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| Peace | Euthanasia | |||
Gush Shalom, an Israeli nonpartisan and extra-parliamentary grass roots movement whose aim is to influence public opinion, has published the text of a proposed Peace Agreement in a full-page ad in Haaretz - a daily news paper in Israel.
Introduction:
"Now, more than at any other time, the struggle for peace must not stop. The following declaration of principles is a proposal for joint Israeli-Palestinian discussion. It should not be considered a take-it-or-leave-it proposition. We went into details in order to express our conviction that all the issues at stake Ð the components of the conflict Ð can be resolved. Not by diktats, not by an overbearing master-and-servant attitude, but by negotiations between equals. The government and the army leadership are leading us into a hell of blood and fire. We call upon all peace-seekers in Israel to unite for the future of the two peoples of this country, Jewish Israelis and Palestinian Arabs.
The country has given birth to us as twins."
Peace Agreement (Draft Proposal)
Between the State of Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization, the Representative of the Palestinian People.
Whereas both parties wish to end the historical conflict between them, establish peace and bring about a historical conciliation between the two nations, And whereas both parties wish to base the peace on the principles of self-determination, mutual respect, justice and equality, And whereas both parties acknowledge the principle of "two states for two nations", And whereas both parties accept UN resolutions 242, 338 and 194 as the basis for a solution and regard the implementation of the agreement below as the full realization of these resolutions, It is agreed by both parties:
Section
1: The End of the Occupation.
Within one year, the Israeli occupation, in all its manifestations
and functions, in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, including Arab
East Jerusalem, will come to an end.
Section
2: The State of Palestine.
Within one year, the independent and sovereign State of Palestine
will be established on the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, including
Arab East Jerusalem, the part of the Dead Sea that borders the Palestinian
shore and the territorial waters of the Gaza Strip.
Section
3: Borders
The border between the State of Israel and the State of Palestine
will be the cease-fire lines as they existed on June 4th 1967 (hereinafter:
the Green Line), unless stipulated otherwise in this agreement. The
State of Palestine will have full sovereign control of all its border
crossings on land, sea and air. Both parties wish that the border
between them should be open, with unrestricted passage of people and
goods, within the framework of the economic and border-passing arrangements
to be agreed upon by the parties.
Section
4: Jerusalem.
Both parties acknowledge the uniqueness of the City of Jerusalem and
declare their intention to preserve it as a single urban unit, open
to all. The Arab neighborhoods of the city, according to the map attached,
will be an integral part of the State of Palestine and will serve
as its capital. These areas of the city will be connected to each
other and to the State of Palestine as a single, continuous, territorial
entity. The Jewish neighborhoods of the city, according to the map
attached, will be an integral part of the State of Israel and will
serve as its capital. These areas of the city will be connected to
each other and to the State of Israel as a single, continuous, territorial
entity. The Jewish quarter of the Old City will be part of the State
of Israel and will be attached to its territory. The Muslim, Christian
and Armenian quarters of the Old City will be part of the State of
Palestine. There will be no barriers or obstacles preventing unrestricted
passage between the two parts of the City. Both parties will establish
border checkpoints, if they so decide, at the entrances/exits of the
City. The municipality of the Palestinian Jerusalem and the municipality
of the Israeli Jerusalem will establish a joint council, based on
the principle of equality, to manage the shared municipal services.
The council will be headed by the chairman of the council and his/her
deputy, one of whom will be Israeli and the other Palestinian. They
will rotate their positions after two years. The first assignment
will be determined by lot.
Section
5: Holy Sites.
Both parties acknowledge the uniqueness of the Holy Sites and their
importance to the believers of the three monotheistic religions. The
area of the Haram al-Sharif (Temple Mount) will be part of the State
of Palestine. The Western Wall (the part also called "the Wailing
Wall") will be part of the State of Israel. All archeological or other
excavations in the area of the Haram al-Sharif (the Temple Mount),
the Western Wall or in their immediate vicinity shall be undertaken
by mutual consent.
Section
6: Exchange of Territory.
Exchange of territories can be effected by agreement between both
parties.
Section
7: Extraterritorial Roads.
A highway will be constructed between the West Bank and the Gaza Strip
and it will belong to the State of Palestine. The highway will not
be connected to the Israeli road network at any point and will pass
either above or below it.
Section
8: Security.
Both parties have the right to national and personal security. Both
parties renounce the use of force and the threat of force against
each other. Both parties undertake to combat terrorism and terrorist
initiatives organized in one state against the other, its residents
and institutions. Both parties undertake to prevent the entry of any
foreign military force into their territories. Any contravention of
this section by either state will grant the other state the right
to take any measures required for self-defense. The State of Palestine
undertakes to refrain from arming itself with heavy offensive weapons
for 25 years. This obligation will become void if peace treaties are
signed between Israel and the Arab states. Both parties will come
to an agreement regarding the usage of each other's air space.
