Washington, DC -- The US Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation announced today that satellite television provider DIRECTV is refusing to accept a paid advertisement from the organization about the U.S. role in Israel's war on and siege of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.

Both an extended internet version and the original 30-second commercial can be viewed on-line by clicking here.

Josh Ruebner, National Advocacy Director of the US Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation, stated that "DIRECTV is blatantly censoring important information that deserves to reach U.S. television viewers. 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. Our commercial is designed to inform people about this crucial policy issue, but DIRECTV's censorship is preventing this from happening."

The US Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation has documented the types of U.S. weapons Israel used in its war on Gaza and the extent of taxpayer contributions to each of these weapons systems in a fact sheet entitled "Palestinians in Gaza: Besieged and Attacked with U.S. Weapons." The information can be downloaded by clicking here.

The US Campaign also published an open letter, full-page ad to President Obama in Congressional Quarterly the day before his inauguration. The open letter, signed by nearly 500 organizations around the country, is entitled "We Need a Change in Israel/Palestine Policy," and calls for a lifting of Israel's siege on Gaza, among other policy recommendations. The open letter and list of signatories can be viewed by clicking here.

The US Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation is a national coalition of more than 250 organizations working to change U.S. policy toward Israel/Palestine to support human rights, international law, and equality.