Join Welcome to Palestine 2012, which begins on Sunday April 15^th with flights from many international airports to Occupied Palestine, by necessity via Tel Aviv Airport in Israel.

• Join us on April 15^th flying into Palestine via Tel Aviv

• Add your name and that of your organisation, trade union, campaign group, church, etc., to list of signatories endorsing the attached appeal.  Forward the Appeal to other human rights supporters

In the West Bank the accelerated demolition of Palestinian homes is part of an open and illegal policy of changing the demographic composition of the area.  This siege and forced population transfer could not take place without the complicity of European Governments and, we have learned, it is even policed by European airline companies.  Israeli crimes do not stop at the medieval siege of Gaza.
Last year hundreds of human rights activists signed up to Welcome to Palestine 2011 to assert their right to enter Occupied Palestine openly and peacefully at the invitation of Palestinian hosts.  In that first open effort, over 100 ended up being attacked by Israeli soldiers, imprisoned by the Israeli authorities without charge, and barred from peacefully proceeding to Bethlehem.  Hundreds of others were illegally prevented from even boarding their flights in a number of European capitals at the behest of the Israeli Government.
An international organising meeting in Paris, involving both those jailed in 2011 and new groups joining next year for the first time, agreed to issue a fresh call for Welcome to Palestine 2012, the next round of the campaign to be allowed to enter Palestine peacefully and openly.  This campaign will continue until the inmates of Israel’s giant system of control, the imprisoned Palestinian people, enjoy the right to receive international visitors in peace and solidarity.

 

Welcome to Palestine 2011 planned to help Palestinians replant some of the million olive trees destroyed by Israeli authorities since 1967.  Participants in Welcome to Palestine 2012 aim to contribute their skills towards the building of a Palestinian school.
We call on you to join and support our peaceful action to secure this fundamental right to freedom of travel: Israel’s failure to concede this minimum right will mean it has publicly crossed another red line in its denial of Palestinian human rights.

E-mail: uk@bienvenuepalestine.com

ENGLISH: Welcome to Palestine Initiative 2012
(Arabic/Bulgarian/Dutch/French/German/Greek/Italian/Malay/Norwegian/Polish/Portuguese/Spanish/Turkish versions attached)

“We, the undersigned, endorse the call from the Welcome to Palestine 2012 initiative for supporters of Palestinian human and national rights around the world to openly visit Palestine during Easter 2012.

There is no way into Palestine other than through Israeli control points. Israel has turned Palestine into a giant prison, but prisoners have a right to receive visitors.

Welcome to Palestine 2012 will again challenge Israel’s policy of isolating the West Bank while the settler paramilitaries and army commit brutal crimes against a virtually defenceless Palestinian civilian population.

We call on governments to support the right of Palestinians to receive visitors and the right of their own citizens to visit Palestine openly.

The participants in Welcome to Palestine 2012 ask to be allowed to pass through Tel Aviv airport without hindrance and to proceed to the West Bank to take part in a project there for children to benefit from the right to education.”

SIGNED:
Sam Bahour

Tony Benn

Noam Chomsky

Jonathan Cook

Stephane Hessel

Ronnie Kasrils

Nurit Peled

John Pilger

Nawal Al Sadaawi

Vauro Senesi

Desmond Tutu