The UN-NGO Connection:
A Global Platform to Spread Hate and Promote Terror
2006 Report
UN-accredited NGOs disseminate the hatred of Jews and the Jewish state. It is a message which is diametrically opposed to the purposes and principles of the United Nations. Here are their words.
Inciting Hate or Encouraging Anti-Semitism
The UN accredits and associates with NGOs that espouse anti-semitism. The anti-semitism takes various forms: demeaning remarks about Jews, abhorrence of the presence of Jews or so-called "Judaization", minimizing the Holocaust, claiming anti-semitism is feigned or grossly exaggerated, attempting to appropriate the language of Jew-hatred and apply anti-semitism to Arabs, denying that anti-zionism or the denial of the right of Jewish self-determination is a form of anti-semitism, equating Zionism with racism (see also Section II). One favorite of UN-accredited or associated NGOs is to highlight self-hating Jews or Jewish anti-semites, or to represent that this tiny minority are the only liberal and decent Jews. Here is a sampling of the commentary made by UN accredited NGOs.- Children would return from school only to see their homes being destroyed by bulldozers driven by soldiers wearing helmets with the Star of David on them. That Star of David, which we are told is originally a religious symbol, symbolized hate and evil. Even today, I couldn't imagine a more hateful sign.
(Excerpts from testimonial of Khalid Amaryeh, link featured in "Life Stories", P4PD: Palestinians for Peace and Democracy, Accredited by the UN Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People) - [T]his state [Israel] is alienating itself from its neighbors in the Middle East by building racist apartheid walls in order to rabidly protect its shitty Jewish character!
(Excerpt from "Israel: Again Imprisonment of Conscientious Objectors," War Resisters International, Special Consultative Status with ECOSOC, associated with DPI) - ... anti-semitism has been taking place for 100 years in Palestine, against the Palestinian Arab semites, by European Jewish colonialists. A mini-holocaust.
(Excerpt from "Puzzles of a lifetime," by Jesa'ajahu Toma Sik, from feature "The Middle East - Activities and Opinions," Jewish Peace Fellowship, Accredited by the UN Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People) - The Jewish debate over Zionism: ...most Jews who advocated alternatives to Zionism ...were murdered in the death camps. ...[N]on-Zionists argue that the "us or them" mentality of nationalism need not be the singular lesson of anti-semitism....[M]ost Jews who oppose Zionism are progressives who care both about ending anti-semitism and securing Palestinian rights. They reject the "siege mentality" of ethnic nationalism in favor of joining forces with other minorities and oppressed groups in struggles for social justice.
(Excerpt from "Background Resource: The Crisis of Palestinian Refugees and the Right of Return," October 2000, Madre, Inc., Special Consultative Status with ECOSOC and associated with DPI) - Zionism does not equal Judaism and many (e.g. the Naturei Karta, see www.jewsnotzionists.org) convincingly argue that Zionism is against true Torah Judaism. But Zionism is even more than that; Zionism and anti-Jewish feelings are faces of the same coin of racism. In fact Hitler's diatribes against the Jews in his book Mein Kampf had only one exception: he talked about the "great movement" of Zionism (because both he and they agreed that Jews have no place in Europe)...
(Excerpt from "Thinking About Anti-Jewish Sentiments," by Mazin Qumsiyeh, May 2002, from AFSC's publication "Peacework," American Friends Service Committee - Pennsylvania, Accredited by the UN Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People) - ...so-called "anti-semitism"...has now become the single most important element of Jewish identity. When a Palestinian kills innocent Israeli civilians, it's anti-semitism... Anti-semitism is an all-encompassing explanation. Anything unpleasant to anti-Palestinian ears is just another instance of anti-semitism....Just a few generations ago - the Holocaust aside for now - Jews were treated as second-class citizens in all major Jewish concentrations....Such institutionalised discrimination and oppression is not only totally extinct today: it is utterly unimaginable....Nowadays, an orthodox Jew can run for the most powerful office on earth, the president of the United States (I personally hope he doesn't win)....The State of Israel has always been cynically exploiting allegations of anti-semitism, condemning purported and cooperating with actual anti-semites at will....[T]he Anti-Defamation League...cries anti-semitic wolf on a daily basis...[E]voking Jewish victims of the past to defend Jewish victimisers of the present...is a moral fault on a par with...anti-semitism itself.
(Excerpt from "Abusing anti-semitism," by Ran HaCohen, from "News, Statements and Events from JPF," Jewish Peace Fellowship, Accredited by the UN Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People) - ...initiative to fly young Israelis to Auschwitz...The ministry [of education] wants to retain the monopoly on organizing these flights, which serve to indoctrinate youngsters with a hate-filled nationalism, in the spirit of the song "All the World is Against Us".
(Excerpt from "Wagner at the Memorial," by Uri Avnery, May 21, 2005, Gush Shalom, Accredited by the UN Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People) - "To many Americans and westerners, long misinformed by the Zionist-controlled media especially after the events of September 11, 2001, the accounts and testimonies compiled in this book should serve as an eye-opener..."
(Excerpt from book review by Khalid Amaryeh of "The New Intifada: Resisting Israel's Apartheid," Edited by Roane Carey with Introduction by Noam Chomsky, July 6, 2004, Friends of Al-Aqsa: Defence of Al-Aqsa and Peace in Palestine, Accredited by the UN Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People) - ...the rate of usurpation of lands has doubled and the process of judaizing Jerusalem has peaked to the level of systematic ethnic cleansing.
(Excerpt from Issue 20 of the Publication Shu'un Tanmawyyeh, "The Political Implication of The Proclamation of Sovereignty: National Controls and Requirements of Success," by Qays Abdel Karim, February 11, 2006, Arab Thought Forum, Accredited by the UN Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People) - the WZO [World Zionist Organization]...recruits settler-immigrant "Jewish nationals" from their home countries. Its mandated task is to Judaize the land area: the settlements are established for Jews only (even when they are on public land), and Palestinian Arab citizens are not allowed to move there.
(Excerpt from "Bedouin Unrecognized Villages of the Negev," 2004, Habitat International Coalition, Special Consultative Status with ECOSOC) - "Galilee and the Negev" were included for decoration only. They have been part of Israel since the foundation of the state, and a campaign for their "Judaization" has been going on for decades.
(Excerpt from "Arik's Horror Show," by Uri Avnery, July 2, 2005, Gush Shalom, Accredited by the UN Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People) - Since 1967, Jerusalem has been subjected to a premeditated policy of Judaization. This policy of changing the Palestinian Arab character of the city was designed to create greater Israeli-Jewish dominance over the City....the vicious Israeli policy....expresses itself more and more as a clear case of ethnic cleansing...
(Excerpt from Annual Report, 1999, link featured on page entitled "Publications", Arab Thought Forum, Accredited by the UN Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People) - Forced eviction of Palestinians in Israel and in the Occupied Territories is mainly conducted by the Israeli government as part of their attempt to Judaize territory, and diminish the influence of Arabs within the territories.
(Excerpt from a feature on COHRE's Photo Library called "Palestine," Center on Housing Rights and Evictions, Special Consultative Status with ECOSOC)
- They demolished thousands of houses....These were indelible images of misery, an ugly testimony to Israel's Nazi-like savagery.
(Excerpt from testimonial of Khalid Amaryeh, Link featured in "Life Stories", P4PD: Palestinians for Peace and Democracy, Accredited by the UN Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People) - The Islamic spirit is what should prevail in every Moslem society. The society that confronts a vicious enemy which acts in a way similar to Nazism, making no differentiation between man and woman, between children and old people - such a society is entitled to this Islamic spirit....In their Nazi treatment, the Jews made no exception for women or children....The Zionist Nazi activities against our people will not last for long....Leaving the circle of struggle with Zionism is high treason, and cursed be he who does that....There is no way out except by concentrating all powers and energies to face this Nazi, vicious Tatar invasion...Islamic groupings all over the Arab world should also do the same, since all of these are the best-equipped for the future role in the fight with the warmongering Jews.
(Excerpt from The Covenant of the Islamic Resistance Movement, August 18, 1988, Association Najdeh, Accredited by the UN Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People)
- ...it is not only correct to call Israel an apartheid state but it is more imperative that we Americans stop funding and investing in such an oppressive regime....Some would argue that we would be singling out Israel or taking sides...We also did not say we took sides when we divested and boycotted...Nazi Germany (a boycott which was actually only violated by the Zionist movement in their collaboration with the Nazi regime...
(Excerpt from feature entitled "Why Israel is an apartheid state," Link featured in "Commentary," Al-Awda, Accredited by the UN Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People) - What the Israeli army (like the Israeli state) needs to reproduce in its soldiers is either sheer racism -- that is, faith in "the murderous nature of the Arabs" -- or a brand of religious messianism, neo-Nazi ideology wrapped in Judaism.
(Excerpt from "Breaking the Silence: Israeli Soldiers Reflect on Patrolling Hebron," by Yitzhak Laor, July 22, 2004, from AFSC's publication "Peacework," American Friends Service Committee- Pennsylvania, Accredited by the UN Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People) - In Palestine another extermination tragedy unfolds to the detriment of the Palestinian people.
(Excerpt from Feature "25 Years MFHR: The State of HR in the world," May 24, 2004, Marangopoulos Foundation for Human Rights, Special Consultative Status with ECOSOC and associated with DPI) - Hizbullah has benefited from the experiences of the nations and peoples of the world and read the history of the French people's resistance against the Nazi occupation, and the resistance of the American people against the colonialists as well; It saw how the free world countries and the peoples of the world respect these....When Hizbullah resists in Lebanon against the Zionist Jewish occupation lying heavily on its soil in the South and West Bekaa, it is exercising its legitimate and sacred right that was once exercised by the French and American peoples.
(Excerpt from "Hizbullah: Views and Concepts," June 20, 1997, Association Najdeh, Accredited by the UN Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People)
- Following a visit to the completely fenced Gaza Strip, Oona King, a Jewish member of the British parliament commented on the irony that Israeli Jews face today, saying: "...in escaping the ashes of the Holocaust, they have incarcerated another people in a hell similar in its nature - though not its extent - to the Warsaw ghetto."
(Excerpt from "Boycott as Resistance: The Moral Dimension" by Omar Barghouti, featured in "Volume 7 no 2" of al-Aqsa Journal, Friends of Al-Aqsa: Defence of Al-Aqsa and Peace in Palestine, Accredited by the UN Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People) - The Separation/Apartheid Wall. Palestinian sources say that this wall will annex nearly 45% of the Palestinian lands in the West Bank, and will divide the Palestinian territories into eight separated areas and 64 ghettos.
(Excerpt from "Facts & Documents: The Separation/Apartheid Wall," featured in "Facts & Documents," Palestinian American Congress, Accredited by the UN Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People) - The State of Israel was supposed to tear down the walls of the ghetto; it is now constructing the biggest ghetto in the entire history of the Jews;
(Excerpt from "For Truth and Reconciliation For Equality and Partnership," from September 2004 issue of The Other Israel Publication, Israeli Council for Israeli and Palestinian Peace, Accredited by the UN Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People) - In December 2003 another delegation from the Movement came to the Holy Land. This time they spoke increasingly of Palestinian ghettos. It would be a historical error to ignore at this present time the Israeli policy of racial segregation.
(Excerpt from "Good Fences make Good Neighbors: From Open Prisons to Palestinian Ghettos," by Paul Lansu, December 18, 2003, Pax Christi International, Special Consultative Status with ECOSOC and associated with DPI) - What is Zionism?
Zionism is claimed to be political expression of Jewish nationalism. Before first World War most Jews were against Zionism and today not all Jews are Zionist. Zionism has become a form of racism and the UN in 1975 ruled "Zionism is a form of racism and radical discrimination," which wants to create Palestine [now Israel] into an exclusive Jewish country.
(Excerpt from "Palestine," August 10, 2004, Link featured in "FAQ/ Palestine", Friends of Al-Aqsa: Defence of Al-Aqsa and Peace in Palestine, Accredited by the UN Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People) - 'In its work, EAFORD pays special attention to those ideologies and policies which, in pursuance of established rules of international law and international conventions, are determined by the U.N. General Assembly and other U.N. agencies to be forms of racism and racial discrimination. It is on this basis that EAFORD has focused on the ideological systems of apartheid and Zionism...
...EAFORD was established in1976 by an international symposium, convened in response to controversy surrounding U.N. Resolution 3379, which determined that Zionism is a form of racism and racial discrimination. The international symposium on Zionism and Racism was attended by some 500 participants from 80 countries...
...EAFORD was established in Tripoli, Libya in 1976 by a symposium in support of the belief that Zionism is a form of racism...five hundred journalists and scholars attended the symposium mostly from Europe and America. These participants presented at least twenty reports and studies confirming Zionism as a form of racism and their work was compiled in a 238-page book available in bookstores under the title Zionism and Racism.'
(Excerpt from "About EAFORD," the "Origins of EAFORD," and "In Response to "Human Rights Groups Have Less Than Noble Agendas," The International Organization for the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, Special Consultative Status with ECOSOC and associated with DPI) - ... Israel defines itself as a Jewish state. Out of this definition, many racist laws were enacted to change the demography of the state. On top of these laws is the "Law on Return" and the 'nationality law' that allowed for gathering Jews from all over the world and granting them automatically the Israeli nationality...Pillaged lands were considered not only as properties of the state but jointly owned by the "Jewish People" and non-Jewish are not allowed utilizing them.....
(Excerpt from "Cairo Declaration Against Racism," July 22, 2001, from the Cairo Institute for Human Rights conference entitled "Arab Regional Preparatory Conference for the World Conference Against Racism," Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies, Special Consultative Status with ECOSOC and associated with DPI) - Israel must choose between being a Jewish or a democratic state. It cannot claim to be both. In the words of a noted jurist, "The Jewish character is really a euphemism for the Zionist discriminatory statutes of the State of Israel which violate the human rights provisions. The UN is under no more of a legal obligation to maintain Zionism in Israel than it is to maintain apartheid in the Republic of South Africa" (Mallison p. 134).
