A CALL FROM GAZA
to the People of Conscience worldwide to break the Israeli Blockade:
Do not forget Gaza
We are waiting for your boats at our shores
We the Palestinians of the Besieged Gaza Strip, are calling on the world: enough inaction, enough discussion, enough waiting – the illegal closure on the Gaza Strip must end. While attention is focused on the Palestinian bid for statehood in the UN do not forget that the blockade and the suffering continue in Gaza.
Shortly after 2006 democratic election which was supervised by people and bodies from the international community, nations formerly supporting aid and cultural organizations in Gaza withdrew their support. In mid-2007, our borders, controlled by Israel and Egypt, fully closed, locking Palestinians within and preventing imports and exports from crossing our borders.
From December 27 2008 to January 18 2009, Israel waged an all-out slaughter on Gaza, killing over 1400 Palestinians, the vast majority innocent civilians and among them nearly 400 children, and destroying thousands of homes, businesses, factories and buildings including universities, schools, hospitals and medical care facilities, and damaging vast tracts of our water and sanitation system.
Almost three years following after Israel's attacks, almost no homes and few buildings have been rebuilt, our sanitation and sewage system is more dire than ever, raw waste continues to be pumped into our sea –for want of proper treatment facilities –polluting our water and the fish along the coast which fishermen are forced to harvest because the Israeli navy shoots at them if they try to fish more than three miles from the Gaza coast—contaminating our drinking water and food supply.
Our farmers continue to be shot at, maimed and killed by Israeli soldiers along our border, prevented from working, growing and harvesting their land, denying us a rich supply of produce and vitamins. Nutrient deficiencies and malnutrition continue to rise, affecting our children's growth and their ability to study. Our economy is shut down by lack of functioning factories and electricity. Our students hold little to no prospects of exiting for study abroad, even when placements and scholarships have been secured, due to the Israeli control of the Erez crossing and the Egyptian-controlled Rafah crossing being closed more often than opened. Our sick suffer for want of necessary medications and medical supplies and equipment.
Since 2005, over 170 Palestinian organizations have called for Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions to pressure Israel to comply with international law. Since 2003, Palestinians have weekly met in villages in the occupied West Bank and occupied East Jerusalem, to protest Israel’s occupation policies.
Creative civilian efforts such as the Free Gaza boats that broke through the blockade five times, the Gaza Freedom March, the Gaza Freedom Flotilla, and the many land convoys must never stop their siege-breaking efforts, highlighting the inhumanity of keeping 1.5 million Gazans in an open-air prison.
On the 2nd of December, 2010, 22 international organizations including Amnesty International, Oxfam, Save the Children, Christian Aid, and Medical Aid for Palestinians produced the report ‘Dashed Hopes, Continuation of the Gaza Blockade’ calling for international action to force Israel to unconditionally lift the blockade, saying that despite the reported June 2010 “easing” of the closure, the Palestinians of Gaza continue to live in the same devastating conditions. Human Rights Watch published a comprehensive report "Separate and Unequal" that denounced Israeli policies as Apartheid, echoing similar sentiments by South African anti-apartheid activists.
We call on the citizens of the world oppose this deadly, medieval blockade. The failure of governments and world bodies to condemn such crimes is tantamount to complicity. Only civil society is able to mobilize to demand the application of international law and put an end to Israel’s impunity. The intervention of civil society was effective in the late 1980s against the apartheid regime of South Africa. Nelson Mandela and Archbishop Desmond Tutu have not only described Israel’s oppressive and violent control of Palestinians as Apartheid, they have also joined this call for the world’s civil society to intervene again.
We call on the nations and citizens of the world to continue and/or reinitiate their plans to sail to Gaza to challenge and break the Israeli blockade. The civil society initiatives of the Freedom Flotillas are about taking a stance of justice and solidarity with besieged Palestinians when your governments will not. We call on the Flotilla movement to continue to sail until the blockade of Gaza is entirely lifted and Palestinians of Gaza are granted the basic human rights and freedom of movement citizens around the world enjoy.
