As the campaigns for the 2008 presidential election surge forward, some students are bringing attention to human rights issues in Israel and Palestine, hoping that the next commander-in-chief will listen.

The Coalition for Justice in the Middle East (CJME) is drafting a letter that recommends action to address attacks against civilians in Gaza by Israel, Hamas and other Palestinian armed groups. The letter, intended to be mailed en masse to the eventual presidential nominees, calls for a condemnation of rocket attacks by Palestinians against Israeli civilians and demands that Israel work to alleviate the suffering of Palestinian civilians.

When the draft is finalized, CJME will gather signatures, and each signatory will generate a letter to be mailed to his or her candidate of choice.

“We’re hoping to influence the next administration’s positions,” CJME President Tim Gregory ‘09 said. “And with the volume of letters, we want to make it something that the candidates cannot ignore.”

The move to send the letter also meets the organization’s goals for increased campus dialogue.

“We hope to raise awareness on campus of issues on both sides,” said Merrit Kennedy ‘08, vice-president of CJME.

“To transform the debate on campus has become a real goal,” Gregory added. “Last year the tone on campus often veered toward irrelevant issues.”

While the letter will address violence against civilians by both sides, recommendations regarding Israeli policies constitute a larger and more detailed portion of its message.

“There are fewer ties we can ask the United States to use with Hamas,” Gregory said. “We want to pressure both sides, but we have to reflect the truth of both sides. It’s entirely pragmatic.”

The draft has not yet been finalized, but CJME leaders said they will be approaching other student groups of varying political positions to seek support.

“We want this to transcend political divides,” Kennedy said.

Several student group leaders expressed initial interest in the letter.

“Assuming that the focus will be on doing what they can for civilians, then that’s great,” said Carrie Mlynarczyk ‘09, co-president of the Stanford Israel Alliance. “It’s always a good idea to acknowledge what’s happening, and I think it’s excellent to see another group showing both sides of the issue, particularly a group that’s been historically one-sided.”

“The petition does not go into very specific detail, but what it’s trying to do is a very just cause,” added Fadi Quran ‘10, co-president of Students Confronting Apartheid by Israel and a member of CJME. “They took the time to make it accurate.”