Teachers' Statement Protesting the Israeli Invasion Via NY Transfer News * All the News That Doesn't Fit source - Bill Koehnlein Please forward or repost If you wish to sign this statement, which will be sent to teachers' organization, the US and Israeli governments, please contact: George Caffentzis at gcaffentz@aol.com. [list of signatories as of April 5, 2002 appended below] Statement of Teachers Protesting the Israeli Invasion We, as teachers, condemn the new Israeli attack on Palestinians in the West Bank and demand the end of the Israeli occupation of the West Bank and Gaza. We are inspired by the stand of José Bové and the hundreds of peace activists from Europe and the United States who have gone to Ramallah and other towns to block with their bodies the Israeli government's attempt to crush the Palestinian resistance and destroy the Palestinian National Authority headquarters. We demand an end to the Israeli occupation of the West Bank and Gaza because the campaign of terror which the population of the occupied territories is being subjected to--the break-ins in the houses of unarmed civilians, the mass arrests of Palestinian youth, the wanton destruction of property and of any symbol of Palestinian self-governance, including the summary execution of Palestinian officials, and the siege of Yasser Arafat's headquarters--are barbaric acts, condemned by international law, to which none of us can give his/her assent. We are also convinced that this occupation has nothing to do with "the right of Israel to defend itself" nor can it be legitimized as a response to the suicide-bombings which, in recent weeks, have bloodied the streets of Israel. It has long been evident that no peace can come to Palestine and Israel until the legitimate demands of the Palestinians for the "right to return" and statehood are met and the Israeli politics of installing settlements into the occupied territories comes to an end. It has also been evident that the escalation in the means used by Palestinian organizations to achieve their objectives is a consequence of the lack of any effective international response to the Palestinians' just pleas and the Israeli government's refusal to implement any of the numerous UN resolutions calling for the end of its occupation of the West Bank and Gaza. For decades, despite many "peace talks," nothing substantive has been done to address the plight of the Palestinians other than the fashioning of plans which guarantee that they will remain refugees in their own land. It seems now that even those "peace" agreements were too much for the Israeli government to concede--as demonstrated by Sharon's determination, from the time of his election, to ensure that none of the settlements should be dismantled and even more should be created on Palestinian land. This is the root of the problem today in Palestine and no amount of force will succeed in destroying the resistance it has generated. Thus, what we can expect for the future is a constant state of war--more killings, more communities destroyed, and more invasions. We cannot witness this torture of the Palestinian people in silence. As teachers we have a right and a duty to speak clearly in times of crisis. This duty today comes down to (a) opposing the Israeli Government's violent denial of the Palestinians' human, civil, and even property rights; (b) opposing all foreign aid and arms exports to Israel, and (c) making a commitment to work with all people who are interested in seeing that a just resolution is implemented--so that a future can be built in which Palestinians and Israelis can live side by side with equal rights. _____________________ Signatories of the Statement as of April 5. 2002. Institutional affiliation purely for identification purpose. If you wish to sign this statement, which will be sent to teachers' organization, the US and Israeli governments, please contact George Caffentzis at gcaffentz@aol.com. *Abraham Margaret, Hofstra University (Hempstead, N.Y.) *Adas Jane, Rutgers University *Adas, Michael, Rutgers University *Alidou Ousseina, Rutgers University (New Jersey) *Anderson S. E., Education Director- Center for Law & Social Practice, Medagr Evers College--Brookyln, N.Y. *Assar Amardeep, City University of New York *Barchiesi Franco, University of Witswaterrand (South Africa) *Benedict Darby, Columbia University, Teachers College (New York) (student) *Bernofsky Susan, Bard College (New York) *Caffentzis George, University of Southern Maine *Chaichian Mohammad, Mount Mercy College Cedar Rapids, IA *Colatrella, Steven, Montclair University (New Jersey) *Connors Joanie V., University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR *Cooper Doug, Shepherd College, Shepherdstown, WV *Curran Hugh, Lecturer, Peace Studies Program University of Maine at Orono *De Angelis Massimo, University of East London (England) *De Freitas Greg, Hofstra University (New York State) *Dibner Nina, E.B.C. Bushwick High School for Public Service *Elias Karen, Philadelphia University (Pennsylvania) *Faraclas Nick, University of Port Moresby (Papua New Guinea) *Glickman Gene, Nassau Community College (retired) *Federici Silvia, Hofstra University (Hempstead, N.Y.) *Fleming, Jim, CUNY at Hunter (New York) *Fuller Abigail A., Manchester College, North Manchester (IN) *Harman Susan Ed.D., California Coalition for Authentic Reform in Education *Herold Conrad, Hofstra University (Hempstead, NY) *Hirji Karim F., UCLA School of Medicine *Larsen-Pusey Mary Ann, Fresno Pacific University. Fresno, California *Linebaugh Peter, University of Toledo (Ohio) *Mandel Bob, (member) Oakland Education Association (OEA) Executive Board *Mazrui Alamin, Ohio State University at Columbus *Messinger Eli, (former Prof.) New York Medical College, Valhalla, New York *Meyer Matt, National Co-chair, Peace Studies Association/Consortium on Peace Research, Education and Development *Mwaria Cheryl, Hofstra University (Hempstead, N.Y.) *Newfield Marcia, BMCC/CUNY & Long Island University *Nikitah Okembe-RA Imani Rev. Dr., James Madison University *O'Neill Anne, (former California high school teacher, former AFT local representative) currently MA Candidate, Korean Studies, University of Washington *Perkins Gregory, Glendale Community College, Glendale, CA *Picher Marie-Claire, College of Mount Saint Vincent/Manhattan College, Riverdale, New York *Preston Kelly Ann, Beech Hill School, Otis, Maine *Rapp Margaret, United Federation of Teachers, New York City *Robinson Flint Janette, Black Women for Wellness Los Angeles CA *Sandoval Dolores, University of Vermont, Burlington (VT) *Sari Mary, George Washington High School Campus-New York City *Schmitt Laurie, History, high school teacher, Beirut, Lebanon *Seguin Clare, Lincoln Elementary School, Madison (Wisconsin) *Starr Meg, former director, Touro College Model Day Care Center (N.Y.) *Tewksbury Gregory, Lang College, New School University (N.Y.) *Ucelli, Juliet, teacher (New York) *Wickstrom Stefanie, Central Washington University *Wilde Dana, University of Maine *Zacharias Usha, Westfield State College *Zanini, Adelino, Director, Philosophy Seminar, Padova University (Italy) ********************************************************************* "The first duty of a revolutionary is to be educated." --José Martí ********************************************************************* The Theater of the Oppressed Laboratory http://www.toplab.org ********************************************************************* ================================================================= NY Transfer News Collective * A Service of Blythe Systems Since 1985 - Information for the Rest of Us 339 Lafayette St., New York, NY 10012 http://www.blythe.org e-mail: nyt@blythe.org ================================================================= nytact-04.09.02-11:13:59-21402