| On June 20th International Refugee day passed | | | | International law."- Mazin Qumsiyeh |
| without a whimper from the USA media. | | | | |
| America's intake of refugees has gone from | | | | "For the past several decades, and especially |
| 100,000 annually to 45,000. Our taxes go to | | | | since the Six-Day War in 1967, the |
| support ethnic cleansing and the creation of | | | | centerpiece of US Middle Eastern policy has |
| new refugees and displaced persons and the | | | | been its relationship with Israel. The |
| vast majority of good American's don't even | | | | combination of unwavering support for Israel |
| know it. | | | | and the related effort to spread 'democracy' |
| | | | throughout the region has inflamed Arab and |
| Billions of USA dollars go to Israel yet | | | | Islamic opinion and jeopardized not only US |
| Israel openly defies International Law. | | | | security but that of much of the rest of the |
| | | | world. This situation has no equal in |
| The largest remaining refugee crisis in the | | | | American political history. Why has the US |
| world can be traced back to American foreign | | | | been willing to set aside its own security |
| policy regarding Palestine. | | | | and that of many of its allies in order to |
| | | | advance the interests of another state? One |
| "When Israel was established in 1948, 3/4th | | | | might assume that the bond between the two |
| of the native Palestinians -Christian and | | | | countries was based on shared strategic |
| Muslims-were made refugees- over 500 villages | | | | interests or compelling moral imperatives, |
| and towns completely depopulated and erased | | | | but neither explanation can account for the |
| off the maps. The 1/4th who managed to stay | | | | remarkable level of material and diplomatic |
| were subjected to Marshal Law between | | | | support that the US provides."- The Israel |
| 1948-1966. Even after 1966, they were not | | | | Lobby, John Mearsheimer and Stephen Walt |
| integrated in the society and remain as | | | | |
| foreigners in their own lands. Over 100 of | | | | American taxpayers provide Israel nearly a |
| their remaining villages are not state | | | | quarter of the total of our foreign aid and |
| recognized-they receive no electricity, | | | | Israel has a population of 0.1% of the entire |
| water, schools, or medical services. | | | | world population. |
| | | | |
| Israeli law also considers 250,000 as Present | | | | Israel was established in 1948 at the |
| Absentees: present but their land confiscated | | | | termination of the British Mandate and |
| under the bsentee property law turned over | | | | statehood was contingent upon upholding the |
| for Jewish use. | | | | United Nations Declaration of Human Rights. |
| | | | International Law deems occupation is to be |
| Israel defines itself as a state not of its | | | | temporary and maintain the status quo. Forty |
| citizens (Jewish and remaining non-Jewish | | | | years of occupation and a wall that does not |
| citizens) but as astate for Jewish people | | | | follow the Green Line and has been deemed |
| everywhere. Any Jew, regardless of his | | | | illegal by the International Court of Justice |
| current country, is considered a Israeli | | | | and ordered to come down, continues to grab |
| national entitled to automatic citizenshipin | | | | Palestinian land. |
| Israel while over 5 million Palestinians | | | | |
| cannot return to their towns and villages | | | | "If the state of Israel aspires to perceive |
| (even for those under Israeli jurisdiction). | | | | itself as a democracy, it should abandon once |
| | | | and for all, any legal and ideological |
| The Right to Return has a solid legal basis. | | | | foundation of religious, ethnic, and |
| The Universal Declaration of Human Rights | | | | demographic discrimination. The state of |
| article 13 reaffirms the right of every | | | | Israel should strive to become the state of |
| individual to leaveand return to his country. | | | | all its citizens. We call for the annulment |
| The United Nations adopted Resolution 194 on | | | | of all laws that make Israel an apartheid |
| December 11, 1948. | | | | state".-Israeli Artists' Declaration |
| | | | |
| Paragraph 11 states: 'the refugees wishing to | | | | Archbishop Desmond Tutu supported boycotts |
| return to their homes and live at peace with | | | | and divestments from what he described as |
| their neighbors should be permitted to do so | | | | Apartheid Israel adding: "If you are neutral |
| at the earliest practicable | | | | in situations of injustice, you have chosen |
| date...compensation should be paid forthe | | | | the side of the oppressor." |
| property of those choosing not to return.' | | | | |
| | | | "This is a time when there seems to be a |
| Principles of Self Determination adopted by | | | | particular need for men of PHILOSOPHICAL |
| the UN guarantee inter alia the right of | | | | persuasion-that is to say, friends of wisdom |
| ownershipand domicile in one's own country. | | | | and truth-to join together...We Jews should |
| In 1969 and thereafter, it was explicitly | | | | be, and remain the carriers and patrons of |
| applied to the Palestinian People, including | | | | spiritual values. But we should always be |
| 'the legality of the | | | | aware of the fact that these spiritual values |
| | | | are and always have been the common goal of |
| Peoples' struggle for Self-Determination and | | | | mankind."-Einstein, "Out of My Later Years" |
| Liberation. International law states that | | | | |
| neither occupation nor sovereignty diminishes | | | | Thomas Jefferson weeded out the miracle |
| the rights ofprivate ownership. | | | | stories and clarified the teachings of the |
| | | | gospels/good news of Christ in |
| The right of refugees to return is not only | | | | |
| sacred and legal but also possible. | | | | "THE PHILOSOPHY AND MORALS of JESUS of |
| Demographic studies show that 80% of Israelis | | | | NAZARETH" |
| live in 15 percent of the land and that the | | | | |
| remaining 20% live on 85% of the land that | | | | 1. Be just: justice comes from virtue which |
| belongs to the refugees. More than 5,000 | | | | comes from the heart. |
| refugees live per square kilometer in the | | | | |
| impoverished and besieged Gaza Strip, while | | | | 2. Treat people the way we want to be |
| over the barbed wires and walls, their lands | | | | treated. |
| are practically empty. | | | | |
| | | | 3. Always work for PEACEFUL resolutions, even |
| Ethnic cleansing continues. According to | | | | to the point of returning violence with |
| Amnesty International and other Human Rights | | | | COMPASSION. |
| groups, Israel destroyed thousands of | | | | |
| Palestinian homes in the | | | | 4. Consider valuable the things that have no |
| | | | material value. |
| West Bank and confiscated tens of thousands | | | | |
| of acres in the past few years to expand | | | | 5. Do not judge others. |
| Jewish colonies and control rich Palestinian | | | | |
| lands. Thesettlements/colonies contravene the | | | | 6. Do not bear grudges. |
| 4th Geneva Convention Article 49 stating that | | | | |
| the 'Occupying Power shall not transfer parts | | | | 7. Be modest and unpretentious. |
| of its own civilianpopulation into the | | | | |
| territory it occupies.' | | | | 8. Give out of true generosity, not because |
| | | | we expect to be repaid. |
| In the next six months, nearly 250,000 | | | | |
| Palestinians will likely be removed by | | | | 9. Being true to one's self in more important |
| various means from | | | | than being loyal to one's family...those who |
| | | | think they know the most are the most |
| Palestinian lands coveted by Israel and | | | | ignorant... |
| falling between the Green Line(Israel | | | | |
| pre-1967 border) and the apartheid wall that | | | | Imagine a world when everyone who claimed to |
| Israel is building around remaining | | | | be a Christian actually did the philosophy. |
| Palestinian cantons/ghettos contrary to | | | | |