GREENS CALL FOR AN INTERNATIONAL PEACEKEEPING BODY TO ENFORCE A MIDDLE EAST CEASEFIRE
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miscellaneous |
news report
Thursday April 04, 2002 07:00
by Starlene Rankin - U. S. Green Party Media Team
Green candidates for Congress urge a halt to the spiraling violence and immediate action from Bush
THE GREEN PARTY OF THE UNITED STATES
MEDIA ADVISORY
For immediate release:
Wednesday, April 3, 2002
Contacts:
Nancy Allen, Media Coordinator, 207-326-4576,
[email protected]
Scott McLarty, Media Coordinator, 202-518-5624,
[email protected]
GREENS CALL FOR AN INTERNATIONAL PEACEKEEPING
BODY TO ENFORCE A MIDDLE EAST CEASEFIRE
Green candidates for Congress urge a halt to the
spiraling violence and immediate action from Bush
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Green Party congressional
candidates have joined various
Israeli-Palestinian coalitions for peace in
demanding that the killings on both sides cease
and that Israel and Palestine agree to accept an
international peacekeeping body under the
auspices of the United Nations to be sent to the
occupied territories to enforce a halt to the
escalating retaliatory violence. At the same
time, all available channels of diplomatic
communication must be kept open in order for
negotiations for peace and the establishment of a
Palestinian state to advance.
"America's reluctance to propose an
internationally cooperative effort remains a
major obstacle to peace and stability in the
Middle East," said Richard Vikstrom, Illinois
candidate for U.S. Senate. "Greens in Israel and
the rest of the world have joined
Israeli-Palestinian peace organizations such as
Gush Shalom, [the Arab-Jewish political party]
Hadash, and [the women's peace group] Bat Shalom
in demanding that Israel's army stop attacks on
Palestinian civil authorities, that Palestinians
cease all political murders of Israeli civilians,
and that both peoples come together to disarm and
negotiate."
"The more Israel tries to suppress violence by
Palestinians through the use of military force,
the more many Palestinians -- already desperate
from decades of economic and political
suppression, displacement by settlers, and abuse
and murder by Israeli forces -- may be motivated
to commit suicidal attacks on Israeli civilians,"
said Charles Pillsbury, Green Party candidate for
Congress in Connecticut's 3rd District.
"If Sharon succeeds in isolating Arafat, we fear
the violence will only expand. Each attack on
Palestine, every bomb that Israel drops on a
refugee camp, results in more Palestinians
killing more Israelis, followed by more Israeli
attacks," Pillsbury added. "The invasion of
Ramallah won't bring Israel even temporary
security but new waves of death and destruction.
Arafat has pleaded for international help to
interrupt the spiraling violence. President Bush
must cease arming one side of the conflict
[Israel] and push for an international U.N.-led
peacekeeping force, or the atrocities will
escalate."
"Each side feels justified in using violence to
respond to the violence committed by the other
side," said Joseph Fortunato, candidate for New
Jersey Representative, 8th Congressional
District. "Greens support the right of Israel
and Palestine to a peaceful coexistence, and we
strongly oppose the decades-long violation of
Palestinian human rights in the occupied
territories by Israel, while condemning any and
all violence against civilians. Israel must end
its military aggression and leave the occupied
territories now. Its continued occupation of
Palestinian lands, in violation of international
law, is perpetuating the cycle of violence and
despair. We call for an immediate end to the
mayhem and demand that Israel must stand down
now."
"It's clear that the recent efforts by the Bush
administration to reduce the fighting are driven
by a desire to secure Arab support for a U.S.
military attack on Iraq, rather than to secure
permanent peace in the Palestinian-Israeli
conflict," said Dr. Jonathan Farley, Green
congressional candidate in Tennessee. In
November, Dr. Farley spoke at a Stop the War
rally in London that drew 100,000 people.
"There have been far too many victims on both
sides. Palestinian and Israeli children have been
slaughtered, ambulances carrying wounded
Palestinians shot at, Palestinians homes are
demolished and their towns and villages sealed
off," added Evergreen Chou, a candidate seeking
the Green Party's nomination for Representative
from Queens, New York. "U.S. foreign policy in
the Middle East has contributed to the violence.
It is time for the U.S. to stop its efforts which
have blocked peace in the Middle East. It is
clear that the Sharon and Arafat governments will
not be able to negotiate a peaceful settlement
without the intervention of the international
community."
