The Nation of Israel Rights of Return to ITS ancestral land were given at Villa Devachan, San Remo, Italy, in Resolution of April 25, 1920, by the Principle Allied Powers, who formulated the Mandate for Palestine, which was and is binding on the world today and is the writ. No other document substitutes this writ.
זכות עם ישראל לשוב לארץ אבותיו התקבלה בווילה
דיבשאן שבסן רמו, איטליה, על ידי מעצמות הברית שניסחו
את עיקרון המנדט
לפאלסטין, ברזולוציה של
25 באפריל 1920, שהיתה
והינה מחייבת את העולם היום ומהווה
את החוק. אין תחליף מסמכים
אחרים לצו זה.
In
order to "give peace [between the Arabs and Israel] a chance", it is
necessary to honor the solemn pledges, made under the law of nations, to
the Jewish people and the state of Israel.
The
legal rights of the Jews to the Land of Israel and the sovereignty of
the Jewish people in their ancestors' land was restored, NOT created, in
San Remo peace conference of April, 1920. Only when there is respect for historical facts and international law can there be base to real peace between Israel and the Arabs.
Everyone
must have better understanding of the facts behind the international
legal standing and rights of the Jewish People to the Land of Israel.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oVsjNzXojCM -----------------------European Coalition for Israel Monthly Report - August 2013
Brussels - After several years of no direct talks between the Israeli Government and the Palestinian Authority, the two sides finally sat down together to resume peace talks in the first week of August in Washington D.C, hosted by the US Foreign Minister, John Kerry. Whilst ECI has consistently endorsed direct talks between the two parties rather than unilateral actions, we have also been cautious as to what measures will really lead to a sustainable peace. As the peace talks have just begun, let us make the following observations: - There is currently no united Palestinian leadership. Whereas Fatah is engaging in peace talks, the terrorist organisation Hamas, which controls Gaza, is refusing to acknowledge the state of Israel, is not involved in any peace talks and is still determined to eliminate the Jewish state. Reaching a peace agreement with only one faction of the Palestinians, namely Fatah, will therefore not lead to peace for Israel.
A culture of hatred is still deeply imbedded in the Palestinian culture through their education system, media and religious structures. Unless this seed of hatred is uprooted, there can never be any true peace and reconciliation between Jews and Arabs. On several occasions, ECI has recommended that the EU invests in peace education in the Palestinian territories, similar to what happened in the peace process in Northern Ireland in the 1990s. However there has been no reaction from the EU, which refuses to acknowledge any problem.
Any peace agreement between Israel and the Palestinians will have to guarantee the right of the Jewish people to remain in Judea and Samaria. This right is guaranteed in international law through the Mandate for Palestine of 1922 and in Article 80 of the UN Charter. A Jewish presence in Judea and Samaria is not an obstacle to peace but has created some 60,000 jobs for Palestinians.
A future peace agreement between Israelis and Arabs will have to be built on a willingness to live together in peace and reconciliation and not be completely separated. Mahmoud Abbas’s vision of a ”Judenfrei” Palestinian state is unacceptable, but needs to be strongly repudiated by the international community.
There is no better guarantee of an open and shared Jerusalem than the current arrangement - Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and under Israeli sovereignty. This arrangement gives access to the Old City of Jerusalem to all people groups and allows for worship at their respective holy places. The Palestinian claim to full control of the Old City of Jerusalem (which is included in East Jerusalem) and the evacuation of all Jews, would be a betrayal of the pledges made to the Jewish people and break every central principle of international law. The ultimate goal of the peace talks is to put an end to conflict and an end to ALL claims – not the creation of a Palestinian state. In an interview in the Daily Star of Lebanon in September 2011, the Palestinian Ambassador to Lebanon Abdullah Abdullah states: “When we have a state accepted as a member of the United Nations, this is not the end of the conflict. This is not a solution to the conflict. This is only a new framework that will change the rules of the game."
While we continue to pray for the peace of Jerusalem, we cannot close our eyes to these and many other realities which are in contrast to the desire for peace.