(Excerpt from Issue 22 of the Publication Shu'un Tanmawyyeh, "The Phased Return of the Palestinian Refugees," by Salman Abu Sitta, February 11, 2006, Arab Thought Forum, Accredited by the UN Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People) - Interview with Rifat Kassis, Executive Director of the East Jerusalem YMCA: "The Israeli aims and aspirations are uncovered for the world to see. It becomes obvious that there is no real difference between left and right in Israeli politics. They have always wanted the same thing: to get rid of the Palestinians. Now the world is starting to realise that this is the core of Zionism - left or right - a racist long term goal of Israel, including the occupied territories, for Jews only. Ethnic cleansing that is the term for it, is it not?"
(Excerpt from "Interview with Rifat Kassis, Executive Director of the East Jerusalem YMCA," from "Deliver us from Occupation: Report from the International YMCA-YWCA Observer in Palestine: No. 13," August 30, 2001, World Alliances of YMCAs, Special Consultative Status with ECOSOC, associated with DPI, Accredited by the UN Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People) - In Israel conscientious objectors go to prison for around two months, with some being imprisoned for more than a year."...Lewinsky said that in Israel, this has created an environment where peace activism is repressed, so he identifies himself with a sub-culture opposed to Israeli's current society. "Israel is really fascist and very racist. If you can imagine a nation where everyone has a firearm and is occupying another country. So it's a very violent, militant culture," he said.
(Excerpt from "International Student Report-Itay Lewinsky: Israel's Security Fence, Israel's Apartheid Wall," August 8, 2004, from "Life Onboard," Peace Boat, Special Consultative Status with ECOSOC and associated with DPI) - To Iba Farrah, a Palestinian international student onboard Peace Boat, the "racism separation wall" is a symbol of the extreme segregation that exists between Israelis and Palestinians, and only adds to the mistreatment, violence, and intolerance shown towards Palestinians since the state of Israel was created in 1948.
(Excerpt from "International Student Report-Iba Farrah: The Wall must Fall - Separation and Conflict," August 6, 2004, from "Life Onboard," Peace Boat, Special Consultative Status with ECOSOC and associated with DPI) - The Israeli government's brutal policies, including the continued practice of house demolitions, arbitrary theft of Palestinian lands and the imposition of apartheid-like planning laws are testimony to its preparedness to disregard the most basic human rights of the Palestinians.
(Excerpt from "Human Rights Violations Continue Unabated in the Occupied Territories," article COHRE Housing Right Bulletin, August 3, 2004, Center on Housing Rights and Evictions, Special Consultative Status with ECOSOC) - It is easy to be overawed by the might of the Israeli apartheid State as it continues its illegal occupation, but the same was true of the apartheid State of South Africa.
(Excerpt from article entitled "Taking Lessons", Palestine Times, October 2002, by Ismail Adam Patel, featured in "FOA Articles," Friends of Al-Aqsa: Defence of Al-Aqsa and Peace in Palestine, Accredited by the UN Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People) - The continued Israeli settlement activities will surely lead to the establishment of 'bantustans' in the West Bank. That is, an apartheid system reminiscent of South Africa's recent past.
(Excerpt from "The Palestinian NGOs and the Challenges Ahead," By Mustafa Barghouthi, February 11, 2006, link featured in "Articles", Arab Thought Forum, Accredited by the UN Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People) - So, the Israel must realize that the first condition for peace is eliminating the results of their aggression in 1967, settlements being but one of the results of this aggression... These settlements have become a part of a racist apartheid policy in services, water and other matters at the expense of the Palestinians.
(Excerpt from "Settlements: A Political Perspective," By Hasan Asfour, Arab Thought Forum, Accredited by the UN Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People) - Israeli racism hides it's face: In South Africa Apartheid was immediately visible...Israel has always been clever enough to avoid petty apartheid, even though it's grand apartheid is actually worse than was the case in south Africa-in Israel, even though non-Jews constitute more than 20% of the population, 93%vof the land is reserved for Jews only (by contrast, south African whites reserved "only" 87% of the land for themselves).
Racism in Israeli soccer: ...one does not have to scratch deeply beneath the surface to find the vicious racism in Israeli soccer, a racism that is derived from the racist ideology of the Israeli state itself....Through its continued military occupation of Palestinian territories, its policies of racial discrimination against its Palestinian citizens and its denial of Palestinian refugees' rights, Israel resembles a 21st century Apartheid South Africa....Palestinian and international civil society is calling for a boycott of all Israeli goods and services, for divestment and sanctions, until Israel respects Palestinian rights.
(May 2005, Ireland-Palestine Solidarity Campaign, Accredited by the UN Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People) - The State of Israel was supposed to be a democracy; it has set up a colonial structure, combining unmistakable elements of apartheid with the arbitrariness of brutal military occupation...
(Excerpt from "For Truth and Reconciliation For Equality and Partnership," from September 2004 issue of The Other Israel Publication, Israeli Council for Israeli and Palestinian Peace, Accredited by the UN Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People) - "The Apartheid Wall: The Wall of Expulsion, Displacement and Servitude"
(Title of Page, By Nitham Ataya, November 2005, Palestinian Agricultural Relief Committees, Accredited by the UN Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People) - In 2004 the third "Volunteers for Development" camp was organized under the theme "The Apartheid Wall Impact on Palestinian Youth"....The camp mainly aimed at highlighting the Palestinian rural youth's reality through conducting PRA studies based on intercultural learning and youth participation approach in 5 villages harmed by the apartheid wall...
(Excerpt from "The Fourth Annual International Summer Camp 'Volunteers for Development' 2005" The Palestinian Non-Governmental Organizations' Network (Palestinian NGO Network), Accredited by the UN Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People) - Israel has established in the Occupied Territories a separation cum discrimination regime...This regime is the only of its kind in the world, and brings to mind dark regimes of the past, such as the Apartheid regime in South Africa.
(Excerpt from "Map of the Separation Barrier in the West Bank," B'tselem-The Israeli Information Center for Human Rights in the Occupied Territories, Accredited by the UN Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People) - The implementation of the separation, or outright apartheid policy that the Israeli government has decided to impose in the Occupied Palestinian Territories has begun.... The Palestinian areas have been turned into isolated camps of slow death....LWF General Secretary Rev. Dr. Ishmael Noko...told Palestinian Chairman Arafat that he has lived in South Africa and experienced firsthand the apartheid system that existed there. "But I have never seen anything like this," Dr. Noko said...
(Excerpt from an E-mail Newsletter from Bishop Dr. Munib A. Younan of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jerusalem (ELCJ), Featured under "Israeli-Palestinian Conflict Statements and actions from the global church and ecumenical family" as part of "Visions for Peace, Voices of Faith: Behind the News," June 18, 2002, World Council of Churches, General Consultative Status with ECOSOC, associated with DPI, Accredited by the UN Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People) - In a press statement issued at the end of a December 7 to 12 visit, the delegation which included participants from the National Council of Churches, the United Church of Christ and the Armenian Apostolic, Lutheran, Roman Catholic, Episcopal, Greek Orthodox, Mennonite, Presbyterian, Quaker and United Methodist churches also urged "the community of nations and all people who love mercy to recognize and condemn this new apartheid that oppresses the Palestinian people."
(Excerpt from "Middle East: Visiting U.S. church leaders say peace is imperative for all: Prayer vigil for peace in Middle East," from "Lutheran World Information," December 18, 2000, Lutheran World Federation, Special Consultative Status with ECOSOC, associated with DPI, Accredited by the UN Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People) - Proposed activities: get airtime in your radio stations to engage the public about the racism and injustice practiced by the Israeli state in Palestine
Seminars and lectures: Tertiary institutions in the world where possible if academic timetable permits -present seminars and lectures about the phenomenon of apartheid in Israel; Encourage short-papers from students reflecting on the similarities and dissimilarities of apartheid in South Africa and Israel
(Excerpt from "Solidarity Booklet," of the Joint Advocacy Initiative which incorporates the YWCA of Palestine and East Jerusalem, World Young Women's Christian Association, Special Consultative Status with ECOSOC, associated with DPI, Accredited by the UN Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People) - The wall is obviously a major area of concern for the PGFTU, which organized a massive protest march against the "apartheid wall" on 1 May 2004.
(Excerpt from "Women trade unionists in Palestine: A daily struggle," Briefing, January 2005, International Confederation of Free Trade Unions, General Consultative Status with ECOSOC, associated with DPI, Accredited by the UN Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People) - The continuation with the construction of the Apartheid Wall is creating a third wave of refugees in their own land.... The deterioration of the economic conditions with soaring poverty and unemployment levels and, most importantly, the exacerbation of an already disastrous situation by the construction of the Apartheid Wall will have an enormous impact on the Palestinian population and any development initiatives.
(Excerpt from "PRCS Strategy 2005-2010," International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, associated with DPI, Accredited by the UN Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People) - Most recently, Al Haq has been conducting legal research into the eight-metre-high "apartheid wall" being erected through the West Bank and Gaza Strip, cutting these areas off from Israel.
(Excerpt from "Living with Fear," from "Gulf News - Online Edition," May 1, 2003, Al-Haq, Special Consultative Status with ECOSOC) - Israel's "Apartheid Wall" Threatens Palestinians' Right to Food... Israel's "security fence," which peace activists call the "Apartheid Wall," is a huge, heavily militarized electrified barrier cutting deep into the West Bank....Visit www.stopthewall.org to support Palestinians and Israelis working against the Apartheid Wall.
(Excerpt from "Hunger in Palestine: A MADRE backgrounder based on The Right to Food, a report by Jean Ziegler, the UN Special Rapporteur on the right to food," Spring 2004, Madre, Inc., Special Consultative Status with ECOSOC and associated with DPI) - By the mid-1990s Israel had taken direct possession of 40 per cent of the Gaza Strip and 60 per cent of the West Bank. By making Jewish settlers subject to Israeli domestic law, but the Palestinians subject to a separate system, it created an apartheid system in law as well as reality.
(Excerpt from Expulsion: One Palestinian's Story," by David McDowell, featured in "The Palestinians," Minority Rights Group International, Special Consultative Status with ECOSOC and associated with DPI) - Describing society in Israel as an "apartheid regime" where two different systems of law and structure are in place to give privileges to Israelis and oppress Palestinians, Keren contends that the enforced segregation and building of settlements are "tools of the government" to disrupt attempts by Palestinians to live a normal life.
(Excerpt from "Peace is Possible in Israel and Palestine-Keren Assaf," May 4, 2004, from "Life Onboard," Peace Boat, Special Consultative Status with ECOSOC and associated with DPI) - The prohibition and restriction of Palestinian movement and travel constitute an apartheid-like oppression and degradation...
(Excerpt from "A Special Report on Israel's Restrictions on Palestinian Right of Movement at Rafah Crossing," February 8, 2003, Al-Mezan Center for Human Rights, Recipient of assistance from the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights) - In both Israel and the U.S., a conspiracy of silence reigns as militants lay siege to the Jerusalem mosque. No political leader - or religious leader- in Israel or the U.S. has addressed this issue. In the case of Israeli rabbis, if they themselves have not aided and abetted planned assaults on the mosque, they have kept silent. In the case of all major U.S. Christian church leaders - the voices that are heard throughout the land- if they themselves are not raising money to destroy the mosque, they keep silent about the conspiracy.... Beginning in 1967, when Israel militarily seized Arab East Jerusalem, Jewish terrorists on more than 100 occasions have laid siege to the Muslim Mosque.
(Excerpt from "Fundamentalist Plots Against Al-Aqsa Mosque," Friends of Al-Aqsa: Defence of Al-Aqsa and Peace in Palestine, Accredited by the UN Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People) - If the Israeli enthusiasm for moving Palestinians out of their houses is anything to go by, not to mention their history of blowing them up, then all concerned individuals had better keep an eye on Masjid al Aqsa and the Dome of the Rock. Because every day that passes the pressure is increasing. The Jewish extremists historically and theologically challenged viewpoint is working its way into the mainstream and is actively being taken up by parallel groups of Zionist Christian extremists who believe that the construction of the Temple would herald the End Times and the return of Jesus, peace be upon him.
(Excerpt from "Attacks on Masjid Al-Aqsa since the Occupation," link featured on page displaying Friends of al-Aqsa leaflets, Friends of Al-Aqsa: Defence of Al-Aqsa and Peace in Palestine, Accredited by the UN Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People) - This lexicon is being developed in coordination with dozens of other organizations who have agreed to begin using the language specified here as much as possible. A short list of these organizations is provided at the bottom of the page.
...
"Death squads": vs. "crack down on militants" or "military operations"
...
"Extra-judicial murder": vs. "targeted killing".
"Incremental genocide": Use in describing the slow process of strangulation, home demolitions, and random killing
...
"Jewish-only colonies": vs. "settlements"
"Jewish-only roads": vs. "by-pass roads"
"Jewish supremacy agenda": vs. "demographic concerns"
"Israel's Apartheid Wall": vs. "security barrier", "fence", etc.
"The Israeli occupation of Palestine": vs. "the Palestinian-Israeli conflict", "the Palestine-Israel conflict"
"Israel-first": vs. "pro-Israel" or "pro-Israeli": point here is that the Zionists are putting everything second to Israel, including US interests, human rights, etc.
"Israel's segregation wall": vs. "security barrier", "fence", etc.
"Israeli conscripts": vs. "Israeli soldiers"
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"Israeli assault against Palestinian towns": vs. "military operation".
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"Palestinian resistance fighters": vs. "Palestinian militants"
"Palestinian armed resistance": vs. "Palestinian violence"
"Palestinian struggle for independence": vs. "intifada" or "uprising"
"Random mass detention": vs. "security sweep".
