an important petition, a sane, humane voice from israel

dear friends,

i have been racking my brain trying to come up with what to write about the tragic events of the last days here in israel. i am so heartbroken, so angry, i can hardly find words to say.
then i stumbled upon this petition, written by israelis who obviously feel just as i do.
please read it, please spread it around, and if you can, please sign it!! it is so important that the world know that there are OTHER voices in Israel, not only those of our governmnet. these other voices need to be heard. i am proud to raise my voice alongside theirs.

i have printed the petition below.

this is the web site, in hebrew and english:

http://www.atzuma.co.il/hatikva

hoping for better days,

Noa


We are Israeli citizens, outraged at the continuously violent and impervious Israeli policy which has culminated in the tragic attack on the flotilla to Gaza.

We are consumed with sympathy and sorrow for the loss of those on the flotilla and for their families.

We demand that a public apology be made on our behalf to all innocent persons injured.

We demand to know: Who gave the order? Who will be held accountable? Who will investigate the incident?



We hold the government of Israel responsible: for the policies and actions which have resulted in this turn of events; for the misguided decisions; for the explicit and implied instructions; for the attempt to besmirch our children and our friends, our soldiers and their commanders.



In carrying out these actions, the government of Israel played directly into the hands of a minority group which sought to translate a global, humane, legitimate civil protest into a violent, provocative and ill fated event.



We call upon the government of Israel to recognize the profound political crisis which has been brought upon us and to make a change! We must transform this failure into a renewed sense of hope. We must return to the lines of peace. We must strive to see the end of the occupation, the end of the blockade and an end to the grave injustices they have unleashed. We must provide Israel, now more than ever before, with a renewed, promising political and moral horizon.



Do not shun responsibility, do not become entrenched in past mistakes, and do not shy away from positive transformation. It is never too late to repair misguided paths.



We deserve an Israeli policy which is committed to:



Restoring Israel’s national strategy to one of a civil society relentlessly seeking peace and founded upon values of justice, equality and morality;
Destroying the impervious political and ethical wall encompassing Israel;
Standing firm against the waves of internal hatred, political isolationism, belligerent and messianic nationalism, intolerance and xenophobia characterizing growing portions of Israeli society and large factions of its government.








We deserve a country we can be proud of

We deserve a policy of hope