On 8 August 2002, in a letter to the Guardian, a group of British Jews renounce their 'right of return'.
We are Jews, born and raised outside Israel, who, under Israel's 'law of return', have a legal right to Israeli residence and citizenship. We wish to renounce this unsought 'right' because:
We regard it as morally wrong that this legal entitlement should be bestowed on us while
the very people who should have most right to a genuine 'return', having been forced or
terrorised into fleeing, are excluded.
Israel's policies towards the Palestinians are barbaric - we do not wish to identify ourselves
in any way with what Israel is doing.
We disagree with the notion that Zionist emigration to Israel is any kind of 'solution' for
Diaspora Jews, anti-semitism or racism - no matter to what extent Jews have been or are
victims of racism, they have no right to make anyone else victims.
We wish to express our solidarity with all those who are working for a time when Israel,
the West Bank and Gaza Strip can be lived in by people without restrictions based on
so-called racial, cultural, or ethnic origins.
We look forward to the day when all peoples of the area are enabled to live in peace with each other on this basis of non-discrimination and mutual respect. Perhaps some of us would even wish to live there, but only if the rights of the Palestinians are respected. To those who consider Israel a 'safe haven' for Jews in the face of anti-semitism, we say that there can be no safety in taking on the role of occupier and oppressor.
