|
||||
|
A
CALL FOR INTERNATIONAL ACTION ON DECEMBER 28th [2] -
FOLLOW-UP LETTER |
||||
|
Friends, We have had an encouraging initial response to our call for international protest on December 28, but we wish to widen the circle of cities and countries around the world united on this day to express dissent from escalating cycles of violence. On December 28th the Coalition of Women for a Just Peace will hold a silent and solemn march of Women (and men) in Black from the walls of the Old City of Jerusalem to the checkpoint/roadblock between Jerusalem and Bethlehem. At the checkpoint we will hold a concert for peace on a flatbed truck with the roadblock and the soldiers armed for combat as our background. The situation here for the Palestinians under occupation is becoming very desperate, but the world is looking the other way. While that is happening, the Israeli army invades and re-occupies areas of the West Bank and Gaza Strip that are nominally under the control of the Palestinian Authority. The brutality of these invasions was particularly felt in Bethlehem during these past weeks. We feel it is critically important to draw attention to Bethlehem and what is happening there during the holiday season. We do not believe that the people of the world can achieve security without a just and lasting settlement of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The local conflict in the Middle East is now the business of the entire world. What we have learned during the past 13 months of the Second Intifada is that violent revenge solves nothing, but only feeds upon itself, exacting an every-increasing price in human life and suffering on all sides. The attempt to use military might and violent resistance to impose a nation's or a people's will is both cruel and futile. We are now seeing the tragedy of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict being played out on a much greater scale as the nations of the West make war on Afghanistan and Islamic fundamentalism. Let us join together to remind the world that violence and destruction do not lead to peace, but only to more violence and more destruction. We need, rather, to look at the underlying causes and devise serious attempts to resolve them. This is a voice that is not being heard, or at least not loudly enough. But we know that it is an international voice and, frequently, a woman's voice. For now, only the generals are speaking. It is time that woman's voice, and the voices of our allies, be heard loud and clear. What is happening in Bethlehem, Jenin, Ramallah, Qalqiliah, Tul Karm, Hadera, Afula, Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, Kabul, New York, Washington is more than a warning. The canary in the cage has died many times over. Can we, Women in Black and our allies, make a difference? We, Jewish and Palestinian women in Israel, urge you to try once again. Join us on December 28th. Let us know what you are planning so that we can coordinate our efforts and publicize them internationally. It is the tradition of Women in Black, and the Coalition of Women for Peace honors it, that every group is free to choose its tactics and the definition of its issues independently. Let us hear from you: intl@coalitionof women4peace.org Marcia Freedman International Coordinator P.S. If any of you know of prominent performers/poets/actresses/ musicians/singers who might be willing to come to Jerusalem for this concert, please let us know (together with contact information)--we are looking for names that can help us draw the international and local media. Wed, 14 Nov 2001 |
||||
