Responsibilities for 2004-2005
Chair: Richard Kuper
Secretary: Irene Bruegel
Treasurer; Naomi Wayne
Web: Mike Cushman
Minutes: Mike Newman
Recruitment: Debbie Fink
Letter Writing: Debbie Fink (resigned during the course of the year)
Jewish community: Miriam David/ Sylvia Cohen
Israeli Peace Groups: Colin Purkey
Palestinian Groups: Judy Price/Stephen Marks/Pam Kleinot
Lobbying: Arthur Goodman, Vivien Lichtenstein
Circulation by post: Ines Newman
Student groups: Ben Soffa and Bernard Gowers
Database: Vivien Lichtenstein with Devra Wiseman
Press Liaison: Dan Judelson
Design work: Lee Robinson, Ad-Lib Design
We set ourselves the target of achieving 1,000 signatories by the New Year and met it early in December after a vigorous recruitment campaign. By April 1st 2005 the number reached 1077. We have witnessed a considerable slowing of recruitment in recent months, stemming we believe from a perception of positive changes in the situation in the Middle East. While violence on both sides has abated over the last few months and the perception of opportunities for peace in the Middle East grown, the need for Jews to stand up for justice for Palestinians remains as important as ever. In a context in which Sharon is being vigorously opposed from the right, sections of the Israeli Peace movement have rallied behind him. Too often the expansion of the main West Bank settlements and the completion of the separation wall, together with the separation of Palestinians from East Jerusalem have been displaced from the international agenda, just as the agenda has loosened up in the wake of the Palestinian elections.
If possibilities do indeed open up, it will be important to hold fast to our central aim – to see the withdrawal of IDF and the settlements from Palestinian territories – and to get the British Government and the European Community to commit themselves fully to achieving that aim in a reasonable timeframe. Beyond that – whatever individual views signatories may have – as a group we believe that the future is for Palestinians and Israelis to negotiate fairly and freely, between equal partners.
In the course of the year we clarified our aims and objectives in a new brochure which also incorporated those of European Jews for a Just Peace. We have responded to the changing political situation in the Middle East by holding a regular series of discussions at our monthly meetings as well as engaging with debates in public and in the media. We will continue to operate as a network, accommodating diverse views while acting effectively to oppose the occupation. We have over the last year developed our links with organizations in Britain, USA, and Israel-Palestine and also begun to see the development of associated groups working both at the local and the professional level. These include the British Shalom Salaam Trust, Faculty for Israel-Palestinian Peace – International Network), and Writers against the Occupation.
We have increasingly been asked for support by organizations and groups facing censorship of one form or other as a result of actual or perceived threats from Jewish groups. These include college students wanting to show films, medical journals carrying charitable advertisements, theatres considering putting on shows. Each case is considered on its merits because there have been examples where we have concluded that the charge of antisemitism has validity. In general we have argued for the widest possible freedom of speech and expression and urged non-Jewish groups not to be cowed.
After the last AGM, Deborah Fink took on the role of recruitment officer and has written to over 150 Jews in various walks of life, concentrating on those in the arts. Since June 2004, largely as a result of Debbie’s efforts, we have been joined by Sir Anthony Caro, Rabbi David Freedman, Bella Freud, Stephen Fry, Henry Goodman, Joan Horrocks, Nicolas Kent, Mike Leigh, Matthew Lewin, Alberto Portugheis, Norman Rosenthal, Adrian Rifkin, Andrew Sachs, Rabbi Elizabeth Tikvah Sarah, David Schneider, Sir Tom Stoppard, and Zoë Wanamaker, among others.
In total we now have 6 rabbis, 2 MPs, 92 professors (including 3 Fellows of the Royal Society); 85 medical and academic doctors, 1 QC; 2 holders each of the CBE and MBE; 3 OBEs and 4 knights. One MP resigned, apparently after some pressure from the British Board of Deputies, and two or three other signatories resigned for different reasons. We are sad to record the deaths of Bernice Rubens, Councillor Mike Woodin, Dr Geoffrey Asherson, Emanuel Brown and Professor Vera Gottlieb in the last year.
Our database and financial records have been put in much better order over the last year by Vivien Lichtenstein and Naomi Wayne.
Over the last year we have developed our networking structure, fostering the establishment of associated, but independent groups like the Jewish Writers Against the Occupation ( Contact Annie Jungman); Therapists (contact Pam Kleinot); Academics ( contact Lynne Segal) and some further local group activities. These have included meetings in Manchester/ Oxford Brighton Hertsmere and Edinburgh. Judy Price has produced a list of videos for use by local groups.