In 2011, we roduced the popular video ”Give Peace a Chance” which
examines the pre-conditions for peace between Israelis and Palestinians.
This is a good opportunity to pass on the video to anyone who is
interested in the subject but who fails to identify the difficult issues
which are yet to be resolved.
You can find the video HERE <http://www.ec4i.org/index.php?option=com_acymailing&ctrl=url&urlid=83&mailid=568&subid=2440> and a recent article by Tomas Sandell in the Times of Israel HERE <http://www.ec4i.org/index.php?option=com_acymailing&ctrl=url&urlid=90&mailid=568&subid=2440> on the background to the film and how it may already have influenced the peace process.
-----------http://blogs.timesofisrael.com/who-gave-peace-a-chance/
Who gave peace a chance?
| August 13, 2013
Ev’rybody’s
talking about Revolution, evolution, mastication, flagellation,
regulation, integrations, meditations, United Nations, Congratulations.
All we are saying is give peace a chance (“Give Peace a Chance”, John Lennon, 1969) - John Lennon - Give Peace A Chance - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RkZC7sqImaM
These were the words of the US Foreign Secretary John Kerry, as he addressed the US Congress about the struggling peace process in the Middle East on April 17th. A few months later, the peace talks, which had been stranded for years, were off to a new and promising start. What has happened in the meantime? Probably a number of things – but let me focus on one of them. A brand new sales pitch that says it all – ‘Give peace chance´!
The new buzzwords, introduced by Kerry, have now been adopted also by the Israeli Prime Minister, as well as by the President of Israel. No more unrealistic demands or intimidating threats, but a simple request – not to rule out anything, but to hope for the impossible, and, – to quote John Lennon, give peace a chance.
If Kerry wins the Nobel Peace Prize, the late John Lennon would obviously have to be credited for his inspiration: but what about others? When Prime Minister Netanyahu made his landmark speech in the Knesset at the beginning of June, and suddenly switched to English to ask Mahmoud Abbas to give peace a chance, the media pundits immediately began to speculate about his connection to John Lennon. Had the Prime Minister suddenly become a fan of the icon of the generation of peace, love and understanding?
The pundits did not know that it was not the Prime Minister who was the first one to connect the famous lyrics of John Lennon to the Middle East Peace Process. US Foreign Secretary, John Kerry had uttered these magic words some one and a half month before. In his famous speech in the US Congress, where he suddenly hesitated and seemed to be searching for words. (See video clip here - Kerry [threatens] on April 17th Foreign Affairs Committee - Kerry on Israeli-Palestinian peace process http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m3euuaUvzFE ) He then chuckles as he utters the famous phrase attributed to John Lennon. How did this happen? Well, let´s call it a chain reaction and – this is where my part of the prize money comes in.
In the summer of 2011, our organisation, European Coalition for Israel, had produced a 15 minute video film about the preconditions for peace in the Middle East. Together with the young and talented Dutch film producer, Leenard Fieret, we brainstormed about the name of the video. We wanted to avoid anything that would come across as pretentious or predictable, but landed on ”Give Peace a Chance”, the anthem of the anti-Vietnam war movement. This did in fact become the name of the short film which has since been viewed in national parliaments from Tokyo to Brussels and on YouTube as well as on television channels around the world. The last request we received for permission to broadcast the film came from Indonesia. The message of the short film is simple. In order to give peace a chance in the Middle East, one needs to recognize and respect previous commitments made to the Jewish people under international law, in order to find a common basis for peace and understanding.
In late March, I was contacted by a close friend, who took me aside and whispered in my ears that he now knew for a fact that the US Foreign Secretary had watched the full 15 minute video and that he apparently liked it. Some time later, on April 17th, to be exact, in one of those rare moments when searching for the right words in order to come up with something fresh and new, he utters these famous words – ’Give Peace a Chance´. It is not for me to say how the Foreign Secretary will explain his choice of words. Was he suddenly thinking back on the summer of 1970 when he, after having served in Vietnam, joined the Vietnam Veterans against the war? Or was it simply something that came up subconsciously as he had recently watched a film about the peace process with a rather unconventional title? I choose to believe in the latter.
