Media Advisory:
Greens Endorse Mass Rally for Palestinian Refugee Rights.
Friday, April 06, 2001
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The Association of State Green Parties Media Advisory: Greens Endorse Mass Rally for Palestinian Refugee Rights. Friday, April 06, 2001 |
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GREENS ENDORSE MASS RALLY FOR PALESTINIAN REFUGEE
RIGHTS to be held in NYC on Saturday, April 7. The Green Party calls for
observance of the human right of Palestinian refugees to return home as
the basis for a just and enduring peace between Israelis and Palestinians. According to Association of State Green Parties (ASGP) Steering Committee co-chair, Tom Sevigny of CT, "Our support for the the Palestinian right to return to their homes is consistent with the Green Party's view that impartial respect for human rights is the foundation of emerging democracies and peaceful international relations. Since 1948, Palestinian refugees have been denied their inalienable right to return to their native land while non-native Jews continue to immigrate to the same land under the Israeli 'Law of Return.' This double standard constitutes an ongoing violation of human rights as guaranteed by international law including Article 13 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the Geneva Conventions, and UN General Assembly Resolution 194." While recognizing that the right to return home is inalienable, the Greens also emphasize that feasible solutions have been proposed that would allow Palestinians to act on their right without appreciable dislocation of current Jewish residents within Israel. Mr. Sevigny said, "Honoring this human right is a matter of political will of the international community, especially the US which provides Israel with billions of dollars in aid annually." The long-standing plight of Palestinian refugees resonates with the more recent experience of refugees and internally displaced persons whose numbers have grown as a result of the proliferation of ethnic conflict worldwide in places like Kosovo, Rwanda, and East Timor. As ASGP International Committee member, Justine McCabe, said, "The Green Party calls attention to the fact that in the absence of uniform protections for refugee rights, including the right to return home, the possibility for non-violent conflict resolution and the promotion of peace greatly diminishes." The Green Party continues to be the only American political party to unequivocally support Palestinian human rights including the right to repatriation and restitution as the unconditional premise on which peace negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians must be based. ADDITIONAL CONTACTS: search: fpol, mdest, rgt, pce |
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