Wednesday, November 5, 2008

Bilbao initiative: declaration and action plan

Declaration, Bilbao Initiative, 4 November 2008

The following declaration was issued on 31 October 2008 following a gathering of Palestinian, progressive Israeli and international organizations and social movements in Bilbao, Spain:

".....During the Bilbao Initiative gathering, we, Palestinian, progressive Israeli and international organizations and social movements discussed and embraced the latest Palestinian in-depth examination of Israel's legal and political regime over the Palestinian people. This analysis exposes Israel as a state which is built on the massive ethnic cleansing of 1948 and which for six decades has systematically committed injustices against all segments of the Palestinian people -- refugees in exile, citizens of Israel and those in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT) -- on grounds of their national identity, in order to prevent Palestinian self-determination and to cement colonization and domination via racist laws, including promoting exclusively Jewish immigration while barring the Palestinians' right to return. From a legal perspective, this study has concluded that Israel's regime is a system that uniquely combines apartheid, settler-colonialism, and belligerent occupation......

Action plan

Assembled in Bilbao on 31 October 2008, we hereby call upon civil society organizations, political parties, networks and conscientious individuals....."

No comments: