Green Party Elders Statement

June 30, 2024

Green Party Elders Statement–Gaza Conflict Must End

        The latest ethnic cleansing in Palestine has been going on for more than eight months. Over 37,000 people, many of them women, children, and older people, have been slaughtered since the massive retaliation began on October 7, 2023, after the Hamas incursion into Israeli held territory.lIt is now long past time to end the genocide.

        Repression, apartheid, and ethnic cleansing began eighty-sevenyears ago, when Jewish refugees from the Soviet Union and Europe formed Zionist gangs to force Palestinians from their homeland. These notorious attacks on innocent civilians from 1937-1948 numbered in the dozens. Yes, after World War Two Jewish refugees were under the impression that they, as “the chosen people,” had the right to have their nation in the “Holy Land.” 

        We are not holding Hamas blameless. They too have broken international law by randomly firing rockets into civilian territory and taking civilian hostages on October 7. 

        We accuse the Israeli government as well as the United States government of its complicity in the conflict that has left Gaza in shambles and the people there at the point of starvation. The United States is also complicit in the ostentatious genocide.

        We remember the conflict in Vietnam when the United States government entered the Vietnamese civil war after the false reports on the Gulf of Tonkin incident. This ended up killing over 50,000 U.S. troops and hundreds of thousands if not millions of Vietnamese. We haven’t learned a lesson that building up a military presence and spending millions of dollars on the war machine is not the way to avoid or end a conflict. 

Recently the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) stated that “No more civilians should be killed or wounded by unlawful attacks, die from malnutrition and dehydration, and be deprived of access to medical care.”

        Therefore we demand: 

        The immediate halt to the unrelenting assault on Gaza by the Israeli Defense Force (IDF) and their removal from Gaza. 

        The immediate ending of the shelling of Israeli-held territory by Hamas. 

        The immediate opening of all border crossings for the free flow of humanitarian aid into Gaza. 

        The immediate release of all the remaining hostages held by Hamas and all the Palestinian “political prisoners” (many who are children under the age of eighteen without charges or fair trials) held by the Israeli government. 

         A United Nations commission to evaluate and assess the monetary loss of property in Gaza, so Israel can rebuild Gaza at its own expense. 

        That the Israeli government immediately tear down the walls in Gaza and the West Bank that seal off the Palestinians, as well as dismantle all “spy cameras” in both areas. 

        The immediate return of Palestinian property in the West Bank to its proper owners.

         A binding promise by the Palestinians and the Israeli government to  bring any disputes to the United Nations, rather than resorting to military violence.

        Lastly, we call for the immediate recognition of the state of Palestine by the remaining members of the United Nations who have not already recognized Palestine.

        Unfortunately, we understand that this won’t heal the deep wounds between Israel and the Palestinians, but it might be a beginning to peace in the area.

 In peace, The Green Party Elders Caucus 

Contact:
greenelders@gmail.com 

The Green Party Elders Forming Caucus has officially endorsed Jill Stein for the 2024 Green Party of the United States Presidential Nominee.

“Jill Stein has made it clear that issues which impact elders are a priority in her campaign” stated Jim Becklund, Co-Chair, Michigan. “This includes making Medicare a universal program and outlawing private insurance, implementing aging in place and individual care (including housing) for the elderly, and creating policies that will prohibit age discrimination for people of all ages.”

The Green Party Elders issued a questionnaire to all recognized candidates for the presidential nomination, followed by a decision-making period.  A unanimous decision was made to endorse Jill Stein.

Co-chair Jacqui Deveneau, Maine, states, “Jill Stein is a humanitarian and the only candidate inspiring hope for future generations, standing against genocide and wars, with policies that will end dependence on the fossil fuel industry, provide healthcare, housing and basic necessities for everyone, elimination of barriers in education and employment opportunities and uniting the oppressed communities.  We encourage members of all state Green Parties to identify Jill Stein as their preference for the GPUS nomination.

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The Green Party Elders advocate for the celebration and use of the foundational roots of the GPUS: Ecology, Equality, Democracy and Peace in our work.  The Green Party Elders strive to bring the many years of Green Party activism and life experiences of its members to bear on the critical struggles facing us today in our party, our nation, and our world.

More information:

Jim Becklund, Co-Chair and Jacqui Devenau, Co-Chair, Co-Founder

greenelders@gmail.com 

Green Party Elders Caucus

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