HOPP

HOPP (HOPE) Campaign

Support a Just Peace in the Middle East: End the occupation of Palestine.

The conflict between Israel and Palestine is a conflict about land. In order to reach a solution of this long-standing conflict that has been going on for many years, the right for both Israel and Palestine to exist as two independent states at liberty and with guaranteed security within internationally recognised borders is required. It is only on the basis of international law and the currently valid UN Resolutions 181,194,242,338, 1397 et al. as fundamental principles that a lasting peace agreement can be achieved.

In order to reach a just peace settlement, it is therefore necessary

for the Israeli occupation of the West Bank, of Gaza and of East Jerusalem to cease
for the illegal Israeli Settlements in the Occupied Territories to be phased out
for a serious process of negotiations to start simultaneously in order to regulate the details (exact borders, the future of Palestinian refugees, the distribution of available fresh-water supplies, the status of Jerusalem, etc.) on the basis of the overarching principles referred to above.

Developments in the area show with painful clarity that the parties to this conflict are quite unable to break the spiral of violence and to solve this conflict on their own. The violence is rather increasing, causing more and more casualties. Bitterness, resentment and hatred is spreading ever wider. Without strong pressures from the outside world against this occupation and violence, the situations will become increasingly worse.

Over the years, churches, organisations, popular movements and individuals have voiced their protests against this occupation through statements and appeals. Efforts have also been made through lobbying and personal contacts to seek to influence the government of Sweden, the EU and the UN to increase the pressure to uphold international law and thus to achieve an end to this illegal occupation as a first step towards a lasting peace. The current escalation of violence in this conflict does however show that the effect of such efforts is very limited.

Something more must be done, besides the efforts that have so far been made, in order to increase the pressures against this occupation and this violence. Only severe pressures from outside on the State of Israel could lead to the lifting of this occupation, which is the primary cause of the conflict. : The Palestinian Authority also has the responsibility to live up to international humanitarian law, to further human rights and democratic principles and it must determine what it can do in order to stop acts of terrorism that hit the civilian population.

For nearly two years, the escalating violence has killed about two thousand five hundred people; about 1.800 Palestinians and 700 Israelis, (estimate 31st January 2003 by the Israeli Human Rights Organisation Btselem). Tens of thousands of people have been hurt. It is obvious that the acts of violence perpetrated during this conflict must be condemned. The statement by the World Council of Churches, September 2002 provides guidance:

”The Central Committee of the World Council of Churches supports the many Christians, Muslims and Jews in the region and across the world who have forcefully taken a stand against all acts of violence in the current conflict, such as:

Israel's military invasion and renewed occupation of the Palestinian territories, illegal killings of Palestinian leaders, killing of Palestinian civilians, the carrying out of collective punishments and the destruction of Palestinian homes and property in Israel and in the Occupied Territories.
All terrorist acts against civilians in Israel and in the Occupied Territories, and not least the increasing and deeply rooted acts of planned and indiscriminate suicide bombings.”

The increasing spiral of violence must be broken by the increase of pressure in order to achieve an end to the occupation, which is the cause of this violence

What can Churches and Christian Organisations do in order to contribute to the ending of the occupation as a step on the road towards a just peace in the Middle East?

In response to an appeal from the thirteen recognised Churches in Israel/Palestine, the World Council of Churches has initiated a programme in order to achieve an end to the illegal occupation of Palestine (the Occupied Territories) in which the member churches are invited to participate. The purpose is to inspire and gather the churches to a common action against the occupation together with popular movements and organisations that work by humanitarian efforts and to uphold human rights and international law in Israel and Palestine. The campaign includes work to raise opinion and lobbying as well as the Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme in Palestine and Israel (EAPPI) within which the churches are invited to send people who will function as accompaniers to churches, church-related and other organisations in Palestine and Israel, which work with humanitarian aid and for the upholding of human rights and international law.

What can we do in Sweden?

At the Annual General Meeting of the Christian Council of Sweden in April 2002, the churches in Sweden made their position clear by unanimously supporting the following demands:

that Israel should cease to occupy the Palestinian territories
that a two-state solution - Israel and Palestine - with the 1967 borders as the starting-point, should be put into effect
that Jerusalem should become the capital for two nations and that the holy places should be protected by international guarantees so that Jerusalem may remain a meeting point for three world religions
that the Christian Churches and other forces on both sides of the conflict that work for justice, peace and reconciliation should be given specific support.

At a subsequent meeting of the Management Committee, the Christian Council of Sweden has appealed to their member churches and their aid organisations to decide whether they should participate in the campaign, Support a Just Peace in the Middle East - End the Occupation of Palestine.