"Torture": vs "physical pressure"
"US-financed Israeli Occupation Forces": vs "Israeli military" or "Israel Defence Forces".
(Excerpt from "Use the Right Language," link featured in "Media Activism," Al-Awda, Accredited by the UN Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People) - ...Zionists have methodically altered the character of the land and the people. As a result of sometimes ingenious and other times brutal ways of ethnic cleansing, over 95 percent of Palestinian families (Muslim and Christian) have lost lands or homes to Zionists.
(Excerpt from article entitled "Palestinians Deserve Rights, Including Right To Return" Hartford Courant, January 23, 2001, link featured in "Op-eds by activists," Al-Awda, Accredited by the UN Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People) - As in the case of Apartheid South Africa, Israel's institutionalised system of racism, apartheid and colonialism is destabilising the entire region and poses one of the greatest threats to world peace and security....our common humanity demands that these forms of extreme racism, including Israel's own form of apartheid, a crime against humanity - be combated...Israel's racism towards Palestinians includes institutionalised and systematic methods of racism....Israel's racist crimes, in particular in relation to Palestinians living within the Occupied Palestinian Territories have included acts of genocide, systematic perpetration of grave breaches of the Fourth Geneva Convention 1949 (namely war crimes), methods of ethnic cleansing, and the crime of apartheid.
(Excerpt from the "Statement of the Palestinian NGO's to Government Delegates at the World Conference Against Racism," September 2001, featured in "Volume 4 no 1" of al-Aqsa Journal, Friends of Al-Aqsa: Defence of Al-Aqsa and Peace in Palestine, Accredited by the UN Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People) - All the people stood firmly against the policy of Breaking bones through machineguns which Barak implemented and developed from the Israeli suppressive Theory which Rabin started implementing in order to turn the Uprising into a burden on the Palestinian leadership. Now it is Sharon s turn to redouble this dose of genocide, suppression and war crimes.
(Excerpt from "Organizing Popular Action," link featured in "Analysis Papers," July 18, 2001, Arab Thought Forum, Accredited by the UN Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People) - The idea to confiscate Ids issued by the Jerusalem municipality to Palestinians residing in Jerusalem was yet another part of the ethnic cleansing policy in East Jerusalem.
(Excerpt from Issue 23 of the Publication Shu'un Tanmawyyeh, "The Palestinian State and the Obligations of the Just Peace," by Jad Ishaq, February 11, 2006 Arab Thought Forum, Accredited by the UN Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People) - ...the Wall....is an intention of quiet ethnic cleansing, the sort that cannot be photographed, but is nevertheless as effective and devastating.
(Excerpt from Ha'aretz, "The Separation Fence Will Hurt Palestinians Immensely", May 18, 2003 from "The Wall," American Friends Service Committee - Pennsylvania, Accredited by the UN Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People) - The Bush administration's silence on Israel's policy of the continued ethnic cleansing in Gaza only reinforces the negative image the United States has earned in the Middle East.
(Excerpt from News posting, "Israeli 'War Crimes' in Rafah, Gaza," May 18, 2004, featured in "Editorial and News Posts", Palestinian American Congress, Accredited by the UN Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People) - Action Alert: International Community Must Act Immediately to Stop Atrocities in Rafah...This action should continue daily until proper action is taken to stop the genocide.
(Excerpt from "Action Alert: International Community Must Act Immediately to Stop Atrocities in Rafah," May 19, 2004, The Palestinian Non-Governmental Organizations' Network (Palestinian NGO Network), Accredited by the UN Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People) - The ethnic cleansing of 1948, the Suez war of 1956, the initiative for the 1967 war, the beginning of the illegal settlement building, the idea for a separation wall.... it was Labour, Labour, and Labour.
(Excerpt from "Which way is forward?" St Anthony's College, Oxford University, January 23, 2004, by Afif Safieh, featured in "Publications: Articles," The Palestinian Non-Governmental Organizations' Network (Palestinian NGO Network), Accredited by the UN Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People) - As Palestinians Remember the dead of Sabra & Shatila, The UN Rewards Israeli War Criminal Ariel Sharon!....If the United Nations want to keep up a facade of coherence with their own rules, it should not allow the presence of the wretched war criminal and Prime Minister of Apartheid Israel in front of the General Assembly but work towards ending Israel's impunity and the international support for the Occupation, colonization and ethnic cleansing of Palestine.
(Excerpt from "Call For Action: The Grassroots Palestinian Anti-Apartheid Wall Campaign," September 5, 2005, The Palestinian Non-Governmental Organizations' Network (Palestinian NGO Network), Accredited by the UN Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People) - We join with our member councils and churches, the Middle East Council of Churches, and the World Council of Churches in decrying the most expansive military operation in the Occupied Territories since 1982. The level of destruction of human life has been termed by the General Secretary of the Middle East Council of Churches as "genocidal."
(Excerpt from an "Open Letter to Kofi Annan, Yasser Arafat and Ariel Sharon" from the Christian Conference of Asia, Featured under "Israeli-Palestinian Conflict Statements and actions from the global church and ecumenical family" as part of "Visions for Peace, Voices of Faith: Behind the News," April 10, 2002, World Council of Churches, General Consultative Status with ECOSOC, associated with DPI, Accredited by the UN Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People) - The delegation....also heard reports on the "transfer policies" of the Israeli government that are supported by Knesset members and ministers from members of the Labour and Likud party alike. In this are to be found the seeds of racist policies that apparently intend ethnic cleansing and to spread more hatred.
(Excerpt from "Preliminary report on WCC deputy general secretary's visit to Jerusalem," April 8, 2002, World Council of Churches, General Consultative Status with ECOSOC, associated with DPI, Accredited by the UN Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People) - ...while in the occupied Palestinian territories of the Middle East, United Methodist missionaries are publicizing Israel's practice of land confiscation, home demolition, and a new version of "ethnic cleansing."
(Excerpt from "Editor's Column: Human Rights, Inhuman Wrongs," September-October, 1999, General Board of Global Ministries/United Methodist Church, Special Consultative Status with ECOSOC, associated with DPI, Accredited by the UN Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People) - "Israeli Policies and Laws Relating to Land and Housing in Israel and the Occupied Territories 1948-2003". This book-length publication, prepared by COHRE Researcher Souad Dajani, is due for publication in August-September 2003. It charts the tragic history of Israeli subjugation of the Palestinian people through decades of severe human rights abuse, including confiscation or theft of land and homes, demolition of homes, eviction and ethnic cleansing."
(Excerpt on "COHRE Publications in Progress," from COHRE's Online Newsletter, June 2003, Center on Housing Rights and Evictions, Special Consultative Status with ECOSOC) - ...it is also important to be on the ground at this crucial moment to give voice to the victims of the horrendous crimes that are being perpetrated against the Palestinian people. As you are all well aware, under the guise of security measures and in the name of peace, Israel has created a state of de facto apartheid in the OPT... Israel has committed systematic war crimes against the Palestinian people and is now going even further with their use of Apache helicopters and F16 fighter jets as conventional weapons....Sharon and his government will continue to commit war crimes...
(Excerpt from "Testimonies from Human Rights Defenders-Raji Sourani, Palestine," September 2003, from a conference entitled "The Dublin Platform for Human Rights Defenders", organized by Front Line Defenders, Special Consultative Status with ECOSOC) - Whereas the US-supported war on Palestine continues, and the UN has failed again to enforce its own resolutions regarding the ethnic cleansing of indigenous Palestinians from their homeland,
Whereas we recognize the US war on Palestine as a continuation of US-led genocide in Guatemala, Philippines, East Timor, El Salvador, Colombia, Western Sahara, Panama, etc. (to name a few),
Whereas Israel benefits from the war on Iraq; as the world turns its attention to Iraq, Israel is intensifying its ethnic cleansing of the Palestinian people,....
Whereas the US-led war abroad means increased violence, hate crimes and racism against Arabs and Muslims in the US,
Whereas the US "War on Terrorism" is a white supremacist "crusade" against Arabs, Muslims, and other people of color all over the world,...
(Excerpt from "War on Iraq Statement: The Arab Women's Solidarity Association, North America Says No to the Racist, Colonialist War on Iraq," April 10, 2003, Arab Women's Solidarity Association, Special Consultative Status with ECOSOC and associated with DPI) - Al Mezan has noted these crimes committed against the Palestinian people by the Israeli occupation forces...constitute a near genocidal comprehensive destruction of Palestinian society through siege and starvation."
(Excerpt from press release "The Israeli Occupation Forces Are Starving the Inhabitants of Palestinian Occupied Territories," April 16, 2002, Al-Mezan Center for Human Rights, Recipient of assistance from the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights)
Condoning or Justifying Violence
The UN accredits and associates with NGOs that condone or justify violence against Jews either inside or outside of Israel. The violent programmatic takes various forms: the reference to killers as martyrs, support for armed or violent struggle or resistance, and the effort to redirect attention away from the violence and justify it by focusing on alleged "causes" of terrorism. Here is a sampling of the commentary made by UN accredited NGOs.- Day 140 Al Aqsa Intifada...Hamas military wing, the Izzedin al-Kassam Brigades, has claimed responsibility for the martyrdom operation near Tel Aviv Wednesday morning which resulted in the killing of at least nine Israeli occupation soldiers....Israeli and Palestinian sources confirmed that the guerilla who carried out the martyrdom operation near Tel Aviv is Khalil Abu Elbeh...
(Excerpt from "Hamas declares responsibility for martyrdom operation," February 14, 2001, Friends of Al-Aqsa: Defence of Al-Aqsa and Peace in Palestine, Accredited by the UN Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People) - Democratic Formation in Palestine, General Report 4: ...HAMAS movement announced that it will not abide by the cease-fire and it will resume martyr operations....The total number of human loss: The number of martyrs since the break of the second Intifada till the end of 2001 is 1089 (13 of whom from the Green Line). The number of the injured reached 32 thousands [sic] during the same period. 276 of the martyrs were under 18 years of age....The last events have increased the burdens of the Ministry of social affairs, especially with the increasing number of martyrs, wounded people, and prisoners...The Israeli occupation forces were able to carry out thirty eight assassination operations which lead to the fall of 56 martyrs during the past year...Also in the same period President Arafat ratified two execution sentences issued by the State Security Court against the two agents Majdi Akkawi from Rafah and Allan Bani Odeh from Tammoun who were incriminated with agency and caused the martyrdom of five citizens... It is noticed after displaying the cases presented to the State Security Courts concerning serving as agents for Israel that the north of the West Bank from which Palestinian freedom fighters go inside Israel to carry out suicidal martyrdom operations is the same place in which there are agents who sell their consciences for the temptation of the occupation...[T]he Hamas movement carried out several martyrdom operations after which HAMAS together with the Islamic Jihad and Hizbullah were classified by America and Israel as bring [sic] terrorist organizations....Human rights institutions have individually resumed its activities and continued releasing periodic reports on the Israeli violations of Palestinian human rights by documenting the number of Intifada victims and the number of martyrs.
(Excerpt from "Democratic Formation in Palestine" General Report 4, May 2002, Arab Thought Forum, Accredited by the UN Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People) - The workshop began with TRC's Media Coordinator, Mr. Hasan Salim, welcoming the participants and dedicating a moment of silence to Palestinian martyrs and Palestinians suffering under the Israeli occupation.
(Excerpt from press release by the Treatment and Rehabilitation Center for Victimes of Torture, June 26, 2004, Palestinian Non-Governmental Organizations' Network (Palestinian NGO Network), Accredited by the UN Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People) - The Middle East Council of Churches extends to the Palestinian people condolences for the martyrs who have fallen during the past few days, but it also salutes their steadfastness.
(Excerpt from "The Middle East Council of Churches Statement on the situation in Palestine" October 2, 2000, from Feature called "Church statements on the Palestinian-Israeli conflict," World Council of Churches, General Consultative Status with ECOSOC, associated with DPI, Accredited by the UN Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People) - The Al-Awda Convention is guided by the following principles:
....
4. Zionist apartheid, racism, and settler-colonialism in Palestine, manifested through massacres, occupation, land confiscation, ethnic cleansing and separation, discrimination, and the systemic denial of fundamental human dignity in Palestine is violative of the most basic human standards and all tenets of international law. Thus, the Palestinian resistance is justified by natural principles of liberty and international laws protecting such liberties.
5. The occupation of Palestine is the longest and most suffocating the world has seen in the past century. The Palestinian struggle for liberation has been congruently enduring. Palestine is the last remaining obstacle to colonial and imperial hegemony in the Arab Homeland and the Anglo-American occupation of Iraq has become yet another stepping stone towards the imposition of imperial control and dominance. Hence, Palestinian resistance is part and parcel of the resistance by oppressed peoples worldwide against foreign occupation, colonialism and hegemony. Just as the agenda of the new imperial order, of which the Zionist state is an inextricable part, is global, resistance to it must be global and united so as to be sustainable and successful. In this context, the Palestinian and Iraqi struggles for full self-determination are the embodiment of the global resistance to settler and military occupation.
(Excerpt from Founding Document, "Sustainable Struggle: The Road to Palestine," The Palestine Right to Return Coalition's 2nd National Convention, April 16-18, 2004, Al-Awda, Accredited by the UN Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People) - As Palestinian Christians living in these lands we struggle and strive alongside our Muslim brothers in order to liberate our land, establish our independent state and accomplish our national Palestinian aspirations...[A] Palestinian martyr, irrespective of his or her religion, sect or tribe, is a Palestinian martyr. When a Muslim young man is killed he is a martyr of all the entire Palestinian people, both Muslims and Christians, and when a Christian young man is killed he is a martyr of all entire Palestinian people, both Muslims and Christians...
