Released 2001

The Progressive Jewish Alliance views the developments of the past year in the Middle East with concern, anxiety and sadness. In evaluating the situation and prospects for the future,

The Progressive Jewish Alliance, an organization committed to peace, human rights and the State of Israel, is guided by the following principles:

We desire the secure existence and prosperity of the State of Israel and its future as the home of the Jewish people and as a democratic country for all its inhabitants;

We support the right of the Palestinian people to self–determination and nationhood.

We condemn the use of violence and the taking of human life for any purpose other than self–defense and are horrified by all forms of terrorism;

We believe that the inherent dignity and rights of all human beings call for ending the occupation of one people's territory by another people and for establishing lasting justice, peace and security in the Middle East;

We recognize that military strength alone cannot guarantee Israel's long–term security … Israelis cannot be secure in their homes and hopes as long as Palestinians are not secure in theirs;

We are apprehensive that the State of Israel's reliance on military action, as distinct from more conventional police methods, is distorting the traditional and historical values of the Jewish people.

Therefore, the Progressive Jewish Alliance firmly stands for:

1. Immediate implementation of the Mitchell Committee Recommendations for cease–fire, confidence building measures, return to meaningful negotiations and, ultimately, a just and peaceful two–state solution.
2. Immediate and unconditional cessation of barriers, roadblocks, house demolitions and similar measures in and around Palestinian towns and villages that interfere with the health, well being and dignity of the Palestinian people.
3. Acknowledgment that Jerusalem should be the capital of both the State of Israel and the future State of Palestine. Honest recognition that Jerusalem is, in fact, two cities is a key to a peaceful solution. Any gerrymandering, provocative acts or unilateral alteration of the city's boundaries must be avoided.
4. Recognition that, while the State of Israel will not grant a "Right of Return" to Palestinian refugees, Israelis should not claim the right to settle on land beyond the 1948/67 borders (the "Green Line"). Accordingly, Israel should: 

• Immediately implement a total halt of the expansion of existing, and of the construction of new, settlements in the territories occupied since 1967 (including the West Bank, the Gaza Strip and East–Jerusalem). 
• Make a commitment to withdraw, as soon as possible following the implementation an effective cease–fire, Israeli populations from the most provocative settlements (such as those in Hebron and the Gaza Strip).
• Create a plan for the gradual, realistically expeditious removal of most settlements with the understandings that:
• The evacuated settlements shall be part of the State of Israel's restitution/good will gesture to the Palestinian people;
• The settlers, who were encouraged to move to the settlements and supported by all prior Israeli governments, shall be fully compensated for their relocation; and
• In exchange for any Palestinian territory beyond the Green Line, the State of Israel will cede equivalent amounts of Israeli territory to the future State of Palestine.