Betrayal of Human Rights as a form of suicide of the State of Israel

10.08.2005

Open Appeal to:

Ariel Sharon, Prime-Minister of Israel,

Members of The Government of Israel,

Members of Knesset

As a participant of human rights movement during the last 35 years, for the right of exodus for So-viet Jews in particular, I ask you now: PLEASE STOP!

- Planned for the 15-th of August forcible transfer of Jewish settlers from Palestinian territories is nothing but ethnic cleansing forbidden by top human rights principles.

- Planned withdrawal of Israel troops from Palestinian territories is nothing but betrayal of the very idea of observation of human rights for Palestinians — the repetition of tragic mistake of Oslo Agreement when the fate of 2 million people living on the West Bank and in Gaza was given into the hands of terrorist rulers, many of the best Palestinians were accused that time of sympathy to Israel and killed by these rulers immediately after Oslo Agreement was realized.

Legendary Russian Poet and the author of the famous “Babyi Yar” Evgeny Evtushenko said re-cently that the picture of Palestinian children dancing when the Trade Center towers were falling down is perhaps the most frightening scene he had seen in all his life. These dancing children are evidently victims of some adults’ politics, victims of Oslo Agreement, victims of Western and Israel leaders who refused them in protection from being hatred-incited by Gebbels-like propaganda.

It is Reality of History that there are Jews and Palestinian Arabs living now to the West of the River Jordan. Hence there must be two States, with fixed agreed border and with agreed tools of security. Legal separation of two peoples, creation of the friendly, prosperous, democratic, safe and socially favorable Palestinian State is a Historical Task for Israel, perhaps the only way for Israel to survive in the long run. This goal can hardly be reached by the unrealistic approach of physical separation of people, “disentanglement”, the building of the walls and closing eyes to the violations of human rights “on the other side” – all this proves to be a form of suicide of the State of Israel.

Legal separation must be in no way accompanied by the forcible transfer of individuals. Those Pal-estinians, now – citizens of the State of Israel, who will decide to take part in the building of the Palestinian State and to acquire its citizenship, should be protected by the Law of Israel from any forcible transfer from their present place of residence. And the inhabitants of the Jewish settlements located on the territory of the future Palestinian State must also be protected from transfer. They all are real Pigeons of Peace – the Peace which both peoples vitally need.

And no Peace can be reached when Human Rights are ignored and betrayed.

Boris Altshuler

Head of the “Movement without Frontiers” and “Right of the Child” NGOs,

Russian Research Center for Human Rights

Moscow

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