Asian People's Solidarity For Palestine Announces

05 October, 2010

500 civil resisters from 17 Asian countries will join the caravan from India and march through 18 Asian cities of Pakistan, Iran, and Turkey to break the siege of Gaza through the sea route in December 2010

The  Asia to Gaza Solidarity Caravan  is being organised by the  Asian People's Solidarity for Palestine , an alliance of peoples' organisations, social movements, trade unions, and civil society institutions of Asia. This struggle is broad-based, varied and multi-dimensional. It is humanitarian and for peace, freedom and  human dignity . It is against occupation, imperialism, apartheid, Zionism  and all forms of discrimination including religious discrimination .  Simultaneous press conferences are being held in 5 countries today – India, Turkey, Iran, Indonesia and Lebanon – to announce the launch of the Asia to Gaza Caravan.  Similar press conferences will be held next week in Syria, Palestine, Malysia, Nepal and Bangladesh.

The Asian People's Solidarity for Palestine extends solidarity to the courageous people of Palestine in their struggle, resistance, and intifada against the Zionist Israeli occupation and affirms its commitment to Palestinian Self-Determination; Ending the Occupation; Equal Rights for All within historic Palestine; the Right of Return for Palestinian refugees; and the Establishment of a Sovereign, Independent and Democratic state of Palestine with Jerusalem as the capital.

The Asian People's Solidarity for Palestine commits to build the solidarity of Asian people for the freedom of Palestine, provide materials, resources, and volunteers to support the struggle of the people of Palestine and oppose our own governments' decisions and actions that give economic, financial, military and diplomatic support to Israel and allow it to behave with impunity.

India Lifeline to Gaza , which is a constituent of the Asian People's Solidarity for Palestine will have a conference and a large flag off programme in New Delhi on 2nd December 2010. The Caravan will carry relief material for the people of Gaza. The Asia to Gaza Caravan will cross into Pakistan via the Wagah border where members of the Pakistan Solidarity for Gaza will join the Caravan onwards to Iran. In every country and city that the caravan travels through, public meetings will be organised as more activists and participants join the caravan.  We also support  the United Palestinian call of July 2005 for Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) to compel Israel to comply with international law; the Palestinian Campaign for Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (PACBI); and all other initiatives to end the occupation of Palestine.

TENTATIVE CARAVAN SCHEDULE
01 Dec	Participants from East and South East Asia reach New Delhi, India	15-17 Dec	Tabriz , Iran to Eskandarun, Turkey
2-3 Dec	Flag off from New Delhi  and travel to Wagah border, India-Pakistan Border	18-19 Dec	Eskandarun , Turkey to Damascus, Syria
04 Dec	Reach Lahore, Pakistan	20-21 Dec	Damascus , Syria to Amman Jordan
5-7 Dec	Lahore  to Karachi/Quetta, Pakistan	22-23 Dec	Amman , Jordan to Beirut Lebanon
08 Dec	Karachi/Quetta, Pakistan to Zahedan, Iran	24-26 Dec	Beirut  back to Turkey
9-14 Dec	Zahedan, Iran to Tabriz, Iran	26 Dec	We Sail for Gaza (Palestine)

Peaceful Resistance

The civil resisters have resolved to resist the Israeli sea siege in a peaceful manner and following the example of civil resisters such as Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King Jr., and Nelson Mandela as well as the long tradition of peaceful resistance from all ethical and religious traditions. The civil resisters are willing to be convicted for their peaceful resistance.

India  Lifeline to Gaza

This process has been initiated by Indian people's movements, social movements, trade unions, civil society organisations and multi-faith and ecumenical organisations. In the two months prior to departure of the Asia to Gaza caravan there will be multi-city programmes in solidarity of the people of Gaza and Palestine. Film festivals of Palestinian films and films of resistance, music concerts, photo exhibits, and theatre productions are being organised by the supporters of the people of Gaza and Palestine.

Palestinian Film Festival: Celebrating Cultures of Resistance

A week-long film festival screening Palestinian films and documentaries is being planned across several cities of India in the last week of October (tentatively 23-30 October). Several other initiatives such as solidarity concerts, theatrical performances, photo exhibits, panel discussions and seminars will also be planned in the days leading up to the flag-off of the Caravan. 

End the Siege of Gaza • Freedom to Palestine • Boycott Israel

Endorsed by:

[

Organisations

All India Students Association

Aman Bharat

Asha Parivar

Awami Bharat

Ayodhya Ki Awaaz

Bahujan Sewak Sangh

Banglar Manabadhikar Suraksha Mancha

Bharat Bachao Andolan

Bharat Jan Vigyan Jatha

Campaign for Peace & Democracy (Manipur)

Chhattisgarh Mukti Morcha (Mazdoor Karyakarta Committee)

CPI(ML)

CPI-ML (New Democracy)

Forum against Oppression of Women

Free Gaza - India

Global Gandhi Forum

Hard News

Indian Isladhi Movement

India Palestine People's Solidarity Forum

Indian Fed of Trade Unions

Insaaniyat

Intercultural Resources

Jamiat-i-Ulema-i-Hind

Jamat-e-Islami-Hind

Le Monde Diplomatique

Loknaad

Mahatma Phule-Dr Ambedkar Vichar Manch

Mazdoor Ekta Manch

Muslim Intellectual Forum

Muslim Political Council of India

National Association of Peoples Movements

National Forum of Forest People and Forest Workers

New Socialist Initiative

New Trade Union Initiative

Palestine  Solidarity Movement

People's Union for Civil Liberties

Phule-Ambedkar Vichar Manch

Programme against Custodial Torture and Impunity

Progressive Students Union

Republican Panther

Saheli Women's Resource Centre

Sarva Seva Sangh

Solidarity Youth Movement

South Asia Peace Alliance

South Asian Network of Gender Activists and Trainers

Students Islamic Organisation of India

Trade Union Centre of India

Teesra Swadheenta Andolan

Vidyarthi Bharti

Yuva Koshish

All India Majlis-i-Mushawarrat

Individuals:

