The Need to Speak Out

We have created a separate website called the Victoria Platform that proposes several simple but urgently necessary actions that Israelis, Palestinians, and the international community need to take to assure a livable future for all peoples in the region.
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We feel deep dismay at the absence of democratic and human rights of Palestinians living under Israeli military occupation. The ongoing occupation has tragically caused neighbours to turn on each other at tremendous moral and human cost. We are appalled by the enormous destruction and numerous deaths that have resulted from the conflict. We also mourn the shattered dreams of Israelis and Palestinians—young people in particular—whose lives have been upended in so many different ways by the conflict. As Jews and humanitarians, we feel we can not stand by idly or silently. 

One of our first actions as an organization were to publish a statement on the conflict and to gather signatories from our community.

Our belief is that Canadian Jews need to speak openly among ourselves and with the public regarding our opposition to violence by all sides. We need to advocate for an alternative to the current corrosive conflict between Israelis and Palestinians: the launch of a genuine effort to achieve peace on terms supported by the international community with the involvement of the disputants. 

On the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, we are guided by the following principles:

1.    We affirm, and call upon all others to acknowledge, Israel’s right to exist in peace and security within internationally recognized borders.
2.   We call for similar recognition of the rights of the Palestinian people to a viable future state in the territories currently occupied by Israel or, if a separate state is denied, full citizenship rights within Israel.
3.    We have a deep connection with Israel and wish to see the nation thrive and prosper as a democratic state committed to protecting the rights of all its inhabitants. 
4.    We seek peace, tolerance and compromise; we condemn acts of violence, terrorism, and racism, which we believe lead to greater suffering while further deferring a durable peace between Israelis and Palestinians. 
5.    We are guided by our Jewish tradition of humanity and justice and by internationally accepted covenants affirming the right of all peoples to self-determination and equality under the law. 
6.    We support a negotiated resolution of the conflict that ends the Israeli occupation of the West Bank and the blockade of Gaza while guaranteeing security for Israelis and allowing Palestinians to build a viable state beyond the Green Line and in Gaza. 
7.    We encourage open communication and informed discussion among members of the Jewish community and the public on issues related to democracy, human rights, the promotion of peace, and the remedy of injustice.