British Jews call for boycotting Israelâ€™s independence celebrations

Thursday May 01, 2008 05:41

by Saed Bannoura - IMEMC News & Agencies

A group of 100 famous academics, authors, actors and public figures of the Jewish population in The United Kingdom signed a letter stating that they will be boycotting the Israeli independence celebrations marking the 60th anniversary, and stated that they “cannot celebrate the birth of a state which was founded on terrorism”, The Guardian reported.

The signatories of the statement said that Israel forced 70.000 Palestinians into a “Death March” in 1948.

The letter states that Israel forced 70.000 Palestinians in 1948 out of their home in Lydda (Lod) And Ramleh “in the heat of the summer without food or water”, and added that hundreds of them died in what became known Death March.

The Guardian said that among the signatories of the letter is Haim Bresheeth, a professor at the University of East London. Prof. Bresheeth was the organizer of the call for an academic boycott against Israel.

Also, attorney Daniel Machover, who filed a law suit against the Israeli Major General Doron Almong, is among the signatories.

The writers of the letters stated in their document that they “cannot celebrate the birthday of a state which was founded on terrorism, massacres and the disposition of other people from their land”.

They added that they also cannot celebrate the birth of this state as it is now engaging in ethnic cleansing of the Palestinian people in Gaza and continued to deny the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people.

They also said that they “will celebrate independence when Jews and Arabs can live as equals in the Middle East”.

The letter also says that Israel displaced 750.000 Palestinians when it was established in 1948 and totally wiped out 400 villages, and that “the ethnic cleansing did not stop at that point, as thousands of Palestinians were expelled from the Galilee in 1956, and many thousands were displaced when Israel occupied the West Bank and the Gaza Strip in 1967”.

It added that all Palestinian refugees have a right to return to their land or receive compensation in accordance to the United Nations resolution number 194.

“Israel has never accepted the Right of Return”, the letter adds, “We will not be celebrating”.

Prof. Bresheeth was interviewed by the Israeli Ynetnews and rejected claims that the letter is anti-Semitic.

He said that none of the figures who signed the letter approve or support terrorism or anti-Semitism, and that they do not approve harming civilian on both sides.

Prof. Bresheeth also said that the signatories want to see Israel and Palestine living side by side in peace without warplanes of Qassam shells.

He also said that Hamas movement said it is interested in talks with Israel as long it withdraws from the occupied territories, but Israel is unwilling to hold any talks with the movement.

Furthermore, Prof. Bresheeth added that “Israel is inflicting terrorism on the Palestinians since 40 years”.

"The real terror is the one Israel has inflicted on the Palestinians for 40 years now, the terrorism of a strong state against a relatively weak organization. We are pushing the Palestinians into a corner where they have no choice by the attacks. We must not do this, the fact that the government of Israel cannot ensure the safety of its residents and the safety of Sderot is solely its own fault.” The letter says as published by the Ynet.