(Excerpt from "From the Holy City," by Archimandrite Father Dr. Attalah Hanna, featured in "Volume 5 no 1" of al-Aqsa Journal, Friends of Al-Aqsa: Defence of Al-Aqsa and Peace in Palestine, Accredited by the UN Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People) - On Monday March 15th, Friends of Al-Aqsa hosted a groundbreaking conference bringing together people of the Jewish, Christian and Muslim faiths to discuss the impact of the Zionist movement on the cross cultures around the world in general and in particular in Palestinian....Rabbi Weiss is strongly opposed to Zionism....The Rabbi's view is that the Zionists have rejected the second commandment of the Torah: "Thou shall not steal", by dispossessing the Palestinian people. "These rejections have assuredly been subject to Providential punishments and have created the armed resistance and its actions."
(Excerpt from the Palestine Times, "The Impact of Zionism on Jewish, Christian and Muslim Relations," by Rajnaara Akhtar, March 15, 2004, Friends of Al-Aqsa: Defence of Al-Aqsa and Peace in Palestine, Accredited by the UN Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People) - The intifada has imposed its own logic on the international level as a national liberation movement and legitimate resistance against the occupation and settlement activity. It will continue, and escalate as long as the occupation and settlements exist in our homeland.... Shelling a building, or launching rockets can not deter their struggle from achieving its noble national goal, namely the elimination of the occupation, and the establishment of the independent state of Palestine with holy Jerusalem as its capital....There is an inevitable need for the Arabs to support our national struggle and enhance their support and participation.
(Excerpt from "Characteristics of the Coming Stage and its Probabilities," by Ahmad Abdel Rahman, Arab Thought Forum, Accredited by the UN Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People) - Bethlehem is a ghetto, with no work, and look - you a tourist - are you going to the Christian sites in the centre of Bethlehem? All this is about apartheid, separation, and yet more abuse of power, causing the terror / resistance.
(Excerpt from a Letter to Madonna from The Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions, featured in "Statements/Other organizations," September 14, 2004, Palestinian Non-Governmental Organizations' Network (Palestinian NGO Network), Accredited by the UN Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People) - We support the right of the people of Iraq and Palestine to resist the occupations. ..We denounce the racist and colonial character of Zionism, Israel's State ideology...We demand the dismantlement of the Apartheid Wall and all settlements....we salute the Lebanese resistance which has inspired us the world over, and we express our solidarity with the continuing resistance in Southern Lebanon.
(Excerpt from the Beirut Declaration, from the International Strategy Meeting of anti-war and anti-globalisation movements in Beirut, Lebanon, September 17-19, 2004, Palestinian Non-Governmental Organizations' Network (Palestinian NGO Network), Accredited by the UN Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People) - Considering Hizbullah's resistance to the Zionist Jewish occupation as "terrorism" is a kind of injustice, discrimination besides being a renunciation of the Bill of Human rights and the Charter of the United Nations. Therefore, we call on the peoples of the world to distinguish between aggression, which is none other than terrorism, and the honest resistance that is the only way to deter the aggression and confront the terrorism resulting from that aggression. Israel is an aggressive entity that practices terrorism; occupation is one of the forms of terrorism. Hizbullah of Lebanon is a popular resisting trend against occupation and terrorism.
(Excerpt from "Hizbullah: Views and Concepts," June 20, 1997, Association Najdeh, Accredited by the UN Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People)
- The basic structure of the Islamic Resistance Movement consists of Moslems who....fear Allah and raise the banner of Jihad in the face of the oppressors, so that they would rid the land and the people of their uncleanliness, vileness and evils. The Islamic Resistance Movement is one of the links in the chain of the struggle against the Zionist invaders... It goes on to reach out and become one with another chain that includes the struggle of the Palestinians and Moslem Brotherhood in the 1948 war and the Jihad operations of the Moslem Brotherhood in 1968 and after...[T]he Islamic Resistance Movement aspires to the realisation of Allah's promise, no matter how long that should take. The Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him salvation, has said: "The Day of Judgement will not come about until Moslems fight the Jews (killing the Jews), when the Jew will hide behind stones and trees. The stones and trees will say O Moslems, O Abdulla, there is a Jew behind me, come and kill him...Allah is its target, the Prophet is its model, the Koran its constitution: Jihad is its path and death for the sake of Allah is the loftiest of its wishes....There is no solution for the Palestinian question except through Jihad....The question of the liberation of Palestine is bound to three circles: the Palestinian circle, the Arab circle and the Islamic circle. Each of these circles has its role in the struggle against Zionism...The day that enemies usurp part of Moslem land, Jihad becomes the individual duty of every Moslem. In face of the Jews' usurpation of Palestine, it is compulsory that the banner of Jihad be raised. To do this requires the diffusion of Islamic consciousness among the masses, both on the regional, Arab and Islamic levels. It is necessary to instill the spirit of Jihad in the heart of the nation so that they would confront the enemies and join the ranks of the fighters....Jihad is not confined to the carrying of arms and the confrontation of the enemy....fighters join other fighters and masses everywhere in the Islamic world will come forward in response to the call of duty while loudly proclaiming: Hail to Jihad. Their cry will reach the heavens and will go on being resounded until liberation is achieved, the invaders vanquished and Allah's victory comes about.
(Excerpt from The Covenant of the Islamic Resistance Movement [Hamas], August 18, 1988, Association Najdeh, Accredited by the UN Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People)
- The Palestinian people are forced to live under an illegal, Apartheid-style, Israeli military occupation....Until Israeli occupation ends...the desperation level inherent in the resistance will continue to attempt to match the brutality of the occupation itself.
(Excerpt from "A Commentary: Occupation is Occupation is Occupation!" by Sam Bahour, October 27, 2001, with Introduction to piece which states "Below is a commentary which I think highlights some of the very questions which have to be asked and responded to if the situation here in the land which longs to be holy is to be truly changed for the better," under feature called "GBGM News Archives," General Board of Global Ministries/United Methodist Church, Special Consultative Status with ECOSOC, associated with DPI, Accredited by the UN Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People) - Thirty-four years of Israeli occupation have caused hardship and suffering for the Palestinians, exacting a heavy toll from both the church and society at large. The current uprising, known as the Intifada, has added to the burden, but many Palestinians see it as necessary in their struggle for statehood.
(Excerpt from "Delegation to Middle East hears please for help, peace," by Rev. Larry Hollon, March 4, 2002, under feature called "GBGM News Archives," General Board of Global Ministries/United Methodist Church, Special Consultative Status with ECOSOC, associated with DPI, Accredited by the UN Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People) - The revolt in Palestine is only one of a series of important developments which are changing the strategic environment of the Middle East, presaging the end of an era of Israeli imperialism, American hegemony and Arab defeatism, says the following article....In spite of the scandalous loss of life, in spite of the insupportable agony suffered by the families of the victims, the battles fought in Jerusalem and throughout the Palestinian territories are signals of robust Palestinian anger and frustration, not of weakness. They should be celebrated by those seeking just peace in the region, not deplored.
(Excerpt from "The Turning of the Tide," by Patrick Seale, January 2001, Third World Network, Roster Status with ECOSOC , Accredited by the UN Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People) - If [the children and youth] do not fight in the only way known to them then they will be giving in to the evil Goliath-the Israeli occupation forces who come with military might void of the living God. These children are non-violent! If we allow these evil forces to silence them then the world will be blessing an evil system. Prayer....We ask you God to defend our children and youth who are engaged in the resistance movement of Palestinians. Let all evil forces who seek to abuse them in Palestine and Israel be punished.
(Excerpt from "Solidarity Booklet," of the Joint Advocacy Initiative which incorporates the YWCA of Palestine and East Jerusalem, World Young Women's Christian Association, Special Consultative Status with ECOSOC, associated with DPI, Accredited by the UN Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People) - The international community is called upon to bear its responsibility to liquidate the last stronghold of racism and apartheid consecrated by Israel as was the case with removing the before-the-last stain of dishonor in South Africa...[T]he conference asserts the following...Total solidarity with the courageous Intifada of the Palestinian people in confrontation of racist practices of oppression and human rights violations perpetrated by the racist state of occupation and settlement. Assertion of the right of the Palestinian people to resort to all forms of struggle to put an end to the occupation and liquidate colonies and settlements in the Palestinian territories...
(Excerpt from "Cairo Declaration Against Racism," July 22, 2001, from the Cairo Institute for Human Rights conference entitled "Arab Regional Preparatory Conference for the World Conference Against Racism," Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies, Special Consultative Status with ECOSOC and associated with DPI) - Although resistance against occupation and its arbitrary practices is legitimate under international law, and these acts are considered a part of the Palestinian people's resistance and struggle against occupation in order to achieve their right to liberation and independence, the occupation forces call it "terrorism" or "destructive acts". Subsequently, occupation authorities submit bills of indictment against those who resist occupation and bring them to military courts, where formal judiciary proceedings take place, severe judgments are taken against them, and they are imprisoned for long periods.
(Excerpt from "'Legal' Cover for Illegitimate Practices: Arbitrary Arrests and Prison Conditions of Palestinian Political Prisoners in Israeli Prisons and Detention Centers," speech given by Randa Siniora, General Director of Al-Haq, at the Zayed Center for Coordination and Follow-Up in the United Arab Emirates, April 28, 2003, Al-Haq, Special Consultative Status with ECOSOC) - September 11th was a violent statement by fundamentalist Muslims demanding an end to American imperialism's economic and political subordinate relationships throughout the Arab world. Both events symbolized a challenge to the US's uncritical support for Israel, and were to some extent expressions of solidarity with the Palestinians.
(Excerpt from "Reparations and our Rendezvous with History," by Dr. Manning Marable, from AFSC's publication "Peacework," February 2002, American Friends Service Committee - Pennsylvania, Accredited by the UN Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People) - Ateek does not take the easy route of simple condemnation and moral outrage but points first to the need to understand the context from which the bombings arose in Israel and Palestine. In this he is very clear, ascribing the beginnings in 2000 to the failures of the Oslo Agreement, and perhaps the Palestinian Authority, to curb the restrictions on movement, confiscations of land, demolition of houses, devouring of water resources, incursions of settlements, killings and constant humiliations that mark the oppressive occupation of the West Bank, East Jerusalem and Gaza by the Israeli government since 1967.
He tells us the suicide bombers have direct experience of these factors, and have been nurtured by the high unemployment, the harassment of the checkpoints, the death of a loved one and sometimes the need to redeem themselves from having been recruited as collaborators in the Israeli prison camps. They see themselves as engaged in a war. "As Israeli soldiers shell and kill Palestinians indiscriminately, Palestinian suicide bombers strap themselves with explosives and kill Israelis indiscriminately," Dr. Ateek writes.
(Excerpt from a Book Review by John Aves on "What is wrong with Suicide Bombings? A Palestinian Christian Perspective," by Dr. Naim Ateek, February 26, 2004, World Council of Churches, General Consultative Status with ECOSOC, associated with DPI, Accredited by the UN Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People) - Interview with Rifat Kassis, Executive Director of the East Jerusalem YMCA: "You need to understand the Israeli occupation in order to understand how I can legitimise the means of the Palestinian resistance. It is a long term colonial, racist settling occupation. It is an uprooting occupation. The consequences of the Zionist ideology [Israel for Jews only] is that Palestinians are killed every day, that young people are disabled in large numbers by Israeli bullets, that people are arrested, that moving freely becomes impossible...Killing yourself and others for a cause has been practised by all nations and at all times....We should look to the circumstances, which lead people to do it. It is not solely an Islamic phenomenon....They are desperate and cannot find another way of resistance. They are fighting for a cause, and they have nothing to loose. We as Palestinians need something to loose in order to make this stop. People are not killing themselves for fun, and Islamic justification can only be found in very harsh circumstances. I am not justifying it. I just try to explain the motives, and how to stop it."
(Excerpt from "Interview with Rifat Kassis, Executive Director of the East Jerusalem YMCA," from "Deliver us from Occupation: Report from the International YMCA-YWCA Observer in Palestine: No. 13," August 30, 2001, World Alliances of YMCAs, Special Consultative Status with ECOSOC, associated with DPI, Accredited by the UN Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People) - In Israel, the exploitation of Sept. 11 was especially swift and far-reaching....But far from "rooting out terrorism," Sharon's war has only produced more grief, rage and bitterness among Palestinians, generating a climate of despair and hopelessness that in turn gives rise to support for extremism. "No one is born a suicide bomber," said Su Schachter, a MADRE member and activist in the Israeli women's peace movement. "These are invariably young people from the poorest refugee camps. They've grown up watching their parents humiliated, their brothers beaten, arrested or shot, their dreams extinguished by grinding poverty and Israeli army violence. None of this justifies terrorism; it merely helps explain it."
(Excerpt from "Bush's War: The Fall-Out on Women and Families," Spring 2002, Madre, Inc., Special Consultative Status with ECOSOC and associated with DPI) - "Rami Nasserdin is the director of a Palestinian non-governmental organization called Palestinian Vision...
[Rami Nasserdin]-.... when we talk about the Occupation we talk about several issues: check points, martyr attacks, curfew...
[PEACE BOAT] - What do you think of the suicide bombings?
[Rami Nasserdin] - First of all we don't call it a "suicide attack," we call it a "martyr attack." ...when a Palestinian boy or girl, 18 or 19 years old, does something like killing him or herself, it is the question of "Why?" we must raise. Of course we Palestinians are all against killing civilians. But what do you want from a guy or a girl who lost their family, who is under curfew for 24 hours, who doesn't go to school, whose lives have been destroyed. What do you think they will do? Find a solution? No, because they don't have any other alternatives. That's what they think about. They don't have any weapons. They don't have tanks, they don't have Apaches (helicopters), they are killing us and we don't have another solution. We have to fight in this way. But I believe in something. Killing is killing. If I kill you by shooting or if I kill you by Apache, it's the same thing. When a soldier is killing a boy, what's the difference of a boy killing a soldier? This is an issue we have to raise. Although again I insist we are against killing civilians.
