Socialist Viewpoint

We are a group of activists based in Jerusalem (mostly Jewish citizens of Israel) who have opposed the Oslo Agreements from the very start of the Oslo process since they attempt to (1) nullify the right of return for Palestinian refugees (2) solidify an apartheid system of control and domination in the Occupied Territories (3) perpetuate US interests in the region at the expense of the people (4) prevent the emergence of true democracy and equality for all residents of the area.

We call for an end to the Israeli occupation and for the establishment of a democratic secular state in all of Palestine—from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea. We support unequivocally the right of return for all Palestinian refugees.

Since 1993, we have demonstrated in the Occupied Territories with our Palestinian colleagues against the Oslo agreements, the closure, the occupation and apartheid. For the last seven years, we also have been meeting every Tuesday night in Jerusalem, planning actions, holding political discussions and writing leaflets and statements. Originally, we focused our activities with the people in Hebron, since the city served as a microcosm for all that was wrong with Oslo. We called ourselves “The Hebron Solidarity Committee”. Some of you may have seen the booklet we published in 1996, entitled “Apartheid in Hebron.’”

After the partition of Hebron in 1996 through the Hebron agreements and the entrance of the Palestinian Authority into the city, our critical focus on the Oslo agreements prevented continued public activity in Hebron. We then decided to refocus our activities on the larger political issues—Zionism, inequality, and democracy. In 1999 we renamed ourselves “The Action Committee For a Democratic Secular Republic.”
Today, we publish a bi-lingual newspaper (Hebrew-Arabic) with articles and critiques on this issue. We remain very active, participating with other leftist groups in actions and meetings and also initiate activities in order to push the left in Israel towards a more critical political platform.

We are a small group, but with your support and our further activities, we are confident that more people will join us and that one-day true equality will reign for all the people in this area, including first and foremost, the Palestinian refugees.

Most Israelis today are engrossed in their own fears and myopia and impulsive aggression. Many Israelis do not realize that after seven years of a ruse peace process, thirty-three years of a cruel occupation and 52 years of apartheid, it is now up to them to turn to the Palestinian people and in all humbleness extend to them the historical compromise to live in full equality and democracy. We are doing our best to convey this message to the citizens of Israel. We acknowledge that we have a long way to go. However, we believe that this is the path to follow and that all the obstacles in front of us should not deter us from adhering to fundamental principles of justice and freedom.