JVP's 5 Principles

1) The siege, assaults on Gaza, and the occupation would not be possible without unconditional financial and diplomatic support provided by the US, so any successful peace agreement requires a change in US foreign policy. It is our job to change these unjust policies and to oppose lobby groups like AIPAC who pressure policymakers into unconditional support for Israel while claiming, falsely, to speak for all Jews.


2) The Israeli government has proven its interest is not peace, but rather acquiring more and more land, for Jews only. Decades of U.S-brokered "peace talks" have provided cover while Israel actually expanded settlements. Israel won't give up its power willingly, and must be pressured. That's why we support Palestinian-led unarmed resistance, including the on-the-ground resistance in Palestinian villages, and the global Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement which gives every one of us an opportunity to vote with our wallets.

We already know from Israeli leaders that economic pressure can and is making a difference. We work strategically with thousands of activists and partners to build grassroots boycott and divestment campaigns on campuses, churches and in communities that we can all use to extricate ourselves from corporations that profit from the occupation.


3) Any resolution that has a chance of achieving a lasting peace must address Israel’s 47-year-old occupation, the unequal treatment of Palestinian citizens of Israel, and the creation of what has now grown to be the world's largest refugee population when Israel was established in 1948. Therefore we work to educate ourselves and others about the Nakba (catastrophe), the forced dispossession and expulsion of Palestinians when Israel was created.


4) Sustainable long-term change comes from the grassroots, which is why we dedicate resources to training, organizing and cultivating leaders in over 40 chapters, on campuses, and in networks where we can help. In the last 3 weeks our chapters have organized hundreds of actions, often risking arrest, to raise a cry against those institutions and corporations that aid the Israeli assault on Palestinians.

It's also why we partner, not only with Israeli and Palestinian peace activists, but with a diverse range of groups committed to a just peace--Christians, Muslims, Arab Americans, artists, academics, religious leaders, students, and more. Together, we move mountains.


5) While it is up to Palestinians to lead their liberation movement, we Jews must lead ours. We know that one people's freedom cannot be achieved at the expense of another's, and that Israelis can never be made safe by oppressing Palestinians. We also fight intolerance and racism in Jewish communities, work with young leaders who will replace the out of touch leadership of many Jewish institutions, and support efforts to undo the dehumanization of the oppressor in Israel and all over.