But this is one of the things that for people in Palestine, there is no other option. They (the Israeli government) are killing us. They are killing children. Most of the people they are killing are civilians. Not any "terrorists" as they say, although I don't believe in this word itself...It's not a war. It's not an equal war. They have a strong army and we are just people. There are lots of differences between the two peoples. .. he wouldn't do it unless it was the very last solution for him. But that's why he did it... for the Palestinian, if he had another solution of course he would choose it.
(Excerpt from Interview called "Life Onboard - Rami Nasserdin - Peace is Possible in Israel and Palestine," May 7, 2004, Peace Boat, Special Consultative Status with ECOSOC and associated with DPI)
Delegitimization of the State of Israel
The incitement to hate, the demonization of Israel, and the support for violence has a goal: the destruction of the state of Israel. Sometimes this goal is camouflaged, but some UN accredited or associated NGOs are quite clear about their intentions. The UN, therefore, accredits and associates with NGOs that espouse the destruction of a UN member state. This call takes various forms: objections to the legitimacy of the creation of Israel, references not to Israel but to an entity called "Israel/Palestine," putting references to Israel in quotation marks, calling for a one-state solution, and boycott, divestment or sanction campaigns intending to destroy the economic viability of Israel and the international relationships necessary for Israel's survival as a Jewish state. Here is a sampling of the commentary made by UN accredited NGOs.
- How did the Palestinian refugee problem arise? The Palestinian refugee problem arose from a systematic policy of ethnic dispossession and elimination, the results of which are apparent in the Palestinian refugee camps and in the Palestinian shatat (exile). These policies continue to this day....How did Israel expel Palestinians from their land? Jewish terrorist groups such as Haganah, Irgun and Stern terrorized the Palestinian street, destroyed villages and slaughtered entire Palestinian families...Israel is a democracy for Jews only, and this religion-based discrimination or oxymoron should not be confused with real democracy.
(Excerpt from "FAQs on Refugees," Al-Awda, Accredited by the UN Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People) - As with Apartheid, Nazism and 'Greater Serbianism', ethnic cleansing was a central Zionist policy....Sometime later Ben-Gurion proposed the conquest of the Galilee as a means of expelling 100,000 Arabs. Here he used the verb 'to clean' again, p. 511n. How similar this is to the Nazi term Judenrein - 'Jew-clean', which described the effect of their deportation policies in Eastern Europe.
(Excerpt from book review by Anthony McRoy, "One Palestine, complete: Jews, Arabs Under the British Mandate," by Tom Segev, July 3, 2004, Friends of Al-Aqsa: Defence of Al-Aqsa and Peace in Palestine, Accredited by the UN Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People) - Over 500 villages were razed in the original ethnic cleansing campaign that accompanied the creation of the state of Israel.
(Excerpt from speech by Hanan Ashrawi entitled "Intervene to end Israeli Apartheid" at the World Conference Against Racism in Durban, August 28, 2001, featured in "Volume 4 no 1" of al-Aqsa Journal, Friends of Al-Aqsa: Defence of Al-Aqsa and Peace in Palestine, Accredited by the UN Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People) - Poisoning Acre Water Supply: In the wake of Haifas occupation on 23 April 1948 by the Zionists...thousands converged on Acre, a nearby city...The Zionists besieged the city from the landside, and started showering the population with a hail of mortar bombs day and night. Famous for its historical walls, Acre could stand the siege for a long time. The city water supply comes from a nearby village, Kabri, about 10kms to the north, through an aqueduct. The Zionists injected typhoid in the aqueduct at some intermediate point, which passes through Zionist settlements...This episode, which started with poisoning Acre water supply and ended with the collapse of the city, the depopulation of its inhabitants, and its occupation by the Jews, whetted their appetite to try this crime again.
Poisoning Gaza: Two weeks later, after their success in Acre, the Zionists struck again. This time in Gaza...
How did Ben Gurion Start all this? ...[W]e must recall Ben Gurions doctrine: the destruction of the Palestinian Society in Palestine is a necessary condition for the establishment of the state of Israel on its ruins. As a corollary to this doctrine, ethnic cleansing became an integral part of Zionism. If Palestinians cannot be removed by massacres and expulsion, they shall be removed by extermination....
The stories about nerve gas applied against school children are plentiful.
(Excerpt from feature entitled "Israel and Weapons of Mass Destruction", by Salman Abu-Sitta, featured in "Volume 6 no. 1" of al-Aqsa Journal, Friends of Al-Aqsa: Defence of Al-Aqsa and Peace in Palestine, Accredited by the UN Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People) - Palestine was not known as a state, having the boundaries drawn by the Sykes-Picot Agreement, until it was placed under British Mandate. In deed, the above mentioned agreement was aimed at drawing the stage (Palestine) that was going to be targeted by the Zionist invasion so as to establish on its ruins a racist entity called Israel. This would be achieved by exterminating the majority of the Palestinian people...
(Excerpt from the Publication Shu'un Tanmawyyeh, "The Role of the PLO in Making the Palestinian Political System," by Hani Al- Hassan, Summer/Autumn 1999, Arab Thought Forum, Accredited by the UN Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People) - "...The State of Israel, like the Republic of South Africa was established as a settler colonial state....Israeli apartheid is even more radical...The JNF, since 1948, has been actively engaged in veiling Israeli apartheid, both in the physical sense of the term, by planted is forests over the ruins of the villages of the indigenous Palestinian Arab population ethnically cleansed by the Israeli army in the course of and in the wake of the 1948-49 war..."
(Excerpt from a speech entitled: "Does the Political Situation in Palestine/Israel Resemble South African Apartheid?" delivered at a conference on "The Jewish National Fund (JNF): Comments on the Political Situation in Palestine/Israel," at Jubilee 200 South Africa, by Uri Davis, May 27, 2004, Featured on page of Conference Papers Centre Europe-Tiers Monde, General Consultative Status with ECOSOC , Accredited by the UN Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People) - ...the description of a Palestine in ruins, under populated of nomads short of civilisation has for a long time fed the Zionist propaganda since the end of the 19th century. The concept of "a land without people for the people without a land" has led to the birth of the perpetual and perpetuated matter of the "transfer" of population living there, resulting in a perception of Palestinians as a non-existing nation and non-attached to the land of Palestine. So, their belonging to the Arab nation and its vast territories makes their "transfer" more feasible. As a consequence, the massacres and atrocities committed against Palestinian civilians by Jewish extremist groups such as the Irgoun (of Menahem Begin), the Lethi (Itzhak Shamir), the Stern, the Haganah and the Palmach are going to be presented as acts of uncontrolled groups....
(Excerpt from "The right of return for the Palestinian refugees: right, justice and reconciliation," Human Rights Sub-Commission 2003, Written Statement by CETIM on Item 4: Economic, social and cultural rights, Centre Europe-Tiers Monde, General Consultative Status with ECOSOC, Accredited by the UN Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People) - "The Joshua and Promised Land stories...have been abused to justify slavery and the taking of other people's land. Unfortunately, people have even interpreted these stories as encouraging wars of extermination....We can begin with the Crusades...The Crusades occurred a long time ago. We can find stories closer to our own times: the colonial enterprise in the Americas, the establishment of apartheid in South Africa, and the creation of modern Israel."
(Excerpt from "Land Theft Crusades: Promised Land and Land Theft," from feature called "The Christian Crusades," from "The Bible: the Book that Bridges the Millenia," General Board of Global Ministries/United Methodist Church, Special Consultative Status with ECOSOC, associated with DPI, Accredited by the UN Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People) - The following article questions how the Holocaust can justify war crimes... After the Shoah, rather than prioritising reparations within Europe, the Zionist project became one of singular transference -- of a devastated people onto a foreign land and of the phoenix myth onto a foreign people. The nature of the imperial bargain was also fairly singular: to act as patsies and point men in the West's exploitation of oil reserves.
One difference from the situation in Eastern Europe was that in Palestine...a people, the Palestinians, already lived there, and could only be removed by ethnic cleansing. This is what the Irgun, Stern Gang and Hagannah proceeded to do.
The leverage for the deal was a terrorist campaign, which climaxed in the bombing of the King David Hotel in Jerusalem that killed 86 people. The eventual payola was more US military and economic aid than the rest of the world received combined -- an estimated $1,000 per Israeli citizen per year.
Yet addicted to the 'privileges' conferred by victimhood, Israelis remain unable to confront the nature of their state's founding. In its place, they offer a resurrection fantasy of the phoenix state rising from six million ashes. But the reality of US imperial power masks the blind spot of Zionism: that when the oil runs out, so will America's need for Israel. As a people, you'd think we might have learned ...
So here are some facts: Israel is a state founded by terrorists...
(Excerpt from "The Wrong Lessons of History," by Arthur Neslen, September 2002, Third World Network, Roster Status with ECOSOC, Accredited by the UN Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People) - In the period 1948-49, the formation of Israel was followed by more than 30 separate military operations by Jewish-Israeli forces, which led to the flight or expulsion of over 800,000 Palestinians and the destruction of 531 Palestinian towns and villages. The calculated theft of Palestinian lands through both legal means and military aggression, as well as widespread housing demolitions and the imposition of apartheid-like laws by Israel, are difficult to see as anything other than a cruel form of ethnic cleansing", [COHRE's Executive Director, Scott] Leckie said.
(Excerpt from media release "Israeli Seizure of Land and Housing Has Made a Two-State Solution Impossible Says New Study," May 11, 2005, Center on Housing Rights and Evictions, Special Consultative Status with ECOSOC) - Al-Nakba (Arabic for Catastrophe) is the expression that was named after the historic and tragic event of the ETHNIC CLEANSING (compulsory population transfer for political aims), and DISPOSSESSION of the Palestinian people for the past five and a half decades. In 1948, hundreds of thousands of Palestinian native inhabitants were forced to abandon their lands, homes and properties and flee from their homeland, under the constant attacks of the Zionist gangs. These gangs were funded by several countries and private Jewish rich people, in an effort to create a national homeland for the Jews.
(Excerpt from PAC press release commemorating Al-Nakhba, May 15, 2003, Link featured on page entitled "Editorial and News Posts", Palestinian American Congress, Accredited by the UN Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People) - "Israel/Palestine: The Once-Oppressed Are Now The Oppressors".... For many of us who followed the vision of the Rev. David Good and joined him on the World House Interfaith Journey to Palestine/Israel, the trip was the first chance to look at the situation with our own eyes.
(Excerpt from "Israel/Palestine: The Once-Oppressed Are Now The Oppressors," by Hassan Fouda, July 12, 2003, Al-Awda, Accredited by the UN Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People) - Israel/Palestine now has about 4.5 million Jews and 3.7 million Christians and Muslims.
(Excerpt from "Palestinians Deserve Rights, Including Right To Return," Hartford Courant, January 23, 2001, Al-Awda, Accredited by the UN Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People) - Why therefore - after almost 40 years of illegal occupation - should we accept a situation where many people are uncertain about who is illegally occupying whose land in Israel-Palestine?
(Excerpt from "MCB [Muslim Council of Britain] Submission on Israel regarding Israeli-Palestinian Impartiality Review," December 1, 2005, Friends of Al-Aqsa: Defence of Al-Aqsa and Peace in Palestine, Accredited by the UN Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People) - [A]nother face of Israel...the face of a racist colonial settler state, bent on transforming all of centuries-old Palestine into the state of Israel, and de-legitimizing the indigenous Palestinian population as the rightful owners of the land. From its inception, the Zionist movement sought to remove the Palestinian people from the land and to destroy any traces of their existence in Palestine.
(Excerpt from "Reflections on Israel and Palestine," by Elaine C. Hagopian, from AFSC's publication "Peacework," December 2001/January 2002, American Friends Service Committee - Pennsylvania, Accredited by the UN Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People) - Churches' concern over the situation in Iraq and the Israel/Palestine conflict, the role of religion in conflict, and working relations between the World Council of Churches (WCC) and the United Nations Organization were the focus of a first meeting between the UN secretary-general Kofi Annan and the WCC general secretary Rev. Dr Samuel Kobia.
(Excerpt from news release, "WCC and UN general secretaries discuss Iraq, Israel/Palestine, role of religion," May 18, 2004, World Council of Churches, General Consultative Status with ECOSOC, associated with DPI, Accredited by the UN Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People) - Tragic stories about people's difficulties leaving or entering Palestine/Israel are common among Palestinians.
(Excerpt from "In a Land Called Palestine," by Rev. Sandra Olewine, July 24, 2003, featured in "GBGM News Archive," General Board of Global Ministries/United Methodist Church, Special Consultative Status with ECOSOC, associated with DPI, Accredited by the UN Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People) - The bishop himself had traveled to Israel-Palestine last February with three other bishops and two of the church's top staff executives as part of a fact-finding mission to the Middle East and Pakistan.
(Excerpt from "U.S. must intervene in Middle East conflict, returning pastor says," November 26, 2002, featured in "GBGM News Archive," General Board of Global Ministries/United Methodist Church, Special Consultative Status with ECOSOC, associated with DPI, Accredited by the UN Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People) - Finally, with the conviction to stand in solidarity with the people of Palestine and undiscouraged by the recent violence in the region and the war in Iraq, this initiative was realized. From April 13-20, 2003 fifteen pilgrims gathered in Israel/Palestine to celebrate Easter week and learn more about the Occupation in Palestine.
(Excerpt from "Living in Faith: Walking with Hope," from the "Pilgrimage to Israel/Palestine," April 13-20, 2003, Lutheran World Federation, Special Consultative Status with ECOSOC, associated with DPI, Accredited by the UN Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People) - Current crises are many and ominous. Of particular significance are those concerning Israel-Palestine.
