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03-06-2012
World Leaders unite for GMJ
We, the Advisory Board of the Global March to Jerusalem, are
alarmed and deeply troubled by the continuing repression of
Palestinians in Jerusalem and by the deliberate and systematic attempts
to expel and reduce the Christian and Muslim Palestinian population of
the city as part of the policy called “Judaisation,” which is being
applied to every part of historic Palestine.
This policy is inconsistent with all relevant United Nations
resolutions on Jerusalem and contrary to the most basic principles of
international law. Its purpose is plainly to ethnically cleanse
Jerusalem of its non-Jewish population and transform a once proud
symbol of international tolerance and religious and cultural diversity
into an exclusionary and racist enclave.
Jerusalem is our common universal heritage. It is the centre
of spirituality and ideological significance for all of the
monotheistic religions, and a beacon of emancipation and hope for the
downtrodden. This historic city is venerated across the world for
enhancing the spiritual heritage of all humanity; it has been a symbol
of unity and equality, with a message of love, mercy and compassion.
However the entire world is now witnessing a threat to the
sovereignty, sanctity and inviolability of Jerusalem. The plan is not
only to destroy the Muslim and Christian presence, but also to change
and dismantle the social structure of Jerusalem, obliterating its
indigenous Arab identity and changing the character of the city.
The people of the world have therefore taken it upon
themselves to prevent this abomination, by mobilizing themselves in
every part of the world and representing all religious, humanitarian,
and cultural backgrounds in a global march to Jerusalem (GMJ) aimed at
guarding the City of Peace from becoming a wasteland of intolerance. We
therefore lend our names to support the convergence of people from all
countries and continents of the world to Jerusalem, and to the nearest
points to which they are able to approach, both inside Palestine and at
the Palestinian borders with Jordan, Egypt, Syria and Lebanon, as well
as in their own countries, in a peaceful march towards Jerusalem.
We therefore support this effort, and encourage all of
humanity to support it, by making the pledge set forth below, that all
participants in the Global March to Jerusalem have agreed to accept.
- We assert the importance of Jerusalem politically, culturally and
religiously to the Palestinian people and humanity as a whole. We call
for the protection of the Holy Places and all archeological sites and
consider all the efforts done to change its Arabic & cultural
identity as a crime against humanity. We call on all international
institutions to do their duties towards the city.
- The defense of Jerusalem and its liberation are a duty of all free
people around the world and we call on all institutions, organizations,
and individuals to participate in this duty.
- We condemn the Zionist campaign of ethnic cleansing in Jerusalem
and the rest of Palestine including all ongoing policies intended to
change the demographic and geographic situation in the city and aimed
at its Judaisation. We also condemn the continuation of the Zionist
occupation forces in building the apartheid wall that aims to
expropriate more Palestinian lands and convert the occupied areas into
shrinking cantons isolated from each other.
- We support the right of the Palestinian People to
self-determination, to liberate their lands and to live on them in
freedom and dignity like all other people on earth.
- We support the non-negotiable & inalienable rights of
the Palestinian People, including their families, to return to their
homes and lands from which they were uprooted.
- We reject all racist laws that distinguish between people
based on ethnicity or religion and call for their cancellation and
criminalization.
- The Global March to Jerusalem does not represent any one
faction or political party, but we call for participation of all social
forces, political factions, and ideologies.
- The Global March to Jerusalem is a global peaceful movement, which does not use violence to achieve its goals.
Signed,
The Advisory Board of the Global March to Jerusalem
Abdul Ghaffar Aziz, Coordinator of Pakistani NGOs in Solidarity with Palestine
Shaikh Dr. Abdul Ghani al-Tamimi, poet and preacher; chairman of the Palestine Scholars Abroad
Abdullatif Arabiyyat, Former Speaker of the Jordanian Parliament
Swami Agnivesh, Founder,
Bonded Labour Liberation Front and World Council of Arya Samaj, former
member of the Indian parliament and former chairperson of the UN
Voluntary Trust Fund on Contemporary Forms of Slavery
Ahmad Obeidat, Former Jordanian Prime Minister & Head of the National Front for Reform
Dr. Ahmed Mohammed attia Bahar, Vice President, Palestinian Legislative Council
Tan Sri Anthony Francis Fernandes, Malaysian entrepreneur; founder and CEO, Air Asia
Dr. Anton Shuhaiber, Gaza Christian Association
Arnold Hottinger,Swiss journalist and publicist; former Middle East correspondent for the Neue Zürcher Zeitung.
