[Peace] "US Campaign to end the Israeli occupation"

[Morton K. Brussel]

Questions were asked about the organization "US Campaign to End The  
Israeli Occupation" at our last meeting, 9/907.

Information about this organization can be found at

http://www.endtheoccupation.org/article.php?id=1193

This site  has links to other information about the organization.  
Below are frequently asked questions from this website:

Frequently Asked Questions About the US Campaign to End the Israeli  
Occupation

*Freedom from Occupation and Equality for All*

Q: What is the US Campaign's main focus?

The US Campaign focuses on US government, corporations, and other  
institutions that sustain Israel's domination of the Palestinian  
people and denial of their human rights. These human rights include  
an end to the occupation of Palestinian land in the West Bank, Gaza,  
and East Jerusalem, full equality for Palestinian citizens of Israel,  
and the right of return for Palestinian refugees.

The US Campaign believes that US citizens have a duty to hold their  
government and corporations accountable. It seeks to educate US  
citizens on the way that these institutions function to undermine the  
rights of the Palestinian people and mobilize them in support of  
human rights. Without justice grounded in human rights, peace will  
never prevail.

Q. Does the US Campaign support the Palestinian people’s right of  
return?

Yes. The US Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation works for the  
application of human rights and international law to the Palestinian- 
Israeli conflict. The right of return is part of international law:  
the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the Fourth Geneva  
Convention, the Hague Convention, the International Covenant on Civil  
and Political Rights, and several regional conventions all provide  
for the right for refugees to return and compensation.

Moreover, Palestinians are specifically guaranteed that right by UN  
Resolution 194 of December 1948, which states that “refugees wishing  
to return to their homes and live at peace with their neighbors  
should be permitted to do so at the earliest practicable date, and  
that compensation should be paid for the property of those choosing  
not to return.”

The US Campaign has, from its inception, supported the right of  
return as a human right. April 2004, US President George Bush  
exchanged letters with former Israeli Prime Minister Sharon in which  
he took a position against the right of return. Thereupon, the 2004  
Campaign Assembly, the coalition's highest decision making body,  
established the right of return as one of five priority areas for  
education and mobilization to end the occupation and realize equal  
rights for all.

Q. Some of the member groups of the US Campaign do not have a clear  
position in support of the right of return: can they still be members  
of the US Campaign?

The US Campaign policy is to make its own position clear. Any group  
that signs onto the Call to Action and its human rights and  
international law framework can join the US Campaign. If groups take  
a position that is actively against human rights, including the right  
of return, then this would become grounds to review their membership  
with the Campaign.

Q. By advocating for the end of occupation does the US Campaign  
advocate a two-state solution? Or does it endorse a one-state solution?

The US Campaign does not endorse either a one-state or a two-state  
solution, but rather upholds the Palestinian right to self- 
determination. We believe the Palestinians must be empowered to  
exercise this right, and that the international community has a  
responsibility towards the right of the Palestinian to self- 
determination. This was reaffirmed by the International Court of  
Justice in its July 2004 Advisory Opinion on the consequences of the  
Wall Israel is building illegally on Palestinian land.

Q: What does the US Campaign have to say about accusations of Israeli  
racism against Palestinian citizens of Israel?

The Israeli legal system has 20 laws on its books that discriminate  
against the Palestinian citizens of Israel, either by singling out  
the rights of Jewish citizens of Israel or by abridging the rights of  
Palestinian citizens of Israel. These discriminatory laws include:  
the Law of Return whereby any Jew anywhere in the world can emigrate  
to Israel whereas Palestinian refugees cannot do so; the Absentee  
Property Law (1950) which facilitates the confiscation of Palestinian  
land in Israel; and the Ban on Family Reunification that prohibits  
Israeli-Palestinians who marry Palestinians from the West Bank or  
Gaza Strip to bring their spouses to live within Israel.

A number of other regulations and procedures have the effect of  
stunting the development of Israeli Palestinian towns and villages  
compared to Israeli Jewish ones in terms of infrastructure,  
education, health, and other facilities. Thus, Israel’s legal system  
practices institutional discrimination that structurally makes its  
Palestinian citizens second-class citizens.

These discriminatory laws violate several international laws  
including provisions in the International Covenant on Civil and  
Political Rights. The US Campaign works for US policies that comport  
with international law so that all citizens of Israel, whether Jewish  
or Palestinian, or belonging to other ethnic or religious groups,  
enjoy full equality and human rights.

Q. Why did the US Campaign join the leadership of United for Peace  
and Justice when UFPJ does not have a clear position on Palestinian  
self determination?

United for Peace and Justice was established to mobilize US citizens  
against the US invasion and occupation of Iraq, which remains its  
main focus. Due to the engagement of the US Campaign, UFPJ has taken  
a clear stance on ending the Israeli occupation of Palestinian  
territories and supports an end to aid to Israel. Membership of UFPJ  
enables the US Campaign to educate UPFJ member groups about  
Palestinian human rights so that they may adopt a more comprehensive  
position in support of Palestinian human rights, including self- 
determination and the right of return, and not just an end to the  
occupation.

Q. What value-added does the US Campaign bring when so many groups  
are already active on the issue?

The US Campaign is an umbrella coalition that provides local groups  
with a national voice. For example, when there is anti-Palestinian  
legislation on the Hill, the US Campaign provides its members with  
talking points and ways to reach out to their elected representatives  
and educate them on the issues. US Campaign petitions and action  
alerts mobilize in excess of 250 organizations, maximizing the impact  
of individual groups. This is possible due to its coordinating role  
and the investment it has made in the infrastructure and resources  
necessary for outreach on behalf of its members.

Members bring creative ideas from local or state levels to the US  
Campaign for a national platform. For example, the campaign against  
Caterpillar corporation was the initiative of Campaign member groups  
in California, Washington DC, Boston, and Chicago, among others,  
before being adopted as a Campaign priority project at the 2005  
Campaign Assembly.

Q. Does the US Campaign endorse selective or comprehensive divestment  
initiatives?

The US Campaign endorses divestment and believes its member groups  
should adopt the form of divestment that is best suited for their  
community. We encourage members to adopt comprehensive divestment but  
acknowledge that those aren’t always possible among certain  
constituencies.

Q. Who really leads the US Campaign and makes its policy decisions?

Policy decisions are made by the Campaign Assembly which, at the  
Annual Conference, sets overall political direction and priorities  
for the coming year. In between annual meetings, decisions are made  
by the elected Steering Committee. The Campaign Assembly is composed  
of delegates from local, state or regional, or national organizations  
that sign on to the Campaign Call to Action. The Steering Committee  
has 12 members. Each year, four members are elected to three-year  
terms by the Campaign Assembly at the annual Conference, thus  
providing continuity as well as an influx of new energy and ideas.

Q: Do you have to be part of a member group to serve on the Steering  
Committee?

No. According to the Campaign’s Organization Rules, individuals and  
representatives of member groups can stand for election to and serve  
on the Steering Committee.

Q: Can any organization join the US Campaign or is there a review  
process?

A membership committee reviews applications to ensure that member  
groups uphold the principles and purpose for which the US Campaign  
was established, as set out in its Call to Action. Organizations must  
sign on to the Call to Action and contribute to the Campaign’s work  
on a sliding scale (between $100 and $1,000 or more depending on the  
organization’s size). 
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