Hi
As a member of the Democratic State Committee who might be
at the meeting this Saturday, you might be interested in the attached written
testimony I presented to the Resolution Subcommittee in support of the resolution
proposed by Carol Coakley to oppose the Israeli settlements as an obstacle
to peace.
As I note in the testimony, I am a 78 year old Jewish
resident of Marblehead and “For the last 45 years, since 1972, not a day has
gone by where I have not been aware of Israel’s violations of the human rights,
and devaluation, of Palestinians caused by its settlement policies.” Many of
those areas (such as home and olive tree destruction and unequal distribution
of water) are further detailed in my testimony.
One reason to focus on Israel and the West Bank is that the
occupation is not only illegal but is now, at 50 years, the longest lasting in
the world. Another is that Israel has, since 1967, been in violation of the 4th
Geneva Convention which forbids an occupier from transferring its citizens to
occupied territory. A third is that the continued growth of the
settlements has likely killed the possibility of a contiguous, viable,
independent Palestinian State
Israel’s settlement policy has been criticized and branded
illegal or an obstacle to peace by US Presidents, John Kerry, democratic
voters, mainstream Christian organizations, the UN, the International Court of
Justice, Jewish people, Israeli officials, and Desmond Tutu. Rabbi
Ben-Zion Gold, former director of Harvard Hillel, who recently passed away,
said in 2002 “The Jewish settlements on the West Bank are a grave and dangerous
mistake that have done much harm to Israel.”
The opponents to the resolution have not and will not argue
that the settlements are legal nor will they try to prove that the settlements
are NOT an obstacle to peace. Opponents are left with no option but to argue
“this is one-sided with not enough emphasis on the violence of the Palestinians.”
The present situation is, indeed, one-sided. There is a huge imbalance between
the vast resources and power of Israel (militarily, technologically and
financially) combined with its incalculable number of violations of human
rights over the last 50 years versus the limited amount of resources and number
of violent acts of Palestinians.
I urge you: not to allow a small vocal group to censor and
prevent discussion about Israel’s un-American, undemocratic, unjust and an
obstacle to peace settlement policy which is inconsistent with the core values
of the Democratic Party; to reject the recommendation of the Resolutions
Subcommittee; and to allow Carol Coakley’s resolution to be voted on by the
entire Democratic State Committee.
Please feel free to share this material with others and
contact me if you have any questions or want to discuss any aspect of the
conflict between the Israelis and the Palestinians.
Thank you.
Ronald W. Fox
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