Our
Australian Greens should take a leaf out of the United States' Green
Party's book. Here is the latter's statement on US foreign policy,
Palestine-Israel & BDS. (Their leader and presidential candidate
is Dr Jill Stein):
"The
Jill Stein campaign calls for ending support for governments
committing war crimes and massive human rights violations, including
Israel and Saudi Arabia. It supports the BDS movement as a peaceful,
nonviolent set of actions organized by civil society across the world
aimed to end Israel apartheid, occupation, war crimes, and systematic
human rights abuses.
"US
foreign policy requires an emergency overhaul, from a program of
total global military and economic domination, to a policy of
promoting international law, human rights and diplomacy. We must
cease and desist from being, in the words of Martin Luther King, the
greatest purveyor of violence the world over. Our foreign policy
currently serves war profiteers and fossil fuel companies, but not
the American people or the cause of global justice, peace and
security. Our failed wars of the past 14 years have cost us 5
trillion dollars, left over a million people dead in Iraq alone, and
killed or maimed tens of thousands of US service men and women. Yet
we - and the Middle East - are far less secure, not more secure.
"In
addition to ending our catastrophic and immoral wars for oil and
markets, we must stop aiding and abetting the human rights violations
and war crimes of our allies who are massively defying international
law. This includes the Israeli government and the rulers of Saudi
Arabia. With regard to Israel, the United States has encouraged the
worst tendencies of the Israeli government as it pursues policies of
occupation, apartheid, assassination, illegal settlements,
demolitions, blockades, building of nuclear bombs, indefinite
detention, collective punishment, and defiance of international law.
Instead of allying with the courageous proponents of peace and human
rights within Palestine and Israel, our government has rewarded
consistent abusers of human rights.
"Therefore,
the Stein campaign calls for ending military and economic support for
the Israeli government while it is committing war crimes and defying
international law. In addition, the Stein campaign supports actions
of nonviolent resistance to the policies of the occupation and of the
Israeli apartheid regime, including those of the global boycott,
divestment and sanctions (BDS) campaign, which was endorsed by the
Green Party of the United States in 2005 and is supported by
thousands of civil society peace activists and organizations.
"Consistency
in US policy regarding human rights and international law will begin,
but not end, with Palestine and Israel. I will apply this same
approach to other nations such as Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Egypt,
among others.
"Finally,
we call for the establishment of a Palestine and Israel Truth &
Reconciliation Commission as the vehicle for shifting from an era of
US support of human rights and international law violations to one
based on justice and truth bringing all parties together as equals to
seek workable solutions. A dedicated commitment to justice will
further the security of all parties, Palestinians, Israelis, and all
people in the region, much better than the current policies of
politically, economically and militarily supporting the systemic and
institutionalized abuse of one side against the other."
Posted
by MERC at 7:57 AM 5 comments:
Labels:
BDS, The Greens
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