Achin Vanaik

Agdish Nagarkar

Ambarish Rai

Amol Madame

Amit Sengupta

Anand Grover

Anand Patwardhan

Anand Swaroop Verma

Anil Chaudhary

Arif Kapadia

Ashish Kothari

Asif Khan

Aslam Ghazi

Bajrang Sonawane

Brig. Sudhir Sawant

Chetna Birje

Dr Sunilam

Ghazala Azad

Gopal Rai

Ihtishaam Ansari

Jai Sen

Javed Naqvi

Kabir Arora

Kalyani Menon-Sen, New Delhi

Khalid Riaz

Medha Patkar

Mehmood Madni

Mukta Srivastava

Mukul Sinha

Mulniwasi Mala

Munawwar Azad

Munawwar Khan

Pandit Jugal Kishore Shastri

Qurratulain Sundus

Reshma  Jagtap

Ritu Menon

Rohini Hensman

Salman Usmani

Sandeep Pandey

Sanjay Shinde

Savyasaachi

Sayeed Khan

Sayeeda Hameed

Shabnam Hashmi

Shahid Siddiqui

Sheikh Muhammad Hussain

Shyam Sonar

Sudhir Dhawale

Sumi Saikia

Syed Iftikhar Ahed

Thomas Matthew

Tusha Mittal

Varsha V V

Vasanthi Raman

Vilas Gaikwad

Winnie Thomas

Yawar Ali Qazi

-- 
India Lifeline to Gaza c/o ICR 33-D, 3rd Floor Vijay Mandal Enclave
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New Delhi, 110016 Email:  asiatogaza.india@gmail.com We b site:  http://www.asiatogaza.net/ Phone: 09711178868; 09911599955; 09820897517

Asian People's Solidarity For Palestine Announces The Asia To Gaza Solidarity Caravan

Peace caravan

Civil activists raise free Gaza slogans at the Mahatma Gandhi memorial in New Delhi, Thursday. About 50 civil activists from India began their journey to Gaza as part of the first Asia to Gaza Solidarity Caravan. The caravan plans to travel across Pakistan, Turkey, Syria, Lebanon and Egypt to reach Palestine to express solidarity with the people of Palestine in their resistance against Israel.


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India’s Misunderstood Israel Policy

India’s president caused a political storm in Damascus with her comments on a Palestinian state. It’s a storm in a teacup.

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Indian President Pratibha Patil caused a minor political earthquake in Damascus recently when she weighed in on Middle East politics. Patil's comments, including remarks that were perceived as criticism of Israeli policies and an endorsement of an undivided Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital, jolted those who had thought they understood India to be a stalwart friend of Israel.
But those concerned should rest easy. After all, Patil's comments fall squarely in line with longstanding positions held by successive Indian governments, meaning the relationship between Jerusalem and New Delhi actually remains untarnished. The reality is that it’s the nuances of the India-Israel relationship that are being misunderstood by Israel's supporters in the West.
Headlines in several Israeli publications have screamed that Patil had called for Israel to return the Golan Heights—a strategically significant plateau seized by Israel in 1967—to Syria. However, a careful reading of media reporting on what was said during the state dinner Syrian President Bashar al-Assad threw in her honour reveals something altogether different.
In his opening address, Assad delivered remarks of the type usually associated with such events—copious amounts of Israel bashing. But he also said he hoped that India, soon to take up a rotational seat on the UN Security Council, will support Syrian goals including a return of the Golan Heights. The floor now hers, Patil responded with a typical thank you and acknowledgement speech, in the course of which she gave the standard Indian External Affairs Ministry position on the Arab-Israeli conflict. She said that India supported a negotiated solution that would result in a sovereign, independent, viable and united Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital, living within secure and recognized borders, side by side and at peace with Israel.
As far as India's upcoming turn on the Security Council, Patil stressed that India hoped ‘to work closely with other Member States for a balanced approach to peace and security issues,’ as reported by The Hindu, India's second-largest English-language daily. Patil also reportedly said that India supported the Saudi peace plan under which Israel would withdraw to pre-1967 borders and that the state of Palestine would be established, but that this would have to be accompanied by recognition of Israel.

The fact is that none of these comments is news, and as far as parsing the record goes, it was only Assad who discussed the Golan Heights. That said, its return is indeed supported by India, which views the situation through the prism of its own experience. Today, China still occupies Indian territory as a result of the 1962 Sino-Indian War. If India is to ever retrieve that land, New Delhi
believes it can’t turn a blind eye to other states in similar situations—especially ones in the Middle East, where it can’t afford to cede influence to a neighbour that is increasingly seen by many as a direct diplomatic and economic competitor.
Broadly speaking, although India enjoys commercial ties with Israel, especially in the fields of defence and counter-terrorism, it essentially views itself as a regional power. And the region it wants to influence is dominated by Muslims—from Egypt to Iran. In addition, India’s ruling Congress Party and the External Affairs Ministry are also exceedingly sensitive to what they consider to be the feelings of India's own 150-million-strong Muslim population.
As a result, while India can be expected to pursue bilateral ties with Israel, its regional approach will always employ rhetoric that pleases the Arab states and Iran. President Patil's comments should therefore be understood in this light—they were nothing more than that.
Jim Colbert is Policy Director at the Jewish Institute for National Security Affairs (JINSA) and Deputy Editor of The Journal of International Security Affairs.
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