We Urge Israel to Stop Massacre and Blockade of the Gaza Strip

We Urge Israel to Stop Massacre and Blockade of the Gaza Strip

Israeli bombing of the Gaza Strip has been conducted since December 27th in 2008 to 29th, more than 100t, causing 345 Palestinians killed and 1450 wounded. It also destroyed not only the governmental offices, but also colleges, broadcasting stations, Islamic Mosques. In addition, Israel declared that they would launch an all-out-war by mobilizing ground troops and tanks.
 
Since the war in 1967, Israel has occupied the Gaza Strip and committed crimes such as murder, detention, torture, and violence against Palestinians in Gaza. In addition, after Hamas seized power in the last election on January in 2006, Israel started a military action, named Operation Summer Rain, in June and hundreds of Palestinian were killed. However, their military attack did not lead to the collapse of Hamas. Even though Israel and the U.S. also tried to instigate the internal coup in Palestine, it also failed to topple Hamas but rather helped Hamas to dominate the Gaza Strip. Since then, Israel strengthened a blockade policy in the Gaza Strip.

The Israeli blockade of the Gaza Strip has resulted in menacing the Palestinians’ right to live. Power plants stopped running and vehicles could not move, due to cut-off of oil supply. Patients had to face death since they could not go to a hospital in Egypt and Israel, and medicines ran out. The limited food supply led to the surge of food price and hundreds of thousand people could do nothing but to rely on the external aid.

As the brutal blockade continued, the protests calling against the policy increased all over the world. Last January in 2008, the Palestinians of the Gaza Strip toppled the wall at the border between the Gaza Strip and Egypt in order to get food and medicine, and last August international human rights activists crossed the sea to deliver hearing-aids for the children in Gaza. Despite these callings and resistance, Israel continued the blockade! .

The ceasefire between Hamas and Israel, which lasted for 6 months, ended on December 19th in 2008 because of the Israeli blockade. Many Palestinians expected their life would get better through the ceasefire. However, despite the ceasefire, the blockade continued and Palestinians renounced the ceasefire which does not protect their lives.

Then, Israel launched a massive air strike in Gaza. This attack is intended to make Palestinians give in and to put the ruling party in a better position through the hawkish policy against Palestine in face of the next February election of Israel in 2009. The Israeli ruling party makes innocent Palestinians the scapegoats for the! ir political success. Nevertheless, the U.S. responded as if the attack should be blamed on Hamas and Palestinians.

At the moment, there are 1.5mil. Palestinians living in the Gaza Strip, isolated from the external world and Israel is making their lives a hell. Israel should immediately stop massacre and blockade. The U.S. should stop supporting slaughterer Israel.

The international calling for Israel to stop the massacre is spreading out in Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Turkey, the U.S. and Britain. Even in Korea, many citizens, civil society, and political parties urge Israel to stop massacre and blockade, and move to work for solidarity with Palestinians. As long as the Israeli massacre and blockade of the Gaza Strip continues, our action in calling for justice and peace in Palestine will continue.