Invest In Peace

Hi,

I am a Jewish resident of Silver Spring, Maryland. I am pro-Israel, pro-Palestine and pro-peace. I feel strongly that the best way to end the endless cycle of violence that has plagued Israel & Palestine is for Israel to end its occupation of the West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem. Such a solution (based on a return to the 1967, UN-mandated borders), along the lines of the Geneva Accord (worked out several years ago by Israeli and Palestinian negotiators) or the Arab League proposal, would be acceptable to the majority on both sides, polls have long indicated.

Unfortunately, settlement construction continues unabated. Therefore, I think the best approach we can take is to show some “tough love” and pressure the Israeli government to end its occupation.
Please vote for selective divestment from companies that benefit from the occupation. Only through ending the occupation will there be a chance for a lasting peace between Israelis and Palestinians.

Harry Appelman

Dear Fellow Methodists, and Presbyterian Brothers and Sisters:

I write to you as both a life-long United Methodist, and as the cousin of
Rachel Corrie, who was killed by a CAT D-9 bulldozer on March 16, 2003,
while she tried to prevent the demolition of a Palestinian civilian home.
We are already making progress with Caterpillar by the combined efforts of
people across denominations, faith traditions, and nationalities in urging
them to live into their own Worldwide Code of Conduct and ensure that their
products are not being used in illegal and immoral ways. We can build on
this momentum through a commitment to selective, phased divestment of
companies making money off the violence and oppression in Israel-Palestine.
I see this as a mandate of our faith, and part of our baptismal covenant, to
invest in peace where possible, and cease making money off of suffering and
violence everywhere. Our support of selective, phased divestment will put
us into an ever-growing, inspiring community of people of conscience doing
what we have been called to do - love our neighbors and build peace. Please
vote for these resolutions, and, for those coming to General Conference,
please come to the MFSA program in Ft Worth on Monday, April 28th to learn
more!

Elizabeth Corrie

Please vote for selective divestment from companies that benefit form the occupation. It is the most powerful, nonviolent way we, as Americans, have to pressure the israeli government to end its occupation. Only through ending the occupation will we have a chance for a lasting peace between Israelis and palestinians.

As a US/Israeli Jew I welcome all the help we can get in saving the souls of all the people in Israel, Palestine and elsewhere. As a Jew, Israel has special importance and I devote extra energy in trying to send it on a good path, but I know that it will not be enough unless divestment is also aimed at all governments and businesses world wide and finally start producing those plowshares.
Thank you
Larry Zweig
Fürth, Germany

Namaste

I am a German born Jew who survived 12 years of the most virulent anti-Semitism during history.

It is my conviction that political Zionism can be described in one sentence which reads:

Political Zionism’s aim is to grab as much land in Palestine as is possible - semi-legally or illegally, and with force or stealthily - while at the same time they strive for a minimum number of Palestinians living or staying on this land. All this is done without any consideration for international and/or humanitarian law. There is an old Dutch saying which reads: It is the friends who show you where you fail. As so far no
diplomatic effort has ever made any change in the Israeli attitude, selective divestment is the only peaceful way to make it clear to the Israeli politicians where they fail.

Even if the Zionistic Israeli politicians might not like the actions of the Methodists, all those who know the difference between Zionism and Judaism will be aware that the plans for divestment are in line with the basic
inter-human Jewish ethics which has been largely forgotten by present-day Political Zionism.

