[WCUSP] A Response to JVP's Anapolis Analysis
KATHARLOW at aol.com
KATHARLOW at aol.com
Mon Dec 3 15:58:19 CST 2007
Mitchell Plitnick, national head of Jewish Voice for Peace, has issued a
statement in support of the Annapolis conference. I am forwarding it preceded by
a response to Plitnick by Jack Dresser, a long time "peace with justice"
advocate from Eugene, Oregon.
From: "Jack Dresser" <_jdresser at VeteransAgainstTorture.com_
(mailto:jdresser at VeteransAgainstTorture.com) >
How about an end to Israeli violence which, having the F-16s, Apache attack
helicopters, tanks, cluster bombs, and Caterpillar bulldozers, FAR exceeds
that of the Palestinians. And how about an end to destroying Palestinian homes
(18,000+ to date), orchards and olive groves (about a million to date), an
end to shooting rock-throwing Palestinian children, an end to extrajudicial
imprisonment of Palestinians, an end the Great Levantine Wall, an end to
Jewish-only roads, complete removal of the settlements, return or compensation for
all refugees from 1948 on, profuse apologies from Israel, a humble and
truthful admission of its 60 years of massive crimes against the people of
Palestine, and an Israel-financed Marshall Plan to build Palestine - if a separate
state - or the Palestinian areas of a single, unified, actually democratic,
non-Zionist state - into an economic equal of the Jewish state or areas enjoyed
by the Jewish population? In other words, how about getting real, creating a
real democracy, and starting with a collective Israeli 12-step program to
recover from its abusive relationship disorder?
Addressing your points below:
1. They don't need a "settlement freeze" but must pack their bags and get
out altogether (and leave the properties intact for Arab compensation rather
than destroying them as they did when vacating Gaza).
2. The Golan Heights isn't "disputed." Israel illegally invaded it in 1967
and has illegally occupied it ever since. The UN and international law are
very clear about who is right and who is wrong in this matter.
3. Hamas is the legally elected government of Palestine and their exclusion
and collective punishment for winning an election is unconscionable,
inexcusable and illegal under international law.
4. The only just solution is full right of return or full compensation for
all refugees, their choice, and if an Arab majority results, so be it and so
what? Israelis have a right only to land acquired through legal real estate
transactions with the rightful owners, not through 1948 Zionist terrorism, the
pre-emptive 1967 war, or confiscation by an illegal military occupation.
(And according to surveys, only about a million of the 4+ million Palestinian
refugees would want to return.)
Renunciation of the archaic, racist Zionist obsession is the necessary key
to any solution. Mississippi did it, South Africa did it. So can Israel. It
just requires a "fearless moral inventory" and a sincere desire to compensate
those whom it has injured. And it doesn't require negotiation. It only
requires admission of the truth and unilateral contrition. There is no parity
here of power, guilt or responsibility. These lie entirely with Israel, and
the ball is entirely in Israel's court.
----- Original Message -----
From: _Mitchell Plitnick, Jewish Voice for Peace_
(mailto:info at jewishvoiceforpeace.org)
To: _jdresser at squadron13.com_ (mailto:jdresser at squadron13.com)
Sent: Monday, November 26, 2007 5:13 PM
Subject: Support for Annapolis and Continued Engagement
Jewish Voice for Peace Urges Support for the Annapolis Conference and for
Continued Engagement
Take Action Now
_Click here_
(http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=ohdSxXudb0JjXKXm1tiCWdgWId5hk9gK) to write a letter to the editor of your local
paper. Tell them that you support the renewed start of peace negotiations.
We know many of you are wondering what to make of the conference taking
place on Tuesday November 27 in Annapolis. The conference itself is a one-day
affair which will offer little more than a chance for a few speeches and
photo-ops, but could mark the beginning of a more substantive diplomatic process.
Jewish Voice for Peace hopes that is the case and calls for supporters to
renew efforts to demand that our leaders pursue a just peace based on respect
for the universal rights of all the peoples in the Middle East.
The Middle East peace meeting has been generally greeted with skepticism,
cynicism and opposition. This is unfortunate, as such diplomatic proc esses
are indispensable if a resolution to the conflict between Israel and the
Palestinians, as well as between Israel and its other neighbors, are to be
resolved. JVP considers this an opportunity to push even harder for the outcomes
we think necessary for a just and lasting peace agreement: an end to
Israel's occupation of Palestinian lands (withdrawal to 67 borders?), an end to
violence directed at Israeli civilians, a shared Jerusalem, and a just and
practical resolution to the Palestinian refugee issue.
For almost the duration of its two terms, the Bush Administration has paid
scant attention to the Israel-Palestine conflict and has expended little
energy on any sort of ongoing diplomatic process. The result is that the hope for
a resolution is much more distant now than it has been in many years. It is
clear that American disengagement is a disaster, and no one feels the brunt
of that calamity more than the Palestinians, whose economic and humanitarian
situation is worse than ever.
There is, of course, every reason for a lack of faith in the Bush
Administration, which has proven inept at international relations. This administration
has generally disdained diplomacy and has wielded military might in
careless manner. But until January, 2009, this is the administration we have. Rather
than wring our hands about this, we need instead to make it clear to
President Bush and Condoleezza Rice that w e expect Annapolis to mark the beginning
of American engagement toward a just and sustainable peace between Israel
and its neighbors.
Supporters of current Israeli policy are both opposing the conference and,
since the conference is going to happen anyway, working to ensure that it
does not result in any pressure on Israel whatsoever to compromise. If
supporters of peace content themselves with simply opposing the conference, they will
only help ensure the continued deterioration of the situation.
Now is the time to call for American pressure
* to make Israel's announced settlement freeze permanent
* to engage Syria and Israel in talks to end their long-standing
dispute over the Golan Heights
* to find a way to engage Hamas so that a cease-fire stopping the
shelling of Israeli towns near Gaza can be brokered and so that Hamas will not
oppose other steps toward peace that Israel and the Palestinians might take
* for Israel to take down the sections of its wall that cut into the
West Bank
* and to work on resolving the issues of permanent borders based on
the pre-1967 lines, the status of Jerusalem and a just and practical solution
to the problem of Palestinian refugees.
The Annapolis conference is only a first step, but if it is to kick-start
meaningful American re-engagement in Israel-Palestine, we can work to help lay
the groundwork so that both this and the next administration hear a clear
message that we want to see progress toward a just, sustainable and practical
peace that offers hope and improved conditions for all the people of
Palestine and Israel.
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