Several churches and organisations support this campaign, among them Caritas, Diakonia, The Evangelical Alliance, Swedish Organisation for Individual Relief (SOIR) , YWCA-YMCA, The Swedish Fellowship of Reconciliation, The Student in Sweden Christian Movement, The Church of Sweden, The Church of Sweden Woman, The Mission Covenant Church of Sweden and The Baptist union of Sweden. The Swedish campaign is a response from churches and Christian organisations in Sweden to the invitation from the World Council of Churches to work towards an end to the Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territories.

The purpose of this campaign is to draw attention to the Israeli occupation as the basic cause of the conflict. By activities designed to raise opinion, this campaign will therefore drive home the point that an end to the occupation is a pre-condition for the achievement of a lasting peace in the Middle East. In order to affect society, this campaign needs wide extension through support from many churches, organisations, popular movements and associations.

The campaign must also provide specific actions by which ordinary people can express their commitment to justice and peace. In that way the campaign will also gain a necessary popular foundation. In order to become effective, work to raise opinion and campaign work should be so organised that the Israeli policy of occupation will receive negative PR and if possible also financial consequences for the country.

How should this Campaign be run?

Integrated information
Existing contacts and ongoing support for churches and organisations in Palestine and Israel that work actively for peace, justice, non-violence and reconciliation should of course continue. The information about the current situation that springs from that work should to a larger extent be related to the occupation as the fundamental cause of this conflict. By disseminating this information and relating it to the structures of the campaign, a greater effect could be achieved.

Co-ordinated, focused work to raise opinion and lobbying
Swedish churches, denominations and Christian organisations have worked for a long time to raise opinion through contributions to the public debate and by statements. That work needs to be better co-ordinated. The campaign has an important task to do in this field. Co-operation with other organisations and with popular movements within society also needs to be developed in order to achieve a greater effect for this campaign. A clear focus on the occupation as a hindrance to a just peace-settlement is a pre-condition for this campaign to achieve breadth and depth, and thus to become more effective. The ongoing work of producing articles as a contribution to the debate, of issuing appeals and of making presentations thus become important aspects of this campaign.

Support for the Ecumencial Accompaniment Programme, SEAPPI.
It is important for the churches to take an active part in this international programme of solidarity. The Christian Council of Sweden is responsible for the Swedish part of the accompaniment programme, SEAPPI, which in its first phase is planned to run during 2003 and 2004. This programme make it possible for Swedish citizens to be present on location for three or four months as a companion within churches and organisations in Palestine and Israel that undertake humanitarian work for justice, peace and reconciliation from a non-violence perspective. For more information about SEAPPI, see www.skr.org.

By encouraging interested and suitable persons to make themselves available as ecumenical companions, the churches can give a clear contribution to this programme. At the same time, valuable information about how this on-going conflict affects the every-day life of ordinary people in Palestine and Israel will be received through the reports sent home by the companion. The impressions received and stories told by these companions also become an important contribution to the common work of disseminating information and raising opinion.

Exert political pressure in order to make the EU suspend its free trade agreement with Israel.
By paying attention to Israel's association agreement with the EU, pressures will be increased and the effect of this campaign will be greater. This agreement, which is evaluated and renewed every six months, allows Israel free trade within the EU. Among the conditions that Israel should fulfil within the framework of this agreement is respect for human rights and for democratic principles. The occupation is a flagrant violation of this undertaking. Israel also includes goods from the Occupied Territories among its export products to the EU, which is also a violation of this agreement.
The motivation for putting this agreement at the centre is legal. How could it be possible to renew an agreement if one party does not live up to its undertakings, but, on the contrary, deliberately sets these aside? By pushing this specific issue through articles and presentations, the pressures of the campaign will increase and it will have greater effect.

Specific action: Do not buy produce from the illegal settlements on occupied territory.
In order to provide opportunities for people to participate actively in this campaign, specific actions, by which the individual can show his or her own position and at the same time challenge other people to follow this example are required. This can take place by supporting appeals, collecting signatures and by participation in demonstrations and manifestations of various kinds. More specific actions are however necessary in order to increase the effectiveness of this campaign and in order to give individual people opportunities to channel their anger against this occupation and its consequences.
By linking the demands for a suspension of the free trade agreement to the appeal not to buy produce from the illegal Israeli settlements on occupied territory, the principal demand that the State of Israel is obliged to follow international law in specific action will be underlined. That will make the campaign more effective. By focusing on produce from the settlements, the reality of the occupation can also be made visible and thus add greater force to the demand that Israel should withdraw from the Occupied Territories.

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