Please vote for selective divestment from companies that benefit form the
occupation. It is the most powerful, nonviolent way we, as Americans, have to
pressure the Israeli government to end its occupation. Only through ending
the occupation will we have a chance for a lasting peace between Israelis and
Palestinians.
Margaret D. Meyer
Indianapolis, IN

I am a French citizen of Palestinian origin, born in Bethlehem. For the last 28 years I have visited my parents in Bethlehem without any problem. On July 23, 2005 I arrived at Tel-Aviv airport as usual, on my annual visit to see my family. Much to my surprise, I was told by the Israeli police that I would not be allowed entry and would be put on the next plane back to Paris ! I then spent the 24th and the 25th in prison. I was told that these measures were now being applied to ALL people who were born Palestinians and had immigrated, as well as to all people of Palestinian origin who had been born abroad. In prison, my passport was stamped Denial of Entrance. I am telling my story because we are more than half a million, citizens of Europe, USA etc who are forbidden to join, visit, see their families, friends, just because we have palestinian origins. Imagine
if Israelis are forbidden to use an airport here in the West just because they are born Israelis?

As a human being, hating all kind of injustice I will be the first to denounce this behaviour against an Israeli citizen. Any peaceful way like divesting from the occupation to end up the Israeli occupation is for the benefit of the Israeli and the Palestinian people. Despite the fact that I have been forbidden to see my mother, who is 87 years old and who is half paralyzed from four strokes, for the last 3 years, I really forgive the Israelis and even the Israeli Authorities because if they knew better they would have done better. The Budhists say those who do harm can’t do better because that is their level…
Best
Norma Marcos

Selective divestment is a way to make a statement. Do it. It will make you
feel good, although it will not affect the situation. There is one place
that divestment will make a difference, and that is to lobby the U.S.
government to make its diplomatic, financial, and military support for
Israel conditional on making progress towards ending the occupation and
peace. The photo shows me planting olive trees in an unrecognized Bedouin
village in the Negev.

Jeff Warner, Jewish American
http://www.LAJewsforPeace.org

Please invest in peace and divest from occupation. I strongly encourage you to vote for selective divestment from companies that benefit from the occupation of Palestinian lands and help give the Israeli and Palestinian people a real chance at peace. As a Jewish-American it is so important to me that people understand that disagreeing with policies of the Israeli Government and choosing to divest from businesses that profit from the occupation does not equate to anti-Semitism. In fact, it is the teachings of my Jewish heritage that have led me to feel so strongly about this issue. I have spent a lot of time in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, and the human rights violations that are occurring here on a daily basis are astounding. The Israeli Occupation of Palestine is not only an assault on the Palestinian people who lived in peace with their Jewish brothers and sisters in the region until the 1920s, but it is an assault to Jewish values and Jewish morals. Selective divestment is one of many important non-violent strategies for resisting this brutal, violent military occupation. I admire and appreciate your courage in taking a stand on this complicated issue.

With much love and thanks!
Susan Koppelman

I am an American Jew. I lived and worked in Israel in the summer of 1970 on a kibbutz. I urge you to please vote for selective divestment from companies that benefit form the occupation. It is the most powerful, nonviolent way we, as Americans, have to pressure the Israeli government to end its occupation. Only through ending the occupation will we have a chance for a lasting peace between Israelis and Palestinians.

“If we are to have peace on earth, our loyalties must become ecumenical
rather than sectional. Our loyalties must transcend our race, our tribe, our class,
and our nation, and this means we must develop a world perspective.

No individual can live alone; no nation can live alone, and as long as we
try, the more we are going to have war in this world. Now we must either learn to
live together as brothers or we are all going to perish together as fools.”
– Martin Luther King, Jr.

“Violence as a way of achieving justice is both impractical and immoral. It
is impractical because it is a descending spiral ending in destruction for all.
The old law of an eye for an eye leaves everybody blind. It is immoral
because it seeks to humiliate the opponent rather than win his understanding; it
seeks to annihilate rather than to convert. Violence is immoral because it
thrives on hatred rather than love. It destroys community and makes brotherhood
impossible. It leaves society in monologue rather than dialogue. Violence ends by
defeating itself. It creates bitterness in the survivors and brutality in the
destroyers. — Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

“The ultimate measure of a community is not where it stands in times of
comfort and convenience, but where it stands in times of challenge and
controversy.” — Martin Luther King, Jr.

Shalom,

Larry