[WCUSP] Letter to Condoleezza Rice: Work for Peace in Annapolis Talks
Kate Zaidan
kzaidan at wilpf.org
Mon Nov 26 15:43:18 CST 2007
Dear WILPF branches and members,
The WILPF Campaign "Women Challenge U.S. Policy, Building Peace on
Justice in the Middle East" has sent this message to the U.S. State
Department, urging our government to heed the call for peace in the
Middle East in tomorrow's Annapolis peace talks.
25 branches, representing hundreds of people, have signed onto this
letter. Please download the attach letter and fax to the state
department at 202-647-2283.
**************************************************
November 26, 2007
The Honorable Condoleezza Rice
Secretary of State
U.S. Department of State
2201 C Street NW
Washington, D.C. 20520
Fax: (202) 647-2283
Dear Secretary Rice,
On behalf of Women's International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF),
U.S. Section, we would like to thank you for your initiative in calling
for a renewed peace effort in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. We will
be watching as the proposed conference in Maryland takes shape and
attempts to move the process forward.
Several years ago, our organization held our triennial international
congress in Baltimore, MD. Since WILPF has sections in Israel,
Palestine, and Lebanon, we took the opportunity to make an appointment
and send a delegation over to The U.S. State Department for a frank
discussion. We brought representatives from each of our Middle East
sections--Jews, Christians, and Muslims--and the under-secretary with
whom we met found our evaluation of the situation to be relevant and
useful. Several of our suggestions later became part of the U.S. stance
in the negotiations which were then taking place.
We feel that our extensive knowledge of the region, which comes from an
involvement pre-dating the creation of the State of Israel, as well as
the experience of our members who live in the area, could serve as a
useful guide to the State Department as this round of talks unfolds. To
that end, we would like to put forward some suggestions.
1. In the past, the peace talks have been just that: talks. The
projected result needs to be a durable peace, based on justice, which
will benefit all of the peoples of the region. Real progress is
measured in concrete actions. Without action, the parties become
frustrated. Please set concrete and achievable goals at each phase.
2. No assumption can or should be made that the parties to these
negotiations are equal. The State of Israel is one of the most powerful
nations on earth, while the Palestinian Authority, which declared itself
to be a state several years ago--both in Gaza on October 1, 1948, and in
Algiers on November 15, 1988--has not been given the same international
status. In every true respect, this is not a negotiation between equals.
Neither the U.S., nor any other great power, should operate as a
rubber-stamp for the Israeli state, as that would further imbalance the
talks and surely lead to their failure. Please be certain that the U.S.
acts as an honest broker, working for the good of all parties.
3. The principle of land for peace and the items generally referred to
as "final status issues" must be on the table and not simply ignored
until the end. Most of these issues have been covered in relevant UN
resolutions. The basis for negotiations has been, and should remain
UNSCR 242 and 338, plus all of the resolutions relevant to each round of
the talks.
4. Although the U.S. currently recognizes the Fatah-led government as
the legitimate voice of the Palestinian people, it must be recalled that
the free and fair democratic elections held by the Palestinian people
led to the selection of many members of Hamas. Regardless of U.S.
feelings about that organization, many Palestinians believe it to be
their legitimate representative. That is especially true of many of the
1.5 million residents of the Gaza Strip. Excluding Hamas from the peace
talks would be tantamount to denying 1.5 million Palestinians a voice in
their own future. Such exclusion would also doom the talks to failure.
Attempts must be made to see that no such exclusion take place. It is
our position that both Fatah and Hamas should be included in discussions
about the fate of the Palestinian people.
5. The entire region should be declared a nuclear-free zone. Israel is
known to be a nuclear state and it must accede to the normal inspection
regimen of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Other states
in the region would be more likely to follow suit. Whenever possible,
weaponry must be reduced, based on mutual agreement of the parties. We
recommend, for regional security, that Israel become a party to the
Nuclear Non-Proliferation treaties. Treaties to this effect could be a
basis for a lasting peace in the region.
6. Within both Palestinian and Israeli society, women can be found in
high leadership positions. We are happy to note that this is the case,
and hope that UNSCR 1325, which calls for the inclusion of women's
voices at all levels and a gender-sensitive approach to decision-making,
will be adhered to in the discussions of peace. Women in the region,
including members of our own organization, have much to say that is
relevant to achieving a durable and lasting peace.
7. We continue to believe that the "creation of facts on the ground,"
which includes house demolitions, land confiscations, settlement-
building, the construction of Jew-only bypass roads, the Separation
Wall, and hundreds of checkpoints are all obstacles to peace. They are
detrimental to all of the peoples residing there, as they set up
artificial barriers to the normal interaction of people as neighbors.
Our organization believes that peace is achieved through building
bridges, not walls. In the end, a good deal of this artificial
infrastructure will undoubtedly need to be dismantled, and the sooner
that occurs, the more likely that normal relations can be
re-established, including employment, commerce, travel, and regular
activity that leads to a higher quality of life. We would encourage by
this the implementation of UNSCR 181 regarding economic union.
8. It is disingenuous to say that the parties must settle their
differences themselves. Because of the high level of financial support
the U.S. has given to Israel over the years, including military weapons
sales, the U.S. is very much involved in the heart of the conflict.
Although we cannot make the final determination of the end to the
conflict, the U.S. must resolve to assist in its termination. The
simple reason for this is that all of the parties suffer during a
continual state of war, or near-war, and that everyone benefits from peace.
We hope that you, Secretary Rice, and the State Department will consider
our extensive and personal involvement in the region, and our many
contacts among residents at all levels of society, to be invaluable as
the talks progress. We are hopeful that they will progress, and that the
information we are providing herein will serve as a guideline to you in
seeing that the "talks" are productive towards a just peace in the region
This letter represents our U.S. section, and is supported by our
branches in the following locations across the U.S.
* Anchorage, Alaska
* Phoenix, Arizona
* Tucson, Arizona
* Los Angeles, California
* Peninsula Branch, California
* Sacramento, California
* San Jose, California
* Santa Barbara, California
* Santa Cruz, California
* Boulder, Colorado
* Des Moines, Iowa
* Brunswick, Maine
* Catonsville, Maryland
* Boston, Massachusetts
* Ann Arbor/ Ypsilanti, Michigan
* Detroit, Michigan
* Minnesota Metro,
* St. Louis, Missouri
* Ashland, Oregon
* Portland, Oregon
* Delaware County, Pennsylvania
* Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
* Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
* Houston, Texas
* Washington DC
Initiated and disseminated by the U.S. WILPF Middle East Campaign,
*Women Challenge U.S. Policy: Building Peace on Justice in the Middle East*
* *
* *
--
Kate Zaidan
Program Coordinator
The Women's International League for Peace and Freedom
1213 Race Street
Philadelphia, PA 19107
215-563-7110 [ph]
215-563-5527 [fx]
www.wilpf.org
"Societies and economies can be destroyed by bombs. Societies can also be destroyed by locking every aspect of life like provision of food and water through an economic war."
Vandana Shiva quote
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