Comment on PLO
full-page advert in the
Israeli daily press on
Yesterday, Nov.
20, 2008, the PLO published in ALL major Israeli daily newspapers the
policy
statement of the ARAB LEAGUE of 2002,
(signed by 57 Arab or Muslim States) pledging to sign full peace and
establish full normal relations with Israel if It returns to its pre 1967
borders and lets the Palestinians set up their independent State with East
Jerusalem as its capital.
The publication of this policy statement by the PLO as a full-page advert in
the Israeli daily press
is an unprecedented political act of major importance since - like all ads in
the daily press -
It constitutes a direct appeal not just to the government, but to every
Israeli citizen.
From now on it is no longer Israel's government which has to respond to this
all-Arab peace proposal, but every Israeli citizen. Most Israeli citizen
want peace but many refuse to pay the price for that peace. They justify their
refusal by arguing: "There is no partner for peace on the Palestinian
side" or "The
Arabs don't want Peace. They want to exterminate us" This will sound hollow when it comes from anyone who rejected the Arab
League peace offer.
Israeli citizens will vote in February 2009 for a new Knesset.
Their vote will constitute their answer to the Arab League peace offer.
In
a letter dated 25/11/1929 Albert Einstein wrote Haim Weizmann (who later became
Israel's first president) "Should we be unable to find a way to honest cooperation
- and honest pacts - with the Arabs, then we have learned absolutely nothing
during our 2000 years of suffering and deserve all that will come to us."
The choice facing the Israeli voters is between
peace with Israeli settlers who occupy conquered Palestinian territories illegally
and forcibly or peace with the Palestinian people inhabiting and cultivating
these territories for over a thousand years.
We call on the \Israeli electorate not to vote for parties that oppose this peace proposal
The
Socialist organization in |Israel
- MATZPEN
Nov. 22. 2008