Jews for Justice for Palestinians
Encyclopedia
Jews for Justice for Palestinians (JfJfP) is a pressure group based in the United Kingdom
that advocates human
and civil rights
, and economic
and political freedom, for the Palestinian people
. It opposes the current policy of Israel
towards the Palestinian territories
, particularly the occupied territories
of the West Bank
and Gaza Strip
, and seeks a change in their political status
. The membership of JfJfP is primarily made up of British Jews
.
and secular Jews, Zionist
and not, who oppose Israel
i policies that could be seen as threatening Palestinian rights.
It extends support, both moral and material, to Palestinians trapped in the spiral of violence and repression It also supports a wide range of Israeli peace and human-rights groups working towards these same ends.
Its stated reasons for supporting Palestinian rights include not only the absolute moral imperatives of promoting human rights, but are also based on the view that this is the best means of securing peace for Israelis. It supports the right of Israelis to live in freedom and security within Israel's 1967 borders.
It organises to give voice to the many strands of Israeli peace activism and to ensure that Jewish opinions critical of Israeli policy are heard in Britain. It believes that such opposition is important in countering anti-semitism and the claim that opposition to Israel’s policies is itself anti-semitic.
It cooperates with other organisations on specific issues without necessarily endorsing everything they do. Together with others it calls on the British and European Union
governments to suspend the preferential treatment accorded to Israel in trade agreements, to recognise the elected Palestinian Authority and to support it financially, to cease to trade arms with Israel, to push for the enforcement of international law
in the region and to strive for fair and free negotiations between the parties.
It supports the British Shalom-Salaam Trust which funds a variety of humanitarian and educational projects in Israel and Palestine.
It is a founder member of European Jews for a Just Peace
, a federation of Jewish groups in ten Europe
an countries; and of the Enough! Coalition in the UK in 2007.
A letter to the UK Foreign Secretary David Miliband
of September 2007, urging the UK to speak at the United Nations
against Israel
i sanctions in Gaza
, printed in The Times
, was signed among many others by:
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
that advocates human
Human rights
Human rights are "commonly understood as inalienable fundamental rights to which a person is inherently entitled simply because she or he is a human being." Human rights are thus conceived as universal and egalitarian . These rights may exist as natural rights or as legal rights, in both national...
and civil rights
Civil rights
Civil and political rights are a class of rights that protect individuals' freedom from unwarranted infringement by governments and private organizations, and ensure one's ability to participate in the civil and political life of the state without discrimination or repression.Civil rights include...
, and economic
Economic freedom
Economic freedom is a term used in economic and policy debates. As with freedom generally, there are various definitions, but no universally accepted concept of economic freedom...
and political freedom, for the Palestinian people
Palestinian people
The Palestinian people, also referred to as Palestinians or Palestinian Arabs , are an Arabic-speaking people with origins in Palestine. Despite various wars and exoduses, roughly one third of the world's Palestinian population continues to reside in the area encompassing the West Bank, the Gaza...
. It opposes the current policy of Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
towards the Palestinian territories
Palestinian territories
The Palestinian territories comprise the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. Since the Palestinian Declaration of Independence in 1988, the region is today recognized by three-quarters of the world's countries as the State of Palestine or simply Palestine, although this status is not recognized by the...
, particularly the occupied territories
Israeli-occupied territories
The Israeli-occupied territories are the territories which have been designated as occupied territory by the United Nations and other international organizations, governments and others to refer to the territory seized by Israel during the Six-Day War of 1967 from Egypt, Jordan, and Syria...
of the West Bank
West Bank
The West Bank ) of the Jordan River is the landlocked geographical eastern part of the Palestinian territories located in Western Asia. To the west, north, and south, the West Bank shares borders with the state of Israel. To the east, across the Jordan River, lies the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan...
and Gaza Strip
Gaza Strip
thumb|Gaza city skylineThe Gaza Strip lies on the Eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea. The Strip borders Egypt on the southwest and Israel on the south, east and north. It is about long, and between 6 and 12 kilometres wide, with a total area of...
, and seeks a change in their political status
Political status of the West Bank and Gaza Strip
The political status of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip is one of the most violently disputed issues in the Arab-Israeli conflict. Various conferences and negotiations have been conducted to determine the status of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip .The Israel-PLO Declaration of Principles on...
. The membership of JfJfP is primarily made up of British Jews
British Jews
British Jews are Jews who live in, or are citizens of, the United Kingdom. In the 2001 Census, 266,740 people listed their religion as Jewish. The UK is home to the second largest Jewish population in Europe, and has the fifth largest Jewish community worldwide...
.
Background
The organisation was founded in February 2002. It describes itself as welcoming all Jews, practicingJudaism
Judaism ) is the "religion, philosophy, and way of life" of the Jewish people...
and secular Jews, Zionist
Zionism
Zionism is a Jewish political movement that, in its broadest sense, has supported the self-determination of the Jewish people in a sovereign Jewish national homeland. Since the establishment of the State of Israel, the Zionist movement continues primarily to advocate on behalf of the Jewish state...
and not, who oppose Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
i policies that could be seen as threatening Palestinian rights.
It extends support, both moral and material, to Palestinians trapped in the spiral of violence and repression It also supports a wide range of Israeli peace and human-rights groups working towards these same ends.
Its stated reasons for supporting Palestinian rights include not only the absolute moral imperatives of promoting human rights, but are also based on the view that this is the best means of securing peace for Israelis. It supports the right of Israelis to live in freedom and security within Israel's 1967 borders.
It organises to give voice to the many strands of Israeli peace activism and to ensure that Jewish opinions critical of Israeli policy are heard in Britain. It believes that such opposition is important in countering anti-semitism and the claim that opposition to Israel’s policies is itself anti-semitic.
It cooperates with other organisations on specific issues without necessarily endorsing everything they do. Together with others it calls on the British and European Union
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
governments to suspend the preferential treatment accorded to Israel in trade agreements, to recognise the elected Palestinian Authority and to support it financially, to cease to trade arms with Israel, to push for the enforcement of international law
International law
Public international law concerns the structure and conduct of sovereign states; analogous entities, such as the Holy See; and intergovernmental organizations. To a lesser degree, international law also may affect multinational corporations and individuals, an impact increasingly evolving beyond...
in the region and to strive for fair and free negotiations between the parties.
It supports the British Shalom-Salaam Trust which funds a variety of humanitarian and educational projects in Israel and Palestine.
It is a founder member of European Jews for a Just Peace
European Jews for a Just Peace
European Jews for a Just Peace is a federation of Jewish groups in ten European countries aimed at bringing about peace in the Middle East and ensuring respect for the human rights of the Palestinian people...
, a federation of Jewish groups in ten Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
an countries; and of the Enough! Coalition in the UK in 2007.
Open letters
JfJfP has organised a number of petitions and open letters on political and human rights questions signed by distinguished British Jews from academia, the arts and other fields of activity.A letter to the UK Foreign Secretary David Miliband
David Miliband
David Wright Miliband is a British Labour Party politician who has been the Member of Parliament for South Shields since 2001, and was the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs from 2007 to 2010. He is the elder son of the late Marxist theorist Ralph Miliband...
of September 2007, urging the UK to speak at the United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
against Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
i sanctions in Gaza
Gaza
Gaza , also referred to as Gaza City, is a Palestinian city in the Gaza Strip, with a population of about 450,000, making it the largest city in the Palestinian territories.Inhabited since at least the 15th century BC,...
, printed in The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
, was signed among many others by:
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