44 anti-racist British Jews signed the following letter in which they renounce the racist Israeli "law of return" that says Jews (as defined by the racist Zionists) have the right to live in Palestine with Israeli citizenship but denies the right of 7 million Palestinian refuges to live in the land continuously inhabited by their Palestinian forebears since the dawn of history. A very well known signatory is neurobiologist Professor Steven Rose of the Open University (see:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/theguardian/2002/aug/08/guardianletters4) .
Statement on the "law of return" by 44 anti-racist British Jews:
"We are Jews, born and raised outside Israel, who, under Israel's "law of return", have a legal right to Israeli residence and citizenship (Real lives, G2, August 7). We wish to renounce this unsought "right" because:
1) We regard it as morally wrong that this legal entitlement should be bestowed on us while the very people who should have most right to a genuine "return", having been forced or terrorised into fleeing, are excluded.
2) Israel's policies towards the Palestinians are barbaric - we do not wish to identify ourselves in any way with what Israel is doing.
3) We disagree with the notion that Zionist emigration to Israel is any kind of "solution" for diaspora Jews, anti-semitism or racism - no matter to what extent Jews have been or are victims of racism, they have no right to make anyone else victims.
4) We wish to express our solidarity with all those who are working for a time when Israel, the West Bank and Gaza Strip can be lived in by people without any restrictions based on so-called racial, cultural, or ethnic origins.
We look forward to the day when all the peoples of the area are enabled to live in peace with each other on this basis of non-discrimination and mutual respect. Perhaps some of us would even wish to live there, but only if the rights of the Palestinians are respected. To those who consider Israel a "safe haven" for Jews in the face of anti-semitism, we say that there can be no safety in taking on the role of occupier and oppressor. We hope that the people of Israel and their leaders will come to realise this soon.
Michael RosenIan Saville
Prof Irene Bruegel
Michael Kustow
Mike Marqusee
Prof Steven Rose
Leon Rosselson
and 38 others". [1].
[1]. "We renounce Israel rights", UK Guardian, 8 August 2002: http://www.guardian.co.uk/theguardian/2002/aug/08/guardianletters4 .