israeli Offensive Must Limit Harm to Civilians" (Human Rights Watch 6/29/06)

SEE ALSO: The Horror in Gaza: A View From the Ground (Arab American Institute 7/1/06)

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