Beware the Israeli attacks

Ramallah, 22/12/08. Even before the official end to the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, Israel began initiating a public relations campaign, aimed at both their own people and the international community, which would ‘prepare us all’ for the eventual military assault on the tiny, besieged Strip.

Though to many, it may seem cynical that Israel would consider a dramatic increase in violence against Gaza while the eyes of the world are on the little city of Bethlehem, one should keep recent history in mind.

In the past Israel has staged incursions into the OccupiedTerritories when the attention of the world and the press are elsewhere. Only in this scenario will the world’s fourth largest military power be allowed to attack the world’s most densely populated and desperate population, with overwhelming force, without the risk of widespread condemnation.

We believe that the public relations campaign of Israel is not an exercise, and that there are talks going on at all levels concerning the possibility of a full-scale invasion and reoccupation of the Strip. We believe that such an attack would result in the deaths of hundreds if not thousands of innocent Palestinian men, women and children, and cause a lot of pain and suffering for both sides.

One death is too many, and in the spirit of Christmas we urge the international community to step in to prevent such a crisis from occurring while our eyes are averted. Furthermore, we urge the international community to begin taking proactive steps to ending the siege of the Gaza Strip, so that those hundreds that we may save today, do not die tomorrow by the negligence of basic human rights.

Mustafa Barghouthi MP,

Secretary General of the Palestinian National Initiative

What they said on Gaza:

« Israel maintains its Gaza siege in its full fury, allowing only barely enough food and fuel to enter to stave off mass famine and disease. Such a policy of collective punishment (…) constitutes a continuing flagrant and massive violation of international humanitarian law.

Protective action must be taken immediately to offset the persisting and wide-ranging violations of the fundamental human right to life, and in view of the emergency situation that is producing a humanitarian catastrophe that is unfolding day by day. (…) It is time to act. At the very least, an urgent effort should be made at the United Nations to implement the agreed norm of a ’responsibility to protect’ a civilian population being collectively punished by policies that amount to a Crime Against Humanity.”

Current United Nations Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in the oPt, Richard Falk

“By remaining silent, the international community is conniving with Israel and complicit in the destruction of the lives of children, women and civilians. “

Mairead Maguire, Irish Nobel Price Laureate,

‘Gaza is a prison and Israel seems to have thrown away the key.’

United Nations Special Rapporteur on Human Rights, John Dugard