4-04-05, 9:44 am

A Palestinian State - Now! A statement by the Communist Party of Israel

Sharon is well aware of both the Israeli public's weariness of the occupation and the pressure of national and international public opinion to leave the Occupied Territories. But instead of a mutual Israeli-Palestinian agreement he has opted for his 'disengagement plan'.

Let us examine this 'disengagement': Is it a peace plan? Does it include a total withdrawal from all the territories occupied since 1967? Does it include the establishment of an independent Palestinian State - the necessary condition for a stable, viable and just peace agreement between the two peoples, Israeli and Palestinian?

Since the answer to all these questions is a resounding NO, it turns out that 'disengagement' is nothing but Sharon's way of preventing a just and stable peace based on withdrawal from all territories occupied in 1967 and the establishment of an independent Palestinian state alongside Israel.

Those who support Sharon's policies and have joined his government; those abroad who support him and hold press-conferences on the White House lawn; or those who provide him with a 'safety net' and are even willing to demonstrate in support of his program - are all aiding this compulsive obstructer of peace.

We must present a real alternative to Sharon. The defiant peace camp must - and can - offer an alternative that is not dependent on Bush's favors or on Peres' caprices. And the real alternative is -

A Palestinian State alongside Israel - Now!