'Recognition of the Palestinian State, and then negotiations, rather than another Masada'

"In front of our very eyes, an insane drama is being acted out. The Prime Minister of Israel is leading his citizens to Masada. Human morality, Jewish history and the interests of Israel – all clearly show the way to being the first state in the world to recognize, in the United Nations, our neighbor state and them to enter into negations, based on equality, regarding territorial exchanges and security arrangements. After all, the Palestinian State recognizes the State of Israel in the "67 borders.

The Jewish People arose in the Land of Israel, there they developed their identity. The Palestinian People arose in Palestine, there they developed their identity.

Therefore, we sincerely welcome the expected declaration of independence by the Palestinian State, Israel's neighbor, and within the borders at the time of our independence which were determined at the end of the War of Independence in 1949; the borders more commonly known as the '67 borders. This is the natural right of both the Jewish and the Palestinian people – as written in Israel's Declaration of Independence "to be masters of their own fate, like all other nations, in their own sovereign State".

The independence of both peoples strengthens one and the other, it is both a moral and basic necessity at one and, the same time, it is the foundation upon which good, neighborly relations are built.

We, the undersigned, call on all persons seeking peace and freedom, and upon all nations to join us in welcoming the Palestinian Declaration of Independence, to support it and to work and act together in order to encourage the citizens of both countries to live together in peace, based on the '67 borders and mutual agreement. A final and complete end to the occupation is a basic condition for the freedom of both peoples, for the realization of Israel's Declaration of Independence and a future of peaceful coexistence."

Initial list of signatories:

• Larry Abramson, Artist and Prof. of the arts
• Maj Gen (Ret.) Avraham Adan (“Bren”), former Commander of the Armored Corps
• Prof. Chaim Adler, Israel Prize laureate
• Prof. Joseph Agassi, Philosopher
• Gila Almagor-Agmon, Israel Prize laureate
• Shulamit Aloni, Israel Prize laureate
• Prof. Eva Illouz
• Oriella Ben-Zvi
• Prof. Elie Barnavi, former Ambassador to France
• Ilan Baruch, former Ambassador to South Africa
• Prof. Yehuda Bauer, Israel Prize laureate
• Prof. Haim Ben Shahar, former President of Tel Aviv University
• Prof. Miriam Ben-Peretz, Israel Prize laureate
• Daniel Blatman, Head of the Department for Contemporary Judaism
• Prof. Menachem Brinker, Israel Prize laureate
• Dr. Rafael Braun
• Prof. Judith Buber Agassi
• Maj Gen (Ret) Nehemiah Dagan, former Chief Education Officer
• Dr. Yossi Dahan
• Yael Dayan, former Member of Knesset
• Brig Gen (Ret.) Prof. Eran Dolev, Commander of Health Services
• Prof. Yehuda Elkana, former President of the Central European University
• Brig Gen (Ret.) Yitzchak Elron, former Military Attaché in South America
• Prof. Yaron Ezrahi, winner of the Political Science Society Award
• Prof. Menachem Fish
• Yona Fischer, Israel Prize laureate
• Ari Folman, Golden Globe laureate
• Prof. Haim Gans
• Maj Gen (Ret.) Shlomo Gazit, former Head of Military
• Intelligence, Chairman of the Jewish Agency and President of Ben Gurion University
• Yair Garbuz, Emet Prize laureate
• Moshe Gershuni, Israel Prize laureate
• Prof. Galia Golan
• Prof. Amiram Goldblum
• Prof. Naomi Graetz
• Tal Gutfeld
• Prof.　Hanoch Gutfreund, former President of the Hebrew
• University
• Tal Harris, CEO One Voice
• Prof. Galit Hasan-Rokem
• Prof. Ruth Hacohen
• Lahav Halevy
• Prof. David Harel, Israel Prize and Emet laureate
• Dr. Shmuel Harlap, Chairman of Colmobil Limited
• Prof. Naomi Chazan, former Knesset member
• Yoram Kaniuk, Sapir Prize laureate
• Dani Karavan, Israel Prize laureate
• Prof. Avnet Katz
• Prof. Elihu Katz, Israel Prize laureate
• Prof. Yehoshua Kolodny, Israel Prize laureate
• Ofer Lalush
• Alex Levac, Israel Prize laureate
• Savyon Liebrecht
• Dr. Alon Liel, former Director General of Foreign Ministry
• Ram Loevy, Israel Prize laureate
• Prof. Avishai Margalit, Israel and Emet Prize laureate
• Hanna Maron, Israel Prize laureate
• Sami Michael, Emet Prize laureate
• Hillel Mitlepunkt
• Ohad Naharin, Israel laureate
• Raz Naftali
• Amoz Oz, Israel Prize laureate
• Prof. Dov Pekelman
• Michal Peleg
• Izhar Petkin, Artist
• Prof. Itamar Procaccia, Israel Prize laureate
• Sefi Rachlevsky, expert on Jewish theology
• Prof. Gabi Salomon, Israel Prize laureate
• Dr. Aliza Savir
• Prof. Hillel Schocken
• Prof. Alice Shalvi, Israel Prize laureate
• Maj Gen (Ret.) Nathan Sharoni, President of Council of Peace and Security
• Prof. David Shulman, Emet Prize laureate
• Joshua Sobol, Theater Award laureate
• Prof. Zeev Sternhell, Israel Prize laureate
• Prof. Carlo Strenger
• David Tartakover, Israel Prize laureate
• Dan Tsur, Israel Prize laureate
• Prof. Zeev Tzahor, President of Sapir College
• Micha Ullman, Israel Prize laureate
• Lia van Leer, Israel Prize laureate
• Prof. Menahem Yaari, Israel Prize laureate, President (Emeritus) of the Israel Academy of Sciences and Humanities
• Dalia Yairi
• Prof. Yossi Yonah
• Prof. Yirmiyahu Yovel, Israel Prize laureate
• Clil Zisaphel