UPDATE
It is with deep appreciation that we welcome and extend our deepest appreciation to Rabbi Michael Lerner for the apology and clarification he put out publicly on May 10.
http://files.tikkun.org/current/article.php?story=20070421224404113
As you know, JVP objected very strongly to a piece Rabbi Lerner put out the previous week where we felt he mis-characterized JVP and our allies at the US Campaign to End the Occupation and United for Peace and Justice as disregarding Israeli rights. We thank Rabbi Lerner for clarifying that he did not mean to portray us in that manner.
Rabbi Lerner makes very clear why he continues to oppose a one-state solution and why he believes that the pursuit of such a solution is counter-productive. We welcome the open discussion of such political views.
JVP's own position is that the situation is so dire and so far away from a permanent resolution that allowing academic debates over one or two state solutions to divide us does not make sense to us. Our focus is on ending the occupation and promoting a US foreign policy that enables rather than hinders Israelis and Palestinians from coming up with a permanent agreement satisfactory to all and grounded in both parties' fundamental right to self-determination.
JVP has worked to make our supporters and others aware of the great opportunity presented by the Arab League proposal, reissued in March. You can find an in-depth analysis of that proposal here http://blog.mideastanalysis.org/?p=42
JVP has also made it clear why so many plans, however many states they envision, do not meet the basic requirements of respecting the civil, human and national rights of both Israelis and Palestinians. We also explained why we feel that most such plans also fail to meet a standard of practicality and pragmatism necessary for any agreement to have any hope of success. You can read JVP's full analysis of the one/two-state question here. http://www.jewishvoiceforpeace.org/publish/article_30.shtml
We thank Rabbi Lerner for his statement and apology. Apologizing is not an easy thing to do, especially in so public a forum, and we definitely recognize the great courage it took to do that. We look forward to continuing to build unity around a movement to end the Occupation and to promoting a new US foreign policy that can finally bring an end to this bitter conflict and bring a better future for Jews and Arabs everywhere.
Jewish Voice for Peace http://www.jewishvoiceforpeace.org
Original Posting JVP Response to Rabbi Michael Lerner
We are in a time when it is especially important that those of us who wish to see a just resolution to the Israel-Palestine conflict get past our differences and unite to end Israel's 40-year old occupation. That's why we at Jewish Voice for Peace are so saddened to have to say what we say now.
Rabbi Michael Lerner of Tikkun and the Network of Spiritual Progressives sent out a message on April 21 which he titled "How the Anti-Israeli Left Helps Perpetuate the Occupation ." In this essay, he names only three groups, the US Campaign to End the Occupation, United for Peace and Justice and Jewish Voice for Peace. http://files.tikkun.org/current/article.php?story=20070421224404113
The US Campaign and UFPJ have already responded to Rabbi Lerner, and you can read their response here http://www.endtheoccupation.org/article.php?id=1357%20
Rabbi Lerner stated that "The reason we can't join them (on June 10th) is the same reason the Tikkun Community couldn't join the Jewish Voices for Peace (sic)(JVP): the willingness of all these organizations to keep alive as an option the notion that the solution to Israel/Palestine peace lies in the dissolution of a Jewish state, using the language of "one state solution" as the way to signal to many who thought the Jewish people never deserved a state at all."
Characterizing JVP as part of "the Anti-Israeli Left" is absurd on its face. JVP's stance on one or two states is, indeed, that we leave all options open, but we specifically state that we find unacceptable any proposed solution that does not recognize the legitimate human, civil and national rights of both Israeli Jews and Palestinian Arabs. http://www.jewishvoiceforpeace.org/publish/article_30.shtml
Moreover, as Rabbi Lerner himself states, Tikkun is in fact a member of both the US Campaign and UFPJ. The calls being issued for the June 10th rally make no mention of ultimate solutions, but simply call for an end to US support for Israel's occupation and for a "…US policy … that supports a just peace between Palestinians and Israelis based on equality, human rights and international law, and the full implementation of all relevant UN resolutions."
If Rabbi Lerner feels that call is tantamount to the dissolution of Israel, and it is hard to see how anyone could interpret it that way, why does Tikkun remain a member of these two groups, yet chooses this time to attack a rally solely aimed at Israel's 40-year old occupation of Palestinian lands?
As always, JVP stands ready to work with a wide range of anti-occupation groups and we are willing to put aside other ideological differences in order to maximize the strength of the anti-occupation movement.
It is a terrible shame that Rabbi Lerner chooses divisiveness over unity at a time when the entire Middle East is spinning out of control. We fervently hope he will retract the blatant distortions of the stances of the US Campaign, UFPJ and JVP and join us in standing together for an end to US support for this occupation that has done so much damage to so many Israelis and Palestinians. We urge everyone opposed to the occupation to join the march co-sponsored by the US Campaign and UFPJ on June 10. JVP will be there and we hope to see Tikkun and a great many of its members there as well. We've been gratified to hear from many Tikkun members that they disagree strongly with Rabbi Lerner's action and that they were urging him, as we are, to retract his misleading and untrue statements. All too often, our movement has turned its energies against itself rather than against the occupation. We hope Rabbi Lerner will reverse this trend by retracting his statement and joining us in Washington on June 10. If we divide ourselves with this sort of petty bickering, we have no hope of victory, but if we stand together and support one another we will eventually prevail.