MORE INFORMATION
The Green Party of the United States
http://gpus.org
http://www.greenpartyus.org
Index of Green Party candidates in 2002
http://www.greens.org/elections
Israeli-Palestinian coalitions and other
organizations for peace:
Gush Shalom http://www.gush-shalom.org
Coalition of Women for Peace
http://www.coalitionofwomen4peace.org
Bat Shalom http://www.batshalom.org
Women in Black http://www.igc.org/balkans/wib/
New Profile http://www.newprofile.org
END
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Comments (6 of 6)
Jump To Comment: 1 2 3 4 5 6The only way to create a lasting peace in the Middle East is through the Working Class not the international community or 'Peacekeepers'. Capitalism has failed to bring peace to the Middle East.
* An independent socialist Palestine alongside a socialist Israel.
* A free and voluntary socialist confederation in the middle east.
*Israeli workers should hold a general strike agianst the attacks on Palestine.
* Israeli conscripts be free not to fight in the West Bank
* A genuine Palestinian national liberation movement under democratic control of Palestinian people away from terrorist tactics of suicide bombers. No to Arafat bureacracy.
for Jews, Arabs and non believers
No two state solutions-
that just legitimises apartheid and sectarianism
People unite!
The call for a "secular democratic Palestine" is nothing more than a fantasy under capitalism - in either it's "one state" or "two states" variety.
A "two state" solution under capitalism would mean little more than the establishment of Palestinian bantustans, under Israeli control.
A "one state" solution under capitalism is simply a call for the national rights of Israeli jews to be totally ignored. That, sadly, isn't considered to be a problem by some on the left. They have decided that Israeli jews are a bad nation, and therefore we don't have to worry about their rights.
The only equitable, workable, solution is a working class one. And given that both the Palestinian and Israeli working classes have national rights and demand their own states, that solution will have to involve a socialist Palestine alongside a socialist Israel.
Nobody is under any illusions that such a route will be easy. The question is what are the alternatives?
The link below is that of Maavak Sozialisti, the sister organisation of the Socialist Party in Israel\Palestine. I would encourage people to have a look at it.
i think it is patronising to assume that palestinians and jewish people cannot live in the same socialist republic. Does your socialist party also advocate a two sate solution in north ireland, with one state for the nationalist and one state for the settler protestant? If so this is just reflection of existing sectarianism and not its overthrow. I would agree with those who think we should unite in the here and now
It is not "patronising" to argue for a socialist Israel alongside a socialist Palestine, any more than it is patronising to argue for a socialist Germany alongside a socialist France. Neither am I arguing that Jews and Palestinians can't live alongside each other - there would certainly be minority populations in both a socialist Israel and a socialist Palestine.
The reality is that the call for a "democratic secular Palestine" translates as a call for a capitalist Palestine and the destruction of Israel. That might give a visceral thrill to a few toytown revolutionaries in the West but it is never going to help gain the support of Israeli workers for the Palestinian struggle. And without the support of Israeli workers, the Palestinians will be forever outgunned.
As for the position of the Socialist Party on Northern Ireland, no we do not call for two states. There are not, after all, two nations in Northern Ireland.
We argue for a socialist united Ireland, in a voluntary federation with a socialist Scotland, Wales, England and Europe. We do reach our conclusions in the same way however: We don't dismiss Northern Irish Protestants as inherently reactionary any more that we dismiss Israeli Jews as inherently reactionary. And we are aware that no solution to the Irish national question is possible without the involvement of Protestant workers.
Again that recognition doesn't go down well with those who want to smash Northern Irish Protestants out of the way. I wouldn't expect it too. Our perspective is working class not nationalist.
Now if any posting to indymedia was likely to get a lot of anonymous replies attacking it this one will.
Firstly the problem with the demand of a democratic secular Palestine is that it fails
to recognise that the national question in this region is insoluable on the basis of capitaism
as is the national question on this island. Secondly neither the Israeli Jewish working class
nor the Palestenian masses would except this solution. It does not recognise the national aspirations
of the latter or that an Israeli national consciousness has emerged amonsgst the former the foundation of the
state of Israel in 1948. This is not an unimportant issue, only the Palestenians linked in with the Isreli workers
can show away out the present impasse in this region. Therefore it is necessary put forward
a solution that recognises this reality.