Note: The following letter is a joint initiative between Ensan Center for Democracy & Human Rights and the Palestinian Initiative for the Promotion of Global Dialogue and Democracy (MIFTAH). It has been signed and endorsed by several Palestinian, Israeli, and international public figures, and officially handed to the US Consul-General in Jerusalem today, Tuesday, 23 May 2006.

Dear Mr. President,

In our capacity as Palestinian public figures, political leaders, and representatives of Palestinian civil society, we are writing to you with grave concern regarding the upcoming visit of Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert to the United States.

Our concerns stem from the fact that Israel’s short-sighted unilateralist policy in ending the Palestinian-Israeli conflict is not only destructive to our common goal of achieving a durable and just peace in the region, but is also in direct contradiction to your own declared vision for a negotiated two-state solution, with a democratic, independent, and sovereign Palestinian state existing peacefully side by side with the state of Israel.

Following the Israeli general elections in March 2006, Israel’s dangerous intentions to bypass negotiations and international law have become more evident, hence threatening to add more volatility to an already explosive situation in the occupied Palestinian territories.

We reaffirm our commitment to the peaceful resolution of the conflict on the basis of respect for all the relevant United Nations resolutions, including 242, 338, and 194 (concerning a just solution of the Palestinian refugees’ issue); the return to the 1967 boundaries and the dismantling of all Israeli settlements in the West Bank, including Palestinian east Jerusalem, are the essential prerequisites for a lasting peace in the region.

In particular, we urge your administration to take concrete steps in preventing the Israeli government from unilaterally declaring Israel’s future borders along the lines of the Separation Wall, including the Jordan valley, which will illegally annex a total of approximately 46% of the West Bank to Israel (including the settlements), thereby leaving the Palestinians with territorially-fragmented and isolated Palestinian population centres in which to realise your vision for the future Palestinian state. Furthermore, Israel’s unilateral vision aims to create punitive borders by which new facts on the ground are imposed on the Palestinian side, namely illegal settlement structures, including the expanded boundaries of Ma’ale Adumim in east Jerusalem (the E1 Plan), the Separation Wall, and the various illegal bypass roads, all of which suffocate the economic and social wellbeing of the Palestinian population in the occupied territories.

A politically and economically viable Palestinian state cannot be established on fragmented territories in the West Bank (and the Gaza Strip); all of the Gaza Strip and all of the West Bank, including Palestinian east Jerusalem, are classified as occupied territory under international law; hence their contiguity forms the basis of our shared vision for the realization of the future Palestinian state.

We strongly believe that it is a key responsibility of the United States, as a major partner and broker in the Middle East peace process, to bring Israel to compliance with all signed agreements; it is only through an active US role that we can end the illegal occupation which began in 1967.

Sincerely,

Palestinians Signed the Letter:

