Campaign: End the Siege on Gaza

[sister_Harb]

Statement, End the Siege, 10 November 2007

On 25 October, a Palestinian patient died at Erez crossing while awaiting being allowed to cross to an Israeli hospital. A week ago, a woman died in Gaza hospital with her newly born baby, while awaiting a permit to be transferred to Israel for medical treatment.

These are not the first victims, and will certainly not be the last should the current situation continue to prevail.

Last week, the operation rooms in Gaza's main hospital were shut down due to the lack of medical gases, which were not allowed in by Israel. Today Israel does not allow except 12 basic items to enter Gaza, out of over 9,000 commodities. From soap to coffee, from water to soft drinks, from fuel to gas, from computers to spare parts, from cement to raw materials for industry, all and hundreds of other items are not allowed into Gaza today.

The Israeli cabinet declared Gaza a hostile entity, and has declared its intentions to further intensify the collective punishment by cutting the electricity power and entry of fuel products. Banks in Israel are also threatening to cut off all financial cooperation with Palestinian banks in Gaza.

Given all this, we have adopted the initiative of the Gaza Community Mental Health Programme to launch the Palestinian-International Campaign for Breaking the Siege on Gaza, which has been intensified lately by the strict siege imposed on the Gaza Strip since June 2007.

The aim of this humanitarian, non-partisan campaign is to put pressure on the Israeli government to lift the siege imposed on the population of Gaza. By raising the awareness of the international community on the deteriorating living conditions resulting from the siege, we aim at mobilizing the efforts of the various international community organizations and governments to stop the boycott of Gaza. We call for the implementation of the recent European Parliament resolution calling on the Israeli government to end the siege.

We need the support of all people who believe in justice all over the world, to contribute to the success of this campaign. We also call upon all Palestinians, whether in Gaza, West Bank, inside the green line, or anywhere else in the Diaspora to support our efforts and join our activities. It is a genuine call to rescue people, not governments or political parties. It is time to put aside any partisan conflicts and unite people in the pursuit of freedom, justice, and peace. We particularly call upon Jews whose history of trauma, discrimination and suffering should guide them to stand up today against the suffering of others.

Planned activities of the campaign

The campaign is planned to take place from November 2007 until the siege is broken. We will hold a press conference to announce the launching of the campaign.

Media and information technology methods will be our main tools to lobby supporters and contributors from around the world.

The first major event of the campaign will be organizing an international symposium entitled "Breaking the Siege on Gaza: Together for a United Front for Peace" in Gaza.

Full statement: http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article9090.shtml

[sister_Harb]

Does Israel Feel Safer Tonight? - The Latest Victim of Siege
Improvisations: Arab Woman Progressive Voice

November 17, 2007

"Twenty-one-year-old Sabri Al Kurdi [Nael al Kurdi] became the most recent medical patient to die while waiting to leave the Gaza Strip for treatment this week. Al-Kurdi, who suffered from cancer, was denied permission from Israeli authorities to travel to Egypt for, where he was to be treated. Al-Kurdi was one of numerous patents to be denied or delayed by Israeli authorities for "security reasons."

Source: http://arabwomanprogressivevoice.blogspot.com/2007/11/do-israelis-feel-safer-tonight.html

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Other victims before him were for example mother of seven children and 6-month-old baby, both in Gaza without permit to reach medical care in cause of "security reasons".

I just wonder does Israel feel safer now when it denies sick and helpless people to travel for seeking treatment? If those victims of siege have been so danger for they "security", how danger are then those whose are still alive? Don´t those walls and fences, strong army and nuclear warheads give them any kind of protection at all???

[sister_Harb]

ACTION ALERT: A Call From Gaza Asking For Your Help To End The Siege
Delinda C. Hanley and Janet McMahon, WRMEA
November 29, 2007

ACTION ALERT
November 29, 2007

Contact: communications@wrmea.com

A Call From Gaza Asking for Your Help to End the Siege

By News Editor Delinda C. Hanley and Managing Editor Janet McMahon

Today—the 60th anniversary of the passage by the U.N. General Assembly of the nonbinding resolution partitioning Palestine—is the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People. We’ve been hearing speeches about peace all week from politicians—but talk, as we’ve learned, is cheap. We’ve seen photos of Gazans demonstrating in the streets against the Annapolis conference, to which the elected government of Palestine was not invited, but with few reporters in Gaza Americans aren’t getting the entire picture.

