What you need to know:
Asymmetrical power, violence: Israel has one of the most advanced militaries in
the world as well as the full support of the United States in terms of funds ($3+
billion/year), weaponry, & international political clout. By comparison, Palestine in
general, and Gaza in particular, is impoverished & does not have comparable fire
power, equally powerful and reliable allies, nor access to resources.
The Assault & Siege on Gaza &
the Occupation of Palestine
Israeli occupation of Palestine: The underlying reason for continued violence is
Israel’s occupation of Palestinian land. Israel controls Gaza’s sea and airspace and
its only commercial and pedestrian crossings. Israel controls trade into and out of
Gaza, prevent freedom of movement for residents of Gaza, and restricts access to
basic supplies such as food, water, medicine, & fuel. By maintaining “effective control”
of Gaza, Israel is obligated by international law to meet certain humanitarian
requirements in Palestine, but it continually fails to do so. While Palestinians in Gaza
are held in an open air prison, Palestinians in the West Bank face mass incarceration,
including the detainment of over 200 children, and Israel’s use of economic incentives
& nationalist propaganda to encourage Jewish Israeli settlers to further encroach on
already limited Palestinian territory. Palestinians often face great violence & are
removed from their homes to clear the way for settlements. Israel’s status as an
occupying power has been affirmed by such organizations as the Red Cross,
Amnesty International, the U.N., & the U.S. State Department.
LEARN MORE:
Friends of Sabeel – North America, Voice of Palestinian Christians fosna.org
Boycott Divestment and Sanctions, a call from Palestinian civil society to employ
the same tactics effective in ending South African apartheid. bdsmovement.net
US Campaign to End the Occupation endtheoccupation.org
SPEAK OUT AGAINST THE ASSAULT & SEIGE ON
GAZA; THE OCCUPATION OF PALESTINE; & U.S.
MILITARARY AID TO ISRAEL
Next Event in Solidarity with the People of Palestine
GET INVOLVED LOCALLY:
Friends of Sabeel – North America local group/Coalition;
website, Facebook page, or google group;
Email; Phone number
WHAT:
Protest, Vigil, Die-In Street Theatre, March, etc.
WHEN:
Date and Time
WHERE: Location
CONTACT: Friends of Sabeel – North America/Coalition
Name; Email; Phone number
FRIENDS OF SABEEL – NORTH
AMERICA
END THE OCCUPATION OF PALESTINE; FREE
GAZA; END U.S. MILITARY AID TO ISRAEL!
Operation Protective Edge: Israel’s July/August 2014 Assault on Gaza
Alarming toll of death and destruction: On July 8th Israel began an aerial assault
and then ground invasion on the Gaza Strip. Israel pulled out their ground troops on
August 5th, but is continuing an aerial bombardment campaign. Since July 8th, around
1,900 Palestinians, mostly civilians, including over 400 children, have died in Gaza.
64 Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) soldiers & three Israeli civilians have killed been
killed. The assault, which included attacks on hospitals and UN schools, has left over
9000 people injured and half a million people displaced. This is Israel’s third major
Israeli offensive against Gaza in the past six years.
Peace Requires Justice
Citing the “living death” that is the status quo in Gaza, Palestinian academics,
journalists, businessmen, scientists, NGO leaders, doctors & many others, in the
West Bank and Gaza have joined together with these demands for Gaza:
- Freedom of movement of Palestinians in and out of the Gaza Strip.
- Unlimited import and export of supplies and goods, including by land, sea and air.
- Unrestricted use of the Gaza seaport.
- Monitoring and enforcement of these agreements by a body appointed by the
United Nations, with appropriate security measures.
Recognizing that Israel’s occupation of Palestine is the root cause of the continuous
violence in Gaza and the West Bank, people of conscience demand an immediate
freeze on Israeli settlements and prompt movement toward a just agreement to end
the occupation and implement U.N resolution, 194, granting Palestinian right of return.
A disingenuous claim to “self-defense”: Israel’s incredible violence against Gaza
is indisputably disproportionate to any threat that Israel faces from the Palestinian
resistance to occupation.
Siege on an open-air prison: Gaza has been called an “open-air prison” because
Israel controls its land, airspace, sea, access to electricity, movement of people &
goods, including food, water & medicine. Israel controls Gaza’s borders with the
exception of the Rafah Crossing on the border with Egypt, which has been closed by
the Al-Sisi military government; even medical aid has been denied. There is nowhere
for people to go, evacuation is not an option.
There is a Solution – BDS!
U.S. Culpability
Aid to Israel: The U.S. gives Israel $3 billion per year in military aid. On July 31 the
US restocked Israel’s supplies of ammunitions in violation of US and international law.
On August 1, congress authorized an additional $225 million for Israel’s Iron Dome
system.
Justifying massacre: The U.S. congress passed Resolution 498, justifying Israel’s
assault on Gaza. There were no dissenting votes or acknowledgement of
proportionality and/or the number of people in Gaza who had been killed or injured.
Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS): In 2005 Palestinian civil society put out
a call to the international community to employ the same non-violent tactics that were
successfully ended South African apartheid. The BDS movement targets companies
and institutions that profit from, contribute to, or are intertwined with the state of Israel
and occupation of Palestine. Along with Israeli products and institutions, this includes
such companies as Hewlett Packard, Motorola, Soda Stream, Coca-Cola, Sabra
and Tribe hummus, Nestle, Revlon, Johnson & Johnson, Victoria’s Secret and
more. BDS is endorsed by many academics, noble laureates, and peace
organizations, including the Israeli organization, Boycott from Within. For more
information and a more comprehensive list of companies and institutions targeted go
to http://boycottisraeltoday.wordpress.com/boycott-israel/ and bdsmovment.net
Even when Israel is not launching a military assault, the occupation itself is
always a violent act.