NYC Ports for the People, Not for Imperialism

We are calling on the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey and the John F. Kennedy International Airport to uphold international law and listen to the will of New Yorkers. Stop allowing the use of civilian infrastructure to send military cargo to Israel.

Reporting has exposed that commercial passenger airlines such as Delta, United, El Al, and others ship military cargo ranging from components of F-35 fighter jet parts to handguns, shipped by the kilogram under the noses of unassuming passengers. There are also reports that air cargo airlines such as Challenge Group, Silk Way West, and ASL Airlines Belgium ship explosives, detonators, and pressurized weapons through JFK Airport, which poses a threat to customers of all airlines in JFK, as well as the many New Yorkers who work at the airport. Ultimately, this disregard for normal people’s wellbeing should distress all New Yorkers and all people who travel through New York. We demand an end to this reckless negligence.

Why are there weapons components on our planes and runways?

New Yorkers are sharing planes and runways with tools of war because passenger and cargo airlines alike are shipping American weapons to Israel. The United States supplies more financial and military aid to Israel than to any other country. In the two years since Israel’s genocide in Gaza began, the United States has provided weapons and other military technologies worth upwards of $20 Billion to Israel. While the recent ceasefire deal may inspire some hope, Israel has continued to bomb and attack Gaza. In the two weeks since signing, Israel has violated the ceasefire every single day. We have seen time and time again that Israel will not honor any agreements it makes to stop its racist, genocidal violence against the Palestinian people. The only way to ensure the end to the daily brutality that the Israeli Defense Forces inflict onto Palestinians is to stop the weapons from arriving altogether. We New Yorkers refuse to be complicit in the ongoing Nakba, Israel’s genocide and military occupation of Palestine. We New Yorkers refuse to provide cover to illegal shipments of arms. We refuse to be either political pawns or collateral damage as our national and local governments prioritize their economic relationship with Israel over their respect for international law, their respect for the Palestinian people’s right to life, and their respect for New Yorkers’ right to a safe and transparent city.

Our Demands:

In accordance with international law, NYC must commit itself first and foremost toward its people and not toward a genocide.

1. Immediately cease all military cargo shipments, including for weapons and explosive arms, from JFK, LaGuardia Airport, and Newark Airport, to Israel

2. Incorporate an arms embargo through city policy prohibiting the usage of NYC infrastructure and finances for shipment of military cargo to Israel

3. Create institutional commitment toward full transparency and accountability to ensure NYC is not complicit in genocide abroad.