Stop Israeli War Crime in Gaza! (Asia-Pacific joint statement)
Source: http://fightback.org.nz/2014/07/15/stop-israeli-war-crime-in-gaza-asia-pacific-joint-statement/
Regional Joint Statement
In the past week, Israeli military forces have escalated their offensive on the Gaza Strip. Israeli warplanes have
increasingly targeted houses, civilian-populated areas and civilian facilities in the Gaza strip. Israeli warplanes have
destroyed a number of houses while their residents were inside, without any prior warnings, killing and wounding many
Palestinian civilians.
The Israeli government has cynically exploited the killing of three Israeli youth and used this to whip up a racist
hysteria against Palestinians and the Hamas government in Gaza. It has done this without producing any evidence about
who was responsible for those killings. A campaign of indiscriminate violence against Palestinians has been incited and
one Palestinian boy has been tortured and burnt to death. Now even more indiscriminate retribution has been inflicted on
the civilian residents of Gaza. Collective punishment is a violation of international humanitarian law.
The ruthless military offensive conducted by Israeli forces has nothing to do with “self-defence”, but a genocidal
aggression on Gaza and intensification of bloody repression against Palestinians who had been constantly denied their
right to self-determination by the Zionist regime.
The undersigned organisations:
• Strongly condemn Israel's latest attack on Gaza, Palestine and demand that it stop its attacks on Gaza and
respect international law including the UN resolution 242 which demands Israel withdraw from the Gaza Strip, the West
Bank and East Jerusalem, territories which Israel has illegally occupied since 1967.
• Call upon all governments to immediately withdraw their ambassadors from Israel, cut diplomatic ties and end all
military and defence ties with Israel.
• Call for the intensification of the economic boycott, disinvestment and sanctions campaign against Israel.
Initiating signatories
Socialist Alliance, Australia
Socialist Party of Malaysia (PSM), Malaysia
Partido Lakas ng Masa (PLM), Philippines
Socialist Aotearoa, New Zealand
Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) Liberation
Partai Rakyat Pekerja (Working People Party), Indonesia
Socialist Alternative, Australia
Partai Rakyat Demokratik (PRD), Indonesia
Solidarity, Australia
Awami Workers Party, Pakistan
Fightback, Aotearoa/New Zealand
ENDS