FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
28 June 2006
For contact:
Phyllis Bennis, Institute for Policy Studies (Washington DC)
Adi Dagan, Coalition of Women for Peace (Israel)
Chris Doyle, Council for Arab-British Understanding (London, UK)
Mobile numbers for all: 0044-7968-040-281 or 001-514-577-3469
AUSTRIA
Meeting in Vienna under the auspices of the United Nations, the dozens of civil society and non-governmental organizations of the International Coordinating Network on Palestine (ICNP) condemns in the harshest terms the overnight Israeli attacks in the Gaza Strip.
These attacks represent a massive collective punishment against the 1.3 million people of Gaza, and thus under international law constitute a war crime, violating Israel's obligations under the Geneva Conventions. The deliberate targeting and destruction of the main electrical generating plant, especially at the height of summer and at a moment in which the absolute siege of Gaza means there are virtually no fuel stocks
available for local generators, mean that hospitals and patients at home needing electricity for insulin or other refrigerated medicines face disaster. The deliberate destruction of the already-eroded water system means that water is scarcer than ever. The humanitarian situation is catastrophic.
But the even greater catastrophe is political. Certainly it is true that these attacks ensure that a negotiated safe return of the captured Israeli soldier now becomes almost impossible. But, as ICNP co-chair Phyllis Bennis said, “far more significant is the reality that the re-occupation of Gaza reverses any possibility of new Israeli-Palestinian negotiations based on the recent Palestinian unity moves. As long as the
Israeli occupation forces continue to surround and control Gaza (as well as the West Bank and Arab East Jerusalem), and as long as the United States continues its uncritical financial and political backing of Israel's occupation, and as long as the United Nations, Europe and the rest of the international community stand silent, these humanitarian catastrophes and the civilian deaths that will inevitably accompany them,
will continue.
The ICNP urges
- The international community, through the United Nations, must call for an immediate end to the Israeli assault on Gaza and for a full withdrawal of Israeli forces.
- Israel must provide immediate compensation, paid in full to Palestinians for reconstruction of damaged electrical and water systems, and must ensure access into Gaza of all necessary personnel and equipment for such rebuilding.
- Israel must immediately remove all checkpoints within Gaza and reopen all Gaza's borders (with Israel and Egypt), and allow free flow of people and goods.
- All political prisoners and prisoners of war on both sides should be released, with particular urgency for the women and children prisoners in Israeli prisons. We agree with UN Special Rapporteur for Human Rights John Dugard's call for the international community to initiate a new creative diplomatic process to enable Israel and the Palestinians to resume negotiations towards ending occupation and ensuring a just peace in the region.