Welcome to Palestine 2012
Email your MP to support Palestinians' right to receive visitors, and our right to peacefully travel there
Israeli crimes continue unabated: regular attacks on Palestinians, settlement expansion, destruction and kidnappings by military squads enforcing the illegal occupation.
Palestinians resist. The British Government, however, joins with Israel to isolate the Palestinians while they are being dispossessed. The UK Government, for example, refused to support the recent successful Palestinian bid to join UNESCO in the teeth of bitter US and Israeli opposition. The UK Government has also signalled it will oppose the Palestinian bid for full membership of the UN.
When our governments endorse illegal Israeli occupation, concerned citizens need to take action.
The Welcome to Palestine 2012 Initiative asserts our right to travel to Palestine peacefully and openly to meet with representatives of Palestinian civil society organisations. Palestine is a giant Israeli-built prison, but even prisoners have right to receive visitors.
(More info: www.welcometopalestine.info)
Welcome to Palestine Initiative 2012
"We, the undersigned, endorse the call from the Welcome to Palestine 2012 initiative for supporters of Palestinian human and national rights around the world to openly visit Palestine during Easter 2012.
"There is no way into Palestine other than through Israeli control points. Israel has turned Palestine into a giant prison, but prisoners have a right to receive visitors.
"Welcome to Palestine 2012 will again challenge Israel's policy of isolating the West Bank while the settler paramilitaries and army commit brutal crimes against a virtually defenceless Palestinian civilian population.
"We call on governments to support the right of Palestinians to receive visitors and the right of their own citizens to visit Palestine openly.
"The participants in Welcome to Palestine 2012 ask to be allowed to pass through Tel Aviv airport without hindrance and to proceed to the West Bank to take part in a project there for children to benefit from the right to education."
SIGNED:
Sam Bahour
Tony Benn
Noam Chomsky
Jonathan Cook
Hedy Epstein
Ambassador Manuel Hassassian
Ronnie Kasrils
Nurit Peled
John Pilger
Nawal Al Sadaawi
Vauro Senesi
Desmond Tutu