Democratic Palestine : 39 (ص 28)
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- Democratic Palestine : 39 (ص 28)
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Return Conference in London
by Itimad Musa
What is the practical significance
of the Palestinian right to return? This
was the theme of the Return group’s
conference held in London on June
9th. The Return group is an indepen-
dent forum of anti-Zionist Jews and
non-Jews whose aim is to promote a
critical discussion of Zionism in theory
and practice. The conference, entitled
«The Palestinian Right to Return:
Dream or Practical Politics?,» brought
together a variety of discussants who
shed light on the many important
aspects of the Palestinian right to
return.
The long arm of the Zionist «sec-
urity» apparatus also made itself felt at
the conference. Chairman Don Betz
pointed out in his opening remarks
that it was necessary to have two sepa-
rate tables for the discussants to pro-
tect the Israeli citizens participating in
the panels from the Israeli «anti-ter-
ror» law which makes it illegal for
them to share a forum with a member
of the PLO. There were other more
severe restrictions from the _ Israeli
authorities affecting the conference.
Maha Nassar, director of the Palesti-
nian Women’s Committees, was not
granted a laissez-passe by the occupa-
tion authorities, preventing her from
traveling to London to participate in
the conference. Ms. Nassar’s absence
was doubly noticable as she was the
only woman scheduled to formally par-
ticipate in the conference. Michel
Warschawsky, director of _ the
Jerusalem based Alternative Informa-
tion Center, was also unable to attend
as the appeal to his conviction of pro-
viding typesetting services to an illegal
organization is still pending (see DP
no.38).
Mr. Betz, who is also chairman of
the International Coordinating Com-
mittee of the UN Non-Governmental
Editor’s Note: In the last issue of
Democratic Palestine we mistakenly
reported that Michel Warshawsky is a
political prisoner in Israel. In fact, the
appeal of his conviction is still pend-
ing. We regret this error.
28
Organizations on the Question of
Palestine (ICCP), also addressed the
issue of his participation in the confer-
ence, as there were unnamed parties
who opposed it. In this regard, Mr.
Betz stated that although the ICCP
advocates a two-state solution to the
Israeli-Palestinian conflict, its work is
guided by UN resolutions, including
the one providing for the Palestinian
right to return. In addition, he expres-
sed his belief in the importance of
forums such as the Return conference
where people with differing views on
the conflict and its resolution can
engage in dialogue.
The first speaker was the rep-
resentative from the PLO office in
London responsible for foreign rela-
tions, Bassim Al Jamal, who relayed
greetings to the conference from the
PLO. Mr. Al Jamal emphasized the
centrality of the right of the Palestinian
people to return to their homeland, for
without this right independence, free-
dom and democracy are empty words
and meaningless ideas. He also pointed
out the significance of the conference
being held «under the shadow of
Soviet Jewish immigration» to Pales-
tine, which he characterized not as
people freely choosing to live in a cer-
tain country, but rather a compulsory
migration entailing replacing the Pales-
tinian population with Soviet Jewish
immigrants. «Such a strategy is no less
than a blatant attack on our very exis-
tence as a Palestinian people, and can-
not fail to inflame tension and hatred
between the two sides,» he said. He
ended by saying that without ensuring
the Palestinian right to return there
can be no peace in Palestine, and on
this basis affirmed the need to struggle
together to achieve peace.
Introductory remarks were made
by Roland Rance, editor of Return
magazine. Mr. Rance read out the
Return group’s platform which states:
—the Palestinian people, at whose
expense the state of Israel was estab-
lished and continues to exist, have the
right to return, to self-determination
and to their independent state on
Palestinian soil;
—the Palestine Liberation Organi-
zation is the sole legitimate representa-
tive of the Palestinian people;
—the state of Israel does not rep-
resent all Jewish people, neither leg-
ally, morally, nor in any other way;
—the Zionist structure of the state
of Israel is at the heart of the racism
and oppression against the Palestinian
people, and should be dismantled.
He then explained that this was the
second conference the Return group
has organized, the first one having
been held in 1988 under the title, «The
Case against Zionism: Zionism and
Jewish Identity.» That conference
covered one part of the Return equa-
tion, dealing with Zionism as it relates
to Jews and Jewish identity. This con-
ference was meant to cover the other
part of the Return equation, dealing
with the effects of Zionism on Palesti-
nians.
Picking up on the point made by
Don Betz concerning ICCP’s support
for the conference, Mr. Rance pointed
out that although the Return group
does not necessarily favor a two-state
solution, such a solution does not
necessarily conflict with the right to
return. And it is ending the injustice
done to the Palestinians, particularly
those refugees in the diaspora and the
occupied territories, which will put an
end to the conflict. To illustrate this
point, Mr. Rance mentioned a letter
received by the Return group from a
liberal rabbi in Israel who supports a
two-state solution. His letter expressed
dismay at the Israeli left for ignoring
the issue of the right to return, which
they mistakenly view as in conflict with
their advocacy of a two-state solution.
This only serves the purpose of the
extreme right-wing in Israel by denying
a Major injustice.
In addition to the discussion
panels, a small collection of anti-
Zionist publications was exhibited at
the conference. The collection, includ-
ing articles from Israel Imperial News,
Matzpen, Khamsin.and ISRAC, was a
miniature catalogue of the history of
anti-occupation and of anti-Zionist
thought in Israel dating from 1967. As - هو جزء من
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