This article was originally published by the Dallas Morning News and is republished with the authors' permission.

A Palestinian artist paints a mural featuring the late Palestinian cartoonist Naji Al-Ali's Handala character, in front of the European Union office in Gaza City. (Thaeer al-Hassany, Maan Images)

As American-Muslim leaders, we are asked to create a bridge between America and the Muslim world. We are asked to speak out for moderation and to condemn extremism. We have consistently done both. To be effective, we also have a duty to speak out for better policies here at home.

It is hard to improve America's image when U.S.-made weapons kill civilians in Lebanon and Gaza - and we expedite shipment of more bombs to Israel, as we did last week.

The Muslim world is particularly enraged by Israel's attack on Qana, the city where Christians believe Jesus, who is also revered as a prophet in Islam, performed his first miracle. In 1996, Israel shelled a U.N. shelter in Qana where hundreds of civilians sought refuge, killing 106 people. Last Sunday, it bombed an apartment building there as the mostly women and children inside slept, killing 55.

Muslims worldwide are glued to their televisions, watching horrifying images of children being pulled from the rubble. Last weekend, Lebanon's Prime Minister told Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice not to bother coming to Lebanon. The only item worth discussing, he said, was an immediate unconditional cease-fire.

Had our government called for that cease-fire, those children in Qana might still be alive. And our country might not find itself unwelcome in such a strategic region and at such a decisive moment.

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People of all faiths and races have the right to live in peace, freedom and dignity. A Lebanese or Palestinian life is no less valuable than that of an Israeli. Yet Israel maintains the longest-running military occupation in the world and bombs Lebanese and Palestinian civilian populations with American support.

Many leaders, including the U.N. Commissioner for Human Rights, view Israel's actions as possible war crimes. Legal experts say Israel is also in violation of the U.S. Arms Export Control Act, which requires that foreign governments receiving American weaponry use them solely for internal security and legitimate self-defense.

American politicians champion Israeli rights and Israel's security, yet seem content to leave Palestinians and Lebanese with neither rights nor security. It is not too late for the Bush administration to take positive steps:

1. Call for immediate and unconditional cease-fires in Lebanon and Gaza.

2. Cancel the expedited delivery of bombs to Israel.

3. Implement all relevant U.N. resolutions

4. Engage all parties to address the root cause of the Palestinian/Israeli conflict.

5. Send former Presidents George Bush and Jimmy Carter to bring all parties to the negotiating table.

The Quran states: We "made you into nations and tribes so that you may come to know one another (not that you may despise each other)."

The late Pope John Paul II said: "No peace without justice, no justice without forgiveness."

As Americans, we extend a hand to help our nation defend its interests and improve its image worldwide.

Parvez Ahmed is chairman of the Council on American-Islamic Relations. Maher Hathout is senior adviser of the Muslim Public Affairs Council. Agha Saeed is chairman of the American-Muslim Task Force. Readers may contact them through pahmed@cair.com.