We agreed to adopt a ‘buddy’ approach to new signatories, offering the opportunity to meet other local people on a one to one basis. Vivien Lichtenstein is seeking volunteers to help implement this decision.
We have continued to hold monthly business meetings in London open to all. Policy decisions are made at these meetings and the minutes circulated monthly to all signatories. Decisions about what is circulated and/or put on the website are made by the chair/ secretary or the web-authors Mike Cushman/ Richard Kuper and Stephen Marks. Where contentious issues arise between meetings office holders have been consulted by email or phone.
There have been suggestions that a formal executive committee is established which would probably meet monthly in London between less frequent open meetings.
At the last AGM it was suggested that we organise the publication of a statement challenging the refusal of the British Board of Deputies to represent the whole community in its absolutely uncritical support of the Israeli government, at least in public. Vivien Lichtenstein did this successfully and this was followed up by two meetings with representatives of the International Committee of the Board. These were much delayed and nothing very much positive emerged from them. The Committee had said that it would be willing to meet with Israelis who sought the right to refuse to serve in the occupied territories, but when two of the goaled Israeli Refuseniks sought to meet them in October 2004, they refused, despite ample notice. We will continue to raise issues relating to harassment of Jews who oppose Israeli policies with the Board, but will not take any immediate steps to seek representation on the Board.
Following the European Social Forum and the criticisms made of Ken Livingstone we agreed to discuss with the Mayor’s office how they might work to improve relations on the ground between Muslims and Jews in London, especially over the conflict in the Middle East. It is not our place either to condemn or endorse Ken Livingstone’s personal actions and we have avoided any statements relating to the various clashes that have occurred over the last year
Following the successful day of action on the Wall in November 2003 we have continued to join with these organizations and others like the Amos Trust and the Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions (ICAHD) on specific events. These included the May 15th 'Wall must Fall' rally in Trafalgar Square, a send-off for the Peace Cycle to Palestine in August 2004, a welcome for the Palestinian delegation to the London Meeting in January and the European Social Forum. We also supported the Caterpillar/ Caterkiller International Day of Action April 13th/ April 16th 2005 and participated in its actions.
We joined with Just Peace UK for a vigil on Israel's 56th Independence Day in April 2004 and also supported their day of discussion around the films Jenin, Jenin and Arna’s Children in June 2004. In the event the agenda for the day expanded to raise the issue of the Palestinian Right of Return without providing the forum for debate that we would have wanted. As a result we held an internal discussion meeting with Karma Nabulsi from Nuffield College specifically to air the issue in a non-confrontational space.
We also jointly organised a tour for the recently released young Israeli draft resisters to Britain - Adam Maor and Matan Kaminer - in October 2004, together with a benefit for Gaza. There were some problems of co-ordination and communication between the two groups which we resolved over time.
We jointly organised a Third Peace Seder with Just Peace UK in April 2005.
We continue to work with JAIPP in lobbying politicians and representatives of Governments and International organizations (see below) and were involved in the highly successful meeting with Esther Rantzen and a joint delegation of Israeli and Palestinian women peace activists held at the Alyth Gardens Synagogue in October 2004. We also worked together with JAIPP on visit by the Israeli-Palestinian Windows project to Britain in April 2004.
A number of our signatories are members of BFPN/PN-UK. We have participated in a number of their discussion events, but have not undertaken any joint activities, and are not encouraged by them to do so.
This year Deborah Maccoby and Deborah Fink gave a talk, in their personal capacities, about their experiences olive picking with 'Olive Cooperative' on the West Bank. There was a good-sized audience and the talks went well, but the questions were mainly asked by people who seemed to have come prepared to be hostile.
This year JfJfP signatories were well represented on the platforms, with Michael Rosen, Michelle Hanson, Gillian Slovo and Jacqueline Rose speaking. The reception for Jacqueline Rose’s presentation of her book on Zionism was particularly depressing, suggesting, again, an extraordinary level of prejudice and unwillingness to listen among some sections of the community. (On the other hand Jacqueline’s contribution to the Intelligence Squared debate on Zionism in London in January was very well received, by a more mixed audience.)
The members of the Trust are currently all JfJfp signatories, but it is a separate organization with a number of patrons who are not signatories. We work closely together in support of Israeli and Palestinian organizations in the broad peace movement, and regularly transfer funds to the BSST towards its charitable work. A separate BSST annual report is available. JfJfP continues to contribute some funding towards the political work of organizations - such as Gush Shalom, Refusenik groups, Zochrot, Bat Shalom - that cannot be classed as charitable.
