In the early hours of the morning on Monday 31 May, we awoke to the horrible news of the Israeli raid against pacificists on board the Gaza Freedom Flotilla, which killed more than 10 people and wounded dozens.
The flotilla was carrying 10.000 tons of food, medicines and other products to Gaza, which has been under Israeli siege since 2005 (with even harsher restrictions since June 2007). The siege, designed to isolate and weaken Gaza, is a collective punishment of the civilian population of 1.5 million people.
The Coalition of Women for Peace is in solidarity with the Palestinian people and with the heroic members of the Freedom Flotilla. In spite of the attempts by the Israeli media and autorities to present a picture of unanimous support for the illegal assault on international pacifists, thousands of Israelis have demonstrated against it in recent days.
Spontanous demontration were held immediately after the news of the brutal assault on the flotilla - in Haifa, Nazareth, Shefa-'Amr at other cities in Israel. At the same time, 250 Israelis arrived at the port of Ashdod, in an action organised by the Coalition of Women for Peace and other Israeli organisations to demonstrate against the brutal massacre and to express there solidarity with the flotilla and with the Palestinian people. On Monday evening, there were demonstrations in Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, Haifa and Um-El-Fahem. Demonstrators called for an international effort to lift the siege of Gaza. Other demonstrations will be held during this week in Palestine and Israel.
We would like to share with you some of the voices of the CWP following the raid:
«Despite this attempt to silence criticism, there are many Israeli citizens who are protesting against this massacre and calling on those responsible to give an account of their actions. The official version from the army and the government is not credible, especially since they imposed an electronic blockade on attempts to provide information about the raid. The international community has done very little to bring to justice those responsible for crimes against the palestinian people. Will other countries make more take it on themselves to intervene now that crimes have been committed against their own citizens?
The massacre of more than j10 militants is the exclusive responsibilty of the State of Israel, which could certainly have avoided the useless bloodshed. The siege of Gaza and the piratical attack on the flotilla by the Israeli armed forces are real provocations. This atrocity must open the eyes of the international community to the crimes committed by Israel. .Eilat Maoz, CWP General Coordinator
If this is what Israel is capable of doing to pacifists, defenders of human rights and members of parliament, what more are they capable of doing to civilians under military occupation? The time has arrived to reawaken the international struggal against the siege of Gaza and the occupation.
From the beginning of the siege, the CWP has publically denounced it and called for its immediate end. The international community cannot continue to do nothing – it must use all diplomatic means to put pressure on Israel to end the siege of Gaza and to punish those responsible for war crimes.
Frida 4 June, the coalition of organisation against the occupation and the Palestinian popular committees took part in a joint action to commemorate 43 years of occupation since June 1967. 43 years of domination, of oppression, of segregation, of construction of settlements, of theft of water and land, of military government, of restriction of movement, of demolition of houses, of political arrests, of torture, of war crimes and colonial expansion.
With this action we want to tell Israel to lift the siege of Gaza, to put an end to the occupation and to end the separation between Palestinians and Israelis and between Palestinians and their lands.
We appeal to our friends in the international community to hold vigils of solidarity throughout the world - demonstrating against the siege of Gaza, the endless occupation of Palestine and the deadly attack against innocent civilians who were trying to break the siege.
