August 2 . 2006
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE AND DISTRIBUTION

Triangle Jews Oppose Israel’s Actions in Lebanon and Gaza

by Marjorie Scheer, on behalf of Jews for a Just Peace, NC

As a Jew and member of Jews for a Just Peace-NC, I want the Triangle to know that many in the Jewish community do not support the Israeli government’s large-scale, indiscriminate attacks in Lebanon or Gaza. Further, we do not support the Israeli Occupation of Palestine, now in its fourth decade. We also strongly believe that Hezbollah’s attacks on Israelis cannot be justified and must be condemned. We mourn all those who have died and suffered injury as a result of so much senseless violence.

For those who attempt to justify Israeli policy as a matter of security, Israel is now less safe than it was just four weeks ago. The idea that any of us become safer by killing hundreds of civilians, many of them children, or through the wholesale destruction of towns, homes, roads, water supplies, electric towers and hospitals of our neighbors, is the senseless (yet prevailing) logic that led the U.S. into the morass that is Iraq. All evidence points to the fact that both Hezbollah and Hamas are stronger and more popular than they were four weeks ago. And this is inevitable. Just as Israeli public opinion turns against their Arab neighbors every time Israel experiences a suicide bombing or rocket attack, so, too, does the Arab world feel outrage when violence is directed toward their civilians (always with higher casualties). Common sense tells us that no one on the receiving end of violence is in a position to grasp the other side’s rationale for that violence, regardless of whether the violence is delivered by Hezbollah or the fourth largest military in the world.

Secondly, the Israeli attacks constitute collective punishment of the entire populations of Lebanon and Gaza; Israel has created a humanitarian crisis beyond measure. Lebanese and Gaza civilians have lost their homes, their towns, their roads, access to water, electricity, and food. Hospitals are stretched to the limit, operating without adequate supplies. We are heartsick at the massive mistreatment and punishment of hundreds of thousands of people. And we are equally heartsick at the deafening silence from the U.S. As Americans and American Jews in particular, we have succeeded, apparently, in making our Arab neighbors completely “other.” We have become that which we most fear – a people who can turn a blind eye to the suffering of others.

We live in a time where any criticism of Israel is portrayed as anti-Semitic; those of us in the Jewish community who criticize Israel are labeled self-hating Jews. Neither is true. We are Jews who feel a deep connection to a heritage and tradition that requires us to pursue justice; it is this most Jewish of values that requires us to speak now. Just as Americans who criticize the Bush government are as patriotic, if not more so, than those who unquestioningly support it, those of us in the Jewish community who are critical of Israeli government policies believe we have a responsibility to speak out. Anti-Semitism is only strengthened when the world community sees all Jews as a monolithic group who either vocally support or remain silent in the face of what is clearly unjustified destruction of both human life and the infrastructure that supports it.

It is our belief that Israel’s repressive Occupation is the main source of conflict and instability in the region. In defiance of every lesson history has ever taught, Israel believes it can achieve “quiet” and normalcy through unrestrained military power while retaining an inhumane Occupation, encouraged and protected by the US. In truth, every day of indiscriminate bombing in Lebanon and Gaza feeds the violence Israel claims it wants to stop. This crisis is the inevitable result of Israeli unilateralism and a reflection of the failure of the roadmap, of the U.S.-orchestrated exclusion of the United Nations, and the reluctance of the international community to intervene.

We need a new, internationally sponsored diplomatic process based on international law and real security and human rights for all parties, aimed at ending the Occupation and establishing equal rights for Israelis and Palestinians. It is this path, rather than sweeping military attacks, collective punishment, unilateral land grabs, or the building of a 30-foot wall -- that will bring a just, lasting, and comprehensive peace to the region.

Status of JFAJP-NC :

Due to JFAJP member involvement in other activities like life, family, work, Brit Tzedek, ICAHD, etc, JFAJP is taking a break.

Is JFAJP finished? No. An organization that has done good work and has been important to many of us for growth, debate, activism in a just cause, cannot disappear. It can continue to play a role, albeit in a different way. Its members are still the same and collectively are an invaluable component of the local community. There is a need for a Jewish voice to the left, one that continues to push the envelope; one that can speak beyond the roadmap, beyond the Gaza withdrawal, beyond two states, beyond the wall, beyond apartheid, beyond perpetual war, a voice that can envision a Land Promised to two peoples, not by God, but by History.

We are suspending "activism" for a while (e.g. speakers, demonstrations, conferences, meetings etc.), but we will continue to communicate information, events and activate our network as situations arise. A member coined an expression for this state of affairs, "cybernation." This will be a good time to get together occasionally for some serious self-education, an issue often raised in the past, but usually overshadowed by the pressing business of activism. As issues arise, we will post them on our listserv.

For the latest event schedules, go to these websites.

A slide show entitled "While All Eyes Were Watching Gaza: Two Jews Return to the West Bank" is now available for your organization.

In July 2005, shortly before the Gaza disengagement, Tom Stern and Tema Okun spent three weeks in the West Bank to help rebuild a Palestinian home as part of a work camp sponsored by the Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions (ICAHD). They would love to share their experience, in pictures, stories, and a fact-based presentation, with your group, organization, or community.

This Jewish couple, based in Durham, NC, visited Jerusalem and the West Bank just weeks before Israeli settlers were evacuated from the Gaza strip. While the world and U.S. media focused attention on this Gaza withdrawal, Tom and Tema saw a different story. They witnessed firsthand how the rapid expansion of Israeli settlements in the West Bank, the building of the Wall deep into Palestinian territory, and the destruction of Palestinian homes is impacting life in the West Bank and prospects for a two-state solution. At the ICAHD camp, they worked side-by-side with Palestinians, Israeli Jews and International volunteers to rebuild a home for a Palestinian family in just three weeks.

Tom and Tema will share what they saw and learned, most of which is not included in any press accounts found in U.S. newspapers and TV reports. They will also talk about the ways in which ICAHD and ICAHD-USA are working for a just peace in the region.

If you interested in having Tema and Tom speak to your organization/group, please contact:

Tom Stern: (919/949-8212, tomsternNC@earthlink.net ) or

Tema Okun (919/949-0609, temaokun@earthlink.net)