What Ramadhan, a Childs Dead in Gaza! We cannot close our eyes to the atrocity in Gaza where a five -year old died. A hospital blowing up in smoke is the most barbaric act of terrorism which cannot be said to be in the name of defending residents, This 6th day of strikes in Gaza, already 76 Gazans have reportedly been killed, including 10 children and over 500 injured, including as a result of the apparently deliberate targeting of residences. Like the Mindanao conflict, women and children are the ones who always, inevitably, bear the worst consequences of any armed conflict. May I remember activist Rachel Corrie, 23, who inspired so many . While I was in Oxford, apathetic residents in London were galvanized to march for Palestine. Rachel was an American activist who like Martin Luther marched a non-violent protest . She stood against house demolitions and violence in Palestine in 2003 . And she died from meeting a bulldozer head on. In one memorial for her, She had such enormous empathy for the suffering of others that she could be a pain in the ass. She pushed her handsome, reserved boyfriend to cry—and when he finally did, ate the tear and recorded the event with triumph in her journal before leaving him for the zillionth time, he said, smiling, at her memorial service at Evergreen State College in March. That service began with a prayer from Rachel’s Jewish uncle. And many of her teachers from elementary school spoke with awe about the girl’s sense of purpose. Huffington post reports that fellow activist Tom Dale told the investigating court: The bulldozer went towards her very slowly, she was fully in clear view, straight in front of them. Unfortunately she couldnt keep her grip there and she started to slip down. You could see she was in serious trouble, there was panic in her face as she was turning around. All the activists there were screaming, running towards the bulldozer, trying to get them to stop. But they just kept on going. Corries parents Cindy and Craig, from Washington state, said the Israeli military had either unlawfully or intentionally killed 23-year-old Rachel in 2003 or, at best, was guilty of gross negligence. Israelis military action in Gaza – named Operation Protective Edge – was intended to protect Israelis from Hamas strikes. But overkill and violation of international humanitarian laws is clearly apparent. The UN secretary general, Ban Ki-moon, said a ceasefire was more urgent than ever after an emergency security council meeting on Thursday. But it is painful for the whole world to watch helpless at a leadership that cannot flex its muscle to stop the violence. For thousands of years, Gaza has been an important seaport and trade community, exporting agricultural produce to other areas of historic Palestine and serving as a way station for traders traveling along the Egypt-Syria trade route. These areas are also historic battlefields for the Jewish and the Palestinian people. Sadly with Hamas control, Israeli occupation and military control, the area has been subject of blockade. According to UN OCHA, over 12,000 people are currently displaced due to their inability to reconstruct their homes, destroyed during hostilities. At least 230 Palestinian civilians have been killed and over 400 injured while working in tunnels between Gaza and Egypt, used for the transfer of restricted goods, since June 2007. The United Nations has condemned indiscriminate rocket fire from Gaza on civilian areas in Israel . We also condemn use of force by Israeli security forces on Gaza that cause civilian casualties . In the spirit of Ramadhan and upholding diplomacy and dialogue, we call on a STOP TO MILITARY STRIKES and urge pro-active engagement at a people –people level.
Posted on: Sun, 13 Jul 2014 07:40:37 +0000
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