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The following draft resolution is offered for discussion by the Resolutions
Subcommittee.
Proposed by:

DSC member Carol Coakley

Resolution on peace and security for Israelis and Palestinians
WHEREAS, there will be no end to the conflict in Israel and Palestine unless there
is a negotiated agreement in conformity with international law and the rights of
both peoples. Massachusetts Democrats deplore all acts of violence against
civilians, including acts of terror, as well as all acts of provocation, incitement and
destruction; and we concede that these too are obstacles to peace committed by
both sides; and
WHEREAS, Massachusetts Democrats believe that Israelis and Palestinians
deserve to live in peace and security; and
WHEREAS, support of this belief is particularly vital now in response to the antiArab, anti-Muslim beliefs of the new Administration, which will discourage hopes
for peace between Israelis and Palestinians; and
WHEREAS, the U.S. State Department declared on July 27, 2016: “We strongly
oppose settlement activity, which is corrosive to the cause of peace. These steps
by Israeli authorities are the latest examples of what appears to be a steady
acceleration of settlement activity that is systematically undermining the prospects
for a two-state solution… this is part of an ongoing process of land seizures,
settlement expansion, legalizations of outposts, and denial of Palestinian
development that risk entrenching a one-state reality of perpetual occupation and
conflict. We remain troubled that Israel continues this pattern of provocative and
counterproductive action, which raises serious questions about Israel’s ultimate
commitment to a peaceful, negotiated settlement with the Palestinians.”
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the Massachusetts Democratic State
Committee affirm our support for the long-standing US policy of the State
Department and every administration from President Lyndon Johnson to President
Barack Obama, that Israel’s settlements in the occupied West Bank are obstacles
to peace; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Massachusetts Democratic State Committee
calls upon our members of Congress to clearly express their opposition to Israeli
settlements in the occupied territories, in pursuit of a negotiated peace; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Massachusetts Democratic State Committee
transmit a copy of this resolution to the office of each member of Massachusetts’
U.S. Congressional delegation.