PCHR: Sourani Concludes His Visit to Japan

Sourani Concludes His Visit to Japan by Holding Press Conference in Japan National Press Club

In the conclusion of his visit to Japan, on Monday, 20 October 2014, Mr. Raji Sourani, Director of the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR held a Press conference in Japan National Press Club (JNPC) (Journalists Syndicate), which was facilitated by Mr. Yasoushi, JNPC Secretary-General. Around 40 Japanese journalists representing major Japanese televisions and newspapers and prominent journalists specialized in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and Middle East issues attended the conference.

In the beginning of the conference, Sourani made a 40-minute presentation on the latest Israeli offensive on the Gaza Strip and the unprecedented crimes committed by the Israeli forces, including the complete destruction of neighborhoods and populated areas, such as al-Shija'iyah neighborhood, Khuza'a village and Beit Hanoun town, over the heads of their residents. He also addressed the annihilation of complete families, such as the families of al-Najjar, Kaware', al-Batsh, Hamad, al-Helo and others, as well as targeting schools used as shelters for the civilians who left their houses that had been attacked as well. He also talked about targeting hospitals and medical crews, the destruction of sewage plants and the only power plant in the Gaza Strip and other war crimes committed against civilians.

Sourani also talked about the use of the Hannibal Directive and Dahiya Doctrine by the Israeli forces, more than once and in more than one place, which resulted in destruction and killing of large numbers of civilians. Sourani stressed that for the first time since the Palestinian Nakbah (the uprooting of the Palestinian people from their lands in 1948), around 540,000 Palestinians had found themselves refugees and without shelters in Gaza due to the Israeli offensive and destruction of their houses in addition to being exposed to extreme dangers. He added that 40,000 houses were destroyed, of which 10,000 were completely destroyed, during the Israeli offensive on Gaza. Sourani said that the latest offensive on the Gaza Strip targeted civilians in the first place and that the majority its victims were civilians; more than 2,200 Palestinians were killed, around 81% whom were civilians, including 543 children and 322 women, and more than 10,000 persons were injured, including 3,000 ones who sustained permanent disabilities. He emphasized that Israel would not have dared doing so unless it was sure that it would go unpunished and would not be held accountable by the international community for the crimes it committed.

During his speech, Sourani emphasized the right of the Palestinian people to resist occupation, which commits war crimes and crimes against humanity. He also said that it is unacceptable to request the Palestinian people to be good victims of occupation. He added that the Palestinian people support their valiant resistance, and Gaza with its heroism, steadfastness and sacrifice is a model to be emulated in defending human dignity and a new and qualitative page that must be proudly added to the record of the Palestinian national struggle.

In the same context, Sourni noted that the latest offensive on Gaza was the third of its kind in 6 years and it came in the context of a more serious and wider crime, which is the closure that has been imposed on the Gaza Strip for 7 years. This inhumane, immoral and illegal closure, which constitutes a form of collective punishment against around 2 million civilians, has paralyzed the economic life and created unprecedented backwardness in the Gaza Strip. He emphasized that this closure is a crime that must be stopped immediately, and talking about the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip is an illusion unless the closure is completely lifted, including allowing the freedom of movement for persons and goods between the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, including Jerusalem on one hand, and between the occupied Palestinian territory and outside world on the other hand. Sourani criticized the latest agreement, which was pronounced by Robert Serry, UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, signed between each of the UN, Israel and Palestinian Authority in New York and considered it as a form of institutionalism of the closure imposed on the Gaza Strip.

Sourani also emphasized that the human rights organizations have legally documented each war crime and crimes against humanity committed by Israel, and that they will seek to prosecute Israeli war criminals all over the world in loyalty for the pains, blood and souls of children and women. He added that it is the victims' and their families' right that President Mahmoud 'Abbas must ratify Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, and the United States and Europe should stop pressurizing the Palestinian leadership to refrain from ratifying it. He stressed that holding Israel accountable for its crimes is the only way to deter it and ensure the non-recurrence of such crimes. He also said that the international community has an obligation to provide protection for the Palestinian people from the oppression of the occupation and the law of jungles.

Sourani said that on the 20th anniversary of signing the Oslo Accords, which aimed to establish a Palestinian State in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, the Palestinian cause has reached its worst situation since the Nakbah, and this deterioration comes under the title of 'peace'. The situation of the Gaza Strip is catastrophic under an unjust closure that has been imposed for 7 years and 3 aggressive wars, while Jerusalem suffers ethnic cleansing against Palestinians, persistent efforts to create a Jewish demographic majority and changing the features of the city, and the West Bank suffers a new unprecedented type of apartheid.

Sourani said that although 10 years has passed since the International Court of Justice issued its Advisory Opinion on the annexation wall, which considered the construction of the wall and called for its dismantlement, Israel is about to complete its construction. Moreover, it all happens because the position of the United States and the whole world towards this conflict in specific is to sacrifice the international law and international humanitarian law allegedly for the sake of achieving peace and security. He added that this is the harvest of application of double standards and the law of jungles.

Sourani also addressed the Palestinian internal situation pointing out that the Palestinian political division constitutes political suicide, and no one benefits from it but Israel as it is strategically weakens Palestinians, and constitutes an excuse for Israel to continue isolating the West Bank from the Gaza Strip, in addition to claiming non-existence of a leader of the Palestinian political regime to represent it. He emphasized that Israel is the one that obstructs the existence of a united Palestinian government. He also added that all division supporