JCall Launches "European Jewish Call for Reason"

On Monday, May 3, 2010 a group of European Jews calling itself JCall met with the European Parliament to launch a petition and campaign dubbed “European Jewish Call for Reason”.

The campaign is centered on a petition that calls for the establishment of a two-state solution as the answer for peace in the State of Israel while calling Israeli occupation in the West Bank along with the pursuit of settlements in East Jerusalem “morally and politically wrong.”

JCall believes it represents European Jewish voices, particularly but not exclusively to the Jewish Diaspora who the group believes have “been silent for too long” regarding their disapproval of Israeli government policy. The European Parliament conference held in Brussels, Belgium, served as the official launch of the group’s petition, which has generated over 4,600 signatories to date over the span of approximately 10 days that the petition has been up on the JCall website.

According to an exclusive interview that Shalom Life conducted with JCall’s native English speaker, Barbara Oudiz, “The conference went very well…bus loads of people from France, from Belgium, Israeli public figures, parliamentary deputies” attended the event. Demonstrating the rise of enthusiasm and attention brought forth by JCall, Oudiz says, “The room holds450 people roughly, and it was totally full.”

Among the attendees in support of JCall were philosopher Bernard Henri-Levy, representing France and Daniel Cohn Bendit, a member of the European Parliament’s Green Party. Political ambassadors included Ali Primor, former Israeli ambassador to Germany and Elie Barnavi, former Israeli ambassador to France.

JCall believes it represents Jewish voices not currently represented in Europe that Oudiz says “do not follow systematically the policies of the Israeli government.”

The voices JCall represents are in support of Israel’s existence as a Jewish state but are in disapproval of Israel’s occupation in the West Bank, the pursuit of settlements in East Jerusalem, and believe that the answer for peace in Israel is the development of a “viable Palestinian state.” They believe the above can only be achieved with the establishment of a two-state solution.

The petition states that “systematic support of Israeli government policy is dangerous and does not serve the true interests of the state of Israel.” The petition, according to Oudiz, intends to “put pressure on European leadership and create a dialogue with the Israelis to end occupation.” The petition also states that “the survival of Israel as a Jewish democratic state depends on the creation of a viable sovereign Palestinian state.”

The controversial European group has been compared in many news reports to J Street, the American Jewish lobby group who describe themselves as “pro-Israel, pro-peace Americans” who have in the past expressed criticisms of Israeli policy. Similarly to JCall, the American-based group pushes for the establishment of a two-state solution and identifies itself as primarily but not exclusively as Jews who are in support of the State of Israel but believe that the nation’s security and existence as a democratic state relies on a Palestinian sovereign state.

Contrary to some reports, Oudiz clarifies that though the two groups are in contact with each other they do not have any official ties. However, Oudiz did say this about the relationship between the two groups: “J Street knows what we’re about. They are in contact with us and sent a representative to work sessions in Brussels to talk about the perception that J Street has of JCall…it’s a friendly perception… even if there is no official affiliation.”

The outpour of press interest and controversy surrounding these two groups who identify themselves as supporters of Israel has been bittersweet. Though JCall is delighted with its mass of signatories and support from important European public figures along with many other prestigious personalities, there have been many criticisms circling the intentions of JCall and their pressure on Israel. A competing petition has been created as a reaction to the concerns many pro-Israel Jewish groups have with JCall’s campaign. The main concerns and criticisms have been reported as follows:

JCall’s petition and its intention to put pressure on the Israeli government has been criticized as one-sided and therefore missing key issues that come with the establishment of a two-state solution which must be established with both the Israeli government and the Palestinian Authority. Moshe Kantor, President of the European Jewish Congress, said in a statement reported by the European Jewish Press (EJP), “It is important to note that continued one-sided pressure on Israel does not encourage the Palestinians to engage in serious negotiations and only endangers the already unstable situation in the region.”

When asked what JCall’s recommendations are for the Palestinian Authority, JCall would not comment. However, Oudiz explains that JCall recognizes the importance of compromise from both sides. She explains that due to the group’s identification of representing the Jewish Diaspora in Europe, their attention is focused on the Israeli government.

She says, “As Jews, we felt that the actions should be directed towards the Israeli party first. It addresses the Israeli government because we’re talking about the Jewish Diaspora’s feelings and commitment to Israel. It is because we are committed to Israel that we are talking about that side.”

The implications of this perspective pose problems to some, including Algerian-born Shmuel Trigano, a French scholar and co-sponsor of the competing petition roughly translated to English as “Keep the Reason.” Trigano feels that it gives the “feeling that Israel is the sole obstacle to peace."

Oudiz realizes that JCall faces criticism for its stand on Israeli government policy. “Of course certain institutions would see this as an attack on Israel. However, it is not an attack on Israel, its giving a voice to people who have had difficulty being heard in the past.

The detractors and supporters of JCall seem to be have contrasting perspectives on the Israeli government’s move for peace on account of having conflicting knowledge of the peace process.

According to EJP reports quoting Kantor and Emmanuel Navon (a political commentator and professor at Tel Aviv University), JCall is “outdated” and does not recognize current developments of the Israeli government. According to Kantor, “It is no secret to say that Israel has already accepted the two-state solution.” Navon adds that JCall and its supporters “do not seem to understand that every time Israel offered concessions for peace, the Palestinians systematically refused. That is the main issue today…getting the Palestinian Authority to resume negotiations.”

When asked whether Oudiz has heard of reports mentioning Israel and its acceptance of the two-state solution, she said she had not heard of them. Instead, Oudiz explained that she did read information regarding the resumption of proximity talks and the proposal of indirect negotiation between Palestinian Authority and the Israeli government. She adds that in relation to the indirect negotiations she had heard about, “Most of the Arab ministers of the regions are supporting that.”

Despite this, JCall’s “cry ofalarm” has been described by Barnavi as “It is not enough to speak about a two-state solution, it is also essential to do everything for this solution to take form. And that will only begin with the end of colonization.”

Barnavi continues and summarizes the intentions of JCall’s petition and its goals, saying, "It is time for other voices to be heard. Israel is in an unbearable situation today, because of its irresponsible government. Time is not our friend. JCall will finally give the opportunity to European Jews to speak out, before it’s too late."