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Note: While the organisations listed below advocate one-state (in various forms), we do not agree with all the programmes advanced by these organisations. In particular, the 'International Coalition for a One State Solution' is based on a Christian fundamentalist reading of the Bible and is not consistent with simple democratic values. Likewise, some of the contributions to the 'HopeWays' forum are written from a right-wing Zionist point of view.
___________________________
Abna'a al-Balad - People of the
Homeland Movement
(Israel)
www.abnaa-elbalad.org
... Abna’a al-Balad is an integral part of the Palestinian National Movement
that functions on the Palestinian and national Arab fronts representing
ideologically and in practice the interests of the working classes of Arabs or
Jews, working to create a democratic society away from ethnic bigotry, racism,
and to the evolution and progression of all regardless of ethnicity, race, or
religious affiliation. Abna’a al-Balad realizes the dire consequences of the
current racist and class-oriented structure that results in poverty, misery and
unemployment for the masses of Arabs in 1948 Palestine because of their class
situation and/or their ethnicity and national cause. Abna’a al-Balad works
restlessly, in addition to increasing class-consciousness and political
realization of our masses to combat the Zionist system, to find alternative
social and economic structures and establishments that help support the dire
situation Arabs must suffer under the current Zionist structure. Abna’a al-Balad
calls for the return of all Palestinian refugees to their homes and lands, an
end to the Israeli occupation and Zionist apartheid, and the establishment a
democratic secular state in Palestine as the ultimate solution to the
Arab-Zionist conflict... Finally, in its revolutionary program Abna’a al-Balad
places itself in the human context, where it aspires for nations and people of
different backgrounds to learn to speak, work and respect one another on an
equal standing and away from the master-slave relationship that the current
status quo and the new world order wishes to enforce. [Why
Abna'a al-Balad?]
___________________________
Action Committee for One Democratic and Secular Republic
(Jerusalem)
www.onerepublic.org (unfortunately this
website has been down for some time!)
... We are a group of activists based in Jerusalem (mostly Jewish citizens of
Israel) who have opposed the Oslo Agreements from the very start of the Oslo
process since they attempt to... solidify an apartheid system of control and
domination in the Occupied Territories... and prevent the emergence of true
democracy and equality for all residents of the area. We call for an end to the
Israeli occupation and for the establishment of a democratic secular state in
all of Palestine - from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea. [Source]...The
Israeli Apartheid regime... the oppression of the Palestinian People within a
Palestinian Bantustan... Within this framework, the function of the ruler in the
Bantustan state is to serve as a sub-contractor for Israel, to oppress the
Palestinian People... The Israeli left must mobilise and struggle against
Imperialism... In face of Zionism and Imperialism – struggle for a democratic
secular republic. In face of the Separation and Apartheid – a joint struggle for
a shared state in all the area of the land. [Source]
___________________________
Al-Awda - the Palestinian Right
to Return Coalition
(USA/International)
www.al-awda.org
... This Coalition affirms that the Palestinian Arab people, regardless of their
religious affiliation, are indigenous to Palestine. Therefore, they are entitled
to live anywhere in Palestine which encompasses present-day "Israel", the West
Bank and Gaza Strip... This Coalition unequivocally supports the rights of all Palestinian refugees
to return to their original towns, villages and lands anywhere in Palestine from
which they were expelled... All Palestinians are entitled to the rights to
self-determination, to political, economic and civil equality, and to live in a
single democratic state for all its citizens in all of Palestine. The
Palestinian national identity encompasses more than 5.5 million people living in
exile, more than 2.5 million living in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, and more
than 1.2 million living within the areas of Palestine controlled by "Israel"
since 1948. [Points
of unity]
___________________________
Alternative Flags (Middle East
Project)
(North Carolina, USA)
www.alternativeflags.org (www.alternativeflags.org/mideasthome.html)
... We, the people of the ancient land of the prophets, declare our intention to
bring into being a nation that makes meaningful the name "The Holy Land." Such a
nation must be home, equally, to all the children of Moses, indeed, to all who
inhabit its embrace. This land, bounded by the Jordan river to the East, the
Mediterranean to the West, the gulf of Aqaba/Eilat to the South, and Lebanon to
the North, must comprise one inclusive nation, founded on the bedrock of the
sacred as understood in the hearts of all its people, but secular in its form,
pluralistic and democratic, so that it may become a light unto all nations. This
nation will renounce violence in all its forms, and stand as an example to all
nations of the power of righteousness, liberty and tolerance. By the will of the
people, be it so. [Manifesto]
___________________________
Alternative Palestinian Agenda
(Wisconsin, USA)
www.ap-agenda.org
... Right for all Palestinians to live in historic Palestine with freedom,
equality, and dignity... Palestinians and Israelis are integral components of
historic Palestine... Respect for individual and collective rights of
Palestinians and Israelis and other communities... Mutual accommodation of
Palestinian and Israeli concerns and aspirations... Recognition of the
shortcomings of the two-state solution and the need for new viable
alternatives... Specifically, this proposal offers an alternative territorial
configuration based on current demographics and land use, whereby a Palestinian
state would comprise areas that are currently inhabited by a majority of
Palestinians and areas that are lightly populated that can sustain a higher
population density for the accommodation of Palestinian refugees, and the
Israeli state would comprise areas that are currently inhabited by a majority of
Israelis/Jews. Both states are proposed to be in a federal union with a capital in
Jerusalem. (See the full
proposal.)
