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Suicide attack in Jerusalem
The suicide attack of August 19th in Jerusalem
European Jews for a Just Peace (EJJP)*
The suicide attack of August 19th in Jerusalem is a brutal, irrational, politically and morally unacceptable, though unfortunately predictable reaction to the daily violence in the occupied Palestinian territories.
Over the last months, in spite of the declared truce between the two sides, Israel has not hesitated to obstruct progress in the start of a new peace process.
No real move has been made to stop the growth of settlements in the occupied territories or to stop violence and harassments by settlers against the Palestinian population. We have witnessed the liquidation of Palestinian leaders and militants, casualties among civilians, vain promises to release prisoners, ongoing closures and curfews, incursions into Palestinian refugee camps, towns and villages, house demolitions, expropriation of land for the construction of the “Separation Wall” aimed to enclose the Palestinian population in fortified ghettos. In short, the daily cruelty of the occupation.
In spite of the uneven possibilities for the Israeli and Palestinian sides to break this vicious circle and of the desperate situation in which the Palestinians find themselves, we condemn these attacks. They do not help the Palestinian cause in any way. On the contrary, they provide the Israeli government with a justification for continuing the policy of repression, which does not lead to security but only succeeds in generating further violence. They further frustrate the attempts of many Palestinian, Israeli and International organizations to win public opinion in Israel and the International Community for the Palestinians’ justified call for a State of their own.
The brutality of this last attack reinforces the image of Israel as the only real victim of this conflict, whereas, in reality, it is the occupation that causes the conflict and the violence of which both peoples are victims.
European Jews for a Just Peace believes that the Quartet bears some responsibility for the current situation because of its failure to condemn the numerous violations of the truce and of the Road Map itself and for not having urged the Israeli government to meet its commitments.
We call on the Quartet to put every effort into preventing any violent reprisal, which would only fuel this tragic escalation.
We further call on all those who believe that a solution to this conflict and a just peace in the area can be achieved only through the creation of an independent and viable Palestinian State alongside Israel, to raise their voices asking for a stronger and more effective International intervention.
If the disruption of the negotiations is not prevented, the attack of August 19th could cause another casualty: the legitimate hope of both peoples for a better and peaceful future.
The Executive Committee of EJJP, August the 20th, 2003
* EJJP is a network of eighteen Jewish groups in nine different countries of Europe
for information: www.ejjp.org
contact: contact@ejjp.org
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