PROJECTS & CAMPAIGNS

IJAN Letter in the Sun-Times

Dear Editor:

I am shaken and outraged by Israel's violent and deadly assault on the humanitarian activists aboard the ships of the Freedom Flotilla as it carried 10,000 tons of aid to Gaza.

As a Chicago resident and participant in a related delegation this pastJanuary, the Gaza Freedom March, I cannot help but envision myself aboard that ship as civilians were attacked with live gunfire by one of the most technologically advanced militaries in the world. Why attack inthe middle of the night? Why in international waters? Why with live ammunition?

Let the world not be silent yet again in the face of a people abandoned.

As a member of the International Jewish Anti-Zionist Network (IJAN), I call on civil society everywhere to break the siege of Gaza and to join the Palestinian call for boycott, divestment and sanctions against Israel until its policies reflect human rights and Palestinian self-determination.

Lee Gargagliano

Chicago, IL

http://www.suntimes.com/news/commentary/letters/2342544,CST-EDT-vox02a.article

(scroll down to the second letter)

Free Gaza, Respect International Waters

The International Jewish Anti-Zionist Network (IJAN) strongly condemns Israel's barbarous early-morning raid, carried out in international waters, on a maritime humanitarian convoy, during which Israeli soldiersattacked with live ammunition peaceful civilians on board, murdering atleast fifteen according to the Israeli army, perhaps many more, and wounding scores.

We are humbled and inspired by the commitment and the sacrifice of the people on board these ships. One of the boats in the convoy was named after Rachel Corrie, murdered by an Israeli bulldozer driver while obstructing the demolition of a Palestinian housein Rafah seven years ago. This boat reminds us all that the courage andperseverance of the ships sailing to Gaza follows in an international tradition of total civic engagement and ethical commitment that echoes and responds to the perseverance and courage of a century of Palestinianresistance to ethnic cleansing and colonialism.

This attack on ships carrying 10,000 tons of humanitarian aid, including educational supplies, medical supplies and construction material, is international high seas piracy. We call on all governments to end Israel's impunity, enforce international law and hold Israel accountable for its recurrent violations. Furthermore, this act of piracy was carried out in pursuit of maintaining a siege on Gaza, imposed by Israel with participation of the Egyptian government and US backing, a siege that is itself a crime against humanity. This criminal siege is deepening a terrible humanitarian crisis, with mass unemployment, extreme poverty and food insecurity affecting over a million and a half people, most of whom are refugees from the ethnic cleansing of Palestine in 1948, who are now locked in the world's largest concentration camp. Palestinians in Gaza are prevented from rebuilding their houses destroyed by Israel in the massacre of 2009, and forbidden to import stuff such as toys and chocolate as punishment for having democratically elected a government that refused to collaborate with the occupation.

Palestinian and Jewish Activists to Discuss Occupation and Dispossession

Round table on Occupation and dispossession

Monday, 31 May, 15:00-17:00

Ecumenical Centre, 150 Route de Ferney, Salles II & III

(free parking available)

Speakers:

Hazem Jamjoum
Communications officer of the BADIL Resource Centre for Palestinian Residency and Refugee Rights and editor of al-Majdal Quarterly Magazine

and

Caroline and Nathan Finkelstein
Geneva-based members of Urgence Palestine and of the International Jewish Anti-Zionist Network

The event will be in English and is organized by the Palestine IsraelEcumenical Forum on the occasion of the World Week for Peace in Palestine and Israel, 29 May - 4 June 2010.

The World Week for Peace in Palestine and Israel is convened by the World Council of Churches, which invites member churches and related organizations to join a week of advocacy and action for a just peace in Palestine and Israel.

The Palestine Israel Ecumenical Forum is a platform that rallies churches together enabling them to coordinate their efforts and initiatives for a just peace in Palestine and Israel.

On the same date, there will be a day-long exhibition at the Ecumenical Centre with handicrafts, photos, posters, books, magazines, videos and DVDs depicting the impact of the Israeli occupation on the Palestinian people.

Media contact: Ranjan Solomon, 022.791.6398, 076.395.8250, lcs@wcc-coe.org

The World Council of Churches promotes Christian unity in faith, witness and service for a just and peaceful world. An ecumenical fellowship of churches founded in 1948, today the WCC brings together 349 Protestant, Orthodox, Anglican and other churches representing more than 560 million Christians in over 110 countries, and works cooperatively with the Roman Catholic Church. The WCC general secretary is Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit, from the [Lutheran] Church of Norway. Headquarters: Geneva, Switzerland.