12 Norwegian women have taken the initiative to organise an International Human Rights March in Israel and Palestine in February/March 2003.
Appeal for Action:
Help establish national committees to organise March
www.humanrightsmarch.org
Letter sent to IHEU :
To people all over the world who wish for peace
12 Norwegian women have taken the initiative to organise an International Human Rights March in Israel and Palestine in February/March 2003. We are cooperating with Israeli and Palestinian peace- and women’s organizations, and are supported by the Norwegian Peace Alliance and the Norwegian branch of WILPF.
People all over the world have over a long period of time witnessed the suffering of the people in the Middle East. At the same time we see that the situation is at a stalemate, and that politicians have not been able to find solutions that will benefit the people of both Palestine and Israel.
Invitation to peace March
This is the background for our invitation to women all over the world to participate in the International Human Rights March. The march is founded on the principles of non-violence and on the UN’s Human Rights, and will be accomplished in the spirit of M. Gandhi and M.L. King.
We will travel to the area and march through refugee camps, villages and cities in both countries. We will show the people of Palestine and Israel that they are not alone. We will sow the seeds of change, and hopefully give new energy to people on both sides.
We are invited to stay in the homes of Israeli and Palestinian women, and we will take part in their “thousands of conversations” about a different and better future. We will plant new olive trees where the old ones have been chopped down, thus contributing to the rebuilding of the region. By travelling to the region we will see the situation with new eyes and this will enable us to see new paths of co-operation and new projects in the aftermath of the march.
Appeal to establish National Committees Throughout the World
Together we can make an historical contribution to the future of the people of this war-torn region. Let’s do it!
In every country a national committee, working with the International Human Rights March, should be established. The job of this committee will be to recruit as many people as possible to take part in the project, and as many women as possible to participate in the actual march. The committee will also have to organise courses and discussion seminars so that participants are well prepared for and informed about the situation in the Middle East before going there. Practicalities such as flights also have to be organised.
The main committee in Norway will offer help in all ways possible in the process of preparing for the march, and also when the actual march is over. While we’re in the area, there will be co-operation between Israelis, Palestinians and international participants.
The situation in the area in June 2002 is extremely serious. If the situation has not changed by January, the march will be postponed. There will of course be extensive diplomatic work ahead of the march in order to ensure the safety of the participants.
We appeal to you to bring together people who are interested, and establish a national committee. Due to time pressure this has to be done as soon as possible. Time is short, and the success of the project depends on a large number of participants.
The main committee in Norway has suggestions for how to get started and a model for how to organise the work. We will gladly share it with you. It is especially important that you contact us as soon as the initiative to start has been taken. We also urge you to send this appeal to your own network.
Please send this letter and the information about the project to as many people as possible and ask them to pass it on to their networks. Our friends in Israel and Palestine are waiting for us.
For more information, please contact us or visit our website:
www.humanrightsmarch.org
by Torill Eide
Oslo, 2002 July 12.th 2002
The Main Committee of the International Human Rights March in Norway
The International Human Rights March
Tel: +47 23010342
Fax: +47 23010303
E-post: [email protected]