Kerry Indistinguishable From Bush On Israel And Palestine
GREEN PARTY OF THE UNITED STATES http://www.gp.org
For Immediate Release Thursday, April 22, 2004
GREENS CALL KERRY INDISTINGUISHABLE FROM BUSH ON ISRAEL AND PALESTINE
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Leaders of the Green Party of the United States strongly criticized President Bush and Democratic
presidential candidate Sen. John Kerry (D.-Mass.) for their identical positions in support of Israel's policy of
assassination, maintenance of illegal settlements on the West Bank (a reversal of earlier policy), and denial of the
right of return for Palestinians.
"The Green Party and its candidates have called for Israel to adhere to international law and U.N. directives and to
dismantle the settlements in the Palestinian territories, and for the right of Palestinian refuges to return home," said
Ben Manski, co-chair of the Green Party of the United States. An American Jew who grew up in Israel, Manski received and
rejected an IDF draft notice when he turned 18. "We support efforts toward nonviolent resolution of the crisis by
Israelis and Palestinians who are dedicated to peace and universal human rights, without which we'll never see security
for either Israelis or Palestinians. These efforts have been eclipsed by the unrelenting state violence committed by the
Israeli military on orders from the Sharon government, and by a small minority of desperate Palestinians -- and now by
explicit support from the Bush Administration, under policies apparently dictated by Sharon."
Greens called the plan backed by President Bush, Prime Minister Sharon, and Sen. Kerry (Meet the Press, Sunday, April
18) that allows Israel to keep and continue to settle on land seized in the 1967 war a disastrous setback to efforts for
peace.
"We were especially aghast that Sen. Kerry supported the assassination of Hamas leader Abdel Aziz Rantisi, which Greens
called a summary and extra-judicial execution," said Julia Willebrand, co-chair of the Green Party's International
Committee.
The rejection of the Palestinian right of return by Bush, Sharon, and now Kerry comes on the heels of a landmark 'Right
of Return and Just Peace Conference' held in Haifa, Israel at the end of March, at which over 300 Jewish and Palestinian
Israeli citizens gathered for the first time to refute the claim that unconditional support among Israelis for the right
of Palestinian refugees to return does not exist. Israeli historian Ilan Pappe, in the final declaration of the 'Haifa
Initiative', stated that, "What the hundreds of people attending the conference showed was that a growing number of Jews
and Palestinians in Israel regard the implementation of the Palestinian right of return as the only road to a lasting
peace and reconciliation."
"The Green Party continues to support the right of Palestinians to return to their homes, and regards it as at the heart
of the conflict," says Charles Shaw, media coordinator for the Illinois Green Party. "Similarly, Israel must return to
its pre-1967 borders as the opener to any peace negotiations.
These are significant differences between our position and that of the Democrats and Republicans. John Kerry's views are
becoming indistinguishable from those of George W. Bush."
MORE INFORMATION
The Green Party of the United States http://www.gp.org 1700 Connecticut Avenue NW, Suite 404 Washington, DC 20009.
202-319-7191, 866-41GREEN Fax 202-319-7193