(Excerpt from announcement of upcoming lecture by Noam Chomsky called "The current crises in the Middle East: What can we do?" from December 11, 2000 Newsletter, Physicians for Human Rights, Special Consultative Status with ECOSOC, Accredited by the UN Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People) - United Methodist missionary Rev. Alex Awad and his wife, Brenda, were commissioned in 1989, and have served with the United Methodist General Board of Global Ministries in Palestine/Israel since 1994. Mr. Awad answers many of the questions asked about the Palestinian people and their struggle for independence.
(Excerpt from description of Rev. Awad's book, from "Mission Education: Reading Program 2004," General Board of Global Ministries/United Methodist Church, Special Consultative Status with ECOSOC, associated with DPI , Accredited by the UN Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People) - Al-Awda, the Palestine Right to Return Coalition affirms that the Palestinian Arab people, regardless of their religious affiliation, are indigenous to Palestine. Therefore, they are entitled to live anywhere in Palestine which encompasses present-day "Israel", the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Al-Awda regards the "Israeli" definition of Jewish nationals, granting exclusive rights to citizenship and land to any Jew from anywhere in the world, as part of the racism and discrimination inherent in Zionist ideology which underlies the policies and laws of the settler state of "Israel".
Al-Awda unequivocally supports the rights of all Palestinian refugees to return to their original towns, villages and lands anywhere in Palestine from which they were expelled.... All Palestinians are entitled to the rights to self-determination, to political, economic and civil equality, and to live in a single democratic state for all its citizens in all of Palestine. The Palestinian national identity encompasses more than 5.5 million people living in exile, more than 2.5 million living in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, and more than 1.2 million living within the areas of Palestine controlled by "Israel" since 1948.
Al-Awda firmly stands against the continued displacement of Palestinians, the construction of illegal Jewish-only colonies in the form of residential settlements, the racist confiscation of land and the demolition of homes since 1948....Al-Awda abhors and condemns the use of massacres and abuse of civilians to further the expansion of "Israel" to the detriment of Palestinian society.
....
Al-Awda will work to educate the public about "Israeli" injustices the US government subsidizes with billions of dollars annually. Until the dismantlement of the exclusionary and racist character of "Israel", and until all Palestinians are granted the right to return and achieve equality, Al-Awda is united in working for and demanding:
- An end to all US political, military and economic aid to "Israel"
- The divestment of all public and private entities from all "Israeli" corporations and American corporations with subsidiaries operating within "Israel"
- An end to the investment of Labor Union members' pension funds in "Israel"
- The boycott of all "Israeli" products
.... - The formation of an independent, democratic state for all its citizens in all of Palestine
- There are numerous organizations and movements that oppose the Zionists ideology. Their views regarding the "State of Israel" are that of the unadulterated Torah position that any form of ZIONISM is heresy and that the existence of the so-called "State of Israel" is illegitimate. Antagonism naturally exists between ZIONISM and the Torah- Judaism itself can never tolerate the heresy of Zionism. Fighting Zionism has no direct or indirect link to religion or Judaism; people of all races, religions, and nationalities oppose and reject Zionism. There are even Jews and Rabbis opposing Zionism."
(Excerpt from "The Zionists ideology versus the Torah and Judaism," January 1, 2006, Friends of Al-Aqsa: Defence of Al-Aqsa and Peace in Palestine, Accredited by the UN Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People) - 1948 saw the birth of "Israel" and the birth of the Palestinian refugee problem.
(Excerpt from "Al-Nakbah," by Hesham Tillawi, Palestinian American Congress, Accredited by the UN Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People) - The recent statement of the Iranian President concerning Israel caused some reaction....There exists a wealth of information on the idea of one-state in historic Palestine...the Iranian President is not an isolated individual with a remark that has no resemblance in the history of the Palestine question. He is, in fact, another link in the chain of prophetic dissents and predictions since the early 1920s that still haunt the 1947-48 enterprise.
(Excerpt from Statement No. 76, December 2005, by Türkkaya Ataöv, "Lessons from Palestinian History," The International Organization for the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, Special Consultative Status with ECOSOC and associated with DPI) - ...[T]he Apartheid system inside Israel and the way the Arabs and the other minorities are treated. If Israel changes all these practices then it would be possible for Israelis to accept the one-state solution. Since Israel failed to offer equality to its own citizens for the past 50 years, it is unlikely that it could add something positive to human history.
(Excerpt from "One Democratic State: A One Democratic State might be THE Solution," delivered at the International Seminar on the Palestinian Struggle and Globalization, August 29-31, 2003, Bethlehem, By Rifat Odeh Kassis, Al-awda, Accredited by the UN Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People) - In 1969, the PLO propounded a vision of a democratic state replacing Israel that would give equal rights to all its citizens, Muslims, Christians and Jews. This was a direct challenge to the idea of an exclusive Jewish state, but more importantly a refusal to acquiesce in the Zionist theft of 1948 Palestine.
(Excerpt from "Sharon is not the Problem, It's the Nature of Zionist Ideology," by Ghada Karmi, February 20, 2004, Al-Awda, Accredited by the UN Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People) - [I]t is Benvenisti's belief that Eretz Israel/Palestine has enough historical and physical space for the people of both nations and that it can one day be a shared homeland.
(Excerpt from "Reading List" on Sacred Landscapes, The buried history of the holy land since 1948 by Meron Benvenisti, P4PD: Palestinians for Peace and Democracy, Accredited by the UN Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People) - "...I believe that the one-state solution is now the only option. Israel must confront its obsolete ethno-nationalism and face a post-Zionist vision for the country, however hard that might be...The challenge for the one-state solution is to find a political path through the transition from rival ethno-nationalisms to a democratic secular formula which would preserve Israels role as a Jewish haven while dismantling the apartheid-like privileges that presently assign second-class citizenship to non-Jews."
(Excerpt from "One State Solution," by Bassam Eid, featured in "Volume 6 no. 1" of al-Aqsa Journal, Friends of Al-Aqsa: Defence of Al-Aqsa and Peace in Palestine, Accredited by the UN Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People) - For example, in Israel-Palestine people from one side see the other side as "the problem" rather than seeing their mutual problem of developing a way of sharing the land that satisfies everyone's interests and needs.
(Excerpt from "Women in Peacebuilding: Resource and Training Manual," International Fellowship of Reconciliation, Special Consultative Status with ECOSOC, associated with DPI , Accredited by the UN Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People) - Dr Tamimi shared his vision of a free Holy land for all people, whether Jewish, Christian or Muslim. He stated "No to Israel; Yes to Jews" as the future of the Middle East. His vision is that of an Islamic government ruling the Holy land, as it is Islam that compels the protection of all faith groups who live within Muslim lands.
(Excerpt from the Palestine Times, "The Impact of Zionism on Jewish, Christian and Muslim Relations, by Rajnaara Akhtar, March 15, 2004, Friends of Al-Aqsa: Defence of Al-Aqsa and Peace in Palestine, Accredited by the UN Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People) - Recognizing the difficulties of implementing the one-state solution in the present circumstances, the initiative aims...to promote the one-state idea amongst Israeli and Palestinian communities.
(Excerpt from "Initiative for One Democratic State in Palestine/Israel" June 26, 2004, featured in "Publications/ Press releases/statements/ Other organizations," Palestinian Non-Governmental Organizations' Network (Palestinian NGO Network), Accredited by the UN Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People) - For Israel, the primary appeal of the two-state option lies in its promise to separate Palestinians from Israelis. The idea is not new to Zionism, which, ironically, shares with anti-semitism the view that Jews and non-Jews can never live together peacefully: hence the need for a Jewish state.
What alternatives are proposed by progressives who criticize the two-state and separation models? ...small numbers of Palestinian and Israeli progressives have begun resurrecting older models for co-existence in one state, encompassing the areas of Israel, the West Bank and Gaza.
A "bi-national state," modeled perhaps on Belgium or Switzerland, would include both national groups.
... In a "secular democratic state," people would not be grouped politically according to identity. Rather, this model resembles the ideal of western democracies - a pluralistic, one-person-one-vote polity, where people's relationship to the state is based on citizenship, not ethnic, religious or national identity....
...No country is entitled to preserve its ethnic majority by violating international law and scorning UN resolutions.
... MADRE's point of view is underscored by our critique of any form of ethnic nationalism.
(Excerpt from "Background Resource: The Crisis of Palestinian Refugees and the Right of Return," October 2000, Madre, Inc., Special Consultative Status with ECOSOC and associated with DPI) - Rama remains optimistic however. Her solution, which she admits would be difficult to put into practice due to the amount of hatred there is between both sides today, as well as Israel's desire to have exclusive rights to the [Palestinian] land, would be the founding of one bi-national, secular state, with equal rights for all people. This comes from her conviction that the root to the conflict is the [Zionist] belief that it is possible to have one state that gives land to only one group of people and recognizes only one religion, essentially dehumanizing the other and denying their fundamental rights to exist.
(Excerpt from "Why I returned to Palestine - Presentation - Rama Mari," July 6, 2003, a "Special Report," Peace Boat, Special Consultative Status with ECOSOC and associated with DPI) - For many Israelis...a multi- or bi-national state assumes the end of Israel as the "Jewish State" and the failure of Zionist aspirations. It must be said, of course, that there are Israeli Jews sympathetic to this -- in my view - more moderate concept...
My basic feeling is that when peace is defined as giving land or hegemony to only one ethnic or religious group at the expense of all others, it is a peace that can only be achieved through ethnic cleansing and genocide, and is thus a peace not worth having. When both Israelis and Palestinians define peace as a shared land and a shared destiny, then real peace will be achievable -- but not before then. And the alternative is a thousand years of murder."
(Excerpt from interview with James Longley on his film "Gaza Strip," screened at the 2002 Human Rights Watch International Film Festival, Human Rights Watch, Special Consultative Status with ECOSOC and associated with DPI) - Boycott Zionism: The money we spend in some of the outlets is being used to prop up the apartheid Israeli regime that is terrorizing the Palestinians, denying them human rights and contravening international law.
(Excerpt from the page entitled "Boycott Apartheid Israel", Friends of Al-Aqsa: Defence of Al-Aqsa and Peace in Palestine, Accredited by the UN Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People) - Boycott Israeli Potatoes, Fruit, and Herbs sold in Ireland...In South Africa, an international boycott was key in ending apartheid. You can help defeat the brutal apartheid system that Israel is imposing on the Palestinians....Boycott Israel - if everyone does a little, together we can make a difference.
(Ireland-Palestine Solidarity Campaign, Accredited by the UN Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People) - The Palestinian Agricultural Relief Committees (PARC)...would like to express their full support to the proposal of the largest British Association of University Teachers (AUT) to boycott two Israeli universities (Haifa and Bar Ilan) passed on April 22, 2005. We wish to stress our respect and high appreciation of this courageous and moral position, which signaled the globally rejected racist and colonial policies of the State of Israel towards the native Palestinian people with which some Israeli academic institutions identify themselves...we all believe that what Israel is committing against the Palestinian people is analogous to the practices of the old South Africa Apartheid regime.
(Excerpt from Press Release, "Hundreds of thousands of Palestinian farmers, women and youths support the AUT position to boycott Israeli universities," featured in "Publications/Press releases/ statements/Other organizations," May 25, 2005, The Palestinian Non-Governmental Organizations' Network (Palestinian NGO Network), Accredited by the UN Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People) - ...[W]e call upon all parties concerned to lobby for ... A boycott of the Israeli products and support of the Palestinian products"
(Excerpt from "PARC Inaugurates the Campaign against Poverty On the International White Band Day," June, 2005, Palestinian Agricultural Relief Committees, Accredited by the UN Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People) - We call on the Norwegian government to...emphasise UN's responsibility to provide protection to the Palestinians and support measures to provide such protection, including deployment of international observers and consideration of UN sanctions against Israel.
(Excerpt from "Recommendations to the Government of Norway regarding selected countries and areas" September 15, 2003, Norwegian Refugee Council, Special Consultative Status with ECOSOC) - HIC and Al Mezan Center for Human Rights endorse the statement of the UN Rapporteur on adequate housing...Israel facilitates the violation of Palestinian individual and collective land rights by imposing its discriminatory domestic laws. The World Zionist Organization/Jewish Agency and Jewish National Fund manage this process by transferring the assets of the dispossessed Palestinians to those considered as "Jewish nationals"; military operations have complemented it...[W]e urge this Commission to take effective measures, including military and economic sanctions as appropriate.
(Excerpt from Oral Report made by HIC at the Commission on Human Rights on Israel's Violations of Palestinian Civilians' Right to Adequate Housing and Land in OPT, 2005, Habitat International Coalition, Special Consultative Status with ECOSOC) - We call upon the international community and governments to impose political and economic sanctions on Israel, including an embargo on armaments. We call upon the social movements to mobilize also for divestment and boycotts."
(Excerpt from press release of BADIL Resource Center for Palestinian Residency and Refugee Rights, February 10, 2005, featured in "Publications/ Press releases/statements/ Other organizations," Palestinian Non-Governmental Organizations' Network (Palestinian NGO Network), Accredited by the UN Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People) - Fifty seven years after the state of Israel was built mainly on land ethnically cleansed of its Palestinian owners, a majority of Palestinians are refugees, most of whom are stateless...We, representatives of Palestinian civil society, call upon international civil society organizations and people of conscience all over the world to impose broad boycotts and implement divestment initiatives against Israel similar to those applied to South Africa in the apartheid era.
(Excerpt from Action Alert, "Palestinian Civil Society Calls for Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions against Israel Until it Complies with International Law and Universal Principles of Human Rights," July 9, 2005, Al-Awda, Accredited by the UN Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People)
ORIGINAL URL: http://www.badil.org/Photos/caricature/Nihad/Photogallery/photo7143/real.htm
Translation: The victory is coming and the freedom is coming
Translation: There is no substitute for the Right of Return
Translation: Holiday cookies
Translation: All Arab lands are my nationality
ORIGINAL URL: http://www.badil.org/Photos/caricature/Omayiah/Photogallery/photo22751/real.htm
Translation: In Geneva, In Jenin
Translation: Key, Key, Key. [In his hand] Settlers. [Listed on his shirt, names of places in Israel] Ein al-haywa, al Yarmouch, el Baqa
Translation: Family honor document: We are members of the Abu 'Aed family from Jaffa. We escaped Jaffa with strength from our land in Palestine in 1948. They took our property and destroyed it and we swear by God and by the blood of the martyrs that we are not surrendering our right and we won't receive anything in place of it. Even our own right...like you, we reject any substitute, and we won't talk in our name about our national right. On this we sign.
