"Today, Thursday, September 22, at 5.00 pm – a historical timing, on the eve of the UN debate – a special event will be held at 16 Rothschild Boulevard, opposite the building where the independence of Israel was proclaimed in 1948. On that spot there will be held a rally expressing support of Israeli and international recognition of the Palestinian state, and stating that the alternative to such recognition is going towards a new Masada. Among participants and speakers at the events will be Yael Dayan, Alon Li'el, Amos Oz, Yoran Kanyuk, David Tartakover, Yehuda Bauer and others. Participants will be invited to sign publicly the following manifesto:"
"In front of our very eyes, an insane drama is being acted out. The Prime Minister of Israel is leading his citizens to Masada. Human morality, Jewish history and the interests of Israel – all clearly show the way to being the first state in the world to recognize, in the United Nations, our neighbor state and them to enter into negations, based on equality, regarding territorial exchanges and security arrangements. After all, the Palestinian State recognizes the State of Israel in the "67 borders.
The Jewish People arose in the Land of Israel, there they developed their identity. The Palestinian People arose in Palestine, there they developed their identity.
Therefore, we sincerely welcome the expected declaration of independence by the Palestinian State, Israel's neighbor, and within the borders at the time of our independence which were determined at the end of the War of Independence in 1949; the borders more commonly known as the '67 borders. This is the natural right of both the Jewish and the Palestinian people – as written in Israel's Declaration of Independence "to be masters of their own fate, like all other nations, in their own sovereign State".
The independence of both peoples strengthens one and the other, it is both a moral and basic necessity at one and, the same time, it is the foundation upon which good, neighborly relations are built.
We, the undersigned, call on all persons seeking peace and freedom, and upon all nations to join us in welcoming the Palestinian Declaration of Independence, to support it and to work and act together in order to encourage the citizens of both countries to live together in peace, based on the '67 borders and mutual agreement. A final and complete end to the occupation is a basic condition for the freedom of both peoples, for the realization of Israel's Declaration of Independence and a future of peaceful coexistence."
Initial list of signatories:
Manifestation for peace during the Zanzibar International Film Festival coordinated by the young activists in Eastern Africa.
A Peace March was led by Peace Clubbers from Tanzania Mainland, Unguja and Pemba on the final day of ZIFF Peace Camp in Zanzibar.
Manifestation for peace during the Zanzibar International Film Festival coordinated by the young activists in Eastern Africa.
A Peace March was led by Peace Clubbers from Tanzania Mainland, Unguja and Pemba on the final day of ZIFF Peace Camp in Zanzibar.
Manifestation for peace during the Zanzibar International Film Festival coordinated by the young activists in Eastern Africa.
A Peace March was led by Peace Clubbers from Tanzania Mainland, Unguja and Pemba on the final day of ZIFF Peace Camp in Zanzibar.
The huge wave of demonstrations that is sweeping Israel for the last month and half, including a demonstration of 300,000 protestors in Tel-Aviv on August 6th, presented a "very clear message".
"A very clear message: The Israeli working class in general, and young people in particular, revolts against the soaring prices of housing and basic commodities, and no longer agrees to silently abide to a social system that works against the interest of the vast majority, and for the interests of the few."
"This social protest movement, characterized by the setting-up of thousands of protest tents throughout the country, is led by young people, and raises demands that address the needs of the general population, but also specifically the needs of youth and students."
"The wave of revolutions in the Arab countries, which saw the unleashing of creative energy, against oppression and poverty, and for democracy and social justice, has long hit Europe, where young people took to the streets in Spain, Greece, and elsewhere. Now, we are now witnessing a similar struggle in Israel: Young people, many of which have been dormant and passive, are now taking interest in politics, mobilizing massively on the streets, and are involved in democratically discussing the strategy and tactics of this movement."
"The Young Communist League of Israel (YCLI) has supported this protest movement since its onset, as it expresses the interests of the great majority of young people in Israel, Jews and Arabs alike. Our commitment to social change, and our vast experience in organizing both cadres and masses, means that our Comrades are in the leadership of many local protest encampments, and are also present in the national leadership of the movement."
"We have a special responsibility in broadening the scope of the protest movement, bringing it into the periphery of the country, to poor neighborhood inside the big cities, and into small towns, far off from the metropolitan areas. This is most evident in Arab towns and villages, where we are the key player in this recent wave of struggle, leading the initiatives of building protest encampments and organizing demonstrations."
"As an integral part of this young, vibrant, dynamic and growing social movement, we raise immediate demands, which include:
"In addition to these – and other – immediate demands, YCLI contributes to the struggle on the ideological and on the political level.
Ideologically, we state, based on our Marxist-Leninist perspective, that this social struggle, in essence, is between two classes and two world outlooks: On the one hand, there's Prime Minister Netanyahu's capitalist world outlook, which is manifested in benefits for the ultra-rich, and in attacks on the rights of workers and students, under the slogans of privatization and "free market economy"; On the other hand, there is our socialist world outlook, that support an egalitarian, peaceful and socially just society, which will respect social, civil and national rights.
Politically, our contribution to this social movement is twofold:
First, we insist on making the connection between the ongoing occupation of the Palestinian people, and the enormous social, economic and moral cost that the Israeli society has to pay for marinating it. Our position that the struggle for social justice is intertwined with the struggle for peace, is becoming more accepted as people realize that the hundreds of millions of Shekels that are currently spent on building settlements and increasing the military budget, could have been spent on building kindergartens, schools, hospitals and libraries.
Second, we emphasize that the success of this movement could be achieved only through adoption of a joint Jewish-Arab character. The movement needs to address openly the unique problems of the Arab citizens of in Israel (who comprise more than 20% of its population), and must create a close cooperation, on a massive scale, between Jewish and Arab youth. This kind of cooperation can help consolidate a broad public behind our demand for complete national and civil equality for the Arab-Palestinian minority within Israel.
The protest movement brought into activism a broad layer of young people, Jews and Arabs, contributed to their politicization, and presented them with a perspective of deep social change. As such, it is a most important development that we, as Young Communists, need not only study and analyze, but also immerse ourselves in it, involve our cadre and sympathizers, and help consolidate a clear perspective on how to take the struggle forward. Doing this will contribute to the cause of Peace and Socialism, which we believe is to prevail."
