Ramallah, 20-11-08: Dr. Mustafa Barghouthi MP, the Secretary General of the Palestinian National Initiative, held today a joint press conference with Mairead Maguire, the Irish Nobel Peace Laureate. Late October, they both were member of the crew of the SS Dignity, the second boat that sailed and broke the Israeli siege on the Gaza Strip.
The deputy and the peace activist reported what they witnessed in Gaza, as the Strip being totally isolated from media coverage and the rest of the world, tales from the grounds are rare.
The deputy emphasized on the importance of a international solidarity movement that supports the Palestinian people as a whole, as Palestinians are suffering from occupation conditions whether they are living in the West Bank, Gaza or Jerusalem.
During her stay in Palestine, Mrs. Maguire was invited by Dr. Barghouthi to discover –in order to witness- the multiple aspects of the Palestinian peaceful resistance, by supporting the popular resistance against the apartheid wall along with Ni’lin residents, house demolitions in Jerusalem, or the humanitarian crisis in Gaza as a result of the siege.
“The core values of your campaign, Mister Obama:
Freedom, Justice, Equity and Parity should prevails here too.
We are facing the longest occupation in the History
and the worst apartheid policy.”
Mustafa Barghouti to Barak Obama
The Palestinian and the Irish peace activists delivered a discourse that emphasized on Unity and calls on the International community to take responsibility and support the Palestinian peaceful struggles.
When addressing to the newly elected US President, Barghouthi repeated that the biased policy toward Israel should be ended. “The core values of your campaign, Mister Obama: Freedom, Justice, Equity and Parity should prevails here too. We are facing the longest occupation in the History and the worst apartheid policy.”
“As step too far has been crossed”:
Barghouti and Maguire in a joint effort to call the international for taking actions
Under the Geneva Convention, no government is allowed collective punishment on a population, Maguire noted. “The Israeli policy is both illegal and immoral as it targets children, women and innocent civilians. It might be the worst situation in the world as an entire population that is affected”, observers reported.
Mairead Maguire reported her latest experience that testify the on the ongoing isolation policy and media blackout currently happening in the Strip. “I went to Erez yesterday, along with 50 international aid workers and journalists. No one has been allowed to enter the Strip. We were told that a war is on in Gaza, before being denied entry.”
Dr. Barghouti also emphasized worsening policy against internationals, as Israeli naval vessels have kidnapped 14 Palestinian fishermen and 3 international peace activists from the Gaza shore this Tuesday morning. “Those violence of any laws and conventions are happening during the so-called Annapolis Peace talks”, added the Deputy.
“A step too far has been crossed in the policy of siege in Gaza”, they said, as neither journalists can report on the living condition of the population nor humanitarian workers are allowed to provide assistance.
“By remaining silenced, the international community
is conniving with Israel the destruction of the lives
of children, women and civilians. “
Mairead Maguire
“This necessitates the attention of both the new US government, the EU and the United Nations. Now. By remaining silenced, the international community is conniving with Israel the destruction of the lives of children, women and civilians.“
“Children are asking for food, not for bombs”, she added. “But Israeli is delivering them bombs, and is supported by 10 millions dollars a day from the US tax payers.”
They speakers called on the international community to uphold its basic human rights obligations, to end the siege on Gaza and to start serious negotiations to end the humanitarian worsening crisis.
“Now, we need actions, not words”, said Mrs Maguire before calling for a boycott and a disinvestment in the bilateral trade relations with Israel.
Israel cannot be serious in peace talks while simultaneously demolishing Palestinians houses in East-Jerusalem, building an apartheid Wall and new settlements. “This, is what I witnessed from my very eyes after spending times in Gaza and the West Bank”, Maguire added. “I saw a family being evicted from their house in Jerusalem and sleeping now in a tent. They are clearing Jerusalem from its Palestinian population.”
The speakers call on the UN to take concrete measures and suspend the Israeli membership to the UN until the Government complies with the universally recognized standards of International law.
Maireaid Maguire confirmed that she has hope for a future solution t the conflict and that it will be the Palestinians along with Israelis who will solve that issue. She insisted on the necessity for a Palestinian Unity, and the use of non-violent and popular actions to struggle for the Palestinian rights.
Tales from a closed entity - Gaza
Along with other international peace activists, Mustafa Barghouti and Mairead Maguire were members of the crew of the SS Dignity boat that sailed to Gaza in late October, the second boat that has reached the Gaza Strip for over the last fifty years.
The speakers reported having been told by the Israeli government that they will not be allowed to reach the Strip. “We knew we were sailing at our own risk”, said Mrs Maguire “But we were internationals from all around the world, feeling concerned about the Palestinians conditions of living and we were determined to reach the Gazan coasts”, she added.
“What we found in Gaza was both disturbing and sad as the humanitarian crisis in the Strip has reached a very deep scale”, attested the Peace Laureate.
They witnessed the isolation of the Gazan population from the rest of the world as a consequence of the Israeli closure of the Gazan borders and the destruction of the Gazan airport. “We witnessed a collective punishment over the Gazan civilians as a whole”, they reported. “Innocents, children and women are targeted.”
To the speakers, Gaza is not only currently the biggest prison in the world. Its population has been denied from its most basics rights, such as food security or access to health care. They’re deprived of visiting their families or leaving the Strip. It is worse than jail, where those rights are granted to you. And although Israeli is claiming not occupying Gaza anymore, “the Israeli government holds the keys of every individual prison in Gaza”, she told.
From the Strip, the speakers witnessed the lack of health care equipment and basic needs. “Doctors are suffering from a lack of fuel for the ambulances, electricity for hospital devices, shortage of medicine, even the most basics that in Europe we take for granted”, Maguire added. Dr. Barghouti also expressed deep concerns on the treat of a imminent sewage flood and the disastrous consequences that a water contamination might have of the heath conditions of Gazans.
As the main electricity power plant of the Strip has been bombed by an Israeli air strike, the population often remains in the dark. Furthermore, due to the ongoing blockade, Gazans are prevented to access the basic materials to rebuild the infrastructure that has been destroyed.
Contacts:
Dr. Mustafa Barghouthi: 0599/ 201 528
Or: 0599/ 940 073