___________________________
Association for One Democratic State in Palestine/Israel
(Switzerland/International)
www.one-democratic-state.org
... The proposed solutions to the conflict in Palestine/Israel have failed
because they are predicated upon a division of land that cannot be divided
without creating further injustice. The territorial exiguity, the demographic
mixture of the populations and their interdependence precludes the establishment
of two states whose religious connotations would inevitably produce
discrimination and perpetual conflicts... the creation of one democratic state
is the only viable, long-term solution to the conflict. The establishment of a
unitary State in Palestine/Israel would proceed by merging two legal entities,
the State of Israel and the Palestinian Autonomous Authority, into one
constitutional and democratic order which would secure equal rights and duties
to all of its citizens without any discrimination based on religion, gender,
nationality, ethnicity or language. [Bylaws
of the Association]
___________________________
Brit Shalom/Tahalof Essalam -
Jewish-Palestinian Peace Alliance
(Mevasseret-Zion, Israel)
www.britshalom.org
... We envisage that it be possible to establish internal borders according to
the green line and in addition to allocate several pockets on either side to the
other entity. This flexible solution has been implemented without inordinate
problems in Switzerland. There are also villages beyond the Belgian border that
belongs to The Netherlands, passports and all, and similarly there are pockets
of German speaking, European Nations passport wielding Germans inside
Switzerland. In our case, it would be possible to link the Palestinian villages
in the Galilee with the Palestinian state and some of the settlement blocks in
the West Bank to the Israeli state... In Brit Shalom there are Palestinian
members from both Israel and the territories. This is perhaps the strongest
point of difference between Brit Shalom and similar "peace organisations" in
Israel... People often ask, when confronted with the ideas that Brit Shalom
espouses, what about army service? What about defence? How can each party be
willing to rely on the other when it comes to the crucial military and strategic
decisions?... In answering this question, it is useful to look at the ways
similar questions were posed to the Brit Shalom of 1925... Magnes described this
in his statement to the United Nations in June 1947: "We think that a
bi-national Palestine based on parity has a great mission to help revive this
Semitic world materially and spiritually. The Jews and the Arabs are the only
two people remaining from Semitic antiquity. We are related. We have lived and
worked together. We have fashioned cultural values together throughout our
history. We regard it as the mission of the bi-national Palestine to bring about
once again, within the Semitic world, this revival of the spirit which has
characterised Semitic history from antiquity." Were we to read Union of
Israel/Palestine of two independent, autonomous poltical entities, instead of
Magnes' concept of a bi-national Palestine, it would capture more or less the
outlook of Brit Shalom today. [Task]
___________________________
Citizens for Fair
Legislation (CFL)
(USA)
www.cflweb.org
...
Citizens for Fair Legislation (CFL) is a grassroots organization made up of
Americans from different ethnic and religious backgrounds dedicated to human
rights, self-determination, and justice in the Middle East, through a fair and
balanced foreign policy toward the Arab world. Our aim is to influence local,
national, and international policymakers by meeting our elected officials and
voicing our opinions. Currently, we are focusing our efforts on the plight of
Palestinians, which represents the most polarizing issue hindering the
advancement of US-ARAB relations. [FAQ]...
Unbridled Israeli settlement expansion along with and the creation of the
internationally condemned apartheid wall has effectively moved the question of a
two-state solution off of the table between Palestinians and Israelis... Ask
your representatives to stand up for the tenets of peace, justice and freedom by
supporting one state with equal rights for both Jews and Palestinians... Make
sure that the principle of one state, one-man and one-vote, is heard by your
representatives... By supporting one state for Israelis and Palestinians,
international law can be upheld by allowing Palestinian refugees to return to
their homeland. Jerusalem could then become the shared capital for both people.
