Q: I have heard of other Jewish American peace groups. What makes JVP different?

A: In JVP, our Jewish ethics guide us to a belief that Israeli Jews and Palestinian Arabs are of equal importance and deserve equal rights. Unlike other Jewish peace groups, we support the rights of Palestinians and Israelis equally, but keep our focus squarely on American involvement and on international law and universal principles of human rights. JVP was the first major Jewish peace group to demand that American military aid be withheld until Israel ends its occupation.

In our view, we must advocate not only for peace and justice, but for concrete steps that will bring about that future as well.

JVP embraces progressive Jews of all different levels of religious belief and a wide range of views on the Israel-Palestine conflict. We pitch the widest possible tent, on many levels, and have a unique ability to connect with mainstream Americans, mainstream Jews and peace activists, as well as Muslim, Arab and Christian groups.

Q: Aren’t you supporting terrorists who attack and kill your own people?

A: Quite the opposite. We call all attacks on civilians, whether against Palestinians in Jenin or Israelis in Tel Aviv, what they are—war crimes. We maintain that American and Israeli policies have served to sustain the violence throughout the region. That is why we work so hard to change those policies.

Recent history has shown that when Palestinians have hope for the future, support for groups that engage in violence plummets. The occupation, now more violent than ever, creates the fertile ground from which suicide bombers develop. We contend that it is we, not those who support only one side unequivocally, who are truly working to end terrorism in all its forms.

Q: Are you Zionist, anti-Zionist, post-Zionist or something else?

A: JVP is an organization with a wide spectrum of ideological diversity. Our members hold a wide variety of views on many issues involved in the Israel-Palestine conflict. This diversity has been a great source of strength for JVP. The organization welcomes people from many different political points of view, asking only that they hold to our core principles. Those political points of connection include the following:

• We are committed to an end to the Occupation of the West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem. We see ending the Occupation as the beginning, not the end, of peace between Israelis and Palestinians.
• The root of ending the Occupation is here in the United States, not in Israel, and we work for an end to US military aid to Israel until the Occupation ends.
• Interest groups within the United States, such as the Christian Zionist lobby, the arms and aerospace industry lobbies, and right-leaning Jewish organizations, have a vested interest in maintaining the Occupation. But since the Occupation threatens the peace and security of the Middle East, the true interests of the United States, as well as those of Palestinians and Israelis, lie in ending the Occupation.
• We support a solution to the Palestinian refugee crisis that will also preserve the right of the Israeli people to self-determination. International law calls for the rights of nations to self-determination and a right of return for all refugees. We believe these two important principles of international law must be balanced to find a workable and just resolution to this long-time crisis.
• We firmly state that it is not anti-Semitic to criticize the policies of the government of the State of Israel or the policies of the Jewish establishment in the US. But we also believe that actual anti-Semitism is alive and well and is mostly misunderstood both on the left and in the mainstream.
• We stand against all violence against civilians. We believe that the Occupation is the root cause of the violence, and that the Occupation itself, with its checkpoints, harassment, and dispossession of Palestinians is itself an act of violence. We believe that all attacks on civilians, whether by the Israeli army or Palestinian militias, are war crimes.
• We believe that when the Occupation ends, it will then become possible to consider all the different ideas for a permanent and sustainable peace in the Middle East. We believe that an open dialogue that includes all different formulations of such a permanent solution are legitimate, as long as they each respect the individual and collective rights of both Israelis and Palestinians.

Q: How can I get involved?

A: You can start by joining Jewish Voice for Peace. Becoming a member is easy. You can join by donating right here by credit or by sending a check to the address at the bottom of the page. The more you give, the more you can support the work we are doing. You can also subscribe to our monthly newsletter, our daily news service, Jewish Peace News, and our action alerts.Tell us where you are, and we can refer you to a JVP chapter in yourarea or to one of our many allies throughout the United States and theworld who are engaged in the same work we are. Anything you can do willbe greatly appreciated, and will go a long way toward helping thebesieged people of the Middle East.

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