Section
9: The Settlements.
Residents of the settlements located in territory that is to become
part of the State of Palestine will be evacuated from the territory
before the end of the Israeli occupation. The settlements will be
transferred intact to the Palestinian authorities, without any damage
inflicted on buildings or other immovable property. The property evacuated
by the settlers will be considered part of Israel's contribution to
the rehabilitation of the Palestinian refugees (as specified heretofore
in section 11.)
Section
10: Water.
The water resources of the entire land between the river Jordan and
the Mediterranean belong to both parties. A Supreme Israeli-Palestinian
Committee will be appointed and will be responsible for water resources
and distribution. Water will be allocated justly and equally, on the
basis of the numerical proportion of residents in both states. Both
parties will cooperate in projects for the development of additional
water resources, such as desalination of sea-water.
Section
11: Refugees.
Both parties agree that the human tragedy of the Palestinians must
be resolved by a moral, just, practicable and agreed-upon solution
that takes into consideration the character and essential needs of
the two states. Israel acknowledges its central responsibility for
the creation of this tragedy during the course of the wars of 1948
and 1967. Both parties will establish a "truth commission" of historians
- Israeli, Palestinian and international - that will examine the precise
causes that lead to the creation of the problem in all its aspects,
and will issue an objective, conclusive report within three years.
This report will be incorporated into the schoolbooks of both states.
Israel acknowledges the principle of the Right of Return as a basic
human right. According to this right, every refugee will be accorded
the choice between compensation and permanent settlement in another
country, return to the State of Palestine or return to Israeli territory,
according to the following principles: (1) In order to heal the historical
wound and as an act of justice, Israel will allow the return into
its territory of a certain number of refugees, which will be decided
by agreement. The returnees will be allowed back under a reasonable
annual quota within a time limit not exceeding 10 years. (2) A generous
level of compensation will be determined for each refugee for property
that remained in Israel, loss of opportunities, etc. The compensation
will be paid by an international fund. Israel will contribute an appropriate
portion to this fund, taking into account the value of Palestinian
property that remained in Israel. (3) Israel will use its influence
with the international fund so that the Palestinian state will be
enabled to absorb refugees who chose to return to it, as well as refugees
currently residing in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, by providing
suitable housing and employment opportunities.
Section
12: Implementation of UN Resolutions.
Upon full implementation of sections 1 to 9, both parties will present
a formal joint statement to the UN Security Council, declaring that
both parties consider resolutions 242 and 338 fully realized. Upon
full implementation of section 11, both parties will present a declaration
to the UN that resolution 194 has been realized Section 13: Differences
of Opinion. An agreed-upon international committee will monitor the
implementation of this agreement and act as arbitrator in the case
of differences of opinion. Section 14: End of the Conflict. Full implementation
of this agreement will constitute the end of the conflict between
Israel and Palestine.
Letters of support, remarks and contributions to pay for this advertisement to: Gush Shalom, P.O.Box 3322, Tel-Aviv 61033, Israel, Phone 972-(0)3-5221732, info@gush-shalom.org
further details www.gush-shalom.org
The Old Man and his Garden
Thoughts regarding Euthanasia.
Note:
Since Euthanasia is too wide of a subject to be addressed within a
short frame work such as this essay, it is therefor limited to the
following definition:
Euthanasia: "Execution of one's will to terminate one's own life,
at the time and place and by the means one chooses to".
The Old Eskimos, when they know it's time, dine with their family
in the evening.
Once dinner is over, they leave the Igloo never to come back, freezing
to death in the eternal snow.
Living with Pride, Dying in Shame.
My neighbor Ino, is of an Italian origin.
Born in Rome to a Jewish family, he was a Partisan during the 2nd
world war, and has immigrated to Israel in 1947, becoming a witness
to the struggles, the failures and the successes of this country and
his generation for the last 50 years.
10 years ago, when I first came to live in my new house, I watched
with admiration how Ino, who was 74 years old at the time, was taking
care of himself and his surroundings.
Ino used to grow in his garden the most wonderful flowers, herbs and
Basil plants, enriching my view at day and my Pastas at night.
Every morning, after Ino had his morning shower and shave, we used
to meet at his garden to discuss world events while picking the best
green onion for my morning salad.
Ino never married, and we had many debates regarding the matter -
marriage versus living alone without a companion. Ino was the epitome
of a person who, although living alone and being old, carried himself
with pride and dignity.
Three years ago in the dead of winter, Ino had some lungs problems
and was admitted to the hospital. Two weeks later, when Ino returned,
he was a changed man, a different person. After one more week of absence
from our morning encounters, Ino finally came to his garden, and told
me of the terrible time and of the painful events he had to go through
while staying at the hospital.
He told me of the nurses who would only change his sheets once a week.
