| WASHINGTON
- April 6 - The Green Party endorses a mass
rally and march in support of Palestinian refugee
rights to be held in NYC on Saturday, April 7. By
co-sponsoring this event, the Green Party reaffirms
its unwavering commitment to human rights and the
observance of international law as the basis for a
just and enduring peace between Israelis and
Palestinians.
According to Association of State Green Parties (ASGP)
Steering Committee co-chair, Tom Sevigny of CT, "Our
support for the Palestinian right to return to their
homes is consistent with the Green Party's view that
impartial respect for human rights is the foundation
of emerging democracies and peaceful international
relations. Since 1948, Palestinian refugees have been
denied their inalienable right to return to their
native land while non-native Jews continue to
immigrate to the same land under the Israeli 'Law of
Return.' This double standard constitutes an ongoing
violation of human rights as guaranteed by
international law including Article 13 of the
Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the Geneva
Conventions, and UN General Assembly Resolution 194."
While recognizing that the right to return home is
inalienable, the Greens also emphasize that feasible
solutions have been proposed that would allow
Palestinians to act on their right without appreciable
dislocation of current Jewish residents within Israel.
Mr. Sevigny said, "Honoring this human right is a
matter of political will of the international community, especially the US which provides Israel
with billions of dollars in aid annually."
The long-standing plight of Palestinian refugees
resonates with the more recent experience of refugees
and internally displaced persons whose numbers have
grown as a result of the proliferation of ethnic
conflict worldwide in places like Kosovo, Rwanda, and
East Timor. As ASGP International Committee member,
Justine McCabe, said, "The Green Party calls attention
to the fact that in the absence of uniform protections for refugee rights, including the right to return
home, the possibility for non-violent conflict
resolution and the promotion of peace greatly
diminishes."
The upcoming rally in NYC has been organized by
Al-Awda, the Palestinian Right of Return Coalition. It
is a repeat of events held in September, 2000, in
which thousands rallied in Washington, D.C., London
and Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon and the Israeli-occupied territories. In endorsing this event,
the Green Party is joined by over 100 peace and human
rights organizations such as Amnesty International,
Global Exchange, and Jews Against the Occupation.
The Green Party continues to be the only American
political party to unequivocally support Palestinian
human rights including the right to repatriation and
restitution as the unconditional premise on which
peace negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians must be based.
CONTACTS:
Justine McCabe (ASGP International Committee)
860-354-1822
Tom Sevigny (ASGP co-chair) 860-693-8344
MORE INFORMATION:
The Association of State Green Parties
http://www.greenparties.org
PO Box 18452, Washington, DC 20036
(202) 232-0335
National Commission on Federal Election Reform
http://www.reformelections.org
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