Gush Shalom examines Gaza Pullout Sharon Style

GUSH SHALOM - pob 3322, Tel-Aviv 61033 www.gush-shalom.org/

[1] Press release on pullout-vote Sharon style [2] Gush Shalom's position on the "Disengagement Plan"

[1] Press release, 25/10/2004

Gush Shalom: Invasion and killings in Khan Yuneis attempt to buy Knesset votes with Palestinian blood

Hebrew at request & soon at the site òáøéú òì ôé á÷ùä àå á÷øåá áàúø

The invasion of Khan Yuneis in the Gaza Strip, in which 13 Palestinians were so far killed, is a manifestly political act, an attempt to appeal to the nationalist sector of the Israeli public. In an utterly cynical manner, Sharon is trying to buy parliamentary votes with spilling Palestinian blood and destroying Palestinian homes. This is an additional proof, to whoever needed one, that in his 'Disengagement Plan' which he brings today to a dramatic vote in a blaze of publicity, the Prime Minister is not trying to achieve peace but to continue the occupation and oppression under slightly different conditions.

Contact: Adam Keller, Gush Shalom Spokesperson, +972-3-5565804 or +972-50-6709603 ~~~

[2] Gush Shalom's position on the "Disengagement Plan" (published today as ad in Ha'aretz)

Hebrew at request & soon at the site òáøéú òì ôé á÷ùä àå á÷øåá áàúø

The occupation is the original sin, from which myriads of daily acts of oppression flow. The end of the occupation is a vital national interest. We will support the ending of the occupation in any part of the Palestinian territories, as a step towards peace.

The settlements are a disaster, a threat to the country's future - externally and internally. We will support the evacuation of any settlement, as a step towards peace.

Does the "Disengagement Plan" of Ariel Sharon serve these aims?

That is highly doubtful:

Sharon and those who speak on his behalf stated that the aim of the plan is to "freeze" the peace process for decades, put peace in "formaldehyde", prevent forever the creation of a Palestinian state, destroy the elected Palestinian leadership and extend the settlements all over the West Bank.

Had Sharon seriously intended to evacuate the Gaza Strip and dismantle the settlements there, a timetable of several weeks would have been quite sufficient. Delaying implementation until next year casts grave doubts its seriousness.

With implementation distant and doubtful, unconditional support of the Disengagement Plan gives Sharon an Israeli and international legitimacy which he might abuse in highly dangerous ways.

Therefore, any direct or indirect support of the peace camp for the "Disengagement Plan" must be made conditional upon the following eight conditions:

1) All stages of the plan shall be, from now on, planned and implemented in accord with the Palestinian Authority .

2) Israel will agree to a total cease-fire in the Gaza Strip, and in this context its armed forces will cease all military activity in the strip including "liquidations" and incursiuons.

3) International observers will be invited to monitor the handing over of the Strip to Palestinian Authority.

4) Freedom of movement will be restored to the President of the Palestinian Authority, Yasser Arafat, so as to enable him to come to the Gaza Strip, restore order and establish a functioning Palestinian administration.

5) With the evacuation, the Gaza Strip will have open access to the outside world by land, sea and air. The "Philadelphi Route" along the Egyptian border shall be abolished.

6) All structures in the settlements shall be handed over, in reasonable condition, to the Palestinian Authority or to an international institution, as a contribution to solving the refugee problem.

7) Settlement construction in the West Bank shall be frozen and the "outposts" evacuated.

8) Peace ("Final Status") negotiations between the government of Israel and the Palestinian leadership will be immediately resumed, from the point where negotiations were broken off by the Barak Government at Taba in January 2001. There shall be a binding timetable for finalizing the negotiations and establishing the Palestinian state.

If these conditions are not fulfilled, any direct or indirect support for the "Disengagement Plan" will sabotage the chances of peace.

GUSH SHALOM pob 3322 Tel-Aviv 61033 http://www.gush-shalom.org

$ Especially for US $

"As a man of conscience I could not take part in the army of oppression..." -- Noam Bahat, 21, Israeli Refusenik

NOAM BAHAT, free after 645 days of imprisonment, is speaking on two occasions in New York City, his first stop during US tour:

- Monday Oct. 25, 8:15 p.m. - Columbia University, 517 Hamilton Hall: Take 1/9 train to 116th St. and enter Columbia gates. Walk along College Walk (116th St.) until you reach the last building on the right. Entrance to the building is on the side opposite to College Walk. Map: http://lightwave.ee.columbia.edu/pic/map.gif

- Tuesday Oct. 26, 7:00 p.m. - St. Bartholomew's Church:109 E. 50th St. (on Park Avenue between 50th and 51st St.) Map: http://www.stbarts.org/howtoget.htm/

Events sponsored by: Refuser Solidarity Network, American Friends Service Committee, Just Peace (Columbia University Hillel), Just Peace Middle East Advocay group at St. Bartholomew's Church, JATO.

For more information contact Keren ~~~

# Especially for non-US #

express your preference as a world citizen for who will be the next president of the "only superpower" http://www.us-election.org/

#

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