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If you or your organization would like to endorse the letter below kindly send an e-mail to mailto:ProtectPalestine@gmail.com
July 6, 2006
H. E. Kofi Annan
Secretary-General
The United Nations, First Avenue
New York, NY 10017
Honorable members of the United Nations Security Council
RE: Immediate International Protection for the Palestinian People in the Occupied Territory
The United Nations was founded “to take effective collective measures for the prevention and removal of threats to the peace, and for the suppression of acts of aggression or other breaches of the peace . . . .” The ongoing ethnic cleansing in Palestine has thrown into stark relief the need for the United Nations to live up to this duty.
Since the Palestinian people have time and again signaled their refusal to acquiesce in their own subjugation, the inexorable march of Israeli human rights violations continues with renewed savagery. The Israeli military has escalated its assault upon the Palestinian people, with dozens of Palestinians killed and wounded in recent months. Since the so-called Israeli redeployment from Gaza, Israel has continued to attack unarmed Palestinian civilians. On June 9, seven people of the same family were killed by Israeli shelling on a beach in the Gaza Strip. Dozens of Palestinian children have been killed in the first six months of 2006 alone, with the world community looking on. As of June 27, the Israeli Occupation Forces have launched a large scale attack on Palestinians in the besieged Gaza Strip, punishing over one million Palestinian civilians for the legitimate exercise of the inherent right of self-defense against Israeli combatants conducting a wide-scale assault on heavily populated areas.
Meanwhile, these forces continue illegally to arrest and detain thousands of Palestinians, confiscate Palestinian land, demolish homes, impose a deadly economic blockade, and build an annexationist Apartheid wall. The historic policy of “Hafrada” (the Hebrew word for Apartheid) has reached its apex, and the international community is confronted more vividly than ever with the fruit of its inaction. It is thus time for the United Nations to discharge its historic obligation.
We therefore call upon the United Nations to intervene to defend the Palestinian people by immediately undertaking the following actions:
- forming an international force to protect Palestinian lives against violent attacks by the Israeli military;
- calling for the immediate release of Palestinian prisoners held in violation of international law;
- holding Israel accountable for its war crimes against the Palestinian people, its violations of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Right and the Convention Against Torture, and its blatant disregard for the principles enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
Such actions would form the necessary beginnings of a just policy on Palestine that is long overdue. The Palestinian people are under brutal assault, and the moral failure of the international community cries out for rectification.
Respectfully,
Palestine Bar Association – Palestine
Gaza Community Mental Health – Palestine
University Teachers’ Association – Palestine
Addameer Prisoners’ Rights and Support Group – Palestine
Teacher Creativity Center – Palestine
Palestinian Counseling Center Palestine
Palestinian Agricultural Relief Committees (PARC) – Palestine
Arab Cultural Forum/Gaza – Palestine
Society of Christian Heritage in the Holy Land – Palestine
Women’s Affairs Technical Committee – Palestine
Jerusalem Center for Educational Enrichment (JCEE) – Palestine
Filastiniyat – Palestine
Union of Palestinian Women’s Committees (UPWC) – Palestine
Network of Christian Organizations in Bethlehem (NCOB) – Palestine
Baladna, Association for Arab Youth Association – Palestine
Ittijah,Union of Arab Community Based Associations – Palestine
The Arab Association for Human Rights (HRA/Nazareth) – Palestine
Himaya Association for the protection of Lands Rights – Palestine
Ansar Al-Sajeen Association – Palestine
The Committee for the Defence of the Rights of Internally Displaced Palestinians in Israel – Palestine
Friends of Political Prisoners and Detainees – Palestine
Jeel Jadeed Cultural Association – Palestine
The Culture and Volunteer Association, Umm el-Fahm – Palestine
The Palestinian Campaign for theAcademic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (PACBI) – Palestine
The Nahif Development and Welfare Association – Palestine
Council for National Interest – USA
Center on Law and Human Rights in Colorado Springs – USA
Palestine Aid Society of North America – USA
Workers World Party -San Francisco Branch – USA
Ohio State University’s Committee for Justice in Palestine – USA
Palestinian American Congress – USA
Rocky Mountain Peace and Justice Center/ Colorado – USA
Georgetown Students for Justice in Palestine – USA
Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom/ Washington, D.C. Branch – USA
Indigenous Peoples Literature – USA
New York Campaign for Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions – USA
International Solidarity Movement, New York Chapter – USA
National Council of Arab Americans, New York Chapter – USA
American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee, New York Chapter – USA
Troops Out Now Coalition – USA
International Action Center – USA
Arab Muslim American Federation – USA
The Middle East Children’s Alliance - USA
Arab American Club/ San Diego, California – USA
American Council on Middle East Policy – USA
Deir Yassin Society – USA
Free Mumia Abu-Jamal Coalition/NYC – USA
International Concerned Family and Friends of Mumia Abu-Jamal – USA
Women in Black/ Los Angeles – USA
WESPAC Foundation – USA
International Solidarity Movement/ Seattle – USA
International Solidarity Movement/ Chicago – USA
Arab Jewish Peace Alliance – USA
Olympia-Rafah Sister City Project – USA
Jewish Women’s Committee to End the Occupation of Palestine/ Toronto – Canada
International Women’s Peace Service/Palestine – Canada
Coalition for a Just Peace in Israel/Palestine – Canada
The Right of Return Congress – Europe/UK
Oxford Palestine Solidarity Campaign – UK
Architects & Planners for Justice in Palestine – UK
Welfare Association/ Great Britain – UK
Oxford Women In Black – UK
Collectif Judio-arabe et citoyen pour la Paix/ Strasbourg – France
Coordination de L’appel de Strasbourg pour une Paix Juste au Proche Orient – France
Collectif Guantanamo – France
Paz con Dignidad – Spain
Aktionsb|ndnis f|r einen gerechten Frieden f|r Paldstina – Germany
Comite pour une Paix Juste au Proche-Orient – Luxembourg
Belgian Interuniversity Cooperation with Universities in Palestine – Belgium
Comiti de Soutien au Peuple Palestinien d’Ottignies-Louvain-La-Neuve- Belgium
Verein fuer Antirassistische und Friedenspolitische Initiative/Dar al Janub” (Union for Antiracism and Peace Policy/Dar al Janub) – Austria
The above letter was initiated by The New York Chapter of the National Council of Arab-Americans, the International Solidarity Movement, the New York Campaign for Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions, the International Socialist Movement, and ADC New York.
For more information, contact Issa Mikel at issamikel@gmail.com
Since Wednesday, June 28, there have been protests around the world calling for an end to the recent escalation in Israeli aggression. And many more are planned, including in Palestine; Sudan; Egypt; New York; Toledo, Ohio; France; Houston, Texas; Oxford, UK; London, UK; Ontario, Canada; Seattle, Washington; Luxembourg; Brussels, Belgium; Berlin, Germany; Washington, D.C.; and Minneapolis, MN. |