• Dr. Hanan Ashrawi: Palestinian Legislative Council member for “The Third Way” parliamentary block, and Head of MIFTAH’s Executive Committee.
• Naim Ashhab: Journalist, Writer. Jerusalem
• Qais Abdel Karim: PLC Member. PDFLP Politburo Member, PLO
• Bassam Salhi: PLC Member, G. Secretary of Palestinian People's Party. Ramallah.
• Saleh Ra'afat: General Secretary, Palestinian Democratic Union Party " Fida".
• Issa Qaraqe: PLC Member, Bethlehem.
• Fouad Kokali: PLC Member. Bethlehem
• Mohammad Lahham: PLC Member. Bethlehem
• Dr Ahmad Majdalni: PLO Central Council Member, Member of Politburo of Palestinian People Struggle Front.
• Khaled Mansour: Member of Politburo, Palestinian People's Party.
• Dr Salim Tamari: Institute of Jerusalem Studies.
• Dr. Nasri Abu Jesh: Secretary of Palestinian Dentists union. Nablus, Member Of People's Party Central Committee.
• Rima Tarazi: General Union of Palestinian Women. Ramnallah.
• Nuha Barghouti:General Union of Palestinian Women. Ramallah.
• Dima Awaidah Nashashibi: Deputy Director of WCLAC
• Palestinian People's Struggle Front.
• Samih Khalil: G. Director of Al-Sharq Insurance Co. Ramallah.
• Tayseer Aroury: Lecturer, Bir Zeit University
• Dr. Samir Khalil: Pediatrician. Ramallah.
• Dr. Anwar Dudin: Dean of Medical School, Alquds University.
• Dr. Lily Feidy: Secretary General, MIFTAH.
• Dr. Iyad Sarraj: G.Director of Gaza Center for Mental Heialth. Gaza
• Issam Younis: G. Director of Al- Mezan Center for Human Rights. Gaza
• Abdel Kareem Ashour: Director of Union of Agricultural Relief Committees. Gaza.
• AbdelHadi Abu Khosa: Gaza.
• Amal Nashashibi: Human Resources Development Consultant, Jerusalem.
• Dr. Nasri Kumsieh: Physician , Beit Sahour.
• Suliman Abu Dayyeh: Jerusalem.
• Dr. Spiro Tams: Jerusalem
• Dr. Mohammad Jadallah.: Head of Jerusalem Branch of Palestinian Doctors Union.
• Ghassan F. Abdullah: IT Consultant, Ramallah. "Palestine"
• Shawqi Issa : G. Director of Ensan Center. Bethlehem
• Khalil Rashmawi: Beit Sahour.
• Mohamad Manasra: G. Director, Hares Researches and Media, Bethlehem.
• Munther Dakkak: IT Consultant, Data Set. Jerusalem.
• Mousa Qous: Media and Information Programme, MIFTAH.
• Ghada Zughair: Assistant to the General Director for External Relations PARC- Beit Hanina.
• Rami Bathish: Media and Information Programme, MIFTAH
• Naser Lahham: Editor of Maan News Agency. Bethlehem
• Raed Othman: Director of Maan Independent News Network. Bethlehem.
• Amjad Shawa: Coordinator of PNGO. Gaza.
• Awni Abu Ghoshe: Palestinian National Council Member. Jerusalem
• Fadel Taqhboub: Palestinian National Council Member. Jerusalem
• Khaled Azzeh: Palestinian National Council Member. Bethlehem.
• Rana Nashashibi : JERUSALEM.
• Palestinian Economists Society. Palestine
• Taha Nassar: PDFLP, Central Committee member.Tradeunionist. Hebron.
• Dr. Abdel Aleem Da'na: PFLP Central Committee Member, Lecturer at Polytechnic Institute. Hebron.
• Jamal El Amleh: Director of Land Research Center. Hebron.
• Fahmi Shaheen: Human Rights Activist. Hebron.
• Mrs. Amal Ju'beh: Woman Leader, Hebron.
• Yunis Tayyem. Trade unionist, People's Party Central Committee member Hebron.
• Mahmoud Daraweesh:
• Hasib Nashashibi: Ensan Center for Democracy and Human Rights. Jerusalem.
• Dr AbdelRahman Abu Al-Nasr: Lawyer lecturer,Al Azzhar University . Gaza
• Mohammad Dahman: Democracy and worker's Rights Center. Gaza
• Younis Al- Jarrou: Lawyer. Gaza.
• Adel Abu Jahl: Lawyer. Gaza
• Nadia Abu Nahla: Gaza.
• Anis Qandil: Joy and Education Center. Gaza.
• Dr: Mohammad Ghadia---Member in the Palestinian National Council.
• Dr. Taleb Awad: Ramallah.

Endorsement By Israeli Organizations and Movements

As Israeli organizations struggling against the occupation and for a just peace between Israel and a free and sovereign Palestinian state, we would like to express our support of the call addressed by Palestinian civil society organizations to President Bush on the occasion of Prime Minister Ehud Olmert’s coming visit to Washington.

We especially share the position that unilateral measures cannot, in any way, be a step toward a lasting peace between the Israeli and the Palestinian peoples; peace requires dialogue and negotiation, not unilateralism. Moreover, expanding settlements and annexing “settlements blocs” cannot be seen but as a declaration of war, not a step toward peace.

As do our Palestinian friends, we urge the international community to stop the Israeli government and impose on it a return to negotiations on the basis of the relevant UN resolutions.

• Taayush – Arab Jewish Partnership.
• Coalition of women for Peace (which Include 9 women organizations).
• Bat Sahlom.
• Yesh Gvol.
• Gush shalom.
• AIC – Alternative Information Center.
• ICAHD- The Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions.
• Anarchist against the Wall.

Israelis Endorsing the Letter:

• Dr. Ron Kuzar
  Address: Department of English Language and Literature
  University of Haifa
  IL-31905 Haifa, Israel
  Office: +972-4-824-9826, Fax: +972-4-824-9711
  Home: +972-77-616-6699, Mobile: +972-54-481-9676
  Email: kuzar@research.haifa.ac.il
  Homepage: http://research.haifa.ac.il/~kuzar
  
• Efraim Davidi:
• Lea Tsemel: Lawyer. Jerusalem.
• Uri Davis (Dr): Sakhnin 20173.Israel

Internationals:

• Joel Beinin: Professor of Middle East History, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305-2024, Tel: 650.723.4956, beinin@stanford.edu
• Dr. Chandra Muzaffar: President, International Movement for a Just World (JUST).
  Lot 1066 Jalan SS 22/43
  Damansara Jaya 47400
  Petaling Jaya
  Selangor Darul Ehsan
  MALAYSIA
  Tel: 603 7727 6386 Fax: 603 7727 7389
  Website: http://www.just-international.org
  Reply Email: muza@streamyx.com
  
• Ruhul Tarafder: The 1990 Trust. Ruhul [ruhul@blink.org.uk]

For further information please contact:
Hasib Nashashibi, Ensan Center for Democracy & Human Rights
Telefax: +972-2-2766842
ensan@ensancenter.org
www.ensancenter.org
Rami Bathish, MIFTAH
Tel: +972-2-5851842
mip@miftah.org

This is an urgent and repeated appeal to the world to immediately intervene, in light of the recent stories of rape and sexual violence against Palestinian women by Israeli occupation forces during Israel’s genocide in Gaza. Palestinian women are being displaced, tortured, killed and forcibly disappeared, while the world sits idle. Silence and inaction in the wake of these horrifying crimes amount to complicity.

Over the past few days, more horrifying testimonies and stories have emerged from Gaza of sadistic acts by Israeli soldiers, including torture, rape, and mass field executions at hospitals where civilians are seeking shelter, medical treatment and refuge.

Palestinian civil society and UN experts have sounded the alarm multiple times and reported cases of rape and sexual violence before and during this genocide. These reports continue to be deliberately and inexcusably ignored, including by prominent and otherwise vocal feminist organizations and figures.

The deafening silence of “Western” feminists and mainstream media in particular is deliberate and inexcusable, as opposed to their earlier outrage over Israeli allegations and misinformation, used to justify this genocide.

Many Palestinian women and girls who are survivors of rape and sexual violence are hesitant to come forward, due to the social stigma in a conservative society and the belief that Israel will not be held accountable for such crimes.

Israel is committing the most horrific war crimes, and weaponizing rape and sexual violence against Palestinians as part of its genocide in Gaza and assault on the Palestinian people as a whole, throughout all of Palestine. This is the result of decades of impunity, preferential treatment and lack of international accountability by the international community. Words are not enough to describe or stop this horror; action is needed.

We conclude this SOS appeal by reminding our sisters and allies around the world that our rights, our dignity, and our humanity are indivisible. Forsaking Palestinian victims now for political convenience would be an unforgivable betrayal to decades of sacrifice and feminist struggle.

We call for:

• The international community must employ all available tools of international accountability, including political and economic sanctions, to bring an immediate and lasting ceasefire and provision of unconditional humanitarian aid.

• States must immediately impose an arms embargo on Israel and honor their moral and legal obligations, including those pronounced in the Genocide Convention.

• States need to investigate and prosecute Israeli soldiers with dual citizenship implicated in these atrocities.

• The Special Representative of the Secretary General on Sexual Violence in Conflict must honor her mandate and launch an immediate investigation into the ongoing atrocities.

• Feminists around the world must sound the alarm globally on the unspeakable human rights violations taking place in Gaza, namely the sexual abuse and rape of Palestinian women and girls.

• Journalists and media outlets must do their due diligence in reporting on these stories through fair and unbiased coverage.

Signatories:

1. American Federation of Ramallah Palestine
2. Association of women’s Action
3. AWMR Italia - Donne della Regione Mediterranea
4. Bisan Center for Research and Development
5. Community Development and Media Center
6. Cultura è libertà una campagna per la Palestina
7. Enjaz Foundation for development
8. Filastiniyat
9. Human Rights and Democracy Media Center SHAMS
10. Institute of Women's Studies
11. Not to forget women society
12. Palestinian Center for Development and Media Freedoms (MADA)
13. Palestinian Women's Action committee
14. Rete Femminista Marche Molto+di194
15. Rural Women Development Society
16. Sinal do Vale
17. Singola
18. Teaching Palestine: Pedagogical Praxis and the Indivisibility of Justice
19. The center for defense of liberties and civil rights “Hurryyat”
20. The Palestinian Initiative for the Promotion of Global Dialogue and Democracy - MIFTAH
21. The Palestinian Working Woman Society for Development-PWWSD
22. The Regional Coalition for Women Human Rights Defenders in Southwest Asia and North Africa (WHRDMENA)
23. Union of Palestinian Women Committees
24. Wattan media network
25. Women Media and Development
26. Women's International League for Peace and Freedom
27. رابطة المرأة العراقية
28. شبكة المستقبل الديمقراطية العراقية

We, at the Palestinian NGO Forum to Combat Violence against Women and all Arab women’s and rights organizations raise our voices loud and clear on the eve of March 8, to say: “Stop the onslaught and crimes against women and children in Gaza. Stop the crime of genocide, the crime of starvation and forced displacement”. So far, this aggression has resulted in the killing of 31,000 Palestinians, over 70% of whom are women and children. Two women are killed every hour , in addition to many others still under the rubble. There are women whose fate is unknown, after being taken away by occupation forces.

Who will restore normalcy for us Palestinian women after these atrocities?

We have always held activities on March 8. We had a long list of rights we demanded and others we were able to achieve. However today, as the women of Gaza are being annihilated, we stand the length and breadth of our homeland and our Arab nations, angry, in a state of revolution and in deep mourning. Our demand today is to halt the genocide in the Gaza Strip and to halt the reproductive genocide against our women. We declare this day the day of Palestinian women, as they stand hungry in long queues, waiting for insufficient aid, terrified of the skies above them, filled with missiles of death. This is for the women whose bodies are exhausted, in camps for the displaced and in shelter centers, for those raped in prison and for their naked bodies stripped at checkpoints. It is for the menstruating women who cannot find sanitary products and for those with high-risk pregnancies who are starving, displaced and bombed. It is for the women whose wombs may be removed for the simplest of medical complications and those whose privacy has been violated because of overcrowded tents and displacement. It is for the mothers who could die at any moment and for all women whose Palestinianism has crucified humanity at the altar, amid deafening Arab silence, boundless American support and the complicity of several European countries.

Nevertheless, we continue to appreciate all forms of Arab and international support and solidarity with the Palestinian cause, which shows respect for our people’s dignity. Widening this solidarity will further reaffirm the justness of our cause. Hence, we await more action and movements in solidarity of our right to demand an immediate end to the genocide in the Gaza Strip, the West Bank and Jerusalem, to forge our way forward towards freedom, self-determination and the establishment of an independent and fully-sovereign Palestinian state.

Today, we Palestinian and Arab women, reaffirm the following on March 8 and every day forward:

- To put pressure on Israel to immediately halt its aggression and to hold its leaders accountable for their crimes in violation of international law, the Fourth Geneva Convention and all international laws and treaties, towards delegitimizing this occupying entity.

- To open the Rafah Crossing and all crossings to allow aid in and the wounded out for treatment

- To dismantle the land corridor linking Israel with some Arab countries supplying it with goods

Long Live Palestinian Women, who stand steadfast and resistant in the face of the Zionist aggression We speak in the voices of Gaza’s women and say:

Halt the genocide…halt the onslaught immediately!

In a recent statement, nearly five months into the Israeli genocide in Gaza, several UN experts confirmed the various reports and testimonies that have been coming from Palestinian women and human rights organizations for months now. In Gaza, women have been kidnapped and forcibly disappeared and placed in dire conditions in undisclosed locations. In the occupied West Bank, released prisoners testified on the horrific realities inside Israeli prisons and the widespread torture and ill-treatment where sexual violence is used as a weapon employed against both women and men. The targeting of women and girls with such atrocious crimes is targeting the most vulnerable, in an attempt to break and degrade the society as a whole.

The inaction and failure of the international community to stop Israeli crimes, namely the ongoing genocide in Gaza, and other heinous crimes all across Palestine for decades now has emboldened Israel to act with impunity. This allows Israel to continue committing horrific crimes against Palestinian women and girls, namely rape and other forms of sexual violence and torture.

The silence of “Western” feminists has also been appalling, given their earlier outrage about unsubstantiated Israeli allegations which were used to justify and commit the ongoing genocide in Gaza.

First and foremost, we demand an immediate ceasefire and the unconditional provision of humanitarian aid. In order to put an end to such heinous crimes and impunity, we reiterate the need for an independent international investigation into all crimes, especially sexual violence, followed by international accountability for the perpetrators.

Note: The following letter is a joint initiative between Ensan Center for Democracy & Human Rights and the Palestinian Initiative for the Promotion of Global Dialogue and Democracy (MIFTAH). It has been signed and endorsed by several Palestinian, Israeli, and international public figures, and officially handed to the US Consul-General in Jerusalem today, Tuesday, 23 May 2006.

Dear Mr. President,

In our capacity as Palestinian public figures, political leaders, and representatives of Palestinian civil society, we are writing to you with grave concern regarding the upcoming visit of Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert to the United States.

Our concerns stem from the fact that Israel’s short-sighted unilateralist policy in ending the Palestinian-Israeli conflict is not only destructive to our common goal of achieving a durable and just peace in the region, but is also in direct contradiction to your own declared vision for a negotiated two-state solution, with a democratic, independent, and sovereign Palestinian state existing peacefully side by side with the state of Israel.

Following the Israeli general elections in March 2006, Israel’s dangerous intentions to bypass negotiations and international law have become more evident, hence threatening to add more volatility to an already explosive situation in the occupied Palestinian territories.

We reaffirm our commitment to the peaceful resolution of the conflict on the basis of respect for all the relevant United Nations resolutions, including 242, 338, and 194 (concerning a just solution of the Palestinian refugees’ issue); the return to the 1967 boundaries and the dismantling of all Israeli settlements in the West Bank, including Palestinian east Jerusalem, are the essential prerequisites for a lasting peace in the region.

In particular, we urge your administration to take concrete steps in preventing the Israeli government from unilaterally declaring Israel’s future borders along the lines of the Separation Wall, including the Jordan valley, which will illegally annex a total of approximately 46% of the West Bank to Israel (including the settlements), thereby leaving the Palestinians with territorially-fragmented and isolated Palestinian population centres in which to realise your vision for the future Palestinian state. Furthermore, Israel’s unilateral vision aims to create punitive borders by which new facts on the ground are imposed on the Palestinian side, namely illegal settlement structures, including the expanded boundaries of Ma’ale Adumim in east Jerusalem (the E1 Plan), the Separation Wall, and the various illegal bypass roads, all of which suffocate the economic and social wellbeing of the Palestinian population in the occupied territories.

A politically and economically viable Palestinian state cannot be established on fragmented territories in the West Bank (and the Gaza Strip); all of the Gaza Strip and all of the West Bank, including Palestinian east Jerusalem, are classified as occupied territory under international law; hence their contiguity forms the basis of our shared vision for the realization of the future Palestinian state.

We strongly believe that it is a key responsibility of the United States, as a major partner and broker in the Middle East peace process, to bring Israel to compliance with all signed agreements; it is only through an active US role that we can end the illegal occupation which began in 1967.

Sincerely,

Palestinians Signed the Letter:

• Dr. Hanan Ashrawi: Palestinian Legislative Council member for “The Third Way” parliamentary block, and Head of MIFTAH’s Executive Committee.
• Naim Ashhab: Journalist, Writer. Jerusalem
• Qais Abdel Karim: PLC Member. PDFLP Politburo Member, PLO
• Bassam Salhi: PLC Member, G. Secretary of Palestinian People's Party. Ramallah.
• Saleh Ra'afat: General Secretary, Palestinian Democratic Union Party " Fida".
• Issa Qaraqe: PLC Member, Bethlehem.
• Fouad Kokali: PLC Member. Bethlehem
• Mohammad Lahham: PLC Member. Bethlehem
• Dr Ahmad Majdalni: PLO Central Council Member, Member of Politburo of Palestinian People Struggle Front.
• Khaled Mansour: Member of Politburo, Palestinian People's Party.
• Dr Salim Tamari: Institute of Jerusalem Studies.
• Dr. Nasri Abu Jesh: Secretary of Palestinian Dentists union. Nablus, Member Of People's Party Central Committee.
• Rima Tarazi: General Union of Palestinian Women. Ramnallah.
• Nuha Barghouti:General Union of Palestinian Women. Ramallah.
• Dima Awaidah Nashashibi: Deputy Director of WCLAC
• Palestinian People's Struggle Front.
• Samih Khalil: G. Director of Al-Sharq Insurance Co. Ramallah.
• Tayseer Aroury: Lecturer, Bir Zeit University
• Dr. Samir Khalil: Pediatrician. Ramallah.
• Dr. Anwar Dudin: Dean of Medical School, Alquds University.
• Dr. Lily Feidy: Secretary General, MIFTAH.
• Dr. Iyad Sarraj: G.Director of Gaza Center for Mental Heialth. Gaza
• Issam Younis: G. Director of Al- Mezan Center for Human Rights. Gaza
• Abdel Kareem Ashour: Director of Union of Agricultural Relief Committees. Gaza.
• AbdelHadi Abu Khosa: Gaza.
• Amal Nashashibi: Human Resources Development Consultant, Jerusalem.
• Dr. Nasri Kumsieh: Physician , Beit Sahour.
• Suliman Abu Dayyeh: Jerusalem.
• Dr. Spiro Tams: Jerusalem
• Dr. Mohammad Jadallah.: Head of Jerusalem Branch of Palestinian Doctors Union.
• Ghassan F. Abdullah: IT Consultant, Ramallah. "Palestine"
• Shawqi Issa : G. Director of Ensan Center. Bethlehem
• Khalil Rashmawi: Beit Sahour.
• Mohamad Manasra: G. Director, Hares Researches and Media, Bethlehem.
• Munther Dakkak: IT Consultant, Data Set. Jerusalem.
• Mousa Qous: Media and Information Programme, MIFTAH.
• Ghada Zughair: Assistant to the General Director for External Relations PARC- Beit Hanina.
• Rami Bathish: Media and Information Programme, MIFTAH
• Naser Lahham: Editor of Maan News Agency. Bethlehem
• Raed Othman: Director of Maan Independent News Network. Bethlehem.
• Amjad Shawa: Coordinator of PNGO. Gaza.
• Awni Abu Ghoshe: Palestinian National Council Member. Jerusalem
• Fadel Taqhboub: Palestinian National Council Member. Jerusalem
• Khaled Azzeh: Palestinian National Council Member. Bethlehem.
• Rana Nashashibi : JERUSALEM.
• Palestinian Economists Society. Palestine
• Taha Nassar: PDFLP, Central Committee member.Tradeunionist. Hebron.
• Dr. Abdel Aleem Da'na: PFLP Central Committee Member, Lecturer at Polytechnic Institute. Hebron.
• Jamal El Amleh: Director of Land Research Center. Hebron.
• Fahmi Shaheen: Human Rights Activist. Hebron.
• Mrs. Amal Ju'beh: Woman Leader, Hebron.
• Yunis Tayyem. Trade unionist, People's Party Central Committee member Hebron.
• Mahmoud Daraweesh:
• Hasib Nashashibi: Ensan Center for Democracy and Human Rights. Jerusalem.
• Dr AbdelRahman Abu Al-Nasr: Lawyer lecturer,Al Azzhar University . Gaza
• Mohammad Dahman: Democracy and worker's Rights Center. Gaza
• Younis Al- Jarrou: Lawyer. Gaza.
• Adel Abu Jahl: Lawyer. Gaza
• Nadia Abu Nahla: Gaza.
• Anis Qandil: Joy and Education Center. Gaza.
• Dr: Mohammad Ghadia---Member in the Palestinian National Council.
• Dr. Taleb Awad: Ramallah.

Endorsement By Israeli Organizations and Movements

As Israeli organizations struggling against the occupation and for a just peace between Israel and a free and sovereign Palestinian state, we would like to express our support of the call addressed by Palestinian civil society organizations to President Bush on the occasion of Prime Minister Ehud Olmert’s coming visit to Washington.

We especially share the position that unilateral measures cannot, in any way, be a step toward a lasting peace between the Israeli and the Palestinian peoples; peace requires dialogue and negotiation, not unilateralism. Moreover, expanding settlements and annexing “settlements blocs” cannot be seen but as a declaration of war, not a step toward peace.

As do our Palestinian friends, we urge the international community to stop the Israeli government and impose on it a return to negotiations on the basis of the relevant UN resolutions.

• Taayush – Arab Jewish Partnership.
• Coalition of women for Peace (which Include 9 women organizations).
• Bat Sahlom.
• Yesh Gvol.
• Gush shalom.
• AIC – Alternative Information Center.
• ICAHD- The Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions.
• Anarchist against the Wall.

Israelis Endorsing the Letter:

• Dr. Ron Kuzar
  Address: Department of English Language and Literature
  University of Haifa
  IL-31905 Haifa, Israel
  Office: +972-4-824-9826, Fax: +972-4-824-9711
  Home: +972-77-616-6699, Mobile: +972-54-481-9676
  Email: kuzar@research.haifa.ac.il
  Homepage: http://research.haifa.ac.il/~kuzar
  
• Efraim Davidi:
• Lea Tsemel: Lawyer. Jerusalem.
• Uri Davis (Dr): Sakhnin 20173.Israel

Internationals:

• Joel Beinin: Professor of Middle East History, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305-2024, Tel: 650.723.4956, beinin@stanford.edu
• Dr. Chandra Muzaffar: President, International Movement for a Just World (JUST).
  Lot 1066 Jalan SS 22/43
  Damansara Jaya 47400
  Petaling Jaya
  Selangor Darul Ehsan
  MALAYSIA
  Tel: 603 7727 6386 Fax: 603 7727 7389
  Website: http://www.just-international.org
  Reply Email: muza@streamyx.com
  
• Ruhul Tarafder: The 1990 Trust. Ruhul [ruhul@blink.org.uk]

For further information please contact:
Hasib Nashashibi, Ensan Center for Democracy & Human Rights
Telefax: +972-2-2766842
ensan@ensancenter.org
www.ensancenter.org
Rami Bathish, MIFTAH
Tel: +972-2-5851842
mip@miftah.org