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To the participants in the 2nd Haifa Conference for the return of
  Palestinian refugees and for the Democratic Secular State in Historic
  Palestine
  
  The preparatory committee is welcoming all those interested in participating
  in the conference.

*Program Outline*
  
  We are still working on the program of the conference, but we are able to
  publish a tentative initial outline that may help you make your plans.
  Friday, May 28
  
  15:00 Walking tour in Haifa.
  
  17:00 Reception: Films, Food
  
  19:00 Opening Session: Key political speakers, Cultural program
  Saturday, May 29
  
  9:00 - 9:30 Gathering and registration + Breakfast
  
  9:30  - 10:00 General meeting
  
  10:00 - 11:45 Three parallel Workshops
  
  12:00 - 13:45 Three parallel Workshops
  
  14:00 - 15:00 Lunch
  
  15:00 - 16:45 Three parallel Workshops
  
  17:00 - 18:00 Presentation of workshop results in plenum
  
  18:00 Dinner
  
  19:00  - 22:00 Cultural Event
  Sunday, May 30
  
  10:00   Trip to the Galilee: The destroyed villages and to unrecognized
  villages.
  
  10:00 - 15:00 - Consultations for the establishment of an international
  coalition.

*Proposed Subjects for Workshops*
  
  The exact subjects for the workshops are still under discussion. Some of the
  issues that are likely to be handled are:
  
     - The return of Palestinian refugees - how to bring it back to the center
     of the political struggle and how to promote its implementation?
     - The call for a Democratic Secular State and its effect on the current
     struggle against occupation and Israeli Apartheid.
     - Different views about the nature of the future Democratic Palestine.
     - Human Rights and International Law reasoning for the call for return
     and a democratic secular state.
     - The role of Palestinian political prisoners and participation from the
     prisoners in the discussion.
     - Homage to Haifa: History, Ethnic Cleansing, Working for the return of
     the refugees.
  
  There will be special workshops for activists to participate in discussing
  experiences and building together for future struggle:
  
     - Connecting Palestinians in struggle between 48, 67 occupied territories
     and the Diaspora.
     - Building the international solidarity movement.
     - Arab-Jewish partnership in struggle.
  
  *Languages:* All major discussions will be held in Arabic, Hebrew and
  English with simultaneous translation.
  * Additional Details* 
  
  ·        *Registration*
  
  -     There are no registration fees to the conference.
  
  -     We will thank you if you contact us to let us know that you are coming
  and what parts of the conference you are interested to attend to help us
  make our preparations.
  
  -     All the conference is paid for by donations and your contribution will
  be appreciated.**
  
  ·        *Accommodation*
  
  -         Activists from Haifa and the region will host guests from other
  areas.
  
  -         We request guests to inform us of their interest in accommodations
  
  ·        *Tours***
  
  -         Guests from abroad interested in tours to familiarize themselves
  with other aspects - political and social - of the struggle, are requested
  to inform us. We will be ready to help in organizing guided tours and more
  political encounters.
   
     - *Information:*
  
  *      **Yoav Bar   Questo indirizzo email è protetto dagli spambots. È necessario abilitare JavaScript per vederlo.
  
  *      Sahar Abdo  Questo indirizzo email è protetto dagli spambots. È necessario abilitare JavaScript per vederlo.
  
  * *
  
  ·        *Participation in absentia*
  
  *Unfortunately the conference dates could not be suited to the schedules of
  all those who found interest in it. We welcome participation in absentia in
  the following ways:*
  
     1. *Publishing articles, studies, and position papers about the right of
     return and the democratic secular state at the conference website.*
     2. *Support and greeting letters to the conference will be posted on the
     website and we shall read them out at the opening session.*
     3. *We welcome the initiative to hold preparatory or parallel events in
     other locations.*
     4. *We call on all supporters of the goals of the conference to contact
     us in order to work together for the building of an international coalition
     for the return of the Palestinian refugees and for the Democratic Secular
     state in Historic Palestine.*
  
  * *
  
  *THE HAIFA CONFERENCE WEBSITE: **www.ror1state.org*
  
  The site is currently only with the materials of the 1st conference. It will
  be updated soon.

---------------------------

The second Haifa Conference For the Return of the Palestinian Refugees and

for the Democratic Secular State in Historic Palestine 28-30/5/2010

* Call for participation in the preparations *

For more than a hundred years, our Palestinian people suffer from the

robbery of their national and human rights. The majority of Palestinians are

refugees dispersed all around the world. Gaza , which stands strong in its

resistance to the occupation, is subjected to intense criminal siege. The

racist occupation regime continues is campaign of ethnic cleansing against

our people all around the country by way of confiscations, demolishing

houses and villages, the confiscation of identity papers and prevention of

residency rights, the prevention of marriage and denial of family

unification, and the building of walls and settlements. All of us suffer

from oppression, discrimination and subjugation in all aspects of life under

a brutal racist regime.

Our Palestinian people registered heroic pages in the struggle to defend

their legitimate rights, first and foremost the right of return, till they

became to symbolize sacrifice for freedom on both Arab and International

level. The Israeli response was always severe oppression and more wars. Last

year´s campaign of massacres against our people in the Gaza Strip is a

blatant example... Their aggression and occupation are not limited to

Palestine , but also hit other Arab peoples and countries. The danger of an

all out war is still threatening the security of the region and world peace.

Year after year we see how the so called "peace process" is only camouflage

for the imperialist political projects. This process doesn´t contribute in

any way for the restoration of the robbed rights of our people. It is only

designed to support the racist Zionist regime as it acts to perpetuate the

occupation and to prevent the return of the refugees.

The only program for the relieving of the suffering of our people and for a

solution of the conflict is the restoration of the patriotic and national

rights of the Palestinian people, the adoption of the principles of

democracy and human rights as the base for a solution and rejection of and

resistance to ethnic cleansing, oppression and racism. It means the return

of all Palestinian refugees to all the areas from which they were expelled

and the constitution of one democratic secular state on all of the Palestinian

national soil.

On 20-21/6/2008, the first Haifa conference for the right of return and the

democratic secular state in Palestine was convened. It aroused a lot of

interest and was widely welcomed among political and social activist and

militants that resist Zionism from within (in the part of Palestine that was

occupied since 1948), Arab and Jews, as well as on a wider Palestinian, Arab

and International level. Following the success of this conference we are

determined to continue on the way to achieve its lofty goal, toward the

establishment of an international coalition that will support this program.

Abnaa elBalad movement, as the initiator of the convening of the first Haifa

conference, calls on all interested parties, groups and individuals to

cooperate for the success of the second conference. You are invited to take

part in the preparations for the conference, to raise suggestions concerning

the conference´s program, to take part in and organize preparatory events

and workshops, to mobilize for the conference and to actively take part in

it.