Rally in support of recognition of Palestine at UN

Gush Shalom, Peace Bloc, said in a press release that it is going to join a rally of Israelis supporting the Palestinian political initiative to get recognition at the United Nations will be held outside the Hall of Independence, 16 Rothschild Blvd, Tel Aviv – the site where the State of Israel was proclaimed in 1948. Former Israeli Foreign Ministry Director-General, Dr. Alon Liel: "Abu Mazen's initiative - a historic event that will change the rules of the game". "Abu Mazen's initiative is not a diplomatic gimmick. It is the culmination of a consistent and long-term policy by Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas, designed to realize historical justice through political means, without bloodshed. A UN recognition of Palestine as a state would enable the Fatah movement to get back to the political and diplomatic arena as a significant player. It would be so, even in light of the gains which Hamas made in the past last year via the Shalit prisoner exchange deal and the ceasefire ending Operation Cloud Pillar" says Dr. Alon Liel, former Director-General of Israel's Foreign Ministry, who is among the initiators of The November 29, 2012 Initiative. The group's organizers endorse Abbas' initiative to get Palestine recognized as a non-member state by the United Nations. They are calling for a rally of Israeli citizens in support of the Palestinian political initiative at the UN, to be held outside the Hall of Independence, 16 Rothschild Blvd, Tel Aviv – the site where the State of Israel was proclaimed. The initiative's manifesto states: "We, Israeli citizens, Jewish and Palestinian, support Abu Mazen's initiative to upgrade the status of Palestine at the United Nations, and call for the immediate establishment of a Palestinian state on the basis of the 1967 borders. On this symbolic date of November 29, it is time to realize the vision of two states. This is in the clear interest of both peoples. " "The long-lasting and bloody conflict cannot be resolved through the use of brute force, weapons and violence, but through negotiations leading to the establishment of a Palestinian state side by side with the state of Israel. Only then can we ensure a better future for our children" says Dr. Nava Sonnenschein, Director of the School of Peace, one of the organizers of tomorrow's event. Among groups taking part in the initiative are the School of Peace and the village of Neve Shalom/Wahat al-Salam, the Forum of Peace Organizations, Psychoactive, Gush Shalom, One Voice, activists of the Meretz Hadash parties, Peace Now, Machsom Watch, Combatants for Peace, Ir Amim, Friends of the Earth, and the Association of Arab Environmentalists. Speakers include: Prof. Galia Golan, Dr. Alon Liel, Uri Avnery, Dr. Ron Pundak, Mossi Raz, Nabila Espanioly and Dr. Nava Sonnenschein. Sufian Abu Zaida will deliver a message from the Palestinian Authority. Artistic performance by Mira Awad and Yonathan Shapira. Dr. Liel adds: "An Israeli government which refuses to facilitate the peaceful creation of a Palestinian state will find itself facing a political dead end, completely isolated in the Middle East. We have to choose between a diplomatic upgrade of Fatah or the upgrading of Hamas's political position. The advanced technologies of the Iron Dome counter-missiles can defend Israel against Hamas rockets, but not from the political myopia of Israel's own leaders. " Prof. Galia Golan, an expert in International Relations: "The Palestinian challenge facing Israel must be understood in its full historical context. Abu Mazen wisely chose the date of November 29, which forces Netanyahu to admit the ongoing injustice. On November 29, 1947, the UN decided to established two states, a Jewish one and an Arab one. Netanyahu demands of Abbas recognition of a Jewish state which already exists for 66 years, but refuses a reciprocal recognition of a Palestinian state. He even rejects a limited and symbolic upgrading of Palestine's status in the United Nations. Mahmoud Abbas has called the bluff of Netanyahu's Bar-Ilan Speech, where the PM claimed to support the Two State Solution. Netanyahu's true position has been laid bare."