[statecom-discuss] copy of party position on palestine

[annie butler]

john and colby,
i will be happy to shift the conversation as colby suggests "The more basic 
we remain on this issue  the better."  john you are right to point out that 
our party position does not say that israel  does not have a right to exist.

our party position states in point 5 (see below for full text):
5.  The Green-Rainbow Party of Massachusetts recognizes the right of 
Palestinians to self-defense as well as nonviolent resistance to Israeli 
occupation and the Israeli project of forced displacement of the indigenous 
Palestinian population which has been ongoing since 1948. The right to 
resist occupation is guaranteed to all peoples of the world by international 
law.

our party believes palestinians have a right to self defense as well as 
nonviolent resistance to israeli occupation. so where are the israeli's 
occupying?  the moon?  no, they are occupying palestine, since 1948, when 
the country got a name change.

as i said i will be happy, as colby suggests, to remain basic. and i might 
add, at the risk of seeming ridiculous,  that we all give the american press 
a rest and hear what the rest of the world reports on what the vast majority 
of palestinians believe.   please find below our whole position.

towards free palestine,  i don't think it will be to long now unless of 
course america wants to become embroiled in a much larger war in that part 
of the world. annie butler

Green-Rainbow Party Statement on Palestine

The Green-Rainbow Party of Massachusetts, in consonance with its adherence 
to its Ten Key Values, has the following position on the issue of Palestine.

	1.  The Green-Rainbow Party of Massachusetts calls for the end of all 
American military and economic aid to Israel. Additionally, the 
Green-Rainbow Party of Massachusetts supports the following means to bring 
pressure to bear on Israel:
Divestment initiatives that seek to withdraw institutional investments from 
Israel state bonds and corporations that do business with Israel.

Academic boycotts of Israeli academics and academic institutions.

	2.  The Green-Rainbow Party of Massachusetts calls for an ecologically 
sound commitment to equitably sharing and conserving all water and other 
natural resources among all peoples of the region.

	3.  The Green-Rainbow Party of Massachusetts supports full implementation 
of the Right of Return for each Palestinian refugee, which means each 
Palestinian has the right to choose to return to his or her home and lands. 
This right is a fundamental human right and is enshrined in international 
law for all peoples of the world.

	4.  The Green-Rainbow Party of Massachusetts rejects all apartheid-based 
governmental systems and calls for a secular, democratic governing entity 
for all people in the geographic region of historic Palestine (today 
referred to by some people as Israel, the West Bank and Gaza). We support a 
democratic system with equal rights for all in which the peoples of the 
region democratically decide their future.

	5.  The Green-Rainbow Party of Massachusetts recognizes the right of 
Palestinians to self-defense as well as nonviolent resistance to Israeli 
occupation and the Israeli project of forced displacement of the indigenous 
Palestinian population which has been ongoing since 1948. The right to 
resist occupation is guaranteed to all peoples of the world by international 
law.

66666666666666666666666666666666666666
"...the road wil bend, the war will end and love will win"  g. brooks



----Original Message Follows----
From: "John Walsh" <jvwalshmd at gmail.com>
Reply-To: Discussion List for StateCom members 
<statecom-discuss at green-rainbow.org>
To: "Discussion List for StateCom members" 
<statecom-discuss at green-rainbow.org>
Subject: Re: Re: [statecom-discuss] Fwd: When Terror Is Just Fine
Date: Wed, 26 Jul 2006 18:09:44 -0400

The formulation that Israel does not have the right to exist is NOT a
good one.  No one, even Nelson Mandela, said that South Africa did not
have the right to exist.  And that is NOT stated in the GRP position
which it might be good to read.

The position of the GRP is that the best solution for Palestine is to
have a secular state - with democratic and religious rights for all.
It does NOT imply that Israeli Jews should "go home" to Europe or
wherever they migrated from - no more than Mandela demanded white
South Africans to go back to England or the Netherlands.  And it
implies that Palestinians should be able to return to their homeland.

AND if the Palestinians and Israels should democratically decide that
they prefer a two-state solution (as every secular Palestian party
seems to want), then that democratic choice of course would be
respected (And hailed, I dare say.) by the GRP.
That must be clear to everyone.
And also we have to worry about the votes and so we must not put
things in a way that we may find emotionally satisfying but reflect
neither our real position nor the facts.
jw

On 7/26/06, annie butler <anniembutler at hotmail.com> wrote:
>merelice,
>i understand that is how you think parties are suppose to behave but i do
>not.  i think we need to stand on principles and be able to explain them 
>and
>how they relate to what is going on in our world.  i feel comfortable with
>that.  you write:
>"Since we are a political party, I believe one of our functions is to earn
>and
>attract the "votes" (literal and figurative)....."
>
>i did not join the green-rainbow party because it takes a step by step
>approach.i joined it because i believe it tells the truth.  as they say it
>speaks truth to power. we do not have to educate people with lies.  this
>article assumes that israel has a right to exist.   our party does not.
>
>my experience tells me something different about people, at least the 
>people
>in my neighborhood.  ( a neighborhood i have lived in for 31 years)  as an
>example, my neighbors love the newspaper mrgra puts out.   my across the
>street neighbor asks for it.  he knows what the politics are and he wants 
>to
>read more.  (he lives in his family home and his family has lived on this
>street since time began...well, not quite :>)
>
>as i said i believe our job is to speak truth to power.  to speak up in a
>different voice for a different world and not worry about the votes.
>
>annie butler
>
>
>
>66666666666666666666666666666666666666
>"...the road will bend, the war will end and love will win"  g. brooks
>
>
>
>----Original Message Follows----
>From: Merelice <merelice at gmail.com>
>Reply-To: Discussion List for StateCom members
><statecom-discuss at green-rainbow.org>
>To: "Discussion List for StateCom members"
><statecom-discuss at green-rainbow.org>
>Subject: Re: [statecom-discuss] Fwd: When Terror Is Just Fine
>Date: Wed, 26 Jul 2006 15:28:31 -0400
>
>On 7/26/06, annie butler <anniembutler at hotmail.com> wrote:
> >merelice:  why do you think this article "educates".  i think that this
> >article supposes that israel has a right to exist. our party has a 
>position
> >on palestine.
> >
>
>Hi,
>I think this article educates because it recognizes where the vast
>majority of people are and makes an effort to move them in a different
>direction. There is a chasm between those of us supporting Palestinian
>rights and those taken in by incessant propaganda to the contrary.
>People are not going to cross that chasm in one grand leap. Since we
>are a political party, I believe one of our functions is to earn and
>attract the "votes" (literal and figurative) we need so we can make
>the difference we exist to make. That means trying to identify a
>step-by-step path to influence change in people's thinking.
>M.
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>
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