PSPD in English Peace/Disarmament 2021-05-20   1903

[Joint Statement] Israel, Stop invasion of the Gaza Strip immediately

20210520_이스라엘의 가자지구 침공 규탄 기자회견

 

20210520_이스라엘의 가자지구 침공 규탄 기자회견

Israel, Stop invasion of the Gaza Strip immediately

 

May 20, 2021

 

Israel is again committing a massacre in the Gaza Strip, Palestine. As of May 19, 219 residents of the Gaza including 63 children and young adults were killed due to Israeli bombardment which began on May 10. 1,600 are injured, and the toll of casualties has been rapidly increasing. 

 

Israel insisted that it began bombing Gaza to respond to firing rockets at Israel by Palestinian party “Hamas”. Hamas demanded Israel remove Israeli border police from “Sheikh Jarrah” in East Jerusalem and Al-Aqsa mosque in the first place. Shortly before Hamas’s notice, Israel had already blocked the roads along the Gaza Strip and started to prepare for war, halting the largest military exercise in its history. And then when Hamas launched a rocket after giving Israel an ultimatum, Israel began a massacre in Gaza under the pretext of Hamas attack. 

 

Israel has expelled Palestinians in “Sheikh Jarrah” in East Jerusalem from their towns and villages to make way for new illegal Jewish settlers and sent the police to violently suppress residents who oppose the eviction. Forced eviction of residents in Sheik Jarrah and crackdown on protests raised the ire of Palestinians, which represent in microcosm ethnic cleansing of Palestinian indigenous people since the foundation of Israel in 1948. As protests spread, Israeli border police broke into Al-Aqsa Mosque and fired tear gas, flash grenade, and rubber-coated bullets at protesters and worshippers. The protests spread to the Gaza Strip and West Bank which were occupied by Israeli military forces since 1967 and to Palestinian communities in Israel. In addition, Palestinian casualties increased as the Israeli military and police fired at unarmed protesters. Amid ongoing situation, Hamas demanded Israel withdraw its border police from the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound and Sheikh Jarrah. It is not just Hamas. All Palestinian resistance groups in Gaza began to combat Israel, as it has blocked the land, sea, and air of Gaza and committed regular massacre since 2007. 

 

Palestinians fight back against Israel after Israeli military’s violence on unarmed protesters comes to a head. However, Israel rationalizes its attacks on Palestinians, saying it is “self-defense” against preemptive attack by ruthless Islamic terrorist group, Hamas. 

Israel’s all-round attack on Palestinians in Israel or Palestine including Gaza has its origin. In 1948, Israel was founded on 78% of “historic Palestine’s land” following Israeli ethnic cleansing of Palestinian indigenous people. In 1967, Israel militarily occupied 22% of remaining land: the West Bank and Gaza Strip including East Jerusalem. Although Palestinian citizens in Israel account for 20% of the total population, Israel passed a law with the constitutional status which stipulates “Israel is a Jewish state”. Moreover, Israel has 60 laws which formally discriminate Palestinian citizens in Israel. 

 

For this reason, Palestinian civil society and South African civil society which went through apartheid have long defined Israel as an “Apartheid State”. Israeli actions across Palestinian regions conform to the rule of apartheid which “establishes and maintains dominance of another racial group by one racial group and systemically oppresses another racial group”. The two former UN Special Rapporteurs on human rights in Palestine defined Israel as an apartheid state before. Recently, Israeli human rights organization B’Tselem and Human Rights Watch also announced their official position defining Israel as a system of segregation, isolation, and racism. Palestinians in occupied Palestine and Israel, and 7 million Palestinian refugees, who are deprived of right to go back to their homes after they were forcibly evicted in 1948 when Israel was founded, are facing hardship. Apartheid is an exact rule to include the hardship. 

 

Palestinian civil society has called on international community to impose sanctions against Israel and embargo on Israeli weapons, as the world imposed sanctions on apartheid South Africa. However, in these circumstances, the United States supported Israeli attack on Gaza saying it is exercising “right to defense” and rejected the passage of the UNSC resolution requesting a ceasefire, and continued to support weapons as previously scheduled. What about South Korea? Two days after the Israeli bombardment in Gaza began, Korean government had the FTA signing ceremony with Israel. Without any consideration of Israeli military occupation, it has held Palestine accountable for Israeli massacre on Palestinian civilians, saying indiscriminate rocket attacks from Gaza lead to large-scale casualties including children. 

 

As of May 18, Israel is bombing Southern Lebanon, suggesting escalation of the war. Israel is committing additional crimes despite the International Criminal Court’s investigation into Israel’s war crimes. Israel must stop bombing Gaza immediately. As long as Israel has control across Palestine, it can resume bombing at any time. Israel must withdraw from all militarily occupied territories in Palestine, and apartheid regime must be ended. Therefore, we demand as follows:

 

  • Israel must stop massacre in the Gaza Strip immediately
  • Israel must withdraw from all occupied territories in Palestine and Syria
  • Korean government must abolish FTA with Israel and impose a comprehensive arms embargo on Israel

 

 

160 Organizations Signed :  

A Study Group for  East Asian Detention Camp at Yonsei University

Activists group for Human Rights ‘BARAM’

Advocates for Public Interest Law

All my kids

All For Little One

Alliance for migrant workers’ equal 

Alternative Culture Solidarity

Asian Dignity Initiative

Association Fraternalle Internationale (AFI)

