Jews Against the Occupation

Jews Against the Occupation (JATO) describes itself as "an organization of progressive, secular and religious Jews of all ages throughout the New York City area advocating peace through justice for Palestine and Israel" http://www.jatonyc.org/ and the removal of the Israeli West Bank barrier, which they refer to as the "Apartheid Wall."

Related Topics:
Jew - New York City - Palestine - Israel - Israeli West Bank barrier

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The organization seeks unity with the Palestinian people by promoting human bonds that transcend religious, ethnic, and political divisions. There are six major planks in their platform; opposition to:

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• Israeli occupation of Palestinian lands,
• Israeli military aggression and police brutality,
• U.S. foreign aid to Israel,
• Israeli economic strangulation of Palestinian society,
• Exclusion of Palestinians from their ancestral homes,
• Censorship of anti-Israeli political speech under pretext of accusations of anti-Semitism.

The group has been widely criticized by mainstream Jewish organizations. According to Wayne Firestone, the director of the Israel on Campus Coalition, an umbrella group for 26 Jewish organizations, "Anyone who is a critic whose intention is to legitimately strengthen an Israel living in secure and recognized boundaries is a legitimate critic. The problem with the position taken by a lot of these organizations is that they only seek to condemn Israel." http://www.jewishsf.com/content/2-0-/module/displaystory/story_id/1184/edition_id/11/format/html/displaystory.html

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Jews Against the Occupation: Selected quotes ►