Signed by:
University Teachers' Association
Palestinian Nongovernmental Organizations Network
Al-Aqsa University
Palestine Red Crescent Society in Gaza
General Union of Youth Entities
Arab Cultural Forum
General Union for Health Services Workers
General Union for Public Services Workers
General Union for Petrochemical and Gas Workers
General Union for Agricultural Workers
Union of Women’s Work Committees
Union of Synergies—Women Unit
Union of Palestinian Women Committees
Women’s Studies Society
Working Woman’s Society
Palestinian Students’ Campaign for the Academic Boycott of Israel
One Democratic State Group
Palestinian Youth against Apartheid
Association of Al-Quds Bank for Culture and Info
Palestine Sailing Federation
Palestinian Association for Fishing and Maritime
Palestinian Women Committees
Progressive Students Union
Medical Relief Society
The General Society for Rehabilitation
Afaq Jadeeda Cultural Centre for Women and Children
Deir Al-Balah Cultural Centre for Women and Children
Maghazi Cultural Centre for Children
Al-Sahel Centre for Women and Youth
Ghassan Kanfani Kindergartens
Rachel Corrie Centre, Rafah
Rafah Olympia City Sisters
Al Awda Centre,
Rafah Al Awda Hospital,
Jabaliya Camp Ajyal Association,
GazaGeneral Union of Palestinian Syndicates
Al Karmel Centre,
Nuseirat Local Initiative,
Beit Hanoun Union of Health Work Committees
Red Crescent Society Gaza Strip
Beit Lahiya Cultural Centre
Al Awda Centre, Rafah
Al-Quds Bank for Culture and Information Society
women section -union of Palestinian workers syndicate
Middle East Childrens’ Alliance -Gaza
Local Initiative -Beit Hanoun
to the People of Conscience worldwide to break the Israeli Blockade:
Do not forget Gaza
We are waiting for your boats at our shores
We the Palestinians of the Besieged Gaza Strip, are calling on the world: enough inaction, enough discussion, enough waiting – the illegal closure on the Gaza Strip must end. While attention is focused on the Palestinian bid for statehood in the UN do not forget that the blockade and the suffering continue in Gaza.
Shortly after 2006 democratic election which was supervised by people and bodies from the international community, nations formerly supporting aid and cultural organizations in Gaza withdrew their support. In mid-2007, our borders, controlled by Israel and Egypt, fully closed, locking Palestinians within and preventing imports and exports from crossing our borders.
From December 27 2008 to January 18 2009, Israel waged an all-out slaughter on Gaza, killing over 1400 Palestinians, the vast majority innocent civilians and among them nearly 400 children, and destroying thousands of homes, businesses, factories and buildings including universities, schools, hospitals and medical care facilities, and damaging vast tracts of our water and sanitation system.
Almost three years following after Israel's attacks, almost no homes and few buildings have been rebuilt, our sanitation and sewage system is more dire than ever, raw waste continues to be pumped into our sea –for want of proper treatment facilities –polluting our water and the fish along the coast which fishermen are forced to harvest because the Israeli navy shoots at them if they try to fish more than three miles from the Gaza coast—contaminating our drinking water and food supply.
Our farmers continue to be shot at, maimed and killed by Israeli soldiers along our border, prevented from working, growing and harvesting their land, denying us a rich supply of produce and vitamins. Nutrient deficiencies and malnutrition continue to rise, affecting our children's growth and their ability to study. Our economy is shut down by lack of functioning factories and electricity. Our students hold little to no prospects of exiting for study abroad, even when placements and scholarships have been secured, due to the Israeli control of the Erez crossing and the Egyptian-controlled Rafah crossing being closed more often than opened. Our sick suffer for want of necessary medications and medical supplies and equipment.
