Brit Tzedek v'Shalom
Jewish Alliance for Justice and Peace
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 1, 2003
Contact: Bruce Ente,
Tel: 773-583-5747
info@btvshalom.org
JEWISH PEACE GROUP PRESENTS BOLD, NEW PLAN TO BREAK THE MIDDLE EAST IMPASSE
American Jews Kick Off Campaign to Relocate Settlers
Chicago--The Jewish Alliance for Justice and Peace, a national group of Jewish Americans committed to ending the violence between Israelis and Palestinians, is launching a campaign to tackle one of the toughest obstacles to Middle East peace: the Israeli settlements scattered throughout the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.
The Jewish Alliance for Justice and Peace is urging the U.S. government to mobilize international support to bring the settlers home from the occupied territories, and thereby break the cycle of despair that is paralyzing the region.
In its Call to Bring the Settlers Home to Israel, the Jewish Alliance for Justice and Peace (which also goes by the Hebrew name Brit Tzedek v'Shalom) is introducing a nationwide campaign in Jewish communities to:
- Urge the United States government to provide generous foreign assistance and solicit contributions from the European Union, other major industrial democracies and the United Nations for this massive relocation effort;
- Call on the United States to pressure Israel to reverse its longstanding financial inducements to Israeli settlers and to redirect those funds to assist settlers who are willing to return to Israel proper.
"By assisting the settlers, the United States has the power right now to change the situation on the ground and break the ideological and strategic logjam that has persisted for years," said Marcia Freedman, President of Brit Tzedek v'Shalom, and a former member of Israel's Knesset. "It won't require U.S. troops. The cost is minimal. It will enhance Israel's security while signaling a clear commitment to the emergence of a viable Palestinian state."
The year-long signature campaign, which the Jewish Alliance is launching to coincide with Israel's Independence Day, is just getting underway, but prominent signers urging a change in U.S. foreign policy already include: Ed Asner, Gloria Steinem, Rabbi Arthur Hertzberg, Michael Walzer, Theordore Bikel, Tony Kushner, Grace Paley, Adam Hochschild, Art Spiegelman, Letty Cottin Pogrebin, Rabbi Arthur Waskow, Jessica Benjamin, Ariel Dorfman, and Rabbi Steven Carr Reuben.
For the past 35 years, more than 200,000 Israeli citizens have been induced by special economic incentives to settle in the West Bank and Gaza Strip - land inhabited by 3.5 million Palestinians and expected to be negotiated as part of the new State of Palestine. A recent comprehensive survey of settlers found that nearly 80% were motivated by a desire to create better lives for themselves and their families and not by ideological or religious reasons. The survey also revealed that a clear majority of settlers are prepared to withdraw in exchange for suitable financial compensation.
The relentless drive to settle hundreds of thousands of Israelis amidst millions of Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza Strip has never enhanced Israel's security. On the contrary, the settlers' vulnerability to attack has resulted in the loss of nearly a thousand Israeli soldiers and civilians in the last 36 years and hundreds in just the past two years. The security risk and financial burden are among the reasons that the settlements have become increasingly unpopular among Israelis: according to recent surveys, the majority of Israelis recognize that the settlements will have to be evacuated as part of any peace agreement.
Meanwhile, the Palestinians have seen thousands of their loved ones die since the start of the occupation. Since 1993, when Israel signed the Oslo peace accords, setting the stage for a two-state solution, the settlements have doubled in size, undermining Palestinian confidence in Israel's desire for a two-state solution.
A good-faith effort to relocate the settlers in Israel proper will defuse the tension in the territories and reinvigorate the peace process. To urge the U.S. government to take the necessary steps, the Jewish Alliance for Justice and Peace is circulating the Call to Bring the Settlers Home to Israel in Jewish communities around the country beginning on May 7, Israel Independence Day. By embracing this initiative, the U.S. government can remove a major obstacle to peace, create a new opening for a negotiated settlement, and safeguard the lives of Israelis and Palestinians.
The Jewish Alliance for Justice and Peace, Brit Tzedek v'Shalom, is a grassroots organization of American Jews deeply committed to Israel's well-being through the achievement of a negotiated settlement to the long-standing Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
To sign the call, go to www.bringthemhome.btvshalom.org
For press kit materials, go to www.btvshalom.org/pressrelease/
Brit Tzedek v'Shalom, Jewish Alliance for Justice and Peace
P.O. Box 180175
Chicago, IL 60618-0175
info@btvshalom.org
Tel: 773-583-5747
Fax: 773-583-5772