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To those concerned with justice and peace for the people of Palestine and Israel, In June 2002, many of you endorsed CanPalNet’s public statement calling for an end to Israel’s occupation of Palestinian lands conquered in 1967. That full-page statement with signatories from across Canada was published in the Georgia Straight in Vancouver and the Now newspaper in Toronto. Regrettably, the human and political situation in Palestine-Israel has deteriorated significantly since 2002. It is against the background of this crisis that supporters of Israeli state policies and practices are organizing a “celebration” of the 60th anniversary of the founding of the country. George Bush and Nicolas Sarkozy are among the international leaders who will visit Israel in May 2008 to mark the event. In the U.S., George Bush SR. and Bill Clinton have been enlisted to serve as the honourary co-chairs of the national committee for Israel-60. There will be tremendous hoopla and hype around this event and we expect that Canadian politicians and other prominent public figures will be invited to join these “celebrations” as a similar campaign is mounted in this country. Considering the prevailing tragic circumstances, we hope you share our view that this is not the time nor the occasion for “celebration”. As a reflection of our concerns, we plan to publish the following “We cannot celebrate” statement, in full-page format, in The Georgia Straight in early May. If enough funds are collected, we would also place the ad in the Toronto Now. In addition, we plan to distribute the statement to other media as a news item and to include it in our public call to politicians and others to refuse to participate in this celebration. We believe this statement is appropriate for the times and invite you to add your voice by endorsing it. (Signers’ names will appear with or without a “description” for identification purposes only. Please indicate your preference.)?? As was the case in June 2002, this is a grass-roots effort, so any financial contribution you can make toward the cost of publication (approximately $4,000) will be greatly appreciated. Contributions from those who wish to help us defray the costs of the ad without having their name listed on the ad will be greatly appreciated as well. Please reply by e-mail to: wecannotcelebrate@canpalnet.ca Contributions can be sent to: CanPalNet
123 North Sea Avenue
Burnaby, BC Canada
V5B 1K4 Thank you for your support.
WE CANNOT CELEBRATE Around the world, plans are being made to mount major celebrations of the 60th anniversary of the founding of the state of Israel. But this year also marks 60 years since 750,000 Palestinians were brutally expelled from their homeland in what they refer to as the Nakba or “catastrophe”. Given this history, and the deepening conflict in the region today, we believe there is no grounds for celebration. We cannot celebrate
while Israel starves and bombs the people of Gaza. We cannot celebrate
while Israel extends its apartheid wall. We cannot celebrate
while Israel builds Jewish only settlements and roads on stolen Palestinian lands. We cannot celebrate
while Israel continues to violate United Nations Resolution 194, refusing to let Palestinians return to their homes. We cannot celebrate
while Israel continues to promote wars and expand its nuclear arsenal. We cannot celebrate
while the policies of Israel’s leaders fuel a conflict in which innocent lives on both sides are lost. We can and will continue our efforts to end these injustices, upholding international law, human rights and United Nations resolutions. This is the only road map to peace. |
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