One thing is clear. His choice of words at that very moment may have put the peace process back on track. A few months later, Netanyahu caught the new tune and only some time later Shimon Peres joined the choir.
Yes, I know my story is somewhat incomplete. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has yet to come out and join the Give Peace a Chance movement but at least he is willing to walk the walk and not only talk the talk. That is good enough for me.
I may never find out how exactly we have contributed to the Middle East peace process. Perhaps it was all a coincidence but honestly, I do not care. If John Kerry manages to bring peace to the Middle East, the Nobel Peace prize is his and his alone. And on second thoughts, he can also keep the prize money.
----
ECI(European coalition for Israel)Latest Headline
Two years after the release:
Brussels
- Over the last three years ECI has been on an amazing journey to raise
awareness of the true legal foundations of the state of Israel. Most of
this you have already been able to read about in our monthly reports,
although a lot also goes unnoticed as things happen - on and off the
record - every month.
If the unexpected happens and there is peace in the
Middle East next year, US Foreign Secretary John Kerry will be a worthy
recipient of the next Nobel Peace Prize. If that happens, I will be
happy to share some of the prize money. Let me explain.
Every peace process needs a soundbite, a selling pitch and a narrative. In the past, they have all failed. Who could seriously believe in ”land for peace”? To me, that sounds more like a death threat than a real desire to live in peace. A radical new approach is needed.
Everybody needs to not react, the normal sort of tit- for-tat, stereotypical way, Give peace a chance, by providing some opening here for the politics and the diplomacy to work.These were the words of the US Foreign Secretary John Kerry, as he addressed the US Congress about the struggling peace process in the Middle East on April 17th. A few months later, the peace talks, which had been stranded for years, were off to a new and promising start. What has happened in the meantime? Probably a number of things – but let me focus on one of them. A brand new sales pitch that says it all – ‘Give peace chance´!
The new buzzwords, introduced by Kerry, have now been adopted also by the Israeli Prime Minister, as well as by the President of Israel. No more unrealistic demands or intimidating threats, but a simple request – not to rule out anything, but to hope for the impossible, and, – to quote John Lennon, give peace a chance.
If Kerry wins the Nobel Peace Prize, the late John Lennon would obviously have to be credited for his inspiration: but what about others? When Prime Minister Netanyahu made his landmark speech in the Knesset at the beginning of June, and suddenly switched to English to ask Mahmoud Abbas to give peace a chance, the media pundits immediately began to speculate about his connection to John Lennon. Had the Prime Minister suddenly become a fan of the icon of the generation of peace, love and understanding?
The pundits did not know that it was not the Prime Minister who was the first one to connect the famous lyrics of John Lennon to the Middle East Peace Process. US Foreign Secretary, John Kerry had uttered these magic words some one and a half month before. In his famous speech in the US Congress, where he suddenly hesitated and seemed to be searching for words. (See video clip here - Kerry [threatens] on April 17th Foreign Affairs Committee - Kerry on Israeli-Palestinian peace process http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m3euuaUvzFE ) He then chuckles as he utters the famous phrase attributed to John Lennon. How did this happen? Well, let´s call it a chain reaction and – this is where my part of the prize money comes in.
In the summer of 2011, our organisation, European Coalition for Israel, had produced a 15 minute video film about the preconditions for peace in the Middle East. Together with the young and talented Dutch film producer, Leenard Fieret, we brainstormed about the name of the video. We wanted to avoid anything that would come across as pretentious or predictable, but landed on ”Give Peace a Chance”, the anthem of the anti-Vietnam war movement. This did in fact become the name of the short film which has since been viewed in national parliaments from Tokyo to Brussels and on YouTube as well as on television channels around the world. The last request we received for permission to broadcast the film came from Indonesia. The message of the short film is simple. In order to give peace a chance in the Middle East, one needs to recognize and respect previous commitments made to the Jewish people under international law, in order to find a common basis for peace and understanding.