Since 2005, over 170 Palestinian organizations have called for Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions to pressure Israel to comply with international law. Since 2003, Palestinians have weekly met in villages in the occupied West Bank and occupied East Jerusalem, to protest Israel’s occupation policies.
Creative civilian efforts such as the Free Gaza boats that broke through the blockade five times, the Gaza Freedom March, the Gaza Freedom Flotilla, and the many land convoys must never stop their siege-breaking efforts, highlighting the inhumanity of keeping 1.5 million Gazans in an open-air prison.
On the 2nd of December, 2010, 22 international organizations including Amnesty International, Oxfam, Save the Children, Christian Aid, and Medical Aid for Palestinians produced the report ‘Dashed Hopes, Continuation of the Gaza Blockade’ calling for international action to force Israel to unconditionally lift the blockade, saying that despite the reported June 2010 “easing” of the closure, the Palestinians of Gaza continue to live in the same devastating conditions. Human Rights Watch published a comprehensive report "Separate and Unequal" that denounced Israeli policies as Apartheid, echoing similar sentiments by South African anti-apartheid activists.
We call on the citizens of the world oppose this deadly, medieval blockade. The failure of governments and world bodies to condemn such crimes is tantamount to complicity. Only civil society is able to mobilize to demand the application of international law and put an end to Israel’s impunity. The intervention of civil society was effective in the late 1980s against the apartheid regime of South Africa. Nelson Mandela and Archbishop Desmond Tutu have not only described Israel’s oppressive and violent control of Palestinians as Apartheid, they have also joined this call for the world’s civil society to intervene again.
We call on the nations and citizens of the world to continue and/or reinitiate their plans to sail to Gaza to challenge and break the Israeli blockade. The civil society initiatives of the Freedom Flotillas are about taking a stance of justice and solidarity with besieged Palestinians when your governments will not. We call on the Flotilla movement to continue to sail until the blockade of Gaza is entirely lifted and Palestinians of Gaza are granted the basic human rights and freedom of movement citizens around the world enjoy.
Signed by:
University Teachers' Association
Palestinian Nongovernmental Organizations Network
Al-Aqsa University
Palestine Red Crescent Society in Gaza
General Union of Youth Entities
Arab Cultural Forum
General Union for Health Services Workers
General Union for Public Services Workers
General Union for Petrochemical and Gas Workers
General Union for Agricultural Workers
Union of Women’s Work Committees
Union of Synergies—Women Unit
Union of Palestinian Women Committees
Women’s Studies Society
Working Woman’s Society
Palestinian Students’ Campaign for the Academic Boycott of Israel
One Democratic State Group
Palestinian Youth against Apartheid
Association of Al-Quds Bank for Culture and Info
Palestine Sailing Federation
Palestinian Association for Fishing and Maritime
Palestinian Women Committees
Progressive Students Union
Medical Relief Society
The General Society for Rehabilitation
Afaq Jadeeda Cultural Centre for Women and Children
Deir Al-Balah Cultural Centre for Women and Children
Maghazi Cultural Centre for Children
Al-Sahel Centre for Women and Youth
Ghassan Kanfani Kindergartens
Rachel Corrie Centre, Rafah
Rafah Olympia City Sisters
Al Awda Centre,
Rafah Al Awda Hospital,
Jabaliya Camp Ajyal Association,
GazaGeneral Union of Palestinian Syndicates
Al Karmel Centre,
Nuseirat Local Initiative,
Beit Hanoun Union of Health Work Committees
Red Crescent Society Gaza Strip
Beit Lahiya Cultural Centre
Al Awda Centre, Rafah
Al-Quds Bank for Culture and Information Society
women section -union of Palestinian workers syndicate
Middle East Childrens’ Alliance -Gaza
Local Initiative -Beit Hanoun
------------------------------------Français------------------------------------
UN APPEL DE GAZA
aux gens de conscience pour briser le blocus israélien :
N’oubliez pas Gaza
De nos côtes, nous attendons vos bateaux
Nous, les Palestiniens et Palestiniennes de la bande Gaza, appelons au monde entier : assez d’inaction, assez de discussion, assez d’attente. Il faut maintenant mettre un terme au blocus illégal de la bande de Gaza. Alors que toute l’attention est tournée vers le vote aux Nations Unies pour la reconnaissance de l’État palestinien, il ne faut pas oublier que pendant ce temps, le blocus et la souffrance ont toujours cours dans la bande de Gaza.
