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GAZA STILL OCCUPIED !
END ISRAEL’S OCCUPATION OF THE WEST BANK, GAZA STRIP AND EAST JERUSALEM ; END THE HUMAN RIGHTS ABUSES
This international campaign on the ongoing occupation of Gaza aims to raise awareness worldwide of the plight of the Palestinians living under military occupation in the West Bank, the Gaza Strip and East Jerusalem, that face a continuously deteriorating humanitarian and human rights situation. The ongoing effective control that Israel yields over the Gaza Strip is the root cause, directly or indirectly, of all types of human rights violations we are seeing in Gaza, and are attempting to tackle at Al Mezan Centre for Human Rights in Gaza and at other local and international human rights organizations. We must begin seeing intensified and collaborative efforts at regional and international levels to end these human rights violations and contribute towards finding means of ending this occupation. This campaign, being launched by Al Mezan and supported by Palestinian solidarity groups in a number of different countries, aims to bring the truth to as many people as possible worldwide.
One year after the Israeli Disengagement from Gaza...
– Siege
Israel retains complete control of Gaza’s borders, airspace and coastline...
– Collective punishment
Lack of water and electricity due to Israel’s bombing of power plant...
No movement due to Israel’s closures of Gaza borders...
Israeli military actions that terrify and terrorize...
– Killing of civilians
Since the Disengagement, the Israeli military has killed 336 Palestinians in Gaza, including women and 61 children...
– Economic disaster
78% of Gaza’ population is living in poverty, and 40% are unemployed : Gaza’s economy is at breaking point due to border closures and Israeli attacks on Gaza’s industry...
– Humanitarian crisis
There is a severe shortage of basic commodities in Gaza, including foodstuffs, fuel and medicines, due to Israel’s control over all of Gaza’s borders...
Paralysis of Palestinian government
Israel’s frequent missile attacks on Palestinian governmental institutions and its illegal detention of scores of Palestinian democratically elected legislators has left the Palestinian government with no authority to restore law and order in Gaza...
And Israel claims it no longer occupies Gaza...?
All these measures associated with Israel’s military occupation of the occupied Palestinian territories are a violation of international law.
JOIN THIS INTERNATIONAL CAMPAIGN CALLING FOR AN END TO OCCUPATION, END TO HUMAN RIGHTS ABUSES AND A PEACEFUL SOLUTION TO THE CONFLICT
SPREAD THE WORD...
SIGN OUR PETITION...
LOBBY YOUR LOCAL GOVERNMENT REPRESENTATIVES...
LEARN MORE FROM THE CAMPAIGN WEBPAGE...
Présentation générale
Introduction
GAZA IS STILL OCCUPIED !
End Israel’s Occupation of the West Bank, Gaza Strip and East Jerusalem and End the Human Rights Abuses
This international campaign on the ongoing occupation of Gaza aims to raise awareness worldwide of the plight of the Palestinians living under military occupation in the West Bank, the Gaza Strip and East Jerusalem, that face a continuously deteriorating humanitarian and human rights situation. The ongoing effective control that Israel yields over the Gaza Strip is the root cause, directly or indirectly, of all types of human rights violations we are seeing in Gaza, and are attempting to tackle at Al Mezan Centre for Human Rights in Gaza and at other local and international human rights organizations.
We must begin seeing intensified and collaborative efforts at regional and international levels to end these human rights violations and contribute towards finding means of ending this occupation. This campaign, being launched by Al Mezan and supported by Palestinian solidarity groups in a number of different countries, aims to bring the truth to as many people as possible worldwide.
The West Bank is being carved up by Israel in order to build Jewish settlements and settler-only roads, isolating Palestinian villages surrounded by fences, walls and checkpoints, and creating an Apartheid- like system fundamentally disastrous for the Palestinian economy, wellbeing, morale and opportunities for development. Israel’s permit regime makes movement within the West Bank and out of the West Bank extremely burdensome. Israel’s Separation Wall, which was considered illegal in an advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice, continues to be constructed deep into West Bank land and is destroying Palestinian homes and sources of livelihood, preventing movement between Palestinian towns and annexing Palestinian land to the ‘Israeli’ side of the Wall. Palestinian democratically elected legislators have been illegally detained by Israel, and governmental institutions destroyed, effectively stripping the Palestinian government of any capacity to restore law and order in the Palestinian territories.
