The law is clear. The conscience of humankind is shocked. Yet, the siege of Gaza continues. It is time for us to take action! |
The Gaza Freedom March, organised by the International Coalition for the End of the Illegal Siege of Gaza, 27 December 2009 to the 2 January 2010
In the days that mark the first anniversary of the Israeli assault and massacre in Gaza, hundreds of international activists will attempt to break the siege to participate in a nonviolent demonstration, marching alongside the population of Gaza on 31 December 2009.
The Gaza Freedom March will be a demonstration of solidarity which also aims to refocus attention of the humanitarian crisis and on the illegality of the siege, calling on the International Community to put an end to it.
Amnesty International has called the Gaza blockade a "form of collective punishment of the entire population of Gaza, a flagrant violation of Israel's obligations under the Fourth Geneva Convention." Human Rights Watch has called the blockade a "serious violation of international law." The United Nations Special Rapporteur for Human Rights in the occupied Palestinian territory, Richard Falk, condemned Israel’s siege of Gaza as amounting to a “crime against humanity.” Former U.S. president Jimmy Carter has said the Palestinian people trapped in Gaza are being treated "like animals," and has called for "ending of the siege of Gaza" that is depriving "one and a half million people of the necessities of life." One of the world's leading authorities on Gaza, Sara Roy of Harvard University, has said that the consequence of the siege "is undeniably one of mass suffering, created largely by Israel, but with the active complicity of the international community, especially the U.S. and European Union." | Appeal of the Internazional Coalition for the End of the Illegal Siege of Gaza Israel’s blockade of Gaza is a flagrant violation of international law that has led to mass suffering. The U.S., the European Union, and the rest of the international community are complicit. The law is clear. The conscience of humankind is shocked. Yet, the siege of Gaza continues. It is time for us to take action! On Dec. 31, we will end the year by marching alongside the Palestinian people of Gaza in a non-violent demonstration that breaches the illegal blockade. Our purpose in this March is lifting the siege on Gaza. We demand that Israel end the blockade. We also call upon Egypt to open Gaza’s Rafah border. Palestinians must have freedom to travel for study, work, and much-needed medical treatment and to receive visitors from abroad. As an international coalition we are not in a position to advocate a specific political solution to this conflict. Yet our faith in our common humanity leads us to call on all parties to respect and uphold international law and fundamental human rights to bring an end to the Israeli military occupation of Palestinian territories since 1967 and pursue a just and lasting peace. The march can only succeed if it arouses the conscience of humanity. We invite you all to join us |
Last month, the UN Human Rights Council approved the Goldstone Report on the violations of international law and crimes against humanity committed durign the Israeli "Cast Lead" offensive. Not a single member state of the EU voted in favour. Italy followed the USA to vote against.
This complicity isn't surprising. As Israeli President Shimon Peres said, criticising British universal jurisdiction leglislation for war crimes: "Great Britain and the United States used similar tactics in their operations in Iraq and Afganistan." So, since our governments are also involved in war crimes, we can't wait for them to act against other criminals. We must act.
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