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2005 SDP initiative petition
In 2005 the Somerville Divestment Project put forward this advisory question as an initiative petition. It was endorsed by Mystic River Green-Rainbow Action
PETITION FOR BALLOT QUESTION: LET SOMERVILLE DECIDE
Whereas in 1948 Israel forcibly displaced over 780,000 Palestinians from their homes and has since denied these refugees the right of return, a fundamental right guaranteed by Article 13 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and
Whereas in 1967 Israel invaded the remainder of Palestine and continues to hold these territories under military occupation in which Israel commits extensive hu- man rights violations that run contrary to the Geneva Conventions, such as
- Confiscation of land, water, and property for Jewish settlement; Collective punishment and torture; Destruction of homes, schools, hospitals, farms and other life-sustaining infrastructure; and
Whereas Palestinians inside Israel face institutionalized racism in the form of
- Confiscation of land, water, and property for Jewish settlement; Confinement into ghettos; Denial of land, housing, and water; Residential and school segregation; Denial of civil liberties;
and other discriminatory practices that meet the definition of Apartheid as given in the International Convention on the Crime of Apartheid; and
Whereas the Somerville Retirement Board currently invests $250,000 in Israel Bonds and over $1.2 million in companies that supply arms and military equipment to Israel;
Shall the city of Somerville divest these publicly administered financial holdings?