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Following two good articles on the Manchester Apartheid Wall Demo and JfJfP, Hymie and Ruth
wrote a brilliant letter to the Jewish Telegraph. However, the regional Jewish newspaper chose to silence JfJfP and printed a page long letter denouncing the rally "Anti-Israel demo just like Nazis" .
Joy Wolfe seems to believe that there are peace talks taking place between Israel and Palestinians. If that were so then it is all the more regrettable that the Sharon government is proceeding with the building of the so-called security wall which is making further inroads into already decimated Palestinian territory. The wall, made of concrete, is 370 miles long, 25feet high, and 12 feet wide, has wire fences, electronic sensors, and 12 feet deep ditches on either side, and has already robbed many Palestinians of their homes and land. And that is what the protest last Saturday was about. The shame is that Sharon has no intention of accepting an independent Palestine with complete sovereignty. Moreover, it is sad that so many Jews agree with him. But there are elements in Israel who have the courage to oppose his policies, soldiers refusing to serve in occupied territories, and refusing to subject innocent Palestinians to inhumane treatment at check points.
Very recently a United Nations expert on the right to food, Jean Ziegler, reported "There is a permanent grave violation of the right to food by the occupying forces. Palestinian villages are encircled by troops preventing food being delivered." He cited the destruction or confiscation of fertile Palestinian land for military zones or Jewish colonies. "We saw thousands of olive trees destroyed by bulldozers" he said. These facts cannot be dismissed as simple propaganda.
Four of our members recently visited Israel as well as the West Bank and met with peace activists, Israeli and Palestinians, and saw for themselves the horrors being inflicted, the road blocks, the bulldozed homes, the daily humiliations. They will in due course be reporting on their visit and your readers will be very welcome to come and hear them.
Whilst we deplore the suicide bombings, not only for their indiscriminate cruelty but because they are counterproductive to the peace process, we are deeply concerned about the vile treatment being meted out to the Palestinians by the IDF. Surely it is our duty to persuade our brothers and sisters in Israel, to put a stop to this persecution and to start a genuine dialogue with the Palestinians for the benefit of all parties. Dr Hyman Davies, Ms Ruth Leboff, Jews for Justice for Palestinians