Sir,

We, Israeli Jews resident in the UK, deplore the outrages perpetrated on the
Palestinian population by the Israeli government. What we are witnessing is
the true face of the 'Peace process': Israel, the occupying power, dictates
and the Palestinians are left with the option: put up or shut up!

While the Palestinians acquiesced, Israel demanded further concessions and
continued to bend the terms of the 'Peace process'.  Meanwhile, Israel
changed the map of the Occupied Territories: accelerating the building and
extension of exclusively Jewish settlements. These settlements and the roads
linking them to Israel were, of course, built on land expropriated from
Palestinians, in gross violation of the Fourth Geneva Convention.

As a result, the areas left to the Palestinians are mere enclaves, cut off
from each other, utterly dependent on Israel. Such enclaves, used to exclude
an ethnic population from social and political rights, while keeping them
disenfranchised and subservient, have a name: Bantustans.  Such a policy
also has a name: apartheid.

In the 1980s, Israel debated what to do with the 'excessively large' number
of Palestinians it had netted in the 1967 war.  Two alternative solutions
were proposed: apartheid or expulsion.  The Israeli variations on the
apartheid theme were proposed (such as the Allon Plan).  The peace terms on
offer today are in line with these plans.

To the dismay of the Israeli Government, the Palestinian people would not
put up or shut up with apartheid masquerading as peace process. The Israeli
barbaric response is the mowing down of unarmed civilians utilising Apache
gun-ships and tanks. Israel inflicts collective punishment, such as
destruction of homes and cutting of utilities. All because the Palestinians
will not accept apartheid.

The Israeli barbaric response was not only confined to the Occupied
Territories, but was also directed against the Palestinian population within
Israel proper.  The Israeli police participated or stood by as armed
Israelis went on the rampage. From Tel Aviv to Nazareth it was “open season”
on Palestinians. To-date, thirteen Israeli Palestinians were killed, among
them, Asil Asalih, a Palestinian Israeli peace activist, who was murdered by
Israeli police.

The truth is now out and the Oslo sham cannot be resurrected. The imposition
of a peace unilaterally defined by Israel will not work: such a peace will
never hold.  Only a genuine engagement with the Palestinians will end the
bloodshed.  Israel must accept its obligations under international law, such
as the Fourth Geneva Convention, as well as UN resolutions and the immediate
and unconditional Israeli withdrawal from all the territories occupied in
1967.

Professor Moshe Machover
Yael Oren Kahn
Rami Heilbronn
Dina Pirani
Shimon Tzabar
Dr Judit Druks
Merav Dvir
Ruth Sirton
Ehud Sivosh
Assi Ron
Daniel Machover
Inbar Tamari
Hanna Braun