Peu après les élections démocratiques de 2006 qui ont été supervisées par des personnes et des organes de la communauté internationale, des États, qui auparavant soutenaient les organisations d’aide humanitaire et les organisations culturelles à Gaza, ont soudainement retiré leur appui. Au milieu de 2007, nos frontières, contrôlées par Israël et l’Égypte ont été complètement fermées, nous emprisonnant ainsi à Gaza et empêchant toute importation ou exportation de biens.
Du 27 décembre 2008 au 18 janvier 2009, Israël a lancé une attaque sanglante sur Gaza, tuant plus de 1400 Palestiniens et Palestiniennes, dont la vaste majorité était des civils innocents, incluant près de 400 enfants. Cette attaque a également détruit des milliers de maisons, d’entreprises et d’usines, elle a détruit des universités, des écoles, des hôpitaux, des cliniques médicales et une grande partie des infrastructures sanitaires et de distribution d’eau.
Aujourd’hui, près de trois ans après cette attaque israélienne, à peu près aucune maison ou immeuble n’a été reconstruit. Nos systèmes d’assainissement et d’égouts sont plus mal-en-point que jamais, les déchets sont jetés à la mer -faute d’installations adéquates pour en disposer- contaminant ainsi les sources d’eau potable et les poissons que nous sommes forcés de consommer puisque les pêcheurs ne peuvent pêcher au-delà de trois milles marins, à défaut de quoi, ils s’exposent à des tirs de la marine israélienne.
Nos agriculteurs sont également la cible de tirs israéliens. Lorsqu’ils s’approchent trop près de la frontière, ils sont mutilés et tués par des soldats israéliens. Ces menaces les empêchent de travailler et de cultiver leurs terres, ce qui nous prive d’importantes quantités de nourriture et de vitamines. Les carences nutritionnelles et la malnutrition continuent d’augmenter, affectant particulièrement la croissance de nos enfants et leur capacité d’étudier. Notre économie est gravement minée par un manque d’usines fonctionnelles et d’électricité. Nos étudiants et étudiantes n’ont pratiquement aucune chance d’aller étudier à l’étranger, même s’ils bénéficient de bourses d’études et d’une acceptation formelle de l’Université, et ce, parce que tant les Israéliens qui contrôlent le passage d’Erez que les Égyptiens qui contrôlent celui de Rafah (qui a été plus souvent fermé qu’ouvert) leur refusent le passage.
Depuis 2005, plus de 170 organisations palestiniennes ont appelé à appuyer la campagne de Boycott désinvestissement et sanctions afin de contraindre Israël à respecter le droit international. Depuis 2003, les Palestiniens et Palestiniennes se rencontrent à chaque semaine dans les villages occupés de la Cisjordanie et de Jérusalem Est pour protester contre la politique israélienne d’occupation.
Les différentes et créatives initiatives civiles comme les bateaux du mouvement Free Gaza qui ont réussi cinq fois à briser le blocus israélien, la Marche pour la liberté, la Flottille de la liberté et les nombreux convois terrestres ne doivent jamais cesser si nous voulons briser le blocus. Ces initiatives permettent en effet de mettre au jour l’inhumaine prison à ciel ouvert dans laquelle sont enfermés 1,5 million de Gazaouis.
