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Over the past
week, the Palestinian people have lived in a state of war. At a critical time
in the final status negotiations in the peace process, the man behind the massacre
of Sabra and Shatila, Ariel Sharon, visited the Haram El-Sahrif in Jerusalem
under the protection of Israeli policemen and soldiers. The visit and the
repeated Israeli official stance denying Palestinian rights in Jerusalem lead
to intifada-like demonstrations by Palestinians throughout Palestine. The Israeli
Army responded with excessive force to these demonstrations. They used
high-velocity bullets, live ammunition, anti-tank missiles, and helicopter
gunships. In 6 days of clashes, 66 Palestinians were killed and over 1,600
injured. The confrontations are still taking place. One 12-year old, Mohammad
El-Dura, was killed in cold blood, like many others. Israeli soldiers or
settlers shot 25 children. One was less than two years old. Since it establishment,
Israel has been violating international law and human rights standards. Israeli
atrocities have been documented by international organizations. The
international community has repeatedly condemned Israel for these acts.
Nonetheless, the crimes continue to be perpetrated against Palestinian
civilians. The core issue
is that Israel cannot bring itself to believe that Palestinians are equal human
beings. The suppressed guilt of the Israelis prevents them from facing
themselves and the atrocities they have committed. One Israeli woman asked,
“why do these children put themselves in the line of fire.” She did not want to
ask herself why soldiers are killing them. As stated in
international law and UN resolutions, Israel is an occupying force. They have
no right to be on Palestinian soil. The Palestinians are guaranteed by
international law the right to free themselves from this occupation and defend
themselves against oppression. Yet, Israel has been the recipient of a great
deal of international aid that has allowed it to build the army and security
machines that have been oppressing Palestinians. We call upon
the international community to take a firm stand against the outrageous human
rights violations perpetrated by the Israeli leadership and military
establishment. We appeal to individuals and governments to: -
Stop
the serious Israeli aggression against the Palestinian people. -
Secure
international protection to the Palestinian people from the Israeli army. -
Mount
pressure on the UN Security Council to take concrete measures to protect the
Palestinian people. -
Strongly
condemn Israeli human rights violations. -
Take
measures to ensure Israeli implementation of UN resolutions on the Palestinian
rights including the withdrawal from the occupied land, including Jerusalem,
and the right of return. -
Boycott
Israel on all fronts, economic, political, and diplomatic, until it proves its
willingness to implement UN resolutions. -
We
call upon the masses in the Arab and Muslim world and all advocates of peace
and justice where ever they maybe to organize demonstrations supporting
Palestinians rights, and pressure their governments to boycott Israel
culturally, economically, politically, and militarily. -
We
call upon Palestinian President Yasser Arafat to declare the Palestinian State
with Jerusalem it’s capital. Please Help! Dr. Eyad El-Sarraj Chairman of the Board of Directors Send your
letters to: The Office of
the Prime Minister 3 Kaplan Street Kiryat
Ben-Gurion Jerusalem 91919 Tel:
972-2-670-5555 Fax: 972-2-651-2631 E-Mail:
pm@pmo.gov.il The Ministry of
Defense Kaplan Street Hakirya Tel Aviv 67659 Tel.
972-3-569-2010 Fax.
972-3-691-6940 The Ministry of
Foreign Affairs Hakirya, Romema Jerusalem 91950 Tel:
972-2-530-3111 Fax:
972-2-530-3506 E-mail:
ask@israel-info.gov.il The Ministry of
Interior 2 Kaplan Street Kiryat
Ben-Gurion Jerusalem 91008 Tel:
972-2-670-1411 Fax:
972-2-670-1628 The Ministry of
Justice 29 Salah A-Din
Street Jerusalem 91010 Tel:
972-2-670-8511 Fax:
972-2-670-8722 The Ministry of
Internal Security Kiryat
Hamemshala P.O.B. 18182 Jerusalem 91181 Tel:
972-2-530-8003 Fax:
972-2-584-7872 |