Over the last year the Israel Committee Against House Demolitions has set up an ICAHD-UK organization and a British arm of Windows has been established. The Jewish Forum for Justice and Human Rights, the Olive Co-operative, which organises tours to Israel, and Zaytoun which imports Palestinian Olive Oil, have become fully functional. JfJfP has co-operated with all these groups, particularly with Zaytoun, distributing over £1,000 of Palestinian olive oil to Jewish groups on their behalf over the year.
The network of organizations in Britain supporting the Palestinian people in different ways has become ever denser. Co-operation with these organizations has generally been good, but we need to be working to a more effective structure for organising joint events and speaking tours in Britain.
JfJfP has established links with a number of Jewish organizations outside the UK; in Europe, America and in some Commonwealth countries. We have had contact with ‘dissident’ Jews from Argentina and Mexico as well as with established organizations. Richard Kuper participated in a United Nations Forum of Civil Society in Support of Middle East Peace held in Cape Town at the end of June 2004, on behalf of EJJP. His contribution was in the session “Joining forces – African civil society and worldwide initiatives to support a peaceful solution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict”.
Though Richard Kuper stood down as Chair of EJJP, Dan Judelson continues to be active in the steering group. EJJP brings together16 groups in 10 countries in Europe. The UK affiliates are Just Peace UK, JAIPP, the Jewish Socialists’ Group and JfJfP.
A major event for both the EJJP and JfJfP this year was the European Social Forum held in London in October. There were 10-15 events on Palestine; as well as the seminar EJJP itself organised on the theme of Jews and Arabs, Israelis and Palestinians; fighting racism, fighting the occupation, we were able to get platforms for refuseniks and other Israeli acivists at the main plenary and in 4 or 5 other workshops, including that on student solidarity. Though some people encountered some degree of antisemitism, in the main we were able to show to hundreds of people from across Europe and to the great surprise of some, that there was Israeli and Jewish active opposition to the policies of Sharon.
The next EJJP conference is scheduled for London in September 2005 and JfJfP will largely be responsible for organising it.
In July 2004 the US/Palestinian/Israeli- based academic organization established itself as an international organization, with delegates from Europe, including individual members of JfJfP, and with Lynne Segal on the Executive Committee. FFIPP-International continues to develop dialogue between Israeli and Palestinian intellectuals but takes no formal position on any academic boycott. In April 2005, following the publication of a letter in the Guardian with 94 signatories in the context of the AUT debate on academic boycott, moves were started to establish a FFIPP-UK, probably in the form of an academic network associated broadly with JfJfP.
Links with Israeli/Palestinian Groups
We have been involved in visits/tours to the UK by Windows (April 2004), the Shministim Refuseniks released from goal in September 2004 ( October 2004), Hope Flowers School (December 2004), Bat Shalom/the Jerusalem Women’s Centre et al (October 2004) as well as visiting organizations in Israel and Palestine: Tent of Nations (Bethlehem Jan 2005); AIC (Jerusalem Jan 2005); and Gush Shalom and distributing material from Zochrot (Remembrance) and Gush Shalom, among others, in our mailings. As a result of these links we have made direct protests to Israeli authorities over demolitions, planning refusals, planning proposals, arbitrary detentions, as well as participating in campaigns against the wall and for the release of political prisoners.
We have instituted a series of internal discussion on political goals and strategies over the last year. These are designed to air different views rather than come to any agreed conclusions. They have included presentations by Karma Nabuli on the Palestinian Right of Return; Avishai Ehrlich from Tel Aviv University on the implication of the assassination of Sheik Yassin and Rantisi; Michael Ellman on the Israeli Supreme Court; Stephen Marks on terrorism; Calanit Saenger on ‘Jewish Voice for Peace’, Irene Bruegel on sanctions; Richard Kuper on post-election/ post disengagement prospects.
JfJfP signatories have also continued to participate in debates and discussions organised by other groups, including debates on sanctions; on antisemitism and other issues. Stephen marks spoke at the Caterpillar rally in April in Birmingham and Mick Cushman at the Hyde Park rally on 14th August to send off the 2004 London-Jerusalem Peace Cycle
Activities since last September included speaking at a Student Palestine Solidarity Campaign conference with over 120 students from 30 Universities in attendance, at the main Palestine-related student workshop at the European Social Forum (where two of the young Refuseniks also spoke), and at several universities including Sheffield, Lancaster and Liverpool, with invitations to several more.
