WASHINGTON (JTA) — A group that wants to cut off United States funding to Israel is protesting a satellite TV provider for refusing to run its ad.
The U.S. Campaign to End the Israel Occupation prepared a 30-second spot showing scenes of devastation from the recent Israeli military operation against Hamas in the Gaza Strip, and saying that "since Dec. 27, 2008, Israel has killed more than 1,300 Palestinians" in Gaza.
The ad ends with a recording from President Obama’s "Yes We Can" campaign speech and calls on him to "end U.S. military aid to Israel."
The U.S. Campaign said it had detailed discussions with DIRECTV about broadcasting the ad; the provider pulled out at the last minute, it said in a release issued Tuesday.
DIRECTV did not return several calls requesting comment.
"DIRECTV is blatantly censoring important information that deserves to reach U.S. television viewers," the U.S. Campaign said in an e-mail blast to its supporters. "During Israel’s war on the Gaza Strip, the mainstream media failed to tell people that the weapons used by Israel to kill Palestinian civilians and destroy civilian infrastructure were provided by the U.S. government at taxpayer expense."
The e-mail calls on its supporters to send letters to DIRECTV.