Association of Korea Doctors for Health Rights

Billy Carter

Book Club <Republic of the Humanitas>, Hyanglin Church

Catholic human rights committee

Center for Cultural Society

Center for Sexual rigHts And Reproductive justicE

CHANG: Korean Human Rights Research Center

CHANGJAK21 

Cheonbuk Edumadang

Civilian Military Watch

Climate Justice Forum

Deadline Witches

Dianalab

Diversity Korea

Dongdo

Donghak-Chondogyo Network for People

DxE Korea Wildlife

Equality and Solidarity! Human Rights Movement Plus+

Fairfacetrading

Feminist Institute for Peace Studies, FIPS

Friends of “Comfort Women” in Sydney

Gallery Podonamu

Gangjeong International Team

Gangjeong Peace Network

GongGam Human Rights Law Foundation 

Goyang Branch of National Teacher’s Union

Goyang YMCA

GREEN KOREA JEONBUK

Green Party Korea

Green Party Seoul

Gwanak Educational Community,  MODU

GWANAK WOMEN’S ASSOCIATION

Gwanak-Action

Gwang-Ju Human Rights Center Hwal JJak

Gwanghwamoon Brookforest

Gyeonggi Association of Self-Sufficiency Promotion Center

Gyeonggi bukbu peace action

Gyeonggi women’s association united

Human Rights Center of the National Council of Churches in Korea

Human Rights Education Center ‘deul’

Human Rights Movement Space ‘Hwal’

Imagination for International Solidarity

Incheon NoSaMo

Incorporated Organization Silcheon Bulgyo

Inter-Island Solidarity for Peace of the Sea (Jeju)

International Committee, The National Council of Churches in Korea

International Solidarity Working Group of the Justice Party of Korea

JANGSU YMCA

Jeonbuk Sdidanrity Against Disability Discrimination

Jeonju YMCA 

JPIC Commission (in The Association of Major Superiors of Women Religious in KOREA)

Justice and Peace Priests’ Association, Anglican Church of Korea

Justice Party Dongjak-gu Committee

Korea Migrant Human Rights Center

Korea Refugee Right Network

Korea Vietnam Peace Foundation

Korea Women’s Political Solidarity

Korean Community organization network for education & training 

Korean Confederation of Cats Union in Chung-Ang Univ.

Korean Confederation of Trade Unions

Korean Deaf LGBT

Korean Federation Medical Activist Groups for Health Rights(Association of Korea Doctors for health rights, Association of Physicians for Humanism, Korean Dentist’s Association for Healthy Society, Korean Nurses association for health rights, Korean Pharmacists for Democratic Society, Solidarity for worker’s health)

Korean Hanbumo Association

Korean House for International Solidarity

Korean New Zealanders for a Better Future 

Korean Nurses  association for health rights  

Korean Progressive Network Jinbonet

Korean Sexual-minority Culture & Rights Center

Korean Solidarity against Precarious Work

Korean Solidarity for Overseas Community Organization

Korean Women Workers Association

KTU GWANDONG

KYC

Life & Safety Network

Little Difference

Memorial Association For Professor Kim Chan kuk

Migrant World TV

MINBYUN – Lawyers for a Democratic Society International Solidarity Committee 

Minju Choson

my sister place

Nanum House Council, Anglican Church of Korea

NanumMunhwa

National Council of YMCAs of Korea

NGO HANBARAGI

NGOdagachi

NICS Jesus Direct Action

Nodl Center for Independent Living

North and South Together

Palestine Peace & Solidarity in South Korea

PAX CHRISTI KOREA

PEACE MOMO

Peace Mothers of KOREA

Peace Network

Peace Treaty Movement

Peace Treaty Movement, Incheon

PeaceGround

People Making Jeju a Demilitarized Peace Island 

People, not Profit

People’s Solidarity for Participatory Democracy(PSPD)

PFLAG KOREA

Platform.c

Progressive 3.0

Pumm & Pedagogy

Q&I

Rainbow Action Against Sexual-Minority Discrimination

Rainbow PUTS

RAINBOW THEOLOGICAL INSTITUTE

Refugee Rights Center, NANCEN

Saeminjok church

SARANGBANG Group for Human Rights

Scarlet ChaCha

Secondthesis

Seongmunbak Church 

Seoul Human Rights Film Festival 

Sinchon Centre for Cultural-politics Research

Social Apostolate Committee, Korea Province, Society of Jesus

Solidarity Against Disability Discrimination

Solidarity for Another World 

Solidarity for LGBT Human Rights of Korea

Solidarity for Peace & Human rights of Asia  

Solidarity for USAFIK Comfort Women’s Human Rights

St. Francis Peace Center Foundation

Students for Peace in Palestine, Department of Sociology, Chung-Ang University

Sumdol Presbyterian Church

Sungshin w. univ. student&minority committee

Supporters group for migrant workers movement

The Declaration of Global Citizen

The Frontiers

The Korean Council for Justice and Remembrance for the Issues of Military Sexual Slavery by Japan

The night of detectives

The People’s Solidarity for Korea Youth Policy

The Rainbow Refugee Coalition

The Transgender Liberation Front

The wednesday peace studies group

Theater company GORAE

Togotherdream

Uijeongbu Area Self-help Center

Urnuri Peace Corp.

We are the us people

Women Making Peace

WON-PEACE

World Without War

YMCA meeting for peace and unification.

Yonmindong

Yonsei University Theological College Alumni Association

Youth PLHIV Community of Korea ‘R’

 

Korean Version >>

 


#GazaUnderAttack 

#GenocideinGaza

#ApartheidIsrael 

#FreePalestine

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