World VIPs 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.

1.      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.

2.      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.

3.      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.

4.      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.

5.      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.

6.      We reject all racist laws that distinguish between people based on ethnicity or religion and call for their cancellation and criminalization.

7.      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.

8.      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 (partial listing of names)

1.  Shaikh Dr. Abdul Ghani al-Tamimi, poet and preacher; chairman of the Palestine Scholars Abroad
2. Abdullatif Arabiyyat, Former Speaker of the Jordanian Parliament
3. Swami Agnivesh, President World Council of Arya Samaj ,Chairperson Bonded Labour Liberation Front ,  and former chairperson of the UN Voluntary Trust Fund on Contemporary Forms of Slavery , Alternative Noble Laureates,
4. Ahmad Obeidat, Former Jordanian Prime Minister & Head of the National Front for Reform
5. Dr. Ahmed Mohammed attia Bahar, Vice President, Palestinian Legislative Council
6. Tan Sri Anthony Francis Fernandes, Malaysian entrepreneur; founder and CEO, Air Asia
7. Dr. Anton Shuhaiber, Gaza Christian Association
8. Arnold Hottinger,Swiss journalist and publicist; former Middle East correspondent for the Neue Zürcher Zeitung.
9. H.E. Atallah Hanna, Archbishop of Sebastia, Patriarchate of Jerusalem
10. Bouguerra Soltani, Algerian Government Minister and party leader for the Movement of the Society for Peace
11. Dr. Cornel West, Professor of African American studies. Princeton University; philosopher, writer and civil rights activist
12. Datuk Yasmin Yusoff, Malaysian actress and television host
13. David Hartsough, Director, Peaceworkers, San Francisco
14. Archbishop Desmond Tutu,  Nobel Peace Laureate
15. HE Dr. Dzukelly Ahmad, member of the Malaysian parliament
16. Evelyn Hecht-Galinski, Jewish German author, activist and publicist
17. Dr. Francis Boyle, Professor of International Law, University of Illinois
18. Dr. Franco Cavalli, oncologist and former leader of the Swiss Social Democrat Party parliamentary group
19. George Galloway, former Member of British Parliament and Founder of Viva Palestina
20. Dr. Ghada Karmi, Writer and Co-Director, Centre for Palestine Studies, University of Exeter
21. Gretta Duisenberg, Founder and Chair, “Stop the Occupation” (Netherlands), Free Gaza Movement Board Member
22. Dr. Hammam Said, Head of the Jordanian Consultative Council of the Muslim Brothers
23. Hilarion Capucci, Archbishop of Caesarea, Greek Melkite Church
24. Ibrahim Nasrallah, Jordanian-Palestinian Poet & Novelist
25. Dr. Jeremiah Wright, Pastor Emeritus, Trinity United Church of Christ, Chicago, Illinois, USA
26. Prof. Judith Butler, writer and philosopher, University of California, Berkeley
27. Laith Shubeilat, Former Jordanian Parliamentarian
28. Lalita Ramdas, Chair, Greenpeace International
29. Admiral Laxminarayan Ramdas, Magsaysay Peace Award Recipient and anti-nuclear advocate
30. Dr. Leo Gabriel, Austrian socioanthropologist, journalist and documentary filmmaker; member, World Social Forum International Council
31. Fr. Louis Vitale, Order of Franciscan Monks; Pace e Bene; nonviolent resistor
32. Rabbi Lynn Gottlieb, Jewish Renewal Movement
33. Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohammed, former Prime Minister of Malaysia
34. Mairead McGuire, Nobel Peace Laureate
35. Marzuki Alie, Speaker, Indonesian House of Representatives
36. Marwah Daud Ibrahim, Indonesian feminist, writer and Member of Parliament
37. Medha Patkar, Leader, National Alliance of People’s Movements; Recipient, Right Livelihood Award, Goldman Environment Prize & Amnesty International Human Rights Defenders Award
38. Dr. Mustafa Barghouti, Secretary General, Palestinian National Initiative and President, Union of Palestinian Medical Relief Committees
39. Neta Golan, Co-Founder, International Solidarity Movement
40. Dr. Norman Paech, former Member of the German Parliament; professor of law, emeritus, University of Hamburg
41. Sheikh Raed Salah, President of the Islamic movement within the 1949 Ceasefire Line
42. 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
43. Ronnie Kasrils, South African national liberation leader and former cabinet minister
44. Seema Mustafa, Syndicated columnist & former political editor, Asian Age
45. Prof Siddique Hassan, Director, Vision 2016 and Assistant Amir of the Jamat-e-Islami, Hind)
46. Subhi Ghosheh, Chairman, Jordanian Beitul-Maqdes Forum
47. Syeda Hameed, Columnist, The Indian Express, and Member, Indian National Planning Commission
48. HE Tony Pua Kiam Wee, member of the Malaysian parliament
49. Tujan Faysal, First elected woman Jordanian Parliamentarian
50. Admiral Vishnu Bhagwat, Former Chief of the Naval Staff of India
51. Mrs. Wardina Safiyyah, Malaysian actress and television host
52. Dr. Yacoub Zaiadeen, Former Jerusalem Representative to the Jordanian parliament
53. Sheikh Yousuf Jumaa, former Palestinian Minister of Awqaf and Religious Affairs; former preacher of Al-Aqsa Mosque
54. Dr. Zakaria Agha, M.D., member, Palestine Liberation Organization Executive Committee; former chair, Gaza Strip Medical Association
55. Dr. Zeenat Shaukat Ali, Author; Vice Chairman and Founder Trustee of SAGE Foundation; Professor of Islamic Studies, St. Xavier’s College, Mumbai