Dear friends,
Please regard this letter as written by a very young person to his parents,for, in many ways, this is the relationship between the young State of Israel, and the Jewishpeople.
The state of Israel was created for and by the Jewish people.It was created in order to protect and shelter the Jewish people,Tortured by 2000 years of in the Diaspora.
Thus, the state of Israel must be a source of great pride and hope for Israelis and the entireJewish world, alike .
We realize that you are profoundly involved with the situation in Israel. As leaders andprominent figures in your community, we know that you, too, feel deeply committed. We are surethat you feel, as we do, that your fate and the fate of Israel are intertwined.
On our part, we are grateful for your immense political and material support.
We are writing you this letter in the name of these mutual ties .
This is one of the most critical moments Israel has ever faced .
It might very well determine Israel’s future. We are calling upon you, as ‘parents’ of theyoung state of Israel, to exert your strongest sense of responsibility – even duty.
We deeply believe that your clear and loud voice might be the only barrier between Israel, andimminent tragedy .
It cannot be said, anymore, that the Israelis themselves have the sole right to voice theiropinions on the policies of their state. These policies now reflect on the situation of Jewseverywhere. Anti-Semites seize upon the situation in the Palestinian territories in orderto attack not only Israel but also Jews at large, while Jews believe that they have to defendthese policies, even if they are repugnant to them.
We believe that in order to assume this responsibility, it is vital that you become acquaintedwith the actual situation on the ground. It is not enough, anymore, to be satisfied withofficial statements and biased information sources. There is a rapidly growing body ofevidence, indicating that something very wrong is happening in the occupied territories.
The Israeli authorities have dropped a ‘media curtain’ over these territories and issue mostof the available information. In order to form an independent and informed opinion, you mustvisit these territories, monitor the situation for yourself and have frank talks with allsides.
We fully realize the difficulty of assuming a position contrary to that of the Israeligovernment, and the courage it requires to do so, but we also believe that the sights, soundsand even smells that you will encounter during this visit – will fully justify the effort.
The Proposed visit
The visit is intended for 15-20 Leading personalities of the Jewish community worldwide.
It will include tours within the West Bank and Gaza – tours accompanied with lectures that willoffer a wider understanding of the situation in these areas, Meetings with Palestinians ofall ranks, as well as with Israeli peace and human rights activists of differentorganizations.
Meetings with bereaved families – Israelis and Palestinian.
All in all, the visit is planned to last between 4-6 days, and will take place during the winterof 2002-2003.
We are open to suggestions of more candidates, as well as requests regarding people, placesand issues you would want to address during the visit.
Gush Shalom, the Israeli Peace Bloc, is ready to assist in organizing such a visit. We believethat this is our duty, in the service of Jewish values and humanist traditions, but mainly weare moved by deep concern for our future, and the future of our children .
We hope very much that you will accept this proposition out of deep concern for the future ofIsrael.
Shalom!
Uri Avnery, Oren Medicks
Gush Shalom