Dear friends,

Please regard this letter as written by a very young person to his parents, for, in many ways, this is the relationship between the young State of Israel, and the Jewish people.

The state of Israel was created for and by the Jewish people. It was created in order to protect and shelter the Jewish people, Tortured by 2000 years of in the Diaspora.

Thus, the state of Israel must be a source of great pride and hope for Israelis and the entire Jewish world, alike .

We realize that you are profoundly involved with the situation in Israel. As leaders and prominent figures in your community, we know that you, too, feel deeply committed. We are sure that you feel, as we do, that your fate and the fate of Israel are intertwined.

On our part, we are grateful for your immense political and material support.

We are writing you this letter in the name of these mutual ties .

This is one of the most critical moments Israel has ever faced .

It might very well determine Israel's future. We are calling upon you, as ‘parents' of the young state of Israel, to exert your strongest sense of responsibility - even duty.

We deeply believe that your clear and loud voice might be the only barrier between Israel, and imminent tragedy .

It cannot be said, anymore, that the Israelis themselves have the sole right to voice their opinions on the policies of their state. These policies now reflect on the situation of Jews everywhere. Anti-Semites seize upon the situation in the Palestinian territories in order to attack not only Israel but also Jews at large, while Jews believe that they have to defend these policies, even if they are repugnant to them.

We believe that in order to assume this responsibility, it is vital that you become acquainted with the actual situation on the ground. It is not enough, anymore, to be satisfied with official statements and biased information sources. There is a rapidly growing body of evidence, indicating that something very wrong is happening in the occupied territories.

The Israeli authorities have dropped a 'media curtain' over these territories and issue most of the available information. In order to form an independent and informed opinion, you must visit these territories, monitor the situation for yourself and have frank talks with all sides.

We fully realize the difficulty of assuming a position contrary to that of the Israeli government, and the courage it requires to do so, but we also believe that the sights, sounds and even smells that you will encounter during this visit - will fully justify the effort.

The Proposed visit

The visit is intended for 15-20 Leading personalities of the Jewish community worldwide.

It will include tours within the West Bank and Gaza - tours accompanied with lectures that will offer a wider understanding of the situation in these areas, Meetings with Palestinians of all ranks, as well as with Israeli peace and human rights activists of different organizations.

Meetings with bereaved families - Israelis and Palestinian.

All in all, the visit is planned to last between 4-6 days, and will take place during the winter of 2002-2003.

We are open to suggestions of more candidates, as well as requests regarding people, places and issues you would want to address during the visit.

Gush Shalom, the Israeli Peace Bloc, is ready to assist in organizing such a visit. We believe that this is our duty, in the service of Jewish values and humanist traditions, but mainly we are moved by deep concern for our future, and the future of our children .

We hope very much that you will accept this proposition out of deep concern for the future of Israel.

Shalom!

Uri Avnery, Oren Medicks

Gush Shalom