Le 2 décembre 2010, 22 organisations internationales incluant Amnistie internationale, Oxfam, Save the Children, Christian Aid et Aide médicale pour la Palestine ont produit un rapport intitulé « Dashed Hopes, Continuation of the Gaza Blockade » et réclamé une action internationale visant à forcer Israël à lever inconditionnellement le blocus. Comme le dit le rapport, malgré les allégations « d’assouplissement » du blocus en juin 2010, les Palestiniens et Palestiniennes de Gaza ont toujours les mêmes conditions de vie désastreuses. Human Rights Watch a d’ailleurs publié un rapport : « Separate and Unequal » qui décrit la politique israélienne comme une politique d’apartheid, faisant ainsi écho à ce que dénoncent des militants sud-africains anti-apartheid.
Nous invitons les citoyens du monde entier à s’opposer à ce blocus moyen-âgeux qui tue à petit feu. Le refus des gouvernements et des instances internationales de condamner les crimes d’Israël équivaut à de la complicité. La société civile doit se mobiliser afin d’exiger l’application du droit international et un terme à l’impunité d’Israël. Rappelons que cette même société civile a joué un rôle clé à la fin des années ’80 pour mettre un terme au régime d’apartheid en place en Afrique du sud. Nelson Mandela et l’archevêque Desmond Tutu ne se sont pas contentés de décrire l’oppression violente dont est victime le peuple palestinien comme étant une situation d’apartheid, ils ont également appelé la société civile à intervenir pour y mettre un terme, comme elle l’a fait dans le passé pour l’Afrique du Sud.
Nous appelons donc les nations et les citoyens de ce monde à continuer et/ou à initier des projets pour voguer à Gaza afin de défier et de briser le blocus israélien. Les initiatives de la société civile, comme celles de la Flottille de la liberté, ont pour objectif d’apporter justice et solidarité aux Palestiniens et Palestiniennes alors que vos gouvernements préfèrent fermer les yeux. Nous appelons le mouvement de Flottille à poursuivre ses efforts pour naviguer vers Gaza tant et aussi longtemps que le blocus ne sera pas complètement levé et que nous, Palestiniens et Palestiniennes de Gaza, ne verront pas l’ensemble de nos droits humains être respectés dont notamment, celui de pouvoir enfin circuler librement.
Signé par :
University Teachers' Association
Palestinian Nongovernmental Organizations Network
Al-Aqsa University
Palestine Red Crescent Society in Gaza
General Union of Youth Entities
Arab Cultural Forum
General Union for Health Services Workers
General Union for Public Services Workers
General Union for Petrochemical and Gas Workers
General Union for Agricultural Workers
Union of Women’s Work Committees
Union of Synergies—Women Unit
Union of Palestinian Women Committees
Women’s Studies Society
Working Woman’s Society
Palestinian Students’ Campaign for the Academic Boycott of Israel
One Democratic State Group
Palestinian Youth against Apartheid
Association of Al-Quds Bank for Culture and Info
Palestine Sailing Federation
Palestinian Association for Fishing and Maritime
Palestinian Women Committees
Progressive Students Union
Medical Relief Society
The General Society for Rehabilitation
Afaq Jadeeda Cultural Centre for Women and Children
Deir Al-Balah Cultural Centre for Women and Children
Maghazi Cultural Centre for Children
Al-Sahel Centre for Women and Youth
Ghassan Kanfani Kindergartens
Rachel Corrie Centre, Rafah
Rafah Olympia City Sisters
Al Awda Centre,
Rafah Al Awda Hospital,
Jabaliya Camp Ajyal Association,
GazaGeneral Union of Palestinian Syndicates
Al Karmel Centre,
Nuseirat Local Initiative,
Beit Hanoun Union of Health Work Committees
Red Crescent Society Gaza Strip
Beit Lahiya Cultural Centre
Al Awda Centre, Rafah
Al-Quds Bank for Culture and Information Society
women section -union of Palestinian workers syndicate
Middle East Childrens’ Alliance -Gaza
Local Initiative -Beit Hanoun
~ Sofia Smith
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