H.E. Atallah Hanna, Archbishop of Sebastia, Patriarchate of Jerusalem
Bouguerra Soltani, Algerian Government Minister and party leader for the Movement of the Society for Peace
Cindy Sheehan, anti-war activist; mother of US soldier killed in Iraq; author
Dr. Cornel West, Professor of African American studies. Princeton University; philosopher, writer and civil rights activist
Datuk Yasmin Yusoff, Malaysian actress and television host
David Hartsough, Director, Peaceworkers, San Francisco
Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Nobel Peace Laureate
HE Dr. Dzukelly Ahmad, member of the Malaysian parliament
Evelyn Hecht-Galinski, Jewish German author, activist and publicist
Dr. Francis Boyle, Professor of International Law, University of Illinois
Dr. Franco Cavalli, oncologist and former leader of the Swiss Social Democrat Party parliamentary group
George Galloway, former Member of British Parliament and Founder of Viva Palestina
Dr. Ghada Karmi, Writer and Co-Director, Centre for Palestine Studies, University of Exeter
Gretta Duisenberg, Founder and Chair, “Stop the Occupation” (Netherlands), Free Gaza Movement Board Member
Dr. Hammam Said, Head of the Jordanian Consultative Council of the Muslim Brothers
Hafizullah Niazi, Prominent leader of Pakistan Tehreek Insaf (Imran Khan party)
Hilarion Capucci, Archbishop of Caesarea, Greek Melkite Church
Ibrahim Nasrallah, Jordanian-Palestinian Poet & Novelist
Baroness Jenny Tonge, Member, British Parlialment, House of Lords
Dr. Jeremiah Wright, Pastor Emeritus, Trinity United Church of Christ, Chicago, Illinois, USA
Prof. Judith Butler, writer and philosopher, University of California, Berkeley
Laith Shubeilat, Former Jordanian Parliamentarian
Lalita Ramdas, Chair, Greenpeace International
Lauren Booth, broadcaster, journalist and activist
Admiral Laxminarayan Ramdas, Magsaysay Peace Award Recipient and anti-nuclear advocate
Dr. Leo Gabriel, Austrian socioanthropologist, journalist and documentary filmmaker; member, World Social Forum International Council
Fr. Louis Vitale, Order of Franciscan Monks; Pace e Bene; nonviolent resistor
Rabbi Lynn Gottlieb, Shomer Shalom Network for Jewish Nonviolence
Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohammed, former Prime Minister of Malaysia
Mairead McGuire, Nobel Peace Laureate
Marzuki Alie, Speaker, Indonesian House of Representatives
Marwah Daud Ibrahim, Indonesian feminist, writer and Member of Parliament
Medha Patkar,
Leader, National Alliance of People’s Movements; Recipient, Right
Livelihood Award, Goldman Environment Prize & Amnesty International
Human Rights Defenders Award
Dr. Mustafa Barghouti, Secretary General, Palestinian National Initiative and President, Union of Palestinian Medical Relief Committees
Michel Warschawski, anti-Zionist activist and journalist; co-founder, Alternative Information Center
Neta Golan, Co-Founder, International Solidarity Movement
Dr. Norman Paech, former Member of the German Parliament; professor of law, emeritus, University of Hamburg
Sheikh Raed Salah, President of the Islamic movement within the 1949 Ceasefire Line
Raja Zafar ul Haq,Pakistani senator; Chairman, Pakistan Muslim Leaque; General Secretary, World Muslim League
Justice Rajinder Sachar,
Former Chief Justice, Delhi High Court, Member, UN Sub-Commission on
Prevention of Discrimination and Protection of Minorities. Senior
Advisor & Counsel, People’s Union for Civil Liberties
Ronnie Kasrils, South African national liberation leader and former cabinet minister
Seema Mustafa, Syndicated columnist & former political editor, Asian Age
Prof Siddique Hassan, Director, Vision 2016 and Assistant Amir of the Jamat-e-Islami, Hind)
Subhi Ghosheh, Chairman, Jordanian Beitul-Maqdes Forum
Syeda Hameed, Columnist, The Indian Express, and Member, Indian National Planning Commission
Dr. Tanveer Ahmad Zubairi, President, International Organization of Doctors
Tikva Honig-Parnass, author and anti-Zionist activist
HE Tony Pua Kiam Wee, member of the Malaysian parliament
Tujan Faysal, First elected woman Jordanian Parliamentarian
Uri Davis, author and civil rights activist
Admiral Vishnu Bhagwat, Former Chief of the Naval Staff of India
Mrs. Wardina Safiyyah, Malaysian actress and television host
Dr. Yacoub Zaiadeen, Former Jerusalem Representative to the Jordanian parliament
Sheikh Yousuf Jumaa, former Palestinian Minister of Awqaf and Religious Affairs; former preacher of Al-Aqsa Mosque
Dr. Zakaria Agha, M.D., member, Palestine Liberation Organization Executive Committee; former chair, Gaza Strip Medical Association
Dr. Zeenat Shaukat Ali, Author; Vice Chairman and Founder Trustee of SAGE Foundation; Professor of Islamic Studies, St. Xavier’s College, Mumbai
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ENDORSERS
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Organizations
Following
is a partial list of organizations that have endorsed the Global March
to Jerusalem. It includes those that are based or have a significant
presence in North America, and are either participating in the
organizing of the North American contingent of the GMJ or have been
invited to do so. If your organization wishes to endorse and/or
participate in the organizing, please contact organize@gmj-na.org.