[Alert: One Democratic State]
(See also Alert: Sharon
steals more land.)
___________________________
Collective for Peace in
Palestine/Israel
(Switzerland/International)
www.collective-one-state.org
...
The Collective aims to promote peace by the creation of one democratic state in
Palestine/Israel which rejects all kind of discrimination based on religion or
gender and respects the right of the Palestinian refugees to return. It is
created to prepare a conference in Lausanne from 23 to 25 June 2004 whose title
is: "One Democratic State in Palestine/Israel". We find the idea of one
Democratic State in Palestine/Israel in the PLO programs. It was also promoted
by many Jews (as Martin Buber, Judah Magnes and Meron Benvenisti), Palestinians
(as Naim Khader and Edward Said) and Arabs... The Collective gathers
Associations which share the ideal of the Collective and accept to sponsor the
conference. (See details of the
conference.)
___________________________
EarthAlliance
(San Francisco, USA)
www.earthalliance.org (this website
is down! - see mirror site -
www.libergator.org/earthalliance)
... We believe in one secular democratic state where Jews and non-Jews have
equal rights. If that was the solution to a 75 year old problem in South Africa
why wouldn't it be the solution for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict...
Palestinians would ultimately get equal rights within the framework of Israeli
citizenship. Yes the Palestinians would still to have to fight for their rights
within one state yet they would be able to do so by utilizing non-violent
means... Israel would become a legitimate democratic state where Palestinians
are treated as equals. Such measure would give a high morale for the Israeli
state and would make its citizens proud of it...
The one state solution would finally bring the
true and comprehensive peace that Israelis are desperately seeking. Such peace
would result in an incredible economic prosperity... Palestinians would
automatically gain more rights as soon as they became members of one state...
these rights include the right of free movement, the right to enter Israel
without a visa or permission, the right to use the Israeli court system and the
right to contest Israeli military decisions. These rights are crucial for
building and enforcing a non-violent resistance movement similar to the African
American civil rights movement. [Full
text]
___________________________
Green Party, USA
(Washington, USA)
www.gp.org
... We reaffirm the right of self-determination for both Palestinians and
Israelis, which precludes the self-determination of one at the expense of the
other. We recognize the historical and contemporary cultural diversity of
Israeli-Palestinian society, including the religious heritage of Jews,
Christians, Muslims and others. This is a significant part of the rich cultural
legacy of all these peoples and must be respected. To ensure this, we support
equality before international law rather than appeals to religious faith as the
fair basis on which claims to the land of Palestine-Israel are resolved... We
know that significant international opinion is committed to a "two-state"
solution. Yet, we recognize that the "two-state" solution may be increasingly
unrealistic in the face of economic and social conditions in the Occupied
Palestinian Territories. We support a U.S. foreign policy which promotes serious
reconsideration of the creation of one, secular, democratic state, for
Palestinians and Israelis, on the land between the Mediterranean Sea and the
River Jordan, as the national home of both peoples, with Jerusalem as its
capital. We encourage a new U.S. diplomatic initiative to begin the long process
of negotiation, laying the groundwork for such a single-state constitution. We
recognize that such a state might take many forms, such as might emerge from a
careful consideration of the Swiss model. The eventual model that is chosen must
be decided by the peoples themselves. We realize the enormous hostilities that
now exist between the two peoples, but history tells us that these are not
insurmountable among peace-seeking people. [Draft
platform] (Platform to be published
here soon.)
___________________________
HopeWays - Alternative National
Design Forum
(Israel)
www.hopeways.org
... HopeWays is dedicated to opening new horizons
for the people of the Holy Land. The road to real peace is neither short nor
easy. Solutions can only be found if all parties engage in a true search for
mutual acceptance in the Middle East. To date, all attempts to achieve peace
have failed. We are looking for new ways to peace! What we really need are three
essential components. Sincerity - Peace can only emerge from an honest desire to
live together. All communities must seek a practical solution, not engage in
attempts to cheat each other; Creativity - New solutions must be designed for
the Holy Land. All conventional peace plans have failed to gain the support of
all parties and only led to more anguish and bloodshed. Respect - All parties
must learn to respect and accept each other. We are all here to stay and we all
have to live together. There are many possible models for solving the
Arab-Israeli conflict, as well as serious initiatives for dialogue and
reconciliation. [Peace
visions]
___________________________
International Coalition for a One State Solution
(Israel/USA)
www.onestatesolution.org
... We support a single state solution for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
This state would be under the aegis of Israel, with a Jewish Prime Minister and
majority in Knesset guaranteed, and with full rights and protections under the
law guaranteed for all citizens, Jewish or non-Jewish. The following Biblical
Road Map to Peace is also the surest humanitarian Road Map to peace... Oversight
of the land of Israel - God's land - to all of its borders, has been promised by
God to only one people, the Jewish people, by an irrevocable but conditional
covenant detailed in the Mosaic law... Along with the continued control of the
land of Israel is the mandate that its rulers convey fair and just treatment and
protection to all people, both Jews and non-Jews, who live under their
jurisdiction... The land was to be divided into separate tribes under a central
government, each with their own identity and authority, with the non-Israelites
enjoying a well-defined, land-based inheritance within the borders of the
tribes, and being treated as the rest of the citizens... The Biblical principles
of peace, justice, respect for others, and love must be taught as governing
principles for those living in greater Israel.
___________________________
Jews Against Zionism
(London, UK)
www.jewsagainstzionism.org (this
website is not yet constructed!)
... Jews Against Zionism is an organisation of Jews and others opposed to the
Zionist movement and ideology, and to its impact on both Palestinians and Jews.
We believe that the conflict in Palestine cannot be resolved without a return of
Palestinian refugees and dismantlement of the Zionist structure of the state of
Israel; and that this is impossible in the context of two states and a
re-partition of Palestine. We advocate the only approach which can lead to peace
with justice in the region; we call fro a unitary, secular and democratic
Palestine, the return of Palestinian refugees, and full and equal rights for
Palestinians, Israeli Jews, and all other people living in the whole of
Palestine. [Source]
___________________________
Movement Against Israeli Apartheid in Palestine (MAIAP)
(Israel/Palestine)
www.maiap.org
... MAIAP takes as its point of departure the values of the Universal
Declaration of Human Rights and their articulation in international law and the
struggle of the peoples of South Africa against apartheid and their work for
democracy and reconciliation. MAIAP aims to work towards democratic solutions in
geographic Palestine (between the river Jordan and the Mediterranean sea, as
defined for the British Mandate by the Council of the League of Nations in 1922)
which ensure the implementation of equal rights for all residents and refugees
of this area. MAIAP is committed to work on the basis of democratic procedures
to promote the welfare and right for self determination of all the peoples of
the area (including refugees, internally displaced persons and residents) in
opposition to the Bantustanization of Palestine and against Israeli apartheid...
Under the prevailing conditions, alongside an apartheid Zionist State of Israel,
even an independent State of Palestine will remain part of, and will continue to
be victimized by, Israeli apartheid. [Founding
document]
Movement for One
Democratic Secular State
(USA/International)
www.onestate.org
... The Movement for One Democratic Secular State was born out of the necessity
for an open and progressive one state advocacy campaign. Through various ways
and means, an ever-increasing number of people active in the Palestine/Israel
conflict are reaching the conclusion that ethnic separatism - the two state
solution - is no longer a viable possibility. If one rules out the ethnic
separatist agenda, one is limited to two opposing visions: a racist one-state
model based on ethnic cleansing; or a non-racist one-state model based on
mutually acceptable coexistence within the same state... On the Israeli Zionist
side, the "transfer advocates" that seek a one-state solution based on the
ethnic cleansing of the Palestinians have gained both legitimacy - by
participating in Sharon's coalition government - as well as increased public
support due to the ongoing conflict. On the Palestinian side, the official
powers that be refuse to compromise on the ethnic separatist, or two state,
position and actively suppress one state advocacy despite considerable public
support for the idea. These two factors... necessitate the increased development
of the progressive one state movement if it is to have any chance to present a
realistic and viable alternative to ethnic cleansing and/or ethnic separatism. [Purpose]
___________________________
New England Committee to Defend Palestine
(Massachusetts, USA)
www.onepalestine.org
... We stand for a unified and democratic Palestine encompassing all the
historic territory of Palestine, with equal rights for all and where all
religions would be welcome. We believe that the so-called "two-state solution"
is no solution at all... Consider South Africa. More than 5 million settlers of
European origin have lived there for generations. During the struggle against
apartheid in that country, no defender of the Black population of South Africa,
no advocate for self-determination, proposed two states as a solution. No one
raised the call for a white European state with guaranteed security that would
abut a demilitarized, subordinate African state. Yet, that is precisely what the
"two-state" solution in Palestine proposes: a dependent Bantustan - the name
given to the pseudo-independent rural areas where South African Blacks were
forced to live - for Palestine alongside apartheid Israel. [Full
text]
___________________________
One-State Discussion Group
(UK/International)
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/one-state
... This is a support group for the one-state solution in Israel/Palestine... a
network to share information about new articles, initiatives and strategy -
please keep the discussion focussed. We hope to develop a movement like the
anti-Apartheid struggle or the US civil rights movement that is about
coexistence, peace, equality, civil rights and reconciliation. (If you support the one-state
solution, email a blank message to
subscribe to this
discussion group.)