Our numbers have been growing, in part through campus-based activity, and partly through people seeing us at national events or reading the website. An official students union society has been established at Manchester University.
We had a stall at the annual conference of the National Union of Students in April and spoke at a fringe meeting.
Over the last year the Joint Lobbying Group of JfJfP and JAIPP, which included Martha Jean Baker, Sylvia Cohen, Dennis Glaser, Arthur Goodman, Dan Judelson and Vivien Lichtenstein met with:
a) the Prime Minister’s Special Envoy for Middle East; the Minister of State for the Middle East, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office Head of Peace Process Section and the Human Rights section; DfID Palestine Programme;
b) the following politicians/ political groups:
Labour Friends of Israel;
Lib Dem, Shadow Foreign Minister and International Development Spokesman and Foreign Affairs Spokesman;
Conservative Party, Int’l Affairs Spokesman;
the First Secretary and Middle East Media Coordinator, US Embassy; and members of the Jewish Labour Group in their personal capacity
At a second meetingwiththe First Secretary of the Embassy we noticed some improvement in US policy. Firstly, the Bush Administration is no longer insisting on the destruction of the militant Palestinian groups, just their co-option into the political system. Secondly, it is saying the April 2004 exchange of letters did not isolate the five big settlement blocs from negotiations. If true, these changes are significant. Bush and Rice have both made statements to this effect in recent months. The FCO has always viewed things in this way.
The lobby Group has established a plan for a new post-election lobbying round in 2005-2006.
The key points made in Lobbying were:
1. Settlement expansion
Israel should not be allowed to expand settlements in the five settlement “blocs” which Bush has said Israel can annexe. The Roadmap does not allow any new settlement building. As a fall-back, there should be no new housing units beyond the current built-up areas of these settlements. The “municipal boundaries” of settlements were set by Israel well beyond the actual built-up areas. The concept of “Settlement Blocs” has enlarged the municipal areas even more. Building up to the boundaries, or even nearer to them, to allow for so-called “natural growth” is a cover for expansion. The projected Ma’ale Adummim bloc would destroy the possibility of a contiguous Palestinian West Bank and severing East Jerusalem from the West Bank.
2. Disengagement Plan
The handover in Gaza and the odd Northern West Bank Setlements must be seen as the beginning of Israeli withdrawal from all the Occupied Territories, give or take equitable land swaps, in order to maintain the International Community’s consensus of a 78%–22 % division of Mandatory Palestine.
3. The London ‘Meeting’ in March
The Conference should be used only as it has been billed, i.e. to discuss ways of helping the PA to govern Gaza and the West Bank effectively
4. Co-opting the militant Palestinian groups
Abu Mazen should be supported in co-opting the militant Palestinian groups which engage in terror attacks (Hamas, Islamic Jihad, Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade, etc.) into mainstream Palestinian politics. He should not be pressed into trying to destroy them as the phase 1 of the Roadmap unrealistically demands. Israel should be pressed to accept this and to reciprocate the Palestinian groups’ ceasefire, and to recommence negotiations on this basis.
5. European Union Association Agreement
The Agreement allows Israel to export certain goods free of tariff into the EU. The Agreement contains a clause requiring benefiting countries to meet certain human rights standards. Israel does not meet them in the Occupied Territories. The EU should suspend Israel’s membership of the agreement if it does not comply with the requirements.
6. Third party force
There should be a third party force in Gaza and the Northern West Bank to monitor both sides’ security performance, and particularly to investigate problems. The purpose of such a force is to prevent escalation of small problems or breaches, and to prevent either Israel or the militant Palestinian groups from using problems to thwart negotiations.
7. Stopping construction of the Wall
Israel should cease building the wall/fence and dismantle those sections which are on Palestinian territory. As a start, we should argue for dismantling the sections which extend eastwards beyond the built-up area of the settlements which Bush has agreed can become part of Israel.
8. Palestinian economic development
Israel must be prevailed upon to permit the PA to have airport and port facilities, under its own control in Gaza and a secure passage to the West Bank. European countries, the U.S. and Arab countries should invest in Palestinian economic development
9. The Issue of Sanctions
We could argue for the application of various sanctions, such as an arms embargo on Israel, disinvestment in Israeli companies, disinvestment in foreign companies which invest in Israel, trade embargo on Israeli goods, trade embargo on products from settlements, boycott of Israeli goods or settlement goods. Each would have different objectives and present different difficulties. None, however, is currently JFJFP policy.