Palestinians are the Priority: an open statement of commitment to the Palestinian Solidarity Cause

There are individuals within the Palestinian solidarity movement seeking to create divisions by:

• deliberately shifting focus away from Israel's war crimes and its supremacist Zionist ideology;
• imposing unilateral agendas by presenting both sides as victims;
• sabotaging service to the just cause of the Palestinian people;
• ignoring the issue of right of return for the Palestinians;
• utilising the platform of the Palestinian discourse to argue about anti-Semitism, which is not a Palestinian problem and not created by Arabs.

Our primary and single concern is solidarity with the Palestinian people.

As ethical human beings we consider it our obligation to:

• do all we can to allow the information to be diffused as widely and as quickly as possible;
• ensure the argument of the oppression and disenfranchisement of the Palestinian people stays in the forefront;
• present as clear and honest a picture as possible of the meaning of Zionism and the Jewish State;
• to cross the divide and to unite in our war against the Zionist crime.

We accept and believe in equality of all persons, regardless of their race, religion, political or other orientation. We believe that full and unconditional support of the Palestinian people is a condition sine qua non for activists to adopt, and we recognise that their attachment to their homeland is a fundamental and unalterable condition. To that end we advocate for one unified State with equal rights for all its citizens.

Any attempts at censoring reasoned critique of Israel and Zionism must be refused a priori, as it is in conflict with the goal of seeking to protect and support the Palestinian people - as their empowerment is the only way to peaceful coexistence for all the populations of the Middle East. Any attempts at dictating what the Palestinians should do will be looked upon with great circumspection and suspicion. Palestinians themselves wish to construct their own future and are not pawns to be shifted on the chessboard.

We demand free speech for sincere critics of Zionism and call for an end to campaigns created in order to ostracise its most vocal critics. Smear campaigns will not be tolerated, as we recognise that they are the instrument of choice of Zionists, and detract energy from our work. We will not hesitate to expose the instrumental usage of them, no matter the claimed principles of those who are engaged in creating such campaigns. On the other hand, open dialogue and reasoned argumentation is welcome and greatly encouraged as a tool to understanding and collaboration.

The indigenous people of Palestine are facing extermination by the hands of the Jewish State, and the world keeps silent. The sooner we draw public attention to Israel's needless wanton destruction, the sooner we can do away with this horrifying, insufferable situation.

PLEASE, sign the petition if you share our concerns.
http://www.petitiononline.com/grosveno/petition.html

Dear Friends,

We are hoping that you will choose to publish this open letter and that you will encourage your readers to sign the petition that expresses their support of the principles stated in the letter.

Ads

Buy Palestine Mousepad from Sabbah Store
View other Palestine Mousepads

Those of us who have decided to write a letter have done so with a sense of urgency and responsibility. We recognise that each day brings about new horrors and misery to the Palestinian people. There is a plethora of information circulated that covers up or justifies crimes committed for the cause of Zionism. Unfortunately, the task of speaking out has become more and more difficult not only due to the overwhelmingly powerful Israel lobby, but also on account of many who declare that they are supporters of the Palestinian cause, yet place severe restrictions on the direction of discourse. They have a main agenda that places the Palestinian cause in the background, pandering to an idea that true peace can only happen if both sides assume their share of guilt, if both sides agree to recognise equal claims of victimhood. Those who refuse to accept this premise are continually ostracised and their efforts to serve the Palestinian people are blocked by acts of censorship, pressure and by threats that are at times based upon a series of smear campaigns that serve only to divide any movement that could be built where the interests of the Palestinian people take the forefront. Quite a few outspoken and dedicated activists have been targetted by individuals and groups whose objectives of gatekeeping are only serving the cause of the Jewish State.

We ask that you consider posting this open letter, signing it, and encouraging your readers to take responsibility for keeping the discourse open, for keeping the issue on the table, and not letting it be overwhelmed by campaigns to silence critics of Zionism.

http://www.petitiononline.com/grosveno/petition.html

Please let us know if you share our concerns. We would greatly appreciate your support of this campaign.

With warmest regards
Mary Rizzo

Amen!