Our Thinking @ Support Sanity - Israel / Palestine Lapel Pins & More ...

Support Sanity is founded on the premise that both sides of the conflict are fundamentally equal as human beings and that both sides must be acknowledged as such – especially by the “other side”. Only with such “ruthless symmetry” can there be justice. And only with justice can there be peace. And only with peace can there be the life that the mainstream on both sides long for.

We believe that it is the duty of all people of good will to step forward to support these fundamental values. At a minimum this means “coming out” on the issue, standing up and being counted. At a maximum this means each side publicly acknowledging and accepting responsibility for the wrongs of its own side, and treating the needs of the other side as of equal importance to its own.

Indeed, we believe that ultimately the game must be turned on its head. Israel and her supporters must clearly state that they will not accept a solution that does not bring justice to Palestine, along with justice to Israel. And Palestine and her supporters must clearly state that they will not accept a solution that does not bring justice to Israel, along with justice to Palestine. In short, people on each side must treat people on the other side as people rather than as animals or demons.

While we don't claim to have all the answers, we do believe there are certain fundamental principles that will necessarily underlie any humane—and therefore any practical—settlement to the conflict. These principles are fundamental because they point the way to the key elements of an evenhanded two-state solution.

We did not invent these ideas. They have been, and are being, championed by numerous individuals and organizations. We are simply trying to do our part to promote them through a strategy that recognizes the importance of American public opinion in shaping American public policy on the one hand and the critical role that symbols can play in shaping such opinion on the other.

Because we realize that every aspect of this issue is difficult and contentious we are committed to maintaining an open mind and constantly trying to improve. Please contact us if you'd like to share your thinking with us, help improve ours, and/or work with us in this difficult but important task. We want to hear from you.

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Fundamental Principles
Key Elements of an Evenhanded Two-State Solution
Our Strategy

Fundamental Principles (TOPICS | PAGE TOP)

While both the history and the present circumstances of the situation in Israel/Palestine are complex, we believe there are nonetheless a few simple underlying realities:

Israelis and Palestinians equally worthy and valuable human beings;
The Palestinian and Israeli peoples have equal rights to national self-determination and to live in peace, security and prosperity;
The Israeli and Palestinian peoples have equal rights
to a fair share of the land and resources of historic Palestine;
Both Palestinians and Israelis have been drawn into a cycle of injustice and violence in which each is manifestly wronging the other and from which each should withdraw unilaterally and unconditionally;
Whatever the theoretical merits of a one-state solution, it is utterly impracticable in the foreseeable future;
On the other hand, Israel and Palestine are, and always will be, “joined at the hip” with the welfare of each dependent on the welfare of the other.

Key Elements of an Evenhanded Two-State Solution (TOPICS | PAGE TOP)

We believe that these principles make an evenhanded two-state solution the only humane, and therefore the only practical, solution. In particular, we believe an evenhanded two-state solution will include at least:

Two national states, Israel and Palestine, with equal sovereignty, equal rights and equal responsibilities;
Partition along the pre-1967 border ("the Green Line") as modified by minor mutually-agreed territorial swaps;
A shared Jerusalem;
Israeli evacuation of all settlements in the occupied
territories except those within the agreed swapped areas;
Israeli acknowledgment of partial responsibility for the Palestinian refugee problem and Palestinian acceptance of negotiated limitations on the “right of return” in exchange for financial compensation for refugees;
Mutual recognition and normal diplomatic relations between Israel, Palestine and other Arab countries; and
Free trade between Israel and Palestine, both for its own sake and as the cornerstone of a possible future area-wide free trade zone and possible economic union.

Many, if not most, of these points have been part of most recent peace proposals, including the recent draft Nusseibeh-Ayalon Agreement co-authored by Dr. Sari Nusseibeh (president of Al-Quds University and senior Palestinian Authority representative in Jerusalem) and Major General Ami Ayalon (former director of the Israeli Shin Bet internal security service).

Our Strategy (TOPICS | PAGE TOP)

Support Sanity believes that American public policy can be decisive in promoting a just, secure and prosperous peace for Israel and Palestine, but that, to have that effect, American public policy must be evenhanded.

We also believe that one of the best ways of shaping American public policy is by shaping American public opinion.

The Support Sanity campaign is based on three premises:

that there is a large and growing "silent majority" that fundamentally accepts an evenhanded two-state solution as the only humane solution and thus the only practical solution;
that this majority is silent because:
1. it is not as deeply invested in the issue as the intensely committed partisan minorities on both sides;
2. it currently has no obvious and convenient vehicle for articulating its views;
3. it is easily intimidated by partisans on both sides (and especially by the partisans of their “own side”); and
4. what few statements are made are not heard because they do not command public attention with the same intensity that acts of violence and statements of extremism from both sides do; and
that this majority is growing increasingly uneasy at its own silence, especially as the situation “on the ground” continues to deteriorate.

In this context, the Support Sanity campaign to build massively-visible mass support for an evenhanded two-state solution seeks to provide an ever-growing fraction of this growing majority with a range of obvious and convenient ways to "Make a Statement · Make a Difference". The success of this campaign depends upon creating a “virtuous cycle” of display and engagement in which the display of crossed-flags insignia engages new people themselves willing to display it.

Towards these ends the Support Sanity campaign:

produces and distributes a diverse range of inexpensive, attractive, high-quality products bearing the crossed-flags-over-motto insignia as well as licenses use of the insignia by others;
offers a centralized support infrastructure to facilitate the work of campaign associates;
provides unified coordination of Support Sanity activities in order to maximize their overall impact;
projects a credible, professional, reasonable – and hence powerful – positive image both nationally and internationally;
conducts national Support Sanity activities (such as advertising).

The centerpiece of the Support Sanity campaign is an attractive and inexpensive lapel pin that we are encouraging people to wear as part of their everyday attire. Such a display turns out to be an easy and effective way of making a dignified statement and of engaging others – every place one goes. The political effectiveness of these pins is heightened by the increased political effectiveness of pin-wearers – to which end Support Sanity provides a simple "Lapel Pin Owner’s Manual" that outlines the ways in which pins can be used to maximum advantage.

Although Support Sanity is targeted primarily to Americans at large, it will by its very nature be most relevant to those who feel personally connected to the conflict – i.e. Jews and Arabs/Muslims/Palestinians. Likewise, although the success of this campaign will be measured by the shift they produce in the “mainstream”, those who think of themselves as “progressive” are more likely to actively participate.

Thus, Support Sanity strategically seeks to initially engage "progressive" individuals and organizations (and especially Jewish and Arab/Muslim ones) both as a means of maximizing insignia awareness and display and as a means of recruiting other progressive individuals and organizations into the Support Sanity and Six Day Peace campaigns. Over the longer term, however, Support Sanity seeks to use its success within these progressive communities as a means of increasing their visibility and success among "mainstream" individuals and organizations (again, especially Jewish and Arab/Muslim ones).

By shaping mainstream American public opinion in favor of an evenhanded two-state solution Support Sanity seeks to shape American public policy in the same direction and thus promote the realization of such a solution.

Please contact us if you'd like more information.

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