Jewish Voice for Peace http://www.jewishvoiceforpeace.org
It is with deep appreciation that we welcome and extend our deepest appreciation to Rabbi Michael Lerner for the apology and clarification he put out publicly on May 10.
http://files.tikkun.org/current/article.php?story=20070421224404113
As you know, JVP objected very strongly to a piece Rabbi Lerner put out the previous week where we felt he mis-characterized JVP and our allies at the US Campaign to End the Occupation and United for Peace and Justice as disregarding Israeli rights. We thank Rabbi Lerner for clarifying that he did not mean to portray us in that manner.
Rabbi Lerner makes very clear why he continues to oppose a one-state solution and why he believes that the pursuit of such a solution is counter-productive. We welcome the open discussion of such political views.
JVP's own position is that the situation is so dire and so far away from a permanent resolution that allowing academic debates over one or two state solutions to divide us does not make sense to us. Our focus is on ending the occupation and promoting a US foreign policy that enables rather than hinders Israelis and Palestinians from coming up with a permanent agreement satisfactory to all and grounded in both parties' fundamental right to self-determination.
JVP has worked to make our supporters and others aware of the great opportunity presented by the Arab League proposal, reissued in March. You can find an in-depth analysis of that proposal here http://blog.mideastanalysis.org/?p=42
JVP has also made it clear why so many plans, however many states they envision, do not meet the basic requirements of respecting the civil, human and national rights of both Israelis and Palestinians. We also explained why we feel that most such plans also fail to meet a standard of practicality and pragmatism necessary for any agreement to have any hope of success. You can read JVP's full analysis of the one/two-state question here. http://www.jewishvoiceforpeace.org/publish/article_30.shtml
We thank Rabbi Lerner for his statement and apology. Apologizing is not an easy thing to do, especially in so public a forum, and we definitely recognize the great courage it took to do that. We look forward to continuing to build unity around a movement to end the Occupation and to promoting a new US foreign policy that can finally bring an end to this bitter conflict and bring a better future for Jews and Arabs everywhere.
Jewish Voice for Peace http://www.jewishvoiceforpeace.org
Original Posting JVP Response to Rabbi Michael Lerner
We are in a time when it is especially important that those of us who wish to see a just resolution to the Israel-Palestine conflict get past our differences and unite to end Israel's 40-year old occupation. That's why we at Jewish Voice for Peace are so saddened to have to say what we say now.
Rabbi Michael Lerner of Tikkun and the Network of Spiritual Progressives sent out a message on April 21 which he titled "How the Anti-Israeli Left Helps Perpetuate the Occupation ." In this essay, he names only three groups, the US Campaign to End the Occupation, United for Peace and Justice and Jewish Voice for Peace. http://files.tikkun.org/current/article.php?story=20070421224404113
The US Campaign and UFPJ have already responded to Rabbi Lerner, and you can read their response here http://www.endtheoccupation.org/article.php?id=1357%20
Rabbi Lerner stated that "The reason we can't join them (on June 10th) is the same reason the Tikkun Community couldn't join the Jewish Voices for Peace (sic)(JVP): the willingness of all these organizations to keep alive as an option the notion that the solution to Israel/Palestine peace lies in the dissolution of a Jewish state, using the language of "one state solution" as the way to signal to many who thought the Jewish people never deserved a state at all."
Characterizing JVP as part of "the Anti-Israeli Left" is absurd on its face. JVP's stance on one or two states is, indeed, that we leave all options open, but we specifically state that we find unacceptable any proposed solution that does not recognize the legitimate human, civil and national rights of both Israeli Jews and Palestinian Arabs. http://www.jewishvoiceforpeace.org/publish/article_30.shtml
Moreover, as Rabbi Lerner himself states, Tikkun is in fact a member of both the US Campaign and UFPJ. The calls being issued for the June 10th rally make no mention of ultimate solutions, but simply call for an end to US support for Israel's occupation and for a "…US policy … that supports a just peace between Palestinians and Israelis based on equality, human rights and international law, and the full implementation of all relevant UN resolutions."
If Rabbi Lerner feels that call is tantamount to the dissolution of Israel, and it is hard to see how anyone could interpret it that way, why does Tikkun remain a member of these two groups, yet chooses this time to attack a rally solely aimed at Israel's 40-year old occupation of Palestinian lands?
As always, JVP stands ready to work with a wide range of anti-occupation groups and we are willing to put aside other ideological differences in order to maximize the strength of the anti-occupation movement.
It is a terrible shame that Rabbi Lerner chooses divisiveness over unity at a time when the entire Middle East is spinning out of control. We fervently hope he will retract the blatant distortions of the stances of the US Campaign, UFPJ and JVP and join us in standing together for an end to US support for this occupation that has done so much damage to so many Israelis and Palestinians. We urge everyone opposed to the occupation to join the march co-sponsored by the US Campaign and UFPJ on June 10. JVP will be there and we hope to see Tikkun and a great many of its members there as well. We've been gratified to hear from many Tikkun members that they disagree strongly with Rabbi Lerner's action and that they were urging him, as we are, to retract his misleading and untrue statements. All too often, our movement has turned its energies against itself rather than against the occupation. We hope Rabbi Lerner will reverse this trend by retracting his statement and joining us in Washington on June 10. If we divide ourselves with this sort of petty bickering, we have no hope of victory, but if we stand together and support one another we will eventually prevail.
Jewish Voice for Peace http://www.jewishvoiceforpeace.org