___________________________
ONE-STATE.org
(London, UK)
www.one-state.org
... ONE-STATE.org is a web campaign for one-state in Israel/Palestine.
This website is a resource centre containing documents and programmes in support
of the one-state solution. We explore binational and federal systems in our search for an alternative agenda to the
two-state consensus that arose from the Oslo process. We are opposed to racism,
Apartheid and partition; we believe in coexistence, reconciliation and equality.
___________________________
Palestine Solidarity Committee
of South Africa
(South Africa)
www.psc.za.org
...
We realise that the ‘peace plan’ brokered by the US at Oslo, Camp David, and the
Wye River were recipes for continued misery and poverty for millions of
Palestinians. Rather than promise a future of peaceful co-existence they
virtually guaranteed a continuation of conflict and violence, they proposed a
Bantustan, a ‘state’ with a dependent economy, no contiguous territory and no
substantial power, where Palestinians can be exploited, controlled, restricted
and confined in reservations. A dependent Bantustan alongside an apartheid state
is a mockery of self-determination - as it existed in apartheid South Africa and
now in apartheid Israel. In Israel, no less than in South Africa, minimum
justice requires dismantling the apartheid state and replacing it with a
democratic secular Palestine, where Jews and Arabs, Christians and Muslims, live
together with equal rights and opportunities. [Declaration]
___________________________
RighteousJews.org
(New York, USA)
www.righteousjews.org
... RighteousJews.org was begun in 2003 as a way to commemorate the memory of
those Palestinians who have been, and continue to be depopulated, dispossessed,
humiliated, tortured, and murdered in the name of political Zionism and its
quest to create a Jewish state in the lands between the Mediterranean and the
Jordan River. From its founding in 1897 the Zionist endeavors to "pump in" Jews
and "pump out" Palestinians from this land have been the root cause of bloodshed
and conflict. These racist endeavors have also been deeply problematic for those
who believe in the basic tenets of Judaism of the prophets, namely justice and a
duty to heal the world... To be considered and selected, a "Righteous Jew" must
consider himself or herself to be Jewish... and have demonstrated solidarity
with Palestinians as human beings, deserving of being treated equally with all
other people in the lands between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River,
one country with equal citizenship for all. [Criteria]
___________________________
Sabeel Ecumenical Liberation
Theology Center
(Jerusalem)
www.sabeel.org
...
If pressured, Israel may even concede the Gaza Strip, where it currently has
only 6100 settlers and controls approximately 40% of the land and one third of
the water. It might withdraw totally from the Gaza Strip, which now has a
damaged aquifer and a serious lack of usable water, and allow the Palestinians
to have their sovereign state there... On the West Bank, however, the
Palestinians will only be given autonomous rule, a homeland, in the guise of a
state yet void of actual sovereignty... The genuine hope, two sovereign and
fully democratic states... envisages the total withdrawal of Israel from all the
occupied territories including East Jerusalem according to United Nations
resolutions 242 and 338. The Palestinians will establish their sovereign state
on the whole of the 23% of the land of Palestine... The Jewish settlers who
choose to remain in Palestine can become Palestinian citizens and live under
Palestinian sovereignty... As to Jerusalem, it will have to be shared. The city
must remain open to all. A peace treaty will be drawn up and the two countries
will become inter-dependent economically and will help each other develop their
resources for the well being of both their peoples... This is the formula which
the Palestinians have been hoping and working for. Indeed, it is not the ideal
solution, but it carries within it an acceptable justice which most Palestinians
are willing to live with for the sake of peace and prosperity... The vision for
the future... involves two sovereign states, Palestine and Israel, who will
enter into a confederation or even a federation, possibly with other neighboring
countries and where Jerusalem becomes the federal capital. Indeed, the ideal and
best solution has always been to envisage ultimately a bi-national state in
Palestine-Israel where people are free and equal, living under a constitutional
democracy that protects and guarantees all their rights, responsibilities, and
duties without racism or discrimination. One state for two nations and three
religions. [The Jerusalem
Sabeel Document]
___________________________