Yesterday our Gaza correspondent, Mohammed Omer, called us to discuss a story idea for the next issue of the Washington Report on Middle East Affairs. Speaking on his cell phone from the office of a taxi cab company in Gaza City, Mohammed told us that he’d have to spend the night in Gaza City because there were no taxis available to take him home to Rafah.When we put him on speaker phone, we could hear the two other men in the office—Imad, the owner of Imad Taxis, and Mahmoud, who works for the municipalities department—ask who he was talking to. When Mohammed explained that he was speaking with his editors in Washington, DC, the floodgates opened. Our correspondent proceeded to translate what two everyday Gazans want the outside world to know. Their words were spontaneous, unpolished, and spoken from their hearts. It’s extremely urgent that Americans listen and respond.

Israel has kept Gaza’s borders sealed since June, when Palestine effectively was divided between Hamas-ruled Gaza and the Fatah-ruled West Bank. But since January 2006, when free and fair elections resulted in a Hamas parliamentary majority, Gaza’s borders have only rarely been opened. That means 1.5 million men, women and children are trapped there.

The owner of Imad Taxis told us that, because of the closure, if one of his cabs breaks down there are no spare parts to fix it. "Drivers can’t work," he said. "Gas is getting very expensive. I can’t even pay my telephone bills, so soon customers can’t call to book a taxi."

Mahmoud chimed in: "We’ve run out of everything. After every Israeli attack something more is ruined. Electrical poles, wires, water pipes, and we can’t replace them. Why are we being punished? What is our crime? Is it because we were born Palestinian?

"We can’t fix generators or even keep them running," he continued. "When there is no electricity we can’t distribute water. We’ve run out of chlorine to clean the water. It’s full of bacteria. A water heater used to cost 10 shekels, but now it costs 40 or 50 shekels—if you can find one. So we don’t have hot water for bathing. Our sewage system has collapsed. There’s no power to pump sewage out and no chemicals to clean it. Look at the garbage in the streets. There is no fuel for the trucks to come to haul it away."

"Israel is only allowing basic food supplies into Gaza: sugar, rice, flour, and oil," Imad told us. "Every day my little girl asks me to bring home a chocolate bar. I can’t find any in Gaza. I disappoint her every night. We can’t even buy Arabic coffee. There are no razors, no shaving materials. We’ll all have to grow beards. [Laughter] There isn’t stone, not even cement, to make headstones for graves. We’re using pieces of metal to write names on graves. We can’t buy diapers. Gazans are starting to smoke molokhiya [a green leaf vegetable] because we can’t buy cigarettes. We can’t buy shoes and soon we’ll have to make them from tires. There is no printing paper."

Their words overlap as they tumble out—we can no longer tell who is saying what.

"You can’t find jackets, wool clothes, underwear, or even socks for winter in the shops.

"Medical supplies in hospitals are exhausted. There’s no oxygen; drugs aren’t available. We cannot find the basic needs for life.

"For God’s sake open the border."

Mahmoud tells us: "My son has had a visa to study in the United States since last year. He was admitted to San Francisco State. He speaks good English. He has high grades—'everything. Last year he missed going because the border was closed. He'’s ready to travel today. He'’s missing a second year. If my son doesn'’t have a future where will he go? Hamas is begging him to join its militia, but he doesn'’t want to. He’'s volunteering for [psychiatrist and peace activist] Dr. Eyad al-Sarraj’s International Campaign to Break the Siege on Gaza. Help prevent our children from becoming extremists. They'’re so hopeless they could find al-Qaeda. We want them educated. Don’t punish our children."

"History will never forget. Israel and America are creating hatred in Gaza. The whole table will collapse if Gaza is excluded from the peace talks. Who is responsible for us? The U.N.? The European Union? We are not beggars. We are hard workers, educated, intelligent. We need our international human rights. We want to live like anyone in the world.

"We hope you can get our message out. Please open the borders and end this siege."

Call or write your local editors and radio talk show hosts, and contact your elected representatives in Washington, DC.

President George W. Bush
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Ave., N.W.
Washington, DC 20500
(202) 456-1414
White House Comment Line: (202) 456-1111
Fax: (202) 456-2461
E-mail:

E-mail Vice President Dick Cheney: vice.president@whitehouse.gov>

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice
Department of State
Washington, DC 20520
State Department Public Information Line:
(202) 647-6575

Any Senator
U.S. Senate
Washington, DC 20510
(202) 224-3121

Any Representative
U.S. House of Representatives
Washington, DC 20515
(202) 225-3121
E-mail Congress: visit the Web site <www.congress.org> for contact information.

