[rohrpost] =?utf-8?Q?Fw:_=D7=94=D7=A2=D7=91=D7=A8=D7=94:_statement_-

----- Original Message -----

Sent: Friday, October 20, 2000 2:00 AM

Subject: העברה: statement - Nazareth

Dear friend

Statement of the Arab Cultural Association

No individual , organiztion , or other body, regardless of their interest, political positions or location can remain silent on what has happened, is happning or will happen to the palestinian people.

Thus, the Arab Cultural Association (ACA), established as a response to efforts to exterminate a peoples memory, demands and dreams, feels obliged to release this announcment to all bodies and media outlets that cooperate with or have any connection to us.

It is our duty towards the truth to tell it as it is,as its historical background is not respected, and since the images broadcast in the US and through media giants are balanced through the theories of Israeli security . on this basis the killing of an innocent 12-year-old boy is converted into someone that threatens Israeli security.

The ACA realizes that in the past ten days we have lived through our frustration with the situation here, the denial of our identity,and the fear existence . If we have managed to live through the past ten days, the lessons and feelings will remain . The Jerusalem Intifada has proved that the cause of the palestinian national minority is not a matter of rights and duties but a matter of identity and

a people's existence.

The poor, the unemployed, and the citizens of a democratic state should not be dealt with using bullets . Only the enemies of a state are dealt with in this way.

And without exaggeration, the police and army of this state, with the approval of the Internal Security Minister - the enlightened prof. Ben-Ami- attacked the the plasetinian citizens of the state, of whom 90% voted for his govermment , with open fire. The mini-war launched turned into a massacre when it was faced with an unarmed population. Therefore, in order to not repeat the present realities there are lessons that must be learned .

1- Everyone must understand that before being citizens of the state we are a national minority .

2- Citizenship has certian requirements that this state dose not recognize.

Thus, the state with its institution, policies and symbols dose not recognize us as citizens and dose not treat us on that basis .We are the orphans of history and are excluded from geography. Through the state's eyes we are only individuals that time has forgotten to destroy. As we have grown our burden has increased to the point that the state decided to teach usa lesson that we should not and will not forget.

3- we have not learned the state lesson because it is ignorant to historical information , racist and endlessly repeating that the only language understood by Arabs is the "language of force". Then this author discovered that there are people who still believe and that the lesson must be addressed to him in order to let him know that the people can only bear the oppression to a certain limit before they are forced to speak their mind .

4- Regarding international opinion,especially Westren, they must not remain silent on the oppression and neglect faced by the Palestinian minority and their treatment as absentees, even though our absence is dominant in our present .

5- the state with its institutions , policies and symbols must redefine its relationship with the Palestinians first as a national minority and then as citizens of state. To make this possible the state of Israel must redefine that nature of its democracy.

6- Palestinian NGOs that work to empower the Palestinian people and enhance their feeling of belonging and pride must work towards the redefinition of Israeli democracy and democratic institutions within Palestinian society. We must work to intensify the efforts of coordination between us the strengthening of our international networks .

We do not want the massacre to be repeated and in order to guarantee this we must come to the realization that this massacre will start a new era.

- for some pictures look == http:\\www.fasl-almaqal.com

number 209 6/10/00 - 210 13/10/00

Samira Khnanh - ACA

Nazareth