---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Portside Moderator <[email protected]> Date: Fri, Sep 23, 2011 at 7:37 AM Subject: Israelis Demonstrate for Palestinian State in Tel Aviv To: [email protected]
Israelis Demonstrate for Palestinian State in Tel Aviv * Israeli Leftists Demonstrate for Palestinian State in Tel Aviv (Jerusalem Post) * Right-Wing Activists Crash Rally for Palestinian State (Haaretz * Recognizing a Palestinian State Based on the 1967 Borders is Vital for Israel's Existence (Statement by leading Israeli public figures) ========== Israeli Leftists Demonstrate for Palestinian State In Tel Aviv By Ben Hartman Jerusalem Post (Israel) September 22, 2011 http://www.jpost.com/NationalNews/Article.aspx?id=239089 Dozens proclaim support for Palestinian bid outside Independence Hall, sign declaration; Israel Prize laureates among protesters. Dozens of Israeli artists and academics on Thursday proclaimed their support for the Palestinian United Nations statehood bid, outside of Independence Hall in Tel Aviv. The setting was symbolic, held outside the same building where former Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion proclaimed the independence of the state of Israel on May 14, 1948. Earlier on Thursday, the group of 82 intellectuals and artists published a declaration supporting the establishment of a Palestinian state based on the 1967 lines. At the demonstration on Thursday, the public was invited to sign their names alongside the declaration. The declaration reads "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." The undersigned include actress and Israel Prize laureate Gila Almagor-Agmon, former Education Minister and Israel Prize laureate Shulamit Aloni, former head of the IDF education branch Maj. Gen (Ret) Nehemiah Dagan, former Chief Education Officer, and author and Israel Prize laureate Amos Oz. Former Director General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and one time Israeli Ambassador to South Africa Alon Liel told the crowd that Israelis must support the Palestinian statehood bid and ignore Washington's impending veto of the initiative. Liel called US President Barack Obama's speech at the UN General Assembly the day before "a knockout punch to [Palestinian Authority President] Mahmoud Abbas. A clearly anti-Palestinian US campaign speech. A speech where he said the US supports the rebels in Tunisia, in Libya, in Egypt, in Bahrain, but in Palestinian? No. The Palestinians are something else because they are facing Israel." "It hurts to see a president like Obama, who caused us to feel such great hope, dismiss Abu Mazen who has spent three years working on the diplomatic track," Liel said, adding "Obama and the US of today are no longer running the world today, there is a larger international community that can run the world. The US doesn't have the power to deal you this blow." The gesture was in a sense a repeat of a similar effort this April, when a group that included many of the same Israelis proclaimed their support for a Palestinian state outside Independence Hall. Thursday's effort was significantly more subdued and low-key than the one in April, in which large numbers of passersbies began booing and shouting the protestors, and a number of shoving matches broke out. On Friday, the left-wing organization Peace Now will also hold a series of demonstrations in support of the Palestinian statehood bid. Entitled "Israel says yes to the Palestinian state," the event will include rallies in north Tel Aviv at the corner of Arlozorov and Namir, in Jerusalem under the Strings Bridge, in Kiryat Ono, and in Haifa. ========== Right-Wing Activists Crash Rally for Palestinian State Rally participated by 21 Israel Prize laureates was to culminate by signing declaration of Palestinian independence outside Tel Aviv's historical Independence Hall. By Mazal Mualem Haaretz (Israel) September 22, 2011 http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/news/right-wing-activists-crash-rally-for-palestinian-state-1.357490 A rally organized by leftist intellectuals in support of a Palestinian state yesterday descended into a verbal free- for-all after a group of right-wing activists gate-crashed the demonstration in Tel Aviv. Among the organizers and left-wing participants were 17 Israel Prize laureates, looking to pressure Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to embark on a diplomatic