The Israeli Embassy, Washington, DC
(202) 364-5500

The Israeli Embassy, Canada
(613) 567 6450

For more information about this issue or to subscribe to the Washington Report on Middle East Affairs visit our Web site <http://www.wrmea.com/>. This 26-year-old publication has the largest circulation of any magazine of its kind, and is sent to both public and university libraries and bookstores in North America, Europe, Asia and the Middle East. For a free sample copy call (202) 939-6050.

http://www.uruknet.info/?p=m38752&hd=&size=1&l=e

[sister_Harb]

Popular Committee Against Siege
January 6, 2008

PCAS sent a message to the whole free world to draw the attention about Israeli violations of Human Rights laws against innocent civilians in Gaza. The letter was sent to EU ministers and officials, UN Members, Human rights associations around the world.

Content of sent letter:

Since the start of tight siege imposed on Gaza strip; Gazans encountered problematic situation in all life aspects. Chain of outcomes of siege appeared strongly in the last few days, especially in power sector. The Popular Committee Against Siege (PCAS), would like to pay your attention toward the fuel crisis. More than 50 % of the power supply in Gaza is not available vowing of many humanitarian crisis. Israel and part of it’s siege, decreased severely the devoted fuel supplies to Gaza power station. Accordingly, we predict that this crisis will hit all life aspects in Gaza strip as follows:

*Hospitals and health centers are severely impacted.

*Water wells reduced the pumped drinking water.

*Waste water treatment plants are partially off.

* Schools and educational institutions will not be able to run under full capacity.

*About 65% of Gaza residents will be negatively affected.

Thus, we request your prompt intervention and actions to prevent more deteriorations of the Palestinians lives in the Gaza strip.

Best Regards,
Jamal N. El Khoudary
Independent member of Palestinian Parliament
Chairman of PCAS

http://www.freegaza.ps

[sister_Harb]

The Big Action To Free Gaza Strip
The slow genocide is still under way in Gaza ! Act Now !
Popular Committee Against Siege (PCAS)



February 2, 2008

We were all pleased to see a new wall tear down, but unlike the Berlin Wall, this does not mean that the occupation is over and Gazans are free.

Egypt closed the border back and the 5 days of freedom the Gazans courageously allowed themselves by demolishing the walls of their prison didn't allow them to erase 6 months of blockade, without medicines, without drinking water, without electricity, without fuel, without food balanced, without freedom.

The mainstream media reported that Israel will resume its fuel deliveries to Gaza, but they forget to mention that it will deliver only 20% of the amount necessary to the Gaza needs.

Israel has also announced that on February 7, it would reduce by 5% its electricity supplies to Gaza where power is severely lacking.

In Gaza, the humanitarian situation is still dramatic:

86 patients have been killed by Israeli Occupation due to Closure!

1562 patients are in need of treatment outside Gaza Strip and 322 patients have reach a critical stage. If the siege continues, 470 cancer patients will die.

107 class of basic medicines are depleted from Gaza Strip and 97 sorts of medicines are on the verge of depletion

The hospitals treat only urgent cases due to the lack of power and fuel for back-up generator.

The mobilization must go on.

We must pursue the work and ask this inhuman siege, which constitutes a war crime involving our governments, be lifted.

Ask your MPs, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the European Union, your representatives to the United Nations how they can sleep the night when people are dying due to their decision

Ask them if the Palestinian genocide is the only way they found to solve the Jewish issue.

Get out in the streets, demonstrate, and organize candlelight vigils in solidarity with the people of Gaza.

Show to your government that you do not agree to be witnesses of that slow genocide without saying anything

Take part in the global effort organized on February 23th calling for the End of the Gaza Siege!

Free Gaza!

The action of protests will be across European, Arab, southern and Latin American countries.

Contact us, the Popular Committee Against Siege in Gaza (PCAS), and let us know what you are preparing for this global action!

Please, forward this call around you.

We need your help to Free Gaza !



www.freegaza.ps
--
Popular Committee Against Siege(PCAS),
PCAS Manager,
Sam AK
Gaza - Palestine

Website: www.freegaza.ps

اللجنة الشعبية لمواجهة الحصار
غزة- فلسطين