EQUAL RIGHTS FOR ALL: A NEW PATH FOR ISRAEL-PALESTINE?

EQUAL RIGHTS FOR ALL: A NEW PATH FOR ISRAEL-PALESTINE?
A Two-Day International Conference Birkbeck, University of London
Independent Jewish Voices in collaboration with the Bruno Kreisky Forum for International Dialogue

The failure of the Kerry peace plan, the devastating bombardment of Gaza in July and August 2014, and the annexation by Israel of more land in the West Bank have delivered another setback to both the prospect of Palestinian statehood and an end to the Israel-Palestine conflict. More broadly, 47 years of military occupation have denied the Palestinians inhabiting these territories almost every basic civil and human right. It is time therefore for an objective appraisal of the reality of life for Palestinians, a thorough understanding of the nature of the Israeli-controlled military and civil regime that prevails in the entire Israel-Palestine area, and a recognition that there will be no solution that can secure the viability of a peaceful life for Israelis and Palestinians unless it is grounded in the principles of universal human rights and international law. Shifting attention from discussions focused solely on a one-or-two-state agreement, the fundamental question this Conference seeks to address is how to achieve equal rights for all who live in Palestine-Israel.
In pursuit of these objectives, the conference will also aim to highlight the real impact of occupation and ask how it may be brought to an end; seek to facilitate co-operation between Palestinians and like-minded Israeli Jews; and issue a rallying call for the international community. AIMS
The aims of the conference are:
 To help shift the debate from externally imposed or brokered state-centric solutions to the building of a new campaign in Palestine-Israel and internationally to achieve full civil and political rights.
 To provide a forum for like-minded Israeli Jews and Palestinians in Israel and the occupied territories, as well as their diasporic supporters, to engage in discussion of this new approach, with the participation of sympathetic politicians, policy-makers, think tank experts, activists and media.
 To provide a new focus of activity for activists outside of Palestine-Israel, which would lead to building new and more powerful and united coalitions within the activist communities and especially among concerned groups and individuals in the Jewish and Palestinian diasporas.