{news} Fw: brief report on second Haifa Conference for the ROR and one democratic state in Israel Palestine

[Justine McCabe]

Dear CT Greens,

Like Hector, I support one democratic state as the only just and enduring solution to the conflict.  
 
On that, I represented the IC/GPUS at a "One Democratic State" conference in Haifa at the end of May and am forwarding a brief report I wrote about it to the International Committee (IC).   I'll be submitting something more lengthy for Green Pages. 

Currently, the GPUS platform calls for a reconsideration of the one state solution, which as reaffirmed by the NC's Prop 190 (2005).  A current amendment to the Platform to be voted on in the next month was developed in the IC and proposed by the DC Statehood Greens directly supports the creation of one secular democratic state in Israel-Palestine as the homeland for two peoples (while acknowledging the right of self-determination).

As I mention in this report,  most close observers of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict acknowledge that  the "two-state solution" has long been dead, not the least due to Israel's illegal settlement network which is now integrated into Israeli society and economy.  For example, as the Jewish-Israeli former deputy mayor of Jerusalem, Meron Benvenisti--who created many of the settlements--recently said to a reporter,  "The whole notion of a Palestinian state now, in 2010, is a sham. . .. The entire discourse is wrong.  By continuing that discourse you perpetuate the status quo.  The struggle for the two-state solution is obsolete." http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/apr/28/middle-east-meron-benvenisti-peace-process 

Indeed, Benvenisti spoke at a "one state" conference I attended in Toronto last year, where he rather frustratingly chastised the crowd with something like this, "Do not speak of 2 states--there is no "2 states." There is just one state and has been for a long time--just with one people ruling over another." 

 

In fact, the only Palestinian "state" that Israel would tolerate would be a de-militarized, highly economically dependent collection of (three) Bantustans surrounded by the current apartheid wall-something even the un-elected and quisling Palestinian "peace partner," Mahmoud Abbas, could not accept.  Instead, the "status quo" to which Benvenisti refers, is the ersatz peace process which works to give the illusion of progress while allowing Israel to continue to dispossess Palestinians in the occupied territories (e.g., East Jerusalem) as well as in Israel within the 1967 "green line" (e.g., in the Galilee and Negev).


I look forward to your comments.

Justine
(Co-Chair, International Committee)
  

----- Original Message ----- 
From: Justine McCabe 
To: USGP International Committee 
Sent: Saturday, June 19, 2010 1:31 PM
Subject: brief report on second Haifa Conference for the ROR and one democratic state in Israel Palestine 


 


RE: Participation in the Second Haifa Conference

For the Return of Palestinian Refugees and 

For the Establishment of One Democratic Secular State in Historic Palestine

Al-Maidan Theater, Haifa, May 28-30, 2010

www.awda1state.org

 

http://www.ror1state.org/awda/index.php?view=article&catid=1:latest-news&id=85:2010-06-11-13-37-03&tmpl=component&print=1&layout=default&page=&option=com_content&Itemid=50?=en

 

I will write up something more detailed after I return from Oregon and our son's wedding celebration.

But I did want to get a word to all on this as people go to the USSF and ANM.

 

This was a very inspiring conference, despite the fact that it was happening just as the Israeli Navy was assaulting civilians of the aid-bearing Mavi Marmara heading toward Gaza in international waters.  In sum, a few hundred Jewish and Palestinian Israelis, Palestinians from the Diaspora, and internationals were there to form a working coalition to advocate for the one democratic (secular) solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, seen by most progressive close observers of the conflict as the only just and sustainable one despite the obstacles to it.

The Conference was organized by the Abnaa al-Balad ("sons or natives of the land") movement, which has been around for decades, and includes Jewish and Palestinian Israeli activists.  



Recognizing the apartheid-like reality of Israeli-Palestine, and the increasing calls for the "one democratic solution." the Second Haifa Conference was the latest in a series of "one state" conferences aimed at establishing an international coalition (centered in Haifa) with the goals of 1) return of Palestinian refugees to their homes; 2) repudiation of Zionism; and 3) the establishment of one secular and democratic state in all of historic Palestine for all its residents and the returning refugees.  There had been two earlier efforts in Haifa toward these goals: a Right of Return conference in 2004, which I attended representing GPUS; and the First Haifa Conference in 2008 with similar aims as the Second.  In the past year there have also been similar conferences in Boston and Toronto, and one is scheduled in Houston in October 22-24, to which I/GP has been asked to do a workshop on.  Another "Haifa" conference is planned for Turkey next year so that Palestinians from Arab countries can attend.

 

Most importantly, I want to underscore how much the conference organizers and participants appreciated a representative of a US political party. They were consistently shocked that there even was a party that had a different view about this from the Dems and Republicans.  These progressive folks, mostly socialists, were surprised to hear of our support for the right of return and favorable attitude toward the one state solution.  They gave me a chance to speak about GPUS and its place in US electoral politics and especially about our support for the right of return for refugees which is increasingly viewed as key to disorganizing the apartheid system in place in Israel-Palestine. 

 

I had two media interviews:



 1) Werner Pirker Junge Welt, ("Young World") a "far left" daily paper in Berlin,  formerly from Eastern Germany.  After unification, the paper was revived and this reputedly has become the only anti-Zionist daily paper in Germany .  Werner was very interested in GPUS positions on the conflict, saying that we clearly deviated from the German Greens. In fact, we spoke about the affaire Finkelstein and Heinrich Boell's disinviting him to speak. He observed that many German Greens were disenchanted with the party and were defecting.  I'll post a copy of the his interview when I receive it.



2) Anglo-German Phil Butland, of the German Left Party.  He does an online magazine Marx21  

     http://marx21.de/content/view/1123/32/.Long  (the interview is difficult to hear as we were in a large noisy conference room.  NB the crash you hear is not a gun--just chairs falling)  Phil also said that many German Greens are defecting to the Left Party, that much of the traditional inability of German society to criticism Israel is being challenged. He said there is conflict about this within both his party and the German Greens.

 In sum, this progressive international movement toward justice and resolving the conflict--has never been more important and promising than now as we approve new planks on this issue in the  2010 Platform.



Again, I urge those attending ANM to try to attend to the Platcom hearings where the "CA proposal" and the "DC proposals" (IC developed) will be discussed.



My best regards to you all, 

Justine   
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