initiative, ahead of the expected declaration of a Palestinian state within 1967 borders at the U.N. General Assembly in September. The protesters' declaration said it supported the "independence of two peoples who strengthen each other, is both a moral and an existential need and is the basis for the possibility of good neighborliness." While the ceremony was underway with a "declaration of independence from occupation" being read, right-wing activists shouted "fifth column" and "traitors" at the demonstrators. When the actress Hanna Maron read from the declaration, right-wing activists interrupted her repeatedly, shouting, "You forgot what they did to you in Munich." Maron was seriously injured in 1970 by a grenade thrown by Palestinian militants at Munich airport, resulting in the amputation of her leg. The declaration, which was read on Rothschild Boulevard outside Independence Hall, was couched in phrases recalling Israel's Declaration of Dependence, which David Ben-Gurion read in the same hall on May 14, 1948. "We have gathered here on this 21st day of April to welcome the expected declaration of independence of the Palestinian state, the state bordering on Israel according to the borders of our independence, which were created with the end of the War of Independence in 1949, known as the 1967 borders," proclaimed the declaration. Other participants were author Sami Michael, playwright Yehoshua Sobol, filmmaker Ari Fogel, and Professor Zeev Sternhell. Later, in a televised debate on Channel 2, Ben- Gurion's grandson, Dr. Yariv Ben-Eliezer, lashed out at Sternhell, asking: "Who do you think you are? My grandfather's vision has been turned into a gimmick." "There is intentional symbolism in it," Sternhell responded. "We are raising the Declaration of Independence to a higher level." The incident spurred various responses. Deputy Foreign Minister Daniel Ayalon said: "Such actions only drive the chance for peace, reconciliation and the establishment of a Palestinian state farther away. They create false hope among the Palestinians that they can establish a state unilaterally without negotiations with Israel." The head of the Likud response team, MK Ofir Akunis, called the initiative "a sorry provocation of an extreme and bizarre leftist group pretending to represent the left." MK Zahava Gal-On (New Movement-Meretz ) said the initiative should be part of the political platform of the left. ========== Recognizing a Palestinian State Based on the 1967 Borders is Vital for Israel's Existence [An English copy of the advert that appeared in Yedioth Ahronoth on 18th May 2011 http://www.scribd.com/doc/55730153/An-English-copy-of-the- advert-that-appeared-in-Yedioth-Ahronoth-on-18th-May-2011 ] We, the citizens of Israel, call on the public to support the recognition of a democratic Palestinian state as a condition for ending the conflict, and reaching agreed borders on the basis of the 1967 borders. Recognition of such a Palestinian state is vital for Israel's existence. It is the only way to guarantee the resolution of the convict by negotiations, to prevent the eruption of another round of massive violence and end the risky isolation of Israel in the world.The successful implementation of the agreements requires two leaderships, Israeli and Palestinian, which recognize each other, choose peace and are fully committed to it. This is the only policy that leaves Israel's fate and security in its own hands. Any other policy contradicts the promise of Zionism and the welfare of the Jewish people. We, the undersigned, therefore call upon any person seeking peace and liberty and upon all nations to join us in welcoming thePalestinian Declaration of Independence and support the efforts of the citizens of the two states to maintain peaceful relations on the basis of secure borders and good neighborliness. The end of the occupation is a fundamental condition for the liberation of the two peoples, the realization of the Israeli Declaration of Independence and a future of peaceful coexistence Larry Abramson - Artist and Prof. of the arts Maj Gen (Ret.) Avraham Adan ("Bren") - former Commander of the Armored Corps Prof. Chaim Adler - Israel Prize laureate Prof. Joseph Agassi Gila Almagor-Agmon - Israel Prize laureate Brig Gen (Ret.) Dr. Yitzhak Arad - former Chairman of Yad Vashem Col (Ret.) As'ad As'ad - former Member of Knesset, Likud Brig Gen (Ret.) Menachem Aviram - former Commander of Paratroopers Brigade and of the IDF Command and Staff College Collette Avital - former Consul in New York Avner Azulai - former senior Mossad official Prof. Elie Barnavi - former Ambassador to France Brig Gen (Ret.) Mordechai Bar-On - former Chief Education Officer Ilan Baruch - former Ambassador to South Africa Prof. Yehuda Bauer - former Director of the International Center for Holocaust Studies of Yad Vashem and Israel Prize laureate Prof. Haim Ben-Shahar - former President of Tel Aviv University, founder of the Israel Democracy Institute Adv. Michael Ben Yair - former Attorney General Prof. Menachem Brinker - Israel Prize laureate Prof. Judith Buber Agassi Prof. Naomi Chazan - former Member of Knesset Col (Ret.) Ran Cohen - former Minister of Trade and Industry Maj Gen (Ret) Nehemiah Dagan - former Chief Education Officer Dr. Yossi Dahan Yael Dayan - former Member of Knesset Brig Gen (Ret.) Prof. Eran Dolev Prof. Yehuda Elkana - former President of the Central European University Brig Gen (Ret.) Yitzchak Elron Prof. Yaron Ezrahi - winner of the Political Science Society Award Yona Fischer - Israel Prize laureate Ari Folman - Golden Globe laureate Prof. Yitzhak Galnoor - former Civil Service Commissioner Prof. Haim Ganz Maj Gen (Ret.) Shlomo Gazit - former Head of Military Intelligence, Chairman of the Jewish Agency and President of Ben Gurion University Yair Garbuz - Emet Prize laureate Moshe Gershuni - Israel Prize laureate Maj Gen (Ret.) Yosef Geva - former OC Central Command Prof. Galia Golan Prof. Amiram Goldblum Prof. Hanoch Gutfreund - former President of the Hebrew University Adv. Shlomo Gur - former foreign serviceman and Director General of the Justice Ministry Prof. David Harel - Israel Prize and Emet laureate Dr. Shmuel Harlap - Chairman of Colmobil Limited Yoram Kaniuk - Sapir Prize laureate Dani Karavan - Israel Prize laureate Prof. Elihu Katz - Israel Prize laureate Col (Ret.) Paul Kedar - former Consul in New York Prof. Yehoshua Kolodny - Israel Prize laureate Maj Gen (Ret.) Amos Lapidot - former Commander of Israeli Air Force Alex Levac - Israel Prize laureate Dr. Alon Liel - former Director General of Foreign Ministry Brig Gen (Ret.) Asher Levy Maj Gen (Ret) Zeev Livneh - established the Home Front Command Ram Loevy - Israel Prize laureate Prof. Avishai Margalit - Israel and Emet Prize laureate Hanna Maron - Israel Prize laureate Maj Gen (Ret.) Menachem Meron (Mendy) - former Commander of Military Colleges Sami Michael - Emet Prize laureate Ohad Naharin - Israel and Emet Prize laureate Nachik Navot - former Deputy Head of Mossad Prof. Jad Ne'eman - Israel Prize laureate Amoz Oz - Israel Prize laureate Brig Gen (Ret.) Ilan Paz Prof. Dov Pekelman Maj Gen (Ret.) Dr. Elad Peled - former Commander of National Security College and Director General of the Ministry of Education Prof. Itamar Procaccia - Israel Prize laureate Sefi Rachlevsky - author and expert on Jewish theology Prof. Eliezer Rafaeli - First President of Haifa University Prof. Sheizaf Rafaeli - Dean of the School of Management, Haifa University Brig Gen (Ret.) Giora Ram - former Deputy Commander of the Israeli Air Force Prof. Gabi Salomon - Israel Prize laureate Adv. Talia Sasson - former senior State Advocacy Official Dr. Aliza Savir - Deputy Director of Peres Center for Peace Prof. Hillel Schocken Prof. Alice Shalvi - Israel Prize laureate Maj Gen (Ret.) Nathan Sharoni - President of Council of Peace and Security Prof. Aliza Shenhar - President of Yezreel Valley College Prof. David Shulman - Emet Prize laureate Joshua Sobol - Theater Award laureate Prof. Zeev Sternhell - Israel Prize laureate Prof. Carlo Strenger Prof. Zeev Tadmor - former President of Technion, EmetPrize laureate David Tartakover - Israel Prize laureate Dan Tsur - Israel Prize laureate Prof. Zeev Tzahor - President of Sapir College Micha Ullman - Israel Prize laureate Lia van Leer - Israel Prize laureate Prof. Menahem Yaari - Israel Prize laureate, President (Emeritus) of the Israel Academy of Sciences and Humanities Maj Gen (Ret.) Aviezer Yaari - former Commander of Military Colleges Dalia Yairi Prof. Yossi Yonah Prof. Yirmiyahu Yovel - Israel Prize laureate ========== ___________________________________________ Portside aims to provide material of interest to people on the left that will help them to interpret the world and to change it. 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