Invest In Peace

It is easy to support “peace” in the Middle East, especially when one is thinking it will, in the end, be on Israeli and American terms. It is as easy to support a future Palestinian state. George W. Bush does and so does Ehud Olmert. But they also believe that if a Palestinian state cannot be postponed indefinitely, it would at least be a non-contiguous emasculated entity, more a dependent autonomous region, rather than an independent entity.

It is not enough to stand for “peace” or a two-state solution. We who believe in human and political rights for all must stand for justice. By divesting from companies that support the Israeli occupation, you take a stand for justice. You say unequivocally, that the Israeli occupation is unjust and that it must stop immediately. You say clearly that you will call an injustice by its name, even if it is politically very difficult to do so.

As an American Jew, I salute you for wrestling with the divestment issue. I encourage you to pass the resolution before you. Actions such as divestment campaigns bring the plight of Palestinians into the light and break the wall of fear and silence that has been built by those who are the backers of occupation.

Ira Glunts
Madison Institute for Peace and Progressivism
Madison, New York