For organizations outside North America, see www.globalmarchtojerusalem.org.
- A.N.S.W.E.R-Act Now to Stop War & End Racism - Coalition
- Al-Awda, The Palestine Right to Return Coalition
- American Indian Movement - West
- Bay Area Women in Black
- Birthright Unplugged
- Canada Palestine Association
- Canada-Palestine Support Network
- Canadian Arab Federation
- Canadian Boat to Gaza
- Canadian Peace Alliance
- Canadian Voice of Women for Peace
- Centre for Research on Globalization
- Coalition Against Israeli Apartheid
- CNY Working for a Just Peace in Palestine & Israel
- CODEPINK Women for Peace
- Existence is Resistance
- Freedom Socialist Party
- Free Palestine Committee, National Lawyers Guild
- Free Palestine Movement
- Friends of Sabeel - Hawaii
- Friends of Sabeel - North America
- Friends of Sabeel - Northern California
- General Union of Palestinian Students - San Francisco State University
- Global Exchange
- Hamilton Coalition to stop the War
- Hilton Head for Peace
- Independent Jewish Voices
- International Committee, National Lawyers Guild
- International Socialist Organization
- International Solidarity Movement Bard College
- International Solidarity Movement Northern California
- Intifada Tent - Occupy Oakland
- ICAHD USA
- Leadership Team of Franciscan Sisters of Little Falls, MN
- Middle East Childres's Alliance
- Middle East Crisis Response
- Middle East Study Group
- Middle Eastern Student Association (MESA) York University
- Muslim American Society Immigrant Justice Center
- North Coast Coalition for Palestine
- Our Neighbors in Palestine
- Palestine House
- Palestinian American Congress
- Palestinian Association of Brantford
- Palestinian Association of Hamilton
- Resource Center for Nonviolence
- San Jose Peace & Justice Center
- Science for Peace
- September15
- South Alameda County Peace & Justice Committee
- Students for Justice in Palestine - UC Berkeley
- United Progressives
- U.S. Dominican Palestine Coordinating Committee
- Voice of Palestine
- Wellstone Democratic Renewal Club
Individuals
Following
is a list of indivduals who endorse the Global March to Jerusalem.
Additional endorsements are welcome and may be sent to organize@gmj-na.org.
- Dr. Amir M. Maasoumi
- Ann Wright, United States Army colonel, ret.
- Benjamin Monnet, World Assembly Member, USA/Korea
- Clayborne Carson, Professor & Director, Martin Luther King Jr. Research and Education Institute, Stanford University
- Cornell West, Professor of African American Studies, Princeton University; Philosopher, writer and Civil Rights Activist
- David Hartsough, Director, Peaceworkers, San Francisco
- Archbishop Desmond Tutu
- Rev. Dr. Dorsey Blake, Presiding Minister, Church for the Fellowship of All Peoples, San Francisco
- Edward Peck, Retired US Ambassador and career US Diplomat
- Professor Francis A. Boyle, University of Illinois College of Law
- George Galloway, British Member of Parliament
- Dr. Ghada Karmi, Co-Director, Centre for Palestine Studies, University of Exeter
- Dr. Hatem Bazian, Senior Lecturer in Near Eastern and Ethnic Studies, University of California, Berkeley
- Izzet Sahin, International Affairs Secretary, IHH
- Rev. Dr. Jeremiah Wright, Pastor Emeritus, Trinity Church of Christ, Chicago
- Joe Meadors, Veteran and Survivor of the 1967 Israeli Attack on the USS Liberty
- Dr. Judith Butler, American philosopher and Professor, University of California, Berkeley
- Lauren Booth, English broadcaster, journalist and pro-Palestinian activist
- Fr. Louis Vitale, Order of Franciscan Monks; Pace e Bene; nonviolent resistor
- Rabbi Lynn Gottlieb, American rabbi in the Jewish Renewal movement
- Mairead Maguire, , Nobel Peace Laureate
- Marcy Winograd, Los Angeles teacher, peace activist and former candidate for the U.S. House of Representatives
- Medea Benjamin, Co-founder Code Pink and Global Exchange
- Mustafa Barghouti, Palestinian democracy activist and former presidential candidate
- Noam Chomsky, Institute Professor and Professor (Emeritus) in the Department of Linguistics & Philosophy at MIT
- Richard Falk, Professor of International Law Emeritus, Princeton University
- Roger Leisner, Radio Free Maine
- Ronnie Kasrils, South African ANC leader and cabinet minister
- Samuel F. Hart, U.S. Ambassador, ret.
- Susan Abulhawa, Palestinian-American author and Founder of Playgrounds for Palestine
- Tariq Ali,
British Pakistani military historian, novelist, journalist, filmmaker,
public intellectual, political campaigner, activist, and commentator
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