Translation: Washington
Translation: Martyrs' blood
Translation: [Bottle] "Al-aqsa martyrs" [Paper] "Geneva document"
Translation: O son, this is what I have left for you after me
Translation: This is my answer to Dr. Kidar and people like him who call for peace
Translation: Left lung, Right Lung, Heart
ORIGINAL URL: http://www.badil.org/Photos/caricature/Naser/Photogallery/photo2319/real.htm
Translation: "We must take Jaffa, it will take a long time to get all of Israel"
Translation: When you do something good, God rewards you. [in blood] Rafah
January 24, 2006
BADIL Resource Center for Palestinian Residency and Refugee Rights
Chair: We will now examine organization 28, BADIL Resource Center for Palestinian Residency and Refugee Rights. [pause] Distinguished delegates, I would like to ask you whether we could suspend the meeting for five minutes. I would like to consult during this period. So we're going to suspend the meeting for five minutes.
Break
Chair: is the Committee ready to take a decision?
Israel: In the previous session of the Committee, my delegation has stated that it was studying answers provided by the organization and that it was going to come back with the response/reaction to these answers. And I must say that after studying these answers provided by BADIL and discerning the alarming discrepancies between them and various statements issued by this NGO in the past, our concerns not only remain unaddressed, but worse yet have rather intensified. I would like to refer mainly to two issues.
Before that maybe, let me remind the Committee what I said about the particular style of BADIL which we find aggressive to say the least, intolerant, using in some cases what could only be described as anti-semitic language and images. All these things, I think, need to be addressed by the Committee in its communication with the organization. Examples are plenty-describing the Prime Minister of Israel as a driver of a bulldozer rolling over the bodies of Palestinians, or depicting a fence made of daggers and blood coming out of the earth I think is quite an alarming fashion of making a point, no matter what this point is. But the two issues that I wanted to specifically indicate, Madam Chair, the question of BADIL's position on terrorism and BADIL's position on the right of the Jewish people to self-determination.
On the first, Madam Chair, BADIL stated that it has not and will not support any form of violence that is inconsistent with the provisions of international law and quote inflicts harm to unarmed civilians, but in fact, Madam Chair, BADIL openly supports terrorism and glorifies suicide bombers as martyrs in various of its statements. Just to give an example, BADIL was one of the Signatories of the final statement of the fourth annual meeting of the so-called Palestine Right of Return Coalition on November 10, 2003 which concludes with the following words: "Long live the Intifada, eternal glory for our pious martyrs." This is not an isolated quotation. Many similar to it exist in various press releases of this NGO.
When asked about its views regarding the right of Jews to self-determination, BADIL answered that it did not contest this right. And again, in a show of verbal acrobatics added, and I quote, "The Question of Israel's founding is not really an issue today because Israel has achieved recognition as a sovereign state." But these two iterations are rather different, aren't they? As a matter of fact, they are rather contradictory and disguise BADIL's real views on this fundamental issue.
Madam Chair, indeed BADIL's literature is rife with negation of this right when it comes to the Jewish people, a position that places this NGO in clear discord with the fundamental principle of the UN Charter-the principle of the right of peoples to self-determination. One example of BADIL's real beliefs, Madam Chair, can be seen in a statement of this NGO from April 8, 2000 that reads as follows, and I quote "Racism, discrimination and ethnic cleansing policies are inherent, inherent in the Zionist model of the exclusive Jewish state." Zionism, as the Committee may well recall, is the national self-determination movement of the Jewish people, which therefore leads me to the inevitable question, does BADIL maintain that Zionism is racism? Madam Chair, given the enormous significance of this question to my delegation, I cannot see how the Committee can afford to proceed with this application and take a decision on it without requesting unequivocal clarifications. These are my comments for now. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Chair: I thank the delegate of Israel. United States, you have the floor.
United States: Thank you Madam Chair. I want to start by saying I want to thank the organization for submitting this answers in a quickly matter, in a good fashion. Regarding the comments made just now, I think some questions posed by the delegation of Israel deserve some answer and some clarification and have raised some question at least in my delegation. So I'm wondering, I know it's not customary for the Committee to do so, but I do notice that there is a representative of this NGO in the room. according to the list I have of this morning's session and I am flexible on this, I could either, rather than pose a new question to this NGO and require a written answer, I would not be, it would be fine with me if I could do it on a dialogue basis with the member of the organization's representative from the podium, so maybe through you, Madam Chair, I would be happy if we could do that now, or as discussed [inaudible] in the afternoon session from 5-6. I'm flexible on that. But I do have one question to ask this particular NGO and it's maybe to clarify the more important question to us, of significance, is that of the relationship of that they find between Zionist as a form of racism, and if they can come back to us and give me a concise answer regarding what is their position on this-do they believe, is that their belief as an NGO or not? And it would be important for my delegation to have a clear answer on this, a clearer understanding of their position on this, in order to move on with this particular application. My delegation is impressed by some of the letters of support submitted to the NGO from other Jewish organizations which clearly identify that they work with this particular NGO, but at the same time recognize they have some differences on some issues, which is understandable, I think we all have differences at a certain level, but we always find a common ground for a common purpose. And with that regard is that I like to look at this particular answer and establish dialogue with this representative. Thank you.
Chair: I thank the delegate of the United States. Before putting his proposal, are there any other delegates who wish to take the floor? Germany, you have the floor.
Germany: Thank you, Madam Chair, just very briefly, we have listened with great attention to the statement made by the observer delegation of Israel and we take those concerns very seriously. They do raise concerns in my delegation too, and we are therefore very much in favor of having a thorough and hopefully clarifying dialogue with the representative of the NGO-we are open to do this now and if necessary continue in the afternoon so as to have a clear picture of the issues and concerns raised and we are happy to participate in that dialogue. Thank you very much.
Chair: I thank the delegate of Germany. Senegal, you have the floor.
Senegal: Thank you, Madam Chair. My delegation understands the concerns of some delegations with regard to this NGO, nevertheless we do believe that this application which comes back to us regularly should be studied in the same way as the other applications from whomever we receive them. It is an NGO which is defending the Palestinian refugees' cause and therefore we would recommend that it does get the status requested. The representative is in the room, and as the delegate of Germany, I believe we could listen to that representative if there's no objection to that, and he or she could respond to all the questions that have been raised. My delegation would like to see a decision taken during this session and that it receive special status. Thank you.
Chair: Senegal. Sudan, you have the floor.
Sudan: Thank you very much indeed, Madam Chair. Of course, we do understand some concerns expressed by the distinguished delegates of the United States and Germany regarding this NGO, however, all the justifications put forward regarding this request, in my judgment, would not be hindering the work of our Committee, but we have to remember that this application has remained suspended since the last session and in our first reaction that this application according to the narrative here, we did not feel that there is any racist or negative activity. Quite the contrary, this NGO undertakes activities, which in our judgment, are at the core of the functions and purposes of the Economic and Social Council. We have to take into account the nature of the activities of this NGO. Also, these activities are fully in accord with the provisions of Resolution 1969/31 which governs the proceedings of this Committee in dealing with these applications. In point of fact, at this point we do see that this NGO has received a number of questions and continuously provided adequate and relevant answers. Then the question that would arise now: would this application remain in abeyance while more and more questions are submitted to it? Therefore, I think that the argument put forward by Senegal is quite relevant and important, i.e. we should take a decision on this application at this session. Thank you, Madam.
Chair: I thank the delegate of Sudan. Iran, you have the floor.
Iran: Thank you Madam Chairperson. My delegation would like to support the statement made by distinguished delegates of Sudan and Senegal.
Chair: I thank the representative of Iran. I understand that the view of the Committee is that we could invite the representative of the organization, BADIL, to have a dialogue with us now. This usually happens at five p.m., but on other occasions we have also done so at different times. If there are no objections, maybe we could invite the representative. Now, I see no objections. I would like to invite the representative of the BADIL organization if they are in the room. I thank the representative for being here today. Please take note of the questions which the delegate of the United States has submitted to you and I give you the floor.
BADIL: Thank you. I'm more than happy to answer questions. I'm Susan Akram. I'm associate professor at Boston University. I've been involved with BADIL's work and in fact have been one of the main drafters of much of the work that has come out of BADIL. The work, my work is part of the international legal support network that functions to sort of guide the positions that BADIL has drafted on the basis of international law. So in terms of the issues that have actually been developed at BADIL, as far as the legal positions, I'm more than happy to respond to any questions, specific or general, about those. As far as other kinds of materials that I'm hearing for the first time, I have no knowledge about, for example, the statement about the Prime Minister or the depiction of - I'm not sure what it was -- it sounded like an illustration, of course BADIL does not do illustrative materials, their work is position papers and statements on the basis of international law. So with that caveat, more than happy to answer any specific or general questions.
Shall I begin with some of yours? The issue about Zionism is racism-this is actually not a position that BADIL has done intensive research on. I know that there are at least two, perhaps three definitions of Zionism, it's not clear which one is being referred to. In terms of what BADIL's position would be in general terms, it would be very close to the authoritative position of the United Nations, as embodied in that early document by Tom and Sally Mallison, in which Zionism was examined as part of what the UN's understanding of it was in the drafting of Resolution 181 and 194 and Tom and Sally Mallison's work remains to my mind the most authoritative work on this question. To the extent that Zionism is considered to be an exclusive right of the Jewish people to the exclusion of the Palestinian people--that would be prohibited discrimination, as of course every UN document and the UN charter prohibits religious-based discrimination or ethnic-based discrimination across the board. And so BADIL's position would be consistent with that.
Chair: I thank the representative for her answer. Does any delegation wish to ask any questions? Germany, you have the floor.
Germany: Thank you, Madam Chair. Maybe around this difficult and sensitive issue, my delegation would like to ask the representative a question concerning the NGO declaration that was passed at the World Conference against Racism in Durban. This declaration-it's a very long declaration, under paragraph 194 called for the reinstitution of UN Resolution 3379 determining that practices of Zionism as racism, the famous, infamous I should rather say, Zionism equals Racism Resolution which was repealed by the United Nations in 1991. And my delegation would just be interested to hear if the representative could shed some light on what BADIL's role has been in this particular case. We believe this is, this call to be one of the most disturbing ones to come out of the sidelines, as it were, of that conference, and we would be very grateful to have some clarification on that. Thank you.
Chair: [inaudible] Germany. You have the floor.
BADIL: Yes, the view was of course part of a coalition of groups working together on Palestine issues at Durban. This particular document, and I think there were at least two documents produced by that coalition, was not drafted by BADIL. BADIL did not necessarily have a position on every single paragraph in those two documents. As I said, BADIL has not studied this question, has not put out its usual authoritative analysis, I mean that reaches consensus amongst the legal support network. So that particular paragraph doesn't represent either a platform that BADIL has, but was simply part of a coalition working that BADIL was engaged in. So I know of no position that BADIL has taken specifically on that question as part of BADIL's platform of work.
Chair: I thank the representative for her answers. I see that there aren't any more concerns from members of the Committee and I'd like to thank you for having come to the Committee. United States, I believe, wants the floor.
United States: Thanks, Madam Chair, and through you I'd like to thank the representative of the organization to answer these questions. I still have a sense of un-clarity frankly on some of the answers. I guess I'm, I'm not really certain what the position is, I mean it is a document that you signed, and for us it's customary here that if we don't, if we sign a document as a whole, means we're in agreement of that particular document, unless you make a statement removing yourself from that consensus on that particular, or a claratory statement, for example, the United States have done multiple of those regarding the issue of women and reproductive rights where we disassociate ourselves from that or we clarify our position on that. In this particular case brought up by Germany, I don't see that that's the case. I understand that maybe you did not personally act on that particular statement and drafting of that particular statement, but if you're a signatory it would allude to me that you support it in some sort, unless, but from your answer what I'm getting is not that, but it's also not the other side, it's kind of a fine line and I'd like to get a little more from you. Do you not-a little bit more, maybe, I don't know if I'm making myself clear on this, but it does seem to me that you didn't, as an organization you didn't really reject that particular notion and you were perfectly fine signing onto it. Thank you.
Chair: I thank the United States. Germany.
Germany: Yes, just two points. Maybe it would help us clarify the issue, if the question was also put in another way and that is: would BADIL sign up to that kind of statement today? That would be my delegation's question. If that came up again today in some kind of a meeting-would you sign up to that? That's my question and also I would like to request through you, Madam Chair, the representative also to comment on the comments made by Israel earlier on, on the issue of terrorism, violence and BADIL's position on that. I think Israel put a few of the points really succinctly and we would be happy if the representative could go into BADIL's position on these issues a little bit further.
Chair: I thank the delegate of Germany. Cuba.
Cuba: Thank you, Madam Chair. In this case, our delegation is very satisfied with the answers given by the organization. We think that it is an organization which perfectly complies with the goals and the purposes of ECOSOC and we have no problem with it. But despite the fact that we are holding this debate at this time exceptionally, I think that usually this debate takes place in the afternoon. We understand the responses given by the organization and the wish for the delegates to continue with this debate, but we are prepared to take a decision on this immediately, but we would like to stress the fact that we still have a group of organizations which we have to review, and it would be important for the organization to finish its work and proceed to have the debate at the appropriate time, or at least to take a decision as soon as possible on this case. Thank you.
