GET OUT OF THE TERRITORIES: GET BACK TO OURSELVES

Israel is in crisis. The death toll is rising, the economy is collapsing, personal security has eroded and with it, public morale. We are faced by a greatly weakened Palestinian Authority, and the danger of a detrioration to chaos mounts daily. Millions of Palestinians live in fear and poverty. In their despair they are turning to fundamentalist Islam. The horrors of the occupation have affected every aspect of Israeli society. Our basic civic and moral values are being undermined.

The present Israeli government, elected on a platform of peace and security, has no strategy to end the crisis. Lacking a political plan, the only policy is the use of force. This short-sighted and deangerous vision is creating long-term damage far outweighing any immediate security benefits. This is the time for a political initiative that will break through the long war of attrition and open a window of hope.

We call upon the Government of Israel to announce its intention to end the occupation and declare its willingness to conduct negotiations with the Palestinians in order to reach an agreement along the lines of the American proposal of December 2000. Simultaneously, Israeli interest dictates that certain unilateral steps be taken.

Two goals underlie these steps: first, to improve Israeli security by shortening the borders of confrontation and reducing friction between Israelis and Palestinians; second, to signal that during this round of negotiations, in contrast to all previous talks, Israel does not intend to deepen the occupation by expanding settlements, but rather to end it. These steps include the dismantling of settlements in Gaza and in the heart of the Palestinian population in the West Bank.

The occupation undermines and corrupts the foundations of Israel as a state and as a society. We must bring the occupation to an end, and return to negotiations, in order to save the state. This is the imperative of the hour if we wish to end the war and return to ourselves.

For Hebrew, Click here.
The Peace Coalition is composed of the following bodies: Peace Now, Meretz, the Labor Doves, the Kibbutz Movement, The Democratic Choice Party, Hashomer Hatzair, Netivot Shalom, the Bereaved Family Forum and "The Green Line – Students for a Border."

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