We have received many responses to our email regarding the situation in Gaza sent on June 30th. Some of the email we received was appreciative, and some the opposite, arguing that UFPJ’s position is wrong, one-sided, anti-Israeli, anti-Semitic, or not even-handed. Other responses argue that UFPJ was created to oppose the U.S. war on Iraq and that it is misguided for us to now be taking up Israeli/Palestinian politics. While recognizing that many people have strong opinions about this issue, we would like to keep the dialogue going. When we sent the memo on June 30th, the crisis had not yet escalated into the possibility of a full-scale regional war. Now, it is more important than ever for the U.S. antiwar movement to be speaking out for a peaceful and just solution to these long-standing problems. First, just to be very clear, UFPJ opposes all violence against civilians. We oppose all acts of collective punishment, and we condemn all violations of international law and human rights. Just as we condemn the Israeli assault in Gaza, we are critical of Hezbollah's attacks on Israeli civilians. Yet we see the vast differences in the scope and scale of these actions. As the French Foreign Minister, Philippe Douste-Blazy, described it, Hezbollah’s seizure of the soldiers and firing rockets into northern Israel were “irresponsible acts”; Israel’s bombing of the Beirut international airport was “a disproportionate act of war.” Second, we believe that anti-Semitism must be opposed whenever it manifests. At the same time, we are clear that it is possible to be critical of the Israeli government without being anti-Semitic. In fact, there are many Israelis actively opposing the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories, and are now speaking out against the excessive use of force directed against civilians in Gaza and in Lebanon. Israeli Gideon Levy recently wrote an insightful piece published in Ha'aretz, one of Israel's largest newspapers. And there are countless examples of Israelis actively working to end the occupation: Jeff Halper tries to prevent the arbitrary destruction of Palestinian homes through his work with the Israeli Committee Against House Demolition; Dr. Ruchama Marton, as part of Physicians for Human Rights/Israel, works with Palestinian doctors providing in difficult circumstances emergency medical care to Palestinians; Israeli writer Rela Mazali, with the organization New Profile, analyzes the militarism of Israeli society and has with others created a support network for refuseniks (Israelis refusing to do military service in the occupied territories). There is a whole movement in Israel to resist the draft, to refuse to serve, to protect Palestinians and to build solidarity. We believe the antiwar movement in the U.S. needs to listen to some of these voices instead of CNN's Wolf Blitzer or The New York Times' Tom Friedman. Another issue that some of you raised is your concern that UFPJ should stay focused on ending the war in Iraq and not get involved in the Israeli/Palestinian conflict. As is clear by our statements, we disagree on this point. It is true that the major focus of our work has been and will continue to be ending the U.S. war and occupation of Iraq. It is also true that at our first national assembly in June 2003, there was unanimous support for our unity statement, which included a clear position against U.S. government support of the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories. We have always viewed the war in Iraq as part of a larger set of problems and issues that need the attention of the peace and justice movement -- we have always worked to make connections between U.S. policy in Iraq and what our government is doing in other parts of the world and right here at home. In May 2004 UFPJ’s steering committee adopted a more detailed position on our approach to achieving a just Palestinian/Israeli peace.
UFPJ is working to end the war in Iraq, and to bring all the troops home, now. We also are committed to building a movement that is strong enough to change the foundations of U.S. foreign policy, prevent other wars and military assaults and move toward the peaceful, negotiated resolutions of international conflict. We cannot ignore the long-standing and ongoing tensions and problems throughout the Middle East, and particularly the Israeli/Palestinian conflict. As we said above, UFPJ opposes all violence against civilians, all acts of collective punishment, and all violations of international law and human rights. We also oppose military occupations, regardless of which nation is committing them: the U.S. in Iraq, or Israel in the Palestinian territories. (See: "Ending the Occupation: It’s the Law.") As we address the present crisis, we need to call attention to the role the U.S. plays in that region. The U.S. government, with our tax dollars, pays for Israel’s occupation, with military and economic aid far in excess of what we give to any other nation, anywhere in the world -- approximately $3 billion a year. This aid provides the U.S. with a secure and dependent ally in the region, a region rich in energy resources. It should be noted that much of the aid from the U.S. is earmarked for the coffers of the U.S. weapons industries. Thank you for taking the time to read this memo. We know there is a great deal more that could be said about all of these issues, but we wanted to at least highlight some of our thinking. Here are links to several websites which we we hope you'll have an opportunity to look at:
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