[GushShalom] Founding Conference of the Israeli-Palestinian Action Group for Peace

[Gush Shalom (Israeli Peace Bloc)]

GUSH SHALOM  pob 3322, Tel-Aviv 61033 www.gush-shalom.org

Press release
June 28, 2003

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Founding Conference of the Israeli-Palestinian Action Group for Peace
This morning in Ramallah, a hundred Israeli peace activists elude 
military roadblocks in order to meet like-minded Palestinians.
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"We welcome the increasing move towards Hudna (cease-fire) and the 
chance to break the cycle of violence, bloodshed and killing of innocent 
Israelis and Palestinians - but a cease-fire can be no more than one  
step in the right direction. A stable and lasting peace cannot be 
achieved without putting a complete end to the occuaption which is the 
root cause of the hatred and bloodshed. Leaders, politicians and 
diplomats cannot be relied on to do the job alone. There is needed a 
daily struggle for peace, a grassroots struggle, a joint struggle of 
commited citizens from both sides, acting together." 

The above sums up he mood among two hundred Israeli and 
Palestinian peace activists, public figures and intellectuals who 
gathered this morning in Ramallah on the West Bank to attend the 
founding conference of the "Joint Action Group for Israeli-Palestinian 
Peace." 

In order to get there, the Israeli participants had to find their way 
through the army roadblocks at the entrances to Ramallah. After 
several dozen Israelis mingled among Palestinian pedestrians at 
Kalandia Checkpoint on the south side of the city, soldiers blocked the 
entrance. The remaining activists, however, traveled by backroads and 
eventually made it to the conference hall. A few hours later, when they 
were exiting the city, soldiers at Kalandia wrote down meticulously 
names and ID numbers, threatening the Israelis on their way home with 
prosecution for having broken a military order - the three-year old order 
forbidding Israelis from entering the Palestinian cities ("Area A"). 

"Our most important declaration is the fact that we are here, peace-
seeking Israelis who came to meet peace-seeking Palestinians and 
establish together a joint organization. The government wants to 
prevent Israelis who want peace from going into Ramallah; this is a 
privilege only of soldiers and settlers. But we are here to say to you, 
our Palestinian friends, that we are not enemies; that the joint enemy 
of all of us is the occupation, and the joint purpose - peace between 
the state of Israel and the state of Palestine", said Dr Lev Grinberg of 
Ben-Gurion University.

"I am happy to receive and host here so many peace-seekers", said 
Hanan Ashrawi, one of the main Palestinian organizers. "The approach 
common to all of us here, to Israelis and Palestinians alike, is based 
on the concept of security - not military security, but human security, 
creating mutual trust and recognizing the humanness of the other. 
Even the most difficult problems outstanding between the two peoples, 
such as settlements, refugees and Jerusalem, must be squarely faced 
and equitably solved, rather than swept under the rug."

Uri Avnery, who had a central role in bringing about the conference, 
mapped out a plan of action for the new body: 
- setting up a committee of experts to prepare within three months a 
detailed draft peace agreement, dealing with all the difficult issues; 
- a "Truth and Reconcilation Commission" on the model of the South-
African body chaired by Bishop Desmond Tutu, with the ail of looking 
at the history of the past century and trying to formulate a version 
which both peoples can recognize;
- a joint media bureau, which would actively engage the Israeli, 
Palestinian and international media; 
- an operations committee, charged with preparing demonstrations, 
campaigns and struggles, for example against the Separation Wall 
which is systemativally depriving Palestinian of their lands, or against 
the roadblocks which severely disrupt daily life.

"We want to confront the feeling of despair among both peoples, both 
of whom lost the belief that there can be a different future. We want to 
tell both peoples that they have a partner for peace, that there is 
somebody to talk to", said Yehudith Har'el, a driving force behind the 
initiative. "From here, from Ramallah, we want to give a message to 
both our peoples. There is an alternative to the policy of occupation 
and bloodshed. An alternative based on recognizing each other's  
rights; of ending the occupation through evacuation of settlers and 
withdrawal of the army behind the '67 border. The refugee problem 
must come to a solution by agreement between the two sides,   
cooperation with the international community and basing itself on the 
relevant UN resolutions."

The principles enumerated by Har'el, are in fact those set out in the 
new organization's manifesto. Naim el-Ashab who took part with her in 
drafting the text - already signed and published by more than a 
thousand people - remarked that this document is the result of dozens 
of preparatory meetings of Palestinians and Israelis over the past two 
years, starting from a small nucleus and gradually extending to more 
people on both sides. "This body must monitor the actual 
implementation of the roadmap, see to it that it does get to its official 
stated purpose - end of the occupation and creation of a viable 
Palestinian state which is the only way to achieve peace. 
The roadmap, originally created as a joint document of four 
international actors is more and more usurped by a single one of the 
four, one which has been showing itself as biased all too often. This 
poses the danger of the whole thing being derailed." He concluded by 
calling for the stationing of international forces, to ensure 
disengagement between two sides who have shed so much of each 
other's blood in the past thousand days.

Former Knesset Member Tamar Gozanski had been delayed at the 
army road-blocks and arrived an hour late. "Sharon and Bush are trying 
to sell old merchandise in a new packing. They both know that the 
great majority even of Israelis is weary of war, occupation and 
bloodshed. Both of them know that it is impossible even to 
contemplate a solution without talking of "creating a Palestinian state." 
But their using this concept is emptying it of the original content. 
Sharon means to create Bantustans and call them a state. We have to 
start using new language, and take care to be very precise about what 
we mean and not give up for example on the '67 borders."

Dr Gabi Baramki, former President of Bir-Zeit University, spoke of the 
two army roadblocks created at the Surda area, between Ramallah and 
the town of Bir-Zeit, which force students and lecturers to trek daily 
some two kilometers by foot, there and back. "This is a sadistic 
measure, which serves no Israeli security need whatsoever, the only 
purpose is to make our life difficult, to make it more difficult to maintain 
the normal academic life of our university." Bir-Zeit students also took 
up the same point: Israeli activists, some of them students or lecturers 
themselves, expressed interest in the suggested joint protest at the 
Surda roadblocks. Some Israeli and Palestinian students already 
exchanged phone numbers and email addresses on the spot.

Participants called for solidarity with the Palestinian prsoners held by 
Israel and who have started a hunger strike. Specific mention was 
made of Marwan Barghouti. "If he would be able, he would be here with 
us." said Hanan Ashrawi. Also mentioned was the other imprisoned 
Palestinian legislator, Husam Khader. 

The Israeli refusniks - with their dramatic court martial sessions in the 
past week - got an applause. "They have been put on trial for their 
refusal to serve the occuaption, but now they put the occupation itself 
on trial" exclaimed a very proud grandfather, and himself a veteran 
peace activist, Reuven Kaminer.

The supreme sacrifice of Rachel Corrie was commemorated. (It was in 
the past days that the army's legal branch officially declared that the 
Corrie file is closed, with nobody prosecuted.)

A delegation of conference participants met shortly with  President 
Arafat, who was reported to welcome the joint initiative.

For background:

Uri Avnery +972-(0)50-306440
Hanan Ashrawi - +972-(0)2-585 1842
Yehudit Har'el +972-(0)56-263145
Lev Grinberg - +972-(0)52-227432


For video footage:

Natasha Dudinsky - 972-(0)53-475496
Kathy Vasana - 972-(0)67-371606
B.H. Yael - 972-(0)51-939976



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