Chair: I thank the delegate of Cuba. If the members of the Committee, well I would like to invite the representative to continue the dialogue at five p.m. if the members could agree. This would give us time, give her time for her to review the questions. Sudan you have the floor.
Sudan: Thank you, Madam Chair. I'm sorry to take the floor again on the same issue. But my understanding was that we took this case as an exceptional case so we discuss it even in the time she will not usually discuss having the representative of the NGO. Now I think it's clear now, everything is clear, the answers was at least very very satisfaction answers and I do believe we should take action since we start already listening to the representative of the NGO. Or why don't we from the beginning just [inaudible] as the representative of the NGO may come at 5:00. Now the representative of the NGO is before us, our questions are already answered, so thank you Madam Chair.
Chair: Thank you, Sudan. So I take it there is no consensus and I wonder whether delegations are ready to have a dialogue now. I would like to ask the representative of the organization to answer the questions which have been raised.
BADIL: Sure, maybe I could start in order. First of all, in terms of what I-I'm sorry it seems like I've muddied the waters rather than clarified things. Of course that was not my intention. NGOS, perhaps you wouldn't know maybe not having worked on this side, don't operate the way governments do, they're not required to file reservations for specific issues on a treaty that they sign or to submit specific dissenting positions when they work in coalition, they try to work together and there may not always be agreement within the coalition between all of the views of the NGOs. This is sort of standard operating procedure. I can't apologize for that, it's sort of just the way things work. And BADIL was part of this as an effort to bring together all of the various voices across the spectrum on the issues concerning Palestinians and so signed on to something, the sum of the parts of--when each part may not have been along with BADIL's particular perspective. And I meant to preface my discussion about this again by saying that most of the positions that BADIL takes are positions that have been researched and analyzed by its legal support network before they are put out there. There are some statements that have not yet reached that stage where we have not got a consensus yet among the international legal support network and the Zionism question and the question about terrorism, of course being hampered further on that question by the fact that the UN itself has no definition of terrorism, very generally BADIL's position has been from the start and continues to be within the weight of international authority, as consensus is reached by the legal support network. On the issue of whether BADIL would sign today, I would say probably not, again because some of these questions require further analysis and a really detailed legal position, and that has not been done on particularly these two questions that have arisen today. And that partially answers the last question about violence and terrorism. There's also not a stated position because we don't have a clear legal definition of what international terrorism is or terrorism is, and therefore we can't develop a position on that. But categorically BADIL is not engaged in violence or terrorism. This is not its mission. It's a--it's an NGO with a--that sees itself as clarifying international law. That is why we have this really well-respected international group of legal support network and why I as a law professor have been involved with this organization since the beginning. To my mind it's one of the most professional NGOs that I have seen anywhere and why I have spent so much time and energy working with them to promote the positions that BADIL has promoted.
Chair: I thank the representative. Senegal.
Senegal: Thank you, Madam Chair, my delegation would just like to give our opposition with regards to taking a decision. Since we are having a discussion with the representative of the NGO, we don't need to wait until 5 this afternoon, but if we do not have enough time now, we could do it at 3pm, this afternoon but not at 5pm this afternoon-that is, make a decision. Thank you.
Chair: I thank the representative of Senegal. It seems the representative of the organization may have something to add. I give her the floor.
BADIL: I just wanted to point out, that amongst the about a dozen letters of support that BADIL has, five of them are from Jewish and/or Israeli organizations. BADIL's main legal, the core of BADIL's legal positions have been translated into Hebrew and are being used by Israeli NGOs as part of their Hebrew packet so I just wanted to make that clear that BADIL's work is hand in hand with both Israeli and international Jewish organizations.
Chair: Thank you. Israel.
Israel: Thank you. And I'd like to thank Professor Akram for being here and answering our questions. Professor, could you please help me out here and tell me what was the purpose of your last statement regarding the letters of support that you received from Israeli and Jewish organizations? Thank you.
Chair: I thank the Israeli delegation. You have the floor, Mam.
BADIL: Yes, actually it was in response to your very first statement which was that some of BADIL's statements were anti-semitic.
Chair: Thank you. It's almost 1:00. I'll give the floor to the delegate of Israel and then we will proceed with our work.
Israel: Thank you, Madam. Professor Akram, this does mean that by this you are inferring that if a statement made by BADIL is supported by a Jewish organization, that automatically makes it impossible for it to be anti-semitic? Thank you.
Chair: I thank the Israeli delegation and give you the floor.
BADIL: Hello, yeah. Of course I wasn't suggesting that. Merely that the evidence suggests that it's highly unlikely that some of the key NGOs working within Israel would support a position that would be anti-semitic. One is not the equivalent of the other, but one certainly suggests that it's less likely that an NGO would be engaged in anti-semitism if its partners are Jewish and Israeli organizations.
Chair: Thank you. United States. United States: Thank you Madam Chair. I just wanted to take the floor for the last time, and to thank the representative of the NGO. I think your last questions clarify our position, of your position regarding BADIL and we truly want to thank you for taking the time and coming to us and answering some of the questions that we've posed for you today. Thank you.
Chair: I thank the delegate of the United States. On behalf of the Committee I'd like to thank the representative of BADIL for having been here at this meeting. The Committee has been very generous in allowing me to change our tradition and I'd like to thank you very much. Thank you for the invitation. The delegate of Palestine has the floor.
Palestinian observer: Thank you Madam Chair. My delegation just wishes to take the floor at this point to again voice our strong support for BADIL. This organization is extremely important to my delegation as well as to the Palestinian people, in that they provide pertinent analysis and information regarding the situation of Palestine refugees. Their work and analysis is based on international law and in completely in line and relevant to the work of ECOSOC, so we reiterate our support. And for the request for consultative status with the Council to be granted which in our opinion will only enhance their work that's--their important work that's already being done. Just to respond briefly to some of the questions or statements posed by the Israeli representative, obviously my delegation cannot speak on behalf of BADIL, and--but we believe that after the questions that they have answered during the previous session and the answers that Professor Akram has just answered, we believe that they are clear and thorough, and we also want to also again mention that, you know, the letters that had been submitted on behalf of many NGOs in support by BADIL from Jewish and Israeli organizations, does indicate that BADIL is not the organization that the representative of Israel would like to depict, or is attempting to depict. BADIL is a Palestinian organization that is representing the refugees of Palestine, and my delegation cannot help but wonder if that is the real issue that the representative of Israel has. Having said all that, my delegation believes that this organization should not be deferred, there is no reason, and we hope again that the members of this distinguished Committee will grant this organization the consultative status it deserves without further delay. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Chair: I thank the delegate of Palestine. Israel, you have the floor.
Israel: Thank you, Madam Chair. Let me start from the end. Let me be also very clear. Israel does not have a problem with all the activities of this organization. It doesn't have a problem with organizations who are trying to assist Palestinian refugees. It doesn't have a problem with Palestinian NGOS in general. As a matter of fact, the Committee knows and I'm sure that the Palestinian--representative of the Palestinian Observer Mission knows, that there is a whole UN mechanism dedicated to assisting Palestinian refugees and Israel works together with this mechanism. However, we still remain dissatisfied and alarmed by some of the answers that we've heard. We don't find them unequivocal. We were a little surprised to hear that the person speaking on behalf of BADIL is not aware of cartoons that appear on the BADIL website. Maybe not the work of members of BADIL, but definitely by way of being present on a website, reflecting sentiments maybe, of the organization or its members. The response to the question of the right of Jewish people to self-determination was also far from being satisfactory. I think that it is not really up to the General Assembly to -- or to ECOSOC for that matter -- to start reevaluating or reassessing what is the definition of Zionism. Just like we don't ask other peoples what is the definition of their national movements. It is kind of strange for my delegation, the delegation of the Jewish state may I remind all present here, that somebody would like to tell us how to define our desire for national self-determination. So, I see that we're almost at 1:00 and I'm definitely, I mean if there's one thing I would like to leave the Committee with is, again a sense of distress and worry about what we heard from the representative of the organization. How can Professor Akram say that they have not yet been able to establish their position on Zionism? If I am not mistaken, the NGO declaration was taken 4 and 1/2 years ago at Durban, and at the same time say that they would probably not adhere to such a declaration nowadays. I mean if such an evaluation by legal experts and its support of a legal network has not been concluded yet, that's almost a non-sequitur. Anyway, I will stop here at this juncture and thank you for your time.
Chair: I thank the delegate of Israel. It's 1:00. I would like to suggest to the members of the Committee that we will continue with this application at 3pm and take a decision then and see where the delegations--unless delegations are prepared at this stage now to take a decision. It seems not, therefore we will return to it. And I'd like to make an announcement. The Secretariat has received a letter with a complaint which we are distributing now. The letter is make a compliant to the Islamic Relief Organization - Agency, sorry - from the United States. I would like you to look at the letter because we are going to tackle that subject tomorrow morning. This afternoon, we are going to continue with our deferred applications before going to the other items on the agenda. The meeting is adjourned.
AFTERNOON
Chair: I'd like to welcome you to this afternoon's meeting. I call to order the 8th meeting of the 2006 session of the Committee on Non Governmental Organizations. We'll continue with the agenda, proceeding from this morning. I'd like to remind delegates that we are reviewing the BADIL organization and I'll wait until you are all in your seats. I'd like to ask the members of the Committee whether they are ready to take a decision and to grant special status to the BADIL organization? I see no objections. This is so decided. Germany has the floor.
Germany: Excuse me, Madam Chair, I was just-I was not in my place when the gavel went down. Did we just make a recommendation, the recommendation to grant special status to the organization?
Chair: Yes. Do you have a comment?
Germany: Yes, my delegation would like to make a statement in connection with this decision. Madam Chair, my delegation did not take this decision to a vote, despite serious reservations against taking it at this stage. We recognize that this organization does valuable and professional work in the field of assistance to Palestinian refugees. However, we do have serious concerns about the organization's involvement in an attempt by a number of NGOs to reinstate General Assembly Resolution 3379 equating Zionism with racism in 2001. In our view, this issue is clearly settled. The General Assembly revoked this resolution in 1991 and rightly so. We share the assessment expressed by many that General Assembly Resolution 3379 was an anti-semitic low point in the history of the United Nations. But we appreciate that the representative of the NGO has distanced BADIL from the call for the reinstatement of this resolution, my delegation would have found it important to be given the opportunity to gain complete clarity on this issue and my delegation believes this would have required only very little time. Due to the fact that a number of delegations insisted that we take a decision here and now we regrettably have not been given this opportunity. My delegation therefore disassociates itself from the decision just taken by the Committee and we would request that this statement be properly reflected in the Committee's report. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Chair: I thank Germany. This will be recorded. I now give the floor to the United States.
United States: Thank you, Madam Chair. Madam Chair, we wanted to take the floor prior to this--taking action on this. We understand that in order to run the Committee in an expeditious matter, in this regard, I was taken a little back by the [inaudible] of the gavel-and I wasn't prepared at that time to take action on this, however, given that that is the case, my delegation will also like to disassociate itself from this decision on this NGO and would like that to be stated on the record. My delegation still remains with some doubts and some concerns remain, we are aware of their work that this NGO does, and we are satisfied in some elements of the work of this particular NGO regarding humanitarian affairs or legal aspects, however, we are concerned with the issues of the use or the lack of clarity that was there regarding the right of Israeli people for self-determination and the connection of Zionism as a form of racism. We certainly expect that this NGO behaves within the parameters, the full parameters, of the resolution and the spirit of the charter of the United Nations and we look forward to a productive relationship of this NGO with the United Nations and not one that will cause friction among member states. So with that said, again Madam Chair I would like to have my delegation disassociate itself from this particular decision. Thank you.
Chair: I thank the delegate of the United States. This will be reflected in the report. I now give the floor to the delegate of France.
France: Thank you, Madam Chairman. France also wishes to dissociate itself with the consensus on this file. We have studied with great care both the written report from this NGO as well as listening with great attention to its responses to the questions which were raised. We are aware and we fully recognize that this NGO does good work on the ground. At the same time, the answers she gave to one precise point this morning did not totally convince us. The United Nations has clearly pronounced itself on the equation of Zionism is equal to racism, and even if the NGO has not got a legally established position on this point, we regret that it has not displayed it some doubts on the subject this morning. We will follow with great care the way in which it will pronounce itself in future years and we will be very vigilant about that. And without being formally opposed to the decision of the Committee, we wish to disassociate ourselves like Germany and the United States from the decision of the Committee. Thank you.
Chair: I thank the delegate of France. This will be reflected in the report also. I give the floor to the delegate of Israel.
Israel: Thank you, Madam Chair. It will be pretty unsurprising if I also and I wish to take the floor, although the statements we just heard from the delegates of the US, France and Germany pretty much reflect our difficulties. After the deliberations of this morning and after the statements by the representative of the organization, my delegation is compelled to underline that the concerns with which it has started the morning with, still in our view remain. From the material available on the organization, as well as the material provided by it during our deliberations, it is difficult not to conclude that BADIL has a political agenda and that therefore does not live up to the obligations stemming from ECOSOC Resolution 1996/31, especially paragraph 57(a) thereof, as well as the principles embodied in the charter of the United Nations. It is a good opportunity to reiterate that Israel supports the inclusion of NGOs within the UN system, and has not objected to granting status to several Palestinian NGOs in the past, even ones with whom we have differences of opinion. This, however is very different to an NGO whose mandate and activities are in opposition to the UN charter in several ways, who opposed the existence of a UN member states, who seems to espouse racist rhetoric, and who seeks to undermine the work of the United Nations and of the international community. My delegation remains concerned Madam Chair, as I said, and nothing in what was iterated by the representative of the organization can really appease our concerns. We will absolutely follow the activities and the statements and the literature of this organization in the future and you can rest assured that we will follow it closely. Thank you.
Chair: I thank the delegate of Israel. We can now move on to the next application....
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