Monday 19 November 2012
There is a sad reality: The Palestinian people, a nation representing the hopes of all forgotten peoples, are tragically alone. Palestinians endure furious attacks of groundbreaking Israeli and U.S. technology as the international community either celebrates “Israel’s right to self defence” or treats the aggression with the bitter irony of the plebeians coaxing on the gladiators in the Roman arena.
Four years ago Israel launched Operation Cast Lead on a besieged Gaza Strip, an operation that claimed the lives of nearly 1,500 Palestinians, injured some 5,000 others and led to the massive destruction of infrastructure, homes and civilian institutions. Today we witness a new war of aggression against the Gaza Strip, which is still under siege, this time under the name of “Pillar of Defense.”
Israel claims that each of its aggressions is an act of “self-defense”, and this serves as an excuse quickly adopted by the international community as a political cover.
Israeli colonialism is guilty of aggression — its crimes are enormous, we already know this. But this guilt applies also to those who, when time is up for a decision, hesitate to make inviolable the collective and individual rights of the Palestinians people. Guilt also applies to those who hide behind glorious words, but opt for inaction when action is urgently needed.
The community of nations has failed time and time again in applying its most basic principles when it comes to the Palestinian people. It has condoned colonialism, apartheid and occupation, it has legitimized unspeakable crimes and it has sacrificed the most basic rights of all, the right to life and dignity.
We must recall that the root of the conflict and violence in Palestine is the Israeli occupation, its aggressive policies and its refusal to recognise the rights of the Palestinian people to freedom and independence, as well as the right of return of Palestinian refugees. Israel claims that Pillar of Defence is necessary to end the rocket-fire from Gaza. There are no rockets coming from the West Bank, however, yet here too Israel continues its aggressive policies of occupation. The Palestinian people are one, such that an attack against Palestinians living in Gaza is an attack against all Palestinians.
In front of the current war of aggression against the Palestinian people, the Alternative Information Center (AIC) demands from the international community to take effective measures to end the siege and suffering of the besieged Palestinian people.
However, it would be naïve to expect the international community, which has kept silent until now, to do so without massive mobilization. The only guarantee to protect the national, collective and individual rights of the Palestinian people is massive popular mobilization.
The AIC calls upon Israeli and Jewish activists in Israel and the world to mobilize against Israel’s aggressive policy practiced in their name. We cannot talk about peace and security while the occupation continues.
The AIC calls upon the global social justice movement to mobilize for the rights of the Palestinian people and to intensify actions of Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) against Israel.
– For immediately ending the war of aggression and the blockade of the Gaza Strip;
– For ending the occupation and recognising the rights of the Palestinian people to freedom, self-determination and return;
– For ending Israel’s settlement policy in the occupied Palestinian territory and freedom for Palestinian prisoners.