Call to Reverse EU Palestine Starvation Policy

Call to Reverse EU Starvation Policy

The decision by the European Union to suspend aid to the democratically elected Palestinian Authority is an act of gross inhumanity and political provocation. The undersigned organizations believe this action will worsen the current humanitarian, security and economic crisis in the Occupied Territories. We call on the European Union to reverse this decision immediately and call upon the British Government to take immediate steps to persuade the European Union to change its decision. We call upon all citizens of Europe to take all possible steps to bring about a reversal of this policy.

Against the better advices of many experts, the EU adopted the US-Israeli plan to punish the Palestinian people. Former US President Jimmy Carter wisely cautioned in the Washington Post (February 20) that, "Any tacit or formal collusion between the two powers (US, Israel) to disrupt the process by punishing the Palestinian people could be counterproductive and have devastating consequences."

The actions by the Israeli Government withholding monies which belong to the Palestinian people coupled with the European Union decision threatens the jobs of 150,000 people in the Occupied Territories including 11,000 health workers and 38,000 teachers. This action coupled with the blockading of the main crossing into Gaza is resulting in the rapid reduction of stocks of essential foodstuffs and soaring inflation of the price of daily necessities. This act of collective punishment is in contravention of the Geneva Convention.

We undersigned organizations call upon the European public to denounce Government of Israel’s actions against the Palestinian people and support their just quest for freedom and independence.

We condemn the hypocritical double standards of the European Union which demands that Hamas renounces violence, recognize Israel and respect international treaties whilst failing to make the same demands of the Government of Israel which has been responsible for political assassinations, aerial bombardment of civilians and persist in its illegal occupation of Palestinian lands building settlements and the Apartheid Wall stealing more and more lands.

The undersigned organizations in UK and Ireland calls on Europeans everywhere to write to their prime ministers and demand an immediate resumption of aid and the commencement of meaningful a dialogue with the Palestinian Authority.

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The Palestinian Return Centre ( PRC)
Arab Media Watch
British Muslim Initiative
End the Israeli Occupation
Friends of Al-Aqsa
Islamic Human Rights Commission (IHRC)
Jews for Justice for Palestinian
Muslim Association of Britain (MAB)
Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC)
Pax Christi's
Reforest the Earth
The Association of Palestinian Community in UK
The Ireland Palestine Solidarity Campaign (IPSC)
The Palestinian Forum in UK

*See sample letter below or to your MP

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Dear Prime Minister,

I write with reference to the recent decision taken by the European Union (EU) to suspend the payment of financial aid to the Palestinian Authority. This decision, I believe, has been ill-advised and will have disastrous humanitarian and security consequences. I therefore urge that you together with your counterparts in the EU take urgent measures to reverse this decision.

I am, quite frankly, appalled by the one-sidedness of your approach to the Palestine issue. While your government issues calls for Hamas to recognize Israel, renounce violence and respect international treaties no such demands are made from the Israelis. In fact, you have turned a blind eye to Israel’s relentless campaign of extra-judicial killing of Palestinian civilians in the Occupied Territories (OT).

Sir, in so many ways the crisis in Palestine today is a direct consequence of your inaction and failure to ensure that Israel honors its international treaty obligations. Had it not been given a free hand to build its apartheid wall across the West Bank, expropriate Palestinian land at will and double the number of its colonial settlements in the OT the situation would have been different today.

Prime Minister, permit me to assert that the course of sanctions is the surest way to stagnation. After 48 years they have failed to dislodge the socialist government of Fidel Castro in Cuba. In Palestine the only conceivable result is that the Palestinian people would rally around their elected government. At best they would conclude they are been punished for exercising their democratic choice. At worse their society stands to become dangerously radicalized.

To spare the region further political turmoil and human suffering I urge that you take immediate steps to reinstate all aid and commence a process of meaningful dialogue with the Palestinian Authority.

Yours sincerely,

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