TIKKUN COMMUNITY

TOPIC: statement from Tikkun Communityfor-israeli-palestinian-peace/browse_thread/thread/38e1f66717667b62?hl=en================================================================================ 1 of 1 ==Date: Sat, Jun 2 2007 5:37 am From: Didacus Ramos Statement by Tikkun Community Regarding "The World Says No to Israeli Occupation", June 10 - 11 Rally and Lobbying Day
The Tikkun Community, as a member organization of both the US Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation and United for Peace and Justice, fully supports the uniting principles of the June 10 - 11 action being planned by these two groups: "The World Says No to Israeli Occupation". These principles call for: · An end to US military, economic, diplomatic, and corporate support for Israel's illegal military occupation of the Palestinian West Bank, Gaza Strip, and East Jerusalem. · A change in US policy to one that supports a just peace between Palestinians and Israelis based on equality, human rights and international law, and the full implementation of all relevant UN resolutions. Further, we encourage our chapters and individual members to participate in this action's congressional lobbying day on June 11th. We support all efforts to lobby the U.S. Government to align its actions with the above principles, and to do everything within its power to bring about immediate negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians to find a just, sustainable and peaceful two-state agreement based on pre-1967 borders (with mutually acceptable and equitable adjustments). We also call for any agreement to include clear steps to be taken by both peoples towards reconciliation. However, we have been unable to secure sufficient guarantees from the organizers that statements from speakers that contradict the rally's unifying principles will not be tolerated at the June 10th rally. In particular, we are concerned about statements that question the legitimacy of the State of Israel or call for its dissolution, that recognize the right to national self-determination of Palestinians but not Israelis or, worse yet, that justify violence against Israeli civilians. Such statements would be in direct contravention of the rally's stated principles, as among the UN resolutions relevant to the Israeli Palestinian conflict are those that call for the creation and continued security of the State of Israel. Statements which deny the rights of the Jewish people to security and national self-determination are wholly anathema to our own positions, and we cannot indirectly support them by participating in a public event at which they would be deemed acceptable. As a consequence, we are unable to endorse the rally. Of course, individual members of our organization are free to make their own decisions about whether or not to participate personally. For those who choose to do so, we encourage them to visibly and vocally support the rights of both the Jewish and Palestinian peoples to national self-determination. In the future, we hope to be able to march side-by-side with all who call for an end to the occupation of the West Bank and Gaza, united in supporting the rights of both the Israeli people and the Palestinian people to national self-determination, each in their own sovereign state. Didacus RamosAtlanta, GA"It's not a question of who's going to throw the first stone: It's a question of who's going to start building with it." Sloan Wilson"Never believe that a few caring people can't change the world. For, indeed, that's all who ever have." Margaret Mead