In East Jerusalem, Palestinian residents are facing frequent house demolitions and are struggling to maintain their Jerusalem residencies in the face of Israeli attempts to revoke them and force Palestinians to leave Jerusalem. Illegal Jewish settlements are expanding over East Jerusalem, while Palestinian land and property is destroyed for their construction. East Jerusalemite Palestinians have limited rights either as Palestinians or as Israelis.
The Gaza Strip is now like an open- air prison ; Israel’s control over all aspects of Palestinian life in the Strip is having dire effects on the enjoyment of fundamental freedoms we should take for granted. The borders are frequently closed at Israel’s ’discretion’, preventing passengers from leaving or entering the Gaza Strip through Egypt, including students, workers and, most importantly, patients seeking or having undergone treatment abroad. The other passenger outlet through Israel is also virtually closed to Palestinian travelers and consequently Palestinians in Gaza cannot access the West Bank and vice-versa. The Oslo Accords signed by both Israel and the PLO in the 90s, however, stipulate that both the West bank and Gaza Strip comprise ‘one territorial unit’ and therefore movement between the two must be permitted by Israel.
Although Israel ‘disengaged’ its Jewish settlers and military infrastructure out of the Gaza Strip in 2005, it retains complete control over the Strip and has tightened procedures such that movement of passengers and goods in and out of the Gaza Strip, as well as important economic activities such as fishing, is almost impossible. Israel attacks the Gaza Strip on a frequent basis, killing men, women and children and causing large scale destruction of homes and public infrastructure. After an attack on Gaza’s power plant, the majority of the population now suffers a serious scarcity of electricity and water. Israel now claims that it holds no more responsibility for the people of Gaza since it ’disengaged’, even though it has effective control over ever aspect of Gazan life.
The biggest obstacle to ending the Israeli occupation is the passiveness and inaction of the international community ; these countries have a legal and moral obligation to end ongoing human rights abuses and should not be idly standing by and watching as the Palestinians continue to suffer and the Middle East descends into chaos. We firmly believe that the sooner the Palestinian- Israeli conflict ends, the sooner other countries in the region will also be able to find peace and stability.
We therefore hope you can help in spreading the effects of this campaign in calling for an end to the Israeli occupation. The Palestinians cannot continue living in these appalling sub-human conditions. There are many ways at different levels that you can help, and we urge you to sign our petition, contact us for flyers and contact your local Palestine Solidarity groups to find out what you can do locally. We also urge you to contact your local government constituents and place pressure on your government in this way to take a serious stand against Israeli human rights violations and to initiate urgent diplomatic talks on ending the occupation and bringing peace to the region.
Finally, thank you all for visiting this campaign and for your ongoing support for a just and peaceful solution based on human rights and dignity. We wish you luck in promoting this campaign and please contact us should you have any queries.
Objectives of this campaign
The main goal of this campaign is to end the occupation of the Gaza Strip and West Bank, including East Jerusalem and end the human rights abuses. Israel must immediately return to the negotiating table so a solution can be found for an end of the Israeli military occupation of the Palestinian people : a just solution based on the principles of international law.
We hope to contribute to reaching this goal through the following :
1) Raising international awareness and highlight the urgency among the general public of the situation in the Gaza and West Bank, including East Jerusalem
2) Encouraging worldwide dissemination of real facts about the occupation from the ground
3) Attaining international public mobilization and support
4) Erasing the myth in the world that since the disengagement, Gaza is no longer occupied and that Israel no longer has obligations towards the people of Gaza
5) Exerting pressure on decision- makers worldwide, and consequently on Israel, to bring about an end to the Israeli occupation of the Palestinian people
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