He told me how they would not bother to clean him properly, splashing
some water over his body once in three days, and how he felt like
a pitiful baby - a feeling he never had in his life - living proudly
as a human being.
Whose life is it, Any way?
In old Greece, when Socrates knew his time has come, he summoned all
his friends, pupils and relatives, to a last farewell dinner party.
That night, after all have drunk and eaten, Socrates went to his room,
took a poisonous potion, and died peacefully in his bed.
In the old days, a person's body belonged to the person himself, not
to God.
It is only now, since Religion has gained so much power and influence,
that the sovereignty over one's body has been taken away from one's
hands, and given to the state - under the welcoming eyes and bank
accounts of the Religious establishment, who in Israel and in other
countries as well has a domineering status over the ruling government.
People with religious background tend to think that it is God who
gives life, thus it is God who should take that life away.
They may be right, but shouldn't this kind of decision be subjective?
Shouldn't a person have the power and control over his own death,
being able to choose when and how to end 'the journey'?
Quality Verses. Quantity.
"More is never Enough" - David Bowie.
There is a tendency in modern society to substitute quality by quantity.
We live by the false promise that since the self is the most important
thing in the Western Ego-centered world, that self should be pampered
- by material things, the more the better, and for the longest time
possible. But is it really to the benefit of the old person, to have
his life extended at all costs, losing all dignity and self-respect
in the process? Most old people, if asked, would prefer to terminate
their life before they are put at the mercy of an army of enthusiastic
doctors, armed with artificial and medical devises, and financed by
the state medical insurance.
A while ago, a friend of mine was visiting her grandmother, who was
hospitalized in a state of coma, and was kept alive through a lung
and heart machine. After my friend told me of her grandmother, lying
unconsciously in the hospital with tubes and pipes probing in and
out of her body, I asked her if she thinks there was any kind of benefit
to her grandmother - being kept alive this way, not responding or
recognizing any beloved person of her past. My friend response was
she did not care - it was important for her to see and stay next to
her grandmother - as much as she could, and the more - the better.
The Next World.
Even though the idea of 'The Next World' was initiated and implemented
onto the public cognition by religious leaders, who took this idea
and presented it as if it was a prize given only to true believers,
perhaps belief in such idea could make departing from loved ones easier.
Hence on the sociological level it would assist the idea of Euthanasia,
the idea of providing a person with the possibility of deciding when
to end it all - since he will be back in the next world.
But is it not the mere idea of Death, of confronting with it, that
is the main issue disabling mankind from taking full responsibility
over Death?
Hence the welcome surrender to the religious attitude - "let God decide,
not the person".
The main issue is not the next world, but this world.
Ino, since his return from the hospital, is obsessed with one idea:
How to die peacefully.
But the hypocrisy of the general public, backed by the medical and
the religious establishment, is preventing him from taking his own
life.
When one grows old, ironically one becomes afraid of death.
When Ino learned of a book named: "One Hundred Ways of Suicide",
he asked me to try and buy this book over the Internet, since it was
not available in Hebrew. Although this book was well known, not one
store had it in stock, as if it never existed!
The Amorphic Principal.
In Nature, the direction and the natural course of events is towards
decay and disorder, i.e. Death. We never get to see a broken glass
springs back from the floor to become the glass we had a moment ago
in our hands, drinking water from it.
The flowers in our garden will only survive if we irrigate them, while
disposing of bad weeds surrounding them. When we live and flourish
in our society, we negate the Amorphic Principal, creating a surrounding
neighborhood which we tend to believe as a better one, a protective
one for us. We try to find cures to all illnesses. We try to find
the fountain of youth, going through long and expensive genetic researches.
But we can't really win. We all must die.
Eventually, Mankind has to suffice to the Amorphic Principal, like
all other animals do. Ino, at the end of his life, is surrendering
to the Amorphic Principal, by professing his Death Wish to me. But
Ironically, some of our most enriching and wonderful conversations
took place after his return from the hospital, making me think how
unfortunate and sad it could have been if Ino was not around. So perhaps
after all, the decision whether one should be responsible for one's
death is not so easy, witnessing some of the conflicts over this issue.
Or is it society itself that has taken mankind away from sovereignty
over our own life and death, while disabling us from clear comprehension
of the facts regarding this matter?
Conclusion.
Mankind refuses to confront and comprehend the issue of death. We
regard our life and the people close to us as immortal. Since Religion
and religious leaders have confiscated control over life from mankind,
one never regards Death as a close companion. If mankind would regard
death as a homogenous part of life, conflicts and decisions regarding
this issue may be easier to comprehend and execute. Perhaps it would
be wise if we recall what Goethe - the great German poet - has once
said: "Death is the shadow behind our shoulder".
To be continued...
Written
by Micha Kovler, 2000
For permission to use this article other than private use please contact
Micha Kovler