In late March, I was contacted by a close friend, who took me aside and whispered in my ears that he now knew for a fact that the US Foreign Secretary had watched the full 15 minute video and that he apparently liked it. Some time later, on April 17th, to be exact, in one of those rare moments when searching for the right words in order to come up with something fresh and new, he utters these famous words – ’Give Peace a Chance´. It is not for me to say how the Foreign Secretary will explain his choice of words. Was he suddenly thinking back on the summer of 1970 when he, after having served in Vietnam, joined the Vietnam Veterans against the war? Or was it simply something that came up subconsciously as he had recently watched a film about the peace process with a rather unconventional title? I choose to believe in the latter.
One thing is clear. His choice of words at that very moment may have put the peace process back on track. A few months later, Netanyahu caught the new tune and only some time later Shimon Peres joined the choir.
Yes, I know my story is somewhat incomplete. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has yet to come out and join the Give Peace a Chance movement but at least he is willing to walk the walk and not only talk the talk. That is good enough for me.
I may never find out how exactly we have contributed to the Middle East peace process. Perhaps it was all a coincidence but honestly, I do not care. If John Kerry manages to bring peace to the Middle East, the Nobel Peace prize is his and his alone. And on second thoughts, he can also keep the prize money.
----
ECI(European coalition for Israel)Latest Headline
6/01/2013
Monthly Report - June 2013
Two years after the release:
”Give Peace a Chance” becomes the new buzzword
Brussels
- Over the last three years ECI has been on an amazing journey to raise
awareness of the true legal foundations of the state of Israel. Most of
this you have already been able to read about in our monthly reports,
although a lot also goes unnoticed as things happen - on and off the
record - every month.
This month we want to pause for a while to
reflect over the journey which started in San Remo on 25th April 2010
when we commemorated the 90th anniversary of the San Remo resolution
which paved the way for the creation of the Jewish state. Little did we
then know that the journey would not stop there but would literally take
us to the ends of the earth.
Over the last three years we have been able
to share this truth in parliaments, governments and international
organisations around the world. In this process we have been truly
blessed by the important contributions of people like Jacques Gauthier,
Howard Grief and Cynthia Wallace, without whom we could not have
achieved our goals.
The most powerful communication tool to
convey this message turned out to be the 15-minute video, Give Peace a
Chance, produced and directed by Leenard Fieret together with the ECI
team. (Credit also goes to Hugh Kitson who helped with the script.) The
film, which features Jacques Gauthier, Howard Grief and Dore Gold, has
been viewed all over the world, in national parliaments, in churches, on
the internet and on television but also in many confidential briefings
that we seldom hear about. In April we were informed by a close ECI
associate that the US Foreign Secretary John Kerry has also watched the
movie! Only a few weeks later we heard him unexpectedly quote the title
in a speech in the US congress.
You can watch the video here and the quote comes 1.17 minutes in to the video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m3euuaUvzFE
This week Israeli Prime Minister Bibi
Netanyahu made an exception to the rule of not speaking any other
language than Hebrew in the Knesset when he suddenly changed to English
and said, ”I will turn to him [Mahmoud Abbas] in a language we both
understand. I say: Give peace a chance!"
http://www.timesofisrael.com/netanyahu-to-abbas-in-english-give-peace-a-chance/
http://www.timesofisrael.com/netanyahu-to-abbas-in-english-give-peace-a-chance/
It is probably no coincidence that the new
buzz word in the Middle East is now ”Give Peace a Chance.” This has
consistently been our message since 2010 and we continue - with your
help - to bring this message to the leaders of this world, now with the
help of Foreign Secretary John Kerry and Prime Minister Benyamin
Netanyahu. :)
You can watch the movie and/or get a copy of the book at the website http://www.givepeaceachance.info/
But it does not stop there.
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