SPONSORS: GPUS International Committee Cochairs Alan Brown, Bahram Zandi
CONTACT: Lizzie Adams, lizzie@gpfl.org, David Schwartzman, dschwartzman@gmail.com, Justine McCabe, justinemccabe@earthlink.net
SUBJECT/TITLE: Israeli Apartheid Crimes Against Palestine
TYPE OF PROPOSAL: GPUS Platform Revision requiring two thirds vote
PROPOSAL TIMELINE: September 30, 2021 proposal due Platform Committee
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE:
Anti-imperialists “are opposed to colonialism, colonial empires, hegemony, imperialism and the territorial expansion of a country beyond its established borders.” “The people of many countries unite in opposition to US imperialism, economic warfare and threats of militarism. It is our job in the United States to act in solidarity with them and say ‘no’ to US imperialism,” write Kevin Zeese and Margaret Flowers in “The Foundation For International Justice Is Anti-Imperialism” on June 10, 2018. They remind Greens that, “if we ground ourselves in anti-imperialism, we will not be as easily misled. We must respect the sovereignty of other nations and support popular struggles without promoting US intervention.”
Reviewing the Israel-Palestine Conflict section of the GPUS Foreign Policy plank of the GPUS Platform, the International Committee is addressing the need to remove imperialistic language and intent to align with our stated policies and values. Taking into account the ongoing, expansive and destructive nature of settler colonialism and systemic apartheid, we recognize the need of decolonizing our foreign policy platform.
GPUS Platform Chapter I. Democracy D. Foreign Policy 1. Foreign Policy—Peace and Disarmament 2. A Real Road to Peace in the Middle East – Israeli Apartheid Crimes Against Palestine
Our Green values oblige us to stand against oppression, against settler colonialism and against the International crime of apartheid. We reaffirm the right of self-determination for both Palestinians and Israelis, which precludes the self-determination and rights of one at the expense of the other.
We recognize that Jewish insecurity and fear of non-Jews is understandable in light of Jewish history of horrific oppression in Europe. However, we oppose as both discriminatory and ultimately self-defeating the position that Jews would be fundamentally threatened by the implementation of full rights to Palestinian-Israelis, Palestinians, and Palestinian refugees who wish to return to their homes. As U.S. Greens, we refuse to impose our views on the people of the region. Still, we would turn the U.S. government towards a new policy, one that recognizes the equality, the inherent humanity, and the equal civil and human rights of Jews, Muslims, Christians, and all who live in the region.
We reaffirm the right and feasibility of Palestinian refugees to return to their homes in Israel. We acknowledge the significant challenges of equity and restitution this policy would encounter and call on the U.S. government to make resolution of these challenges a central goal of our diplomacy in the region.
We reject the grossly unbalanced financial and military support of Israel by the U.S. while Israel occupies Palestinian lands, maintains and grows settler colonialism, expands an illegal apartheid system, and perpetuates violent miitary governance against non-Jewish persons throughout the region. Therefore, we call on the U.S. President and Congress to suspend all military and foreign aid, including loans and grants, to Israel until Israel withdraws from the Occupied Territories, dismantles the separation wall in the Occupied West Bank including East Jerusalem, ends its siege of Gaza and dismantles settler colonies and systemic apartheid toward its non-Jewish citizens.
We also reject U.S. political support for Israel and demand that the U.S. government end its veto of Security Council resolutions pertaining to Israel. We urge our government to join with the U.N. to secure Israel’s complete withdrawal at least to the 1967 boundaries and comply fully with international law..
We support a much stronger and supportive U.S. position with respect to all United Nations, Arab League and Palestinian-led initiatives, the OHCHR and UN Special Rapporteur advisories that seek a just end to Israeli settler colonialism and apartheid safeguarding human rights defenders and the human rights of all Palestinians.
We call on the foreign and military affairs committees of the U.S. House and Senate to conduct full hearings on the status of human rights and war crimes by Israel as well as right of return for Palestinian refugees.
We recognize that despite decades of continuous diplomatic attempts by the international community, these efforts have failed to bring about Israel’s compliance with international law or respect for basic Palestinian human rights. Despite abundant condemnation of Israel’s policies by the UN, International Court of Justice, all relevant international conventions, and human rights organizations, Israeli violations, crimes of apartheid and ethnic cleansing against Palestinians continue with impunity. We recall that ending institutionalized racism (apartheid) in South Africa demanded an unusual, cooperative action by the entire international community in the form of a boycott, divestment, and sanctions (BDS) campaign. BDS can become an effective nonviolent means for achieving justice and genuine peace between Palestinians and Israelis, and for the region, through concerted international pressure similar to that which was applied to apartheid South Africa. Palestinian resistance to ongoing dispossession has mainly been nonviolent, including its most basic form—remaining in their homes, on their land; and while Palestinian armed resistance is legitimate under international law when directed at non-civilian targets, we believe that only nonviolent resistance will maintain the humanity of Palestinian society, elicit the greatest solidarity from others, and maximize the chance for future reconciliation between Israelis and Palestinians. However, we also recognize that our appeal to Palestinians to continue to resist nonviolently in the face of ongoing existential threats from Israel is hypocritical unless accompanied by substantial acts of international support. We recall that in 2005, Palestinian Civil Society appealed to the international community to support a BDS campaign against Israel, and that in response the Green Party of the US endorsed this BDS campaign in 2005. Therefore, we support the implementation of boycott and divestment initiatives against Israel similar to those applied to South Africa in the apartheid era, which includes pressuring our government to impose targeted embargoes and sanctions against Israel. We support maintaining these nonviolent punitive measures until Israel meets its obligation to recognize the Palestinian people’s inalienable right to self-determination and fully complies with the precepts of international law by
Ending its occupation and colonization of all Palestinian lands and dismantling the Wall in the West Bank
Recognizing the fundamental rights of Palestinian citizens of Israel and Palestinians to full equality; and
Respecting, protecting and promoting the rights of Palestinian refugees to return to their homes and properties as stipulated in UN resolution 194.
