In response to IDF and Israel Police policy banning entry to
the city of Hebron and the Southern Hebron Hills region, representatives of
Israel’s peace organizations and of human rights groups active in the
territories assembled for an emergency consultation on Tuesday, August 5.
In addition to the Meretz party, the organizations
represented at the discussion included: Peace Now, the Association for Civil
Rights in Israel, Breaking the Silence, B’Tselem, Rabbis for Human Rights, Bnei
Avraham, Machsom Watch, Ta’ayush and Yesh Din.
For years, Meretz USA has been an
invaluable source of information, opinion and analysis about Israel and the Middle East. We have
hosted lectures and conference calls with prominent figures on the Israeli
left. We publish our thoughtful quarterly magazine, Israel Horizons, and
a biweekly e-newsletter. We host the Meretz USA blog. We
issue press releases and statements, and we continue to conduct our unique
annual weeklong seminar in Israel, the
"Israel Symposium".
But the one thing we haven't done enough is to let you, our supporters, make
your voices
heard on the issues we progressive Zionists care about so deeply.
This is about to change.
Starting today, Meretz USA is
launching a new initiative that will let you direct your concerns about Israel straight to
the people that matter most: the Israeli decision-makers who are determining
that country's future. Take Action Today!
Racism. Blatant discrimination against women. The legitimization of ethnic cleansing. Undue influence over public policy wielded by a wealthy oligarchy. A Declaration of Independence that spoke of equality, amid a stark reality of inequality. A democracy at 60.
No, this is not a profile of Israel, as we approach her 60th birthday next week, but a snapshot of the situation in the United States of America circa 1836.
On Sunday, March 30, 2008, Prof. Naomi Chazan, a
three-term Member of Knesset for Meretz (1992-2003) and current President of
the Meretz Party Convention, discussed civil rights in the state of Israel, 60
years after its creation.
In general, Prof. Chazan noted, Israel,
like all other democracies, must work to bridge the gap between principles and
reality. Israel
has made tremendous progress on some civil rights issues over the last sixty
years, she said, but in other areas it has accomplished too little. Prof. Chazan chose to focus on three areas
still needing attention: equality, social justice, and religious pluralism.
Rebecca
Manski
As
a child in Israel,
I often heard the lament: “If the Palestinians had simply accepted Israeli
citizenship, this conflict would never have occurred.” When I returned 15 years
later, I heard many Israelis say of the Arabs who did in fact accept Israeli
citizenship: “If they only served the country as we do, in the military, we
would feel better about providing them with services.” Yet the experience of
the Negev Bedouin, people who embraced Israeli citizenship and until recently,
generally served in the army, shows that this is not the case. ...
Meretz-Yachad Chairman Yossi Beilin said that it is sad that the ruling
establishment in Israel is unable to grasp that the "neighbor procedure" and the
torture used in Shin Bet interrogations blackened Israel's reputation
unnecessarily and damaged its standing as the only democracy in the Middle
East.
In response to IDF and Israel Police policy banning entry to
the city of Hebron and the Southern Hebron Hills region, representatives of
Israel’s peace organizations and of human rights groups active in the
territories assembled for an emergency consultation on Tuesday, August 5.
Racism. Blatant discrimination against women. The legitimization of ethnic cleansing. Undue influence over public policy wielded by a wealthy oligarchy. A Declaration of Independence that spoke of equality, amid a stark reality of inequality. A democracy at 60.
