Recognize the legality of the Israeli Settlements

PetitionOnline.com ^ | 2004 | Yosef Rabin

[MiddleEastInfo]

To: President Bush

Dear President Bush,
We, the citizens of the United States of America, demand that the US Government fully recognize the legality of the Israeli communities situated in the West Bank and Gaza. The following declarations in support of the Jewish communities situated in the West Bank and must be made prior to the upcoming November elections.
Settlements are Not Illegal!
1. The settlements are not located in "occupied territory." The last binding international legal instrument which divided the territory in the region of Israel, the West Bank, and Gaza was the League of Nations Mandate, which explicitly recognized the right of Jewish settlement in all territory allocated to the Jewish national home in the context of the British Mandate. These rights under the British Mandate were preserved by the successor organization to the League of Nations, the United Nations, under Article 49 of the UN Charter.
2. There was no Palestinian sovereignty in the West Bank and Gaza Strip prior to 1967. Jews have a deep historic and emotional attachment to the land and, as their legal claims are at least equal to those of Palestinians, it is natural for Jews to build homes in communities in these areas, just as Palestinians build in theirs.
3. The territory of the West Bank and Gaza Strip was captured by Israel in a defensive war, which is a legal means to acquire territory under international law. In fact, Israel's seizing the land in 1967 was the only legal acquisition of the territory this century: the Jordanian occupation of the West Bank from 1947 to 1967, by contrast, had been the result of an offensive war in 1948 and was never recognized by the international community, including the Arab states, with the exception of Great Britain and Pakistan.
In addition, we demand the immediate and unconditional release of Israeli spy Jonathan Pollard. Jonathan Pollard has now been in jail for nineteen years, longer than any other American accused of or convicted for similar actions.
If these conditions are not met by November 1st, 2004, we the undersigned will vote against you in the up-coming election.

Sincerely,

Sincerely,

The Undersigned

[CA Conservative]

If you think that Kerry will be better for Israel than Bush, vote for him by all means. You will deserve what you get.

[CA Conservative]

No complaint about the substance of the petition, but the threat to vote against Bush if he doesn't comply is self-defeating.

[Rakkasan1]

good related- oldie but a goodie:
Palestinian Lies & Western Complicity
A continuing story.
By Daniel Doron
August 14, 2002, 9:00 a.m.

Here is a lengthy article on the history of modern Israel.


http://www.nationalreview.com/comment/comment-doron081402.asp

[MarkL]

I agree with this petition, with the exception of the Pollard situation.

While Israel is a friendly country, Pollard committed treason, and as such, deserves to be in jail for the rest of his life. Israel and The USA often have similar interests, but where those interests diverge, I support the USA over Israel. While some may believe that what Pollard did was justified, I disagree.

Mark

[TKDietz]

I have nothing against Jews. The only ones I know are good people. But if the entire middle east including Israel was nuked and turned into a big piece of glass, we'd all be better off. I expect to be flamed for saying this, but Israel is a liability for us. They are a country run by a bunch of extremists that does nothing but cause problems for us. I say we promise to protect them from attack and do nothing else for them. We shouldn't give them a penny, or show them any special treatment until they fix their internal problems.

[robertpaulsen]

PS. And to show our appreciation for what you've done for Israel, 75% of us are voting for Kerry.

[Non-Sequitur]

...which is a legal means to acquire territory under international law

What international law was that?

In addition, we demand the immediate and unconditional release of Israeli spy Jonathan Pollard.

This is the first time I can remember one of Pollard's supporters referring to him as a 'spy'. Usually it's agent, patriot, citizen, anything but spy.

[MiddleEastInfo]

The following quote is a partial answer to your first question. The basic answer to your question can be found in the founding documents of the Jewish State (I refer you to the San Remo Resolution, the British Mandate, and the Franco-British Boundary Convention of December 23, 1920.)

According to Ambassador Dore Gold, "International jurists generally draw a distinction between situations of 'aggressive conquest' and territorial disputes that arise after a war of self-defense. Former State Department Legal Advisor Stephen Schwebel, who later headed the International Court of Justice in the Hague, wrote in 1970 regarding Israel's case: 'Where the prior holder of territory had seized that territory unlawfully, the state which subsequently takes that territory in the lawful exercise of self-defense has, against that prior holder, better title.' Israel only entered the West Bank after repeated Jordanian artillery fire and ground movements across the previous armistice lines; additionally, Iraqi forces crossed Jordanian territory and were poised to enter the West Bank. Under such circumstances, even the UN rejected Soviet efforts to have Israel branded as the aggressor in the Six-Day War."

Disclaimer: I am not affiliated with the petition and none of my views necessarily reflect the content of the petition or its author.

[John Locke]

In addition, we demand the immediate and unconditional release of Israeli spy American traitor Jonathan Pollard.

I won't comment on the rest of the article, but anyone who signs his name to the above is aiding and abetting treason, and should have his US citizenship revoked immediately.