Open letter to the Prime Minister of Israel

November 2006

Dear Mr. Olmert:

We are a group of Italian Jews who believe in the equal rights of the Israeli and Palestinian peoples to their national existence and on the necessity of a negotiated solution to the conflict based on the principle of “Two states for two peoples”. We have also been engaged for many years in combating racism and anti-Semitism in Italy and Europe. We are writing to you out of deep concern about the future of Israel as a Jewish and democratic state, its peaceful and secure existence, and its lasting ties with the Diaspora. You, Mr. Olmert, campaigned in the March elections on the basis of a specific plan – the “Convergence” – widely shared by Israeli voters.

We now register with disconcert your inclusion of Israel Beitenu in the coalition. This party’s positions on the Arab citizens of Israel and the relations between Israel and the Palestinians are profoundly racist, hateful, and unacceptable in a democracy and from the standpoint of tolerant Jewish values we so deeply cherish. Those positions blatantly contradict the very principles contained in the Israeli Declaration of Independence of May 1948. By signing a coalition agreement with Mr. Lieberman you have legitimized such views and contradicted your own Government guidelines under the item “Minorities”. The presence of Mr. Lieberman’s party in the coalition is a major obstacle to any serious negotiations with the Palestinian Authority or Syria, the freeze on settlement activity, and the removal of illegal outposts which appear to us as urgent imperatives for the Government of Israel.

We exhort you, Mr. Prime Minister, to reverse your decision.

Sincerely,

Martin Buber Group- Jews for Peace