A member of the staff of one of the Long Island campuses of the State University frequently forwards notices of meetings by the peace movement and other events of interest to the progressive community on Long Island.
Recently the staff member forwarded a petition asking people to sign in order to prompt the Green Party to abandon the resolution it passed calling for divestment in companies connected with and profiting from the illegal Israeli occupation of Palestine.
The petition appeared on the web-site www.standwithus.com which describes itself as
" An advocacy organization that promotes education and understanding that will bring a secure future for Israel and her neighbors. We educate through fact-based materials, weekly alerts, speakers, programs and conferences."
A most recent posting at 'StandWithUs' concerns the deaths of Palestinians on a beach in occupied Gaza:
"Shalom Friends of Israel & The IDF,
We have just come out of a second meeting today with officials investigating the events on the Gaza Coast last week. It is now clear that there is no evidence pointing to the fact that Israel is responsible for the events of last week on the Gaza coast."
Our reply to the message about the petition (printed below) was returned several times. It has not been acknowledged to date.
UPDATE 6/15/06:
This evening Marjorie Carr of the Old Westbury campus of SUNY forwarded a copy of our email to her list. We thank her for helping start a dialog on this crucial issue of peace and justice. She has already been criticized for doing this by those who continue to defend the policies of the current government of Israel.
Here is what we wrote (slightly amplified with an additional article by Jeff Halper of ICAHD).
"May I suggest that you let your list see another opinion on how to achieve peace and security
for Israel, Palestine and the world.
One of the many organizations working for peace by ending the occupation of Palestinian lands is
the Israeli Committe Against House Demolitions (www.icahd.org)
Jeff Halper, Coordinator of ICAHD has been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize
along with the Palestinian Ghasan Andoni.
Halper's recent Interview with KPFA (Pacific Radio)
http://157.22.130.4/data/20060529-Mon1700.mp3
Halper describes the Occupation as an apartheid
regime, says the essence of the conflict is dislacement ...
of thousands of villages and thousands of arab homes
in both Israel and the occupied terriories (East
Jerusalem, West Bank, Gaza). Criticizes US for its one
sided policy in favor of Israeli Govt position
Says Israeli public have taken themselves out of the
debate. The Palestinians have no power. The
international community must act.
Calls for sanctions, divestment, techniques used
successfully against Apartheid regime of South Africa.
-------------------------------------------
Angela Godfrey-Goldstein: Immigrated to Israel from South Africa
Her essay "The Choice is Now"
http://www.icahd.org/eng/articles.asp?menu=6&submenu=2&article=260
includes a map of the occupied territories with major settlements dividing Palestine into cantons."
Since we replied to the petition email the following essay by Jeff Halper appeared (Mr. Halper is a sociologist born in the USA and formerly on the staff at Southampton College):
http://www.icahd.org/eng/articles.asp?menu=6&submenu=1
Read and make your own judgement.
Tony Ernst
Southampton, NY
631-259-2482
or c/o eastendreport@yahoo.com
