Congress is currently debating an extremely dangerous, pro-war bill called House Resolution 5732, misleadingly titled the "Syrian Civilian Protection Act." It is essentially a war cry for intervention in Syria. Not only would it tighten the sanctions that have been a centerpiece of U.S. regime change efforts, but it would require the president to assess the possibility of enforcing a "no-fly zone" over the country.
No-fly zones are often packaged and sold to the public as a humanitarian measure. But as the decades of brutal war waged on the people of the Middle East by the U.S. government and its support for the most repressive dictatorships in the region show, this can not possibly be the true motivation behind such a move. In fact, a no-fly zone is a prelude to a war, and involves extensive bombing to cripple the targeted country's ability to control its own airspace.
The bill's name is tragically ironic given the large number of Syrian civilians killed in recent weeks by U.S. airstrikes, which are being conducted illegally without the permission of the Syrian government. These include:
- On July 18, an airstrike by the U.S.-led coalition in Manjib killed 21 civilians.
- On July 19, French warplanes bombed the town of Toukhan Al-Kubra near the Turkish-Syrian border, killing more than 120 civilians.
- On July 28, 45 civilians were killed and dozens were wounded in Ghandour outside Manjib in U.S. airstrikes.
- On July 29, a U.S. airstrike hit a maternity hospital in Idlib at a time when medical operations were underway. The number of civilians injured or killed in this cowardly airstrike on a hospital that serves over 1300 women and performs over 300 deliveries a month is still unknown.
Our voice can be decisive. In August and September 2013, there was a major push for open war on Syria based on the dubious and improbable pretext of the Syrian government attacking civilians with chemical weapons. But the huge public outcry helped force the warmakers to back down.
In addition to signing the petition below, we urge our supporters to call your Congressperson at 202-225-3121 and urge them to vote against.
I demand that Congress reject the pro-intervention H.R. 5732. The true threat to Syrian civilians is the U.S. war machine and its regime change operations - both covert and overt. Hands off Syria!