In addition, we are committed to building solidarity among the U.S. population for the global BDS movement as well as with Palestinian, Israeli and international human rights organizations which fight against Israeli Apartheid.
The Palestinian-Israeli Conflict: We recognize that international opinion has been committed to a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Yet, we and the prevailing Palestinian view is that the two-state solution is neither democratic nor viable in the face of international law, material conditions and “facts on the ground” that now exist in historic Palestine and the Occupied Palestinian Territories. We recognize that growing numbers of Palestinians now support the just one-state solution with guarantees for equal rights for all its citizens. Given this reality, we support a U.S. foreign policy that promotes the will and decision of the Palestinian people. We encourage a new U.S. diplomatic initiative to lay the groundwork for true solidarity with the Palestinian people who are suffering oppression, apartheid and ethnic cleansing.
We recognize the structures and systems put in place for a just and peaceful future are for the people to decide without the scale tipping towards the colonizers who hold drastically greater power.
Should the United Nations and International Civil Society conduct Palestinian-led peace negotiations, we recognize the usefulness of a Truth and Reconciliation Commission whose inaugurating action could be mutual acknowledgement by Israelis and Palestinians that they have the same basic inherent rights, including the right to exist and flourish in the same, safe and secure place of a homeland.
IMPLEMENTATION TIMELINE: September 30, 2021, Proposal Due Platform Committee; September 29, 2021, IC listserv voting renewed; September 24, 2021 Specific language and intent of GPUS Platform Foreign Policy Plank Israel Palestine Section Propsal discussion and voting on IC listserv; September 22, 2021 IC Monthly Meeting, Presentation ‘Intro to Palestine and BDS Movement’ and Platform Revision Proposal formalized; August 25, 2021 IC Monthly Meeting Discussion of Israel Apartheid against Palestine; July 28, 2021, IC Monthly Meeting Discussion of International Affairs including Israel-Palestine.
6-4.9 REFERENCES:
GPUS IC ‘Intro to Palestine and BDS Movement’ Slideshow https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/e/2PACX-1vTVm1cABOIaCCsnoJXNLlNx1BZLQnbFcjpM7ooaHLLDWS9bssSNlQUKsrmTO9d0MDmGBEaslcaajP8J/pub?start=false&loop=false&delayms=60000
A Threshold Crossed: Israeli Authorities and the Crimes of Apartheid and Persecution
https://www.hrw.org/report/2021/04/27/threshold-crossed/israeli-authorities-and-crimes-apartheid-and-persecution#
Quick Facts: the Palestinian Nakba https://imeu.org/article/quick-facts-the-palestinian-nakba
Our Approach to Zionism https://jewishvoiceforpeace.org/zionism/
Boycott, Divestment & Sanctions Movement (BDS) https://bdsmovement.net/what-is-bds
Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories https://www.amnesty.org/en/location/middle-east-and-north-africa/israel-and-occupied-palestinian-territories/report-israel-and-occupied-palestinian-territories/
Illegal Israeli settlements explained https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VFXrXvwRKRE
Deadly Exchange: The Dangerous Consequences of American Law Enforcement Trainings in Israel by Researching the American-Israeli Alliance and Jewish Voice for Peace https://deadlyexchange.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/Deadly-Exchange-Report.pdf
The Occupation of the American Mind (21 minute version)
The Genocide of the Palestinian People: An International Law and Human Rights Perspective https://ccrjustice.org/genocide-palestinian-people-international-law-and-human-rights-perspective
The Occupation of the American Mind (21 minute version)
The Genocide of the Palestinian People: An International Law and Human Rights Perspective https://ccrjustice.org/genocide-palestinian-people-international-law-and-human-rights-perspective
Environmental Nakba by Friends of the Earth https://www.foei.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/06-foei-palestine-report-eng-lr.pdf
Books and Academic Resources
Orientalism by Edward Said
The Question of Palestine by Edward Said
Justice for Some by Noura Erakat
Palestinian Identity by Rashid Khalidi
The Hundred Years’ War on Palestine by Rashid Khalidi
The Palestinian Nakba: Decolonising History, Narrating the Subaltern, Reclaiming Memory by Nur Masalha
The Palestinians: From Peasants to Revolutionaries by Rosemary Sayigh
One Country by Ali Abunimah
The Battle for Justice in Palestine by Ali Abunimah
Delegitimizing Solidarity: Israel Smears Palestine Advocacy as Anti-Semitic” by Ben White https://online.ucpress.edu/jps/article-abstract/49/2/65/107373/Delegitimizing-Solidarity-Israel-Smears-Palestine?redirectedFrom=fulltext
The Ethnic Cleansing of Palestine by Ilan Pappe
Ten Myths About Israel by Ilan Pappe
The Idea of Israel by Ilan Pappe
The Biggest Prison on Earth: A History of the Occupied Territories by Ilan Pappe
Expulsion of the Palestinians: The Concept of “Transfer” in Zionist Political Thought, 1882-1948 by Nur Masalha
Israel: A Colonial-Settler State by Maxime Rodinson
Why Palestine Matters: The Struggle to End Colonialism by Noushin Darya Framke and Susan Landau
“Settler Colonialism and the Elimination of the Native” by Patrick Wolfe
“The Political Economy of Israeli Occupation: What is Colonial about it?” by Leila Farsakh
“Settler Colonialism and Conflict: The Israeli State and its Palestinian Subjects” by Magid Shihade
“Settler Colonialism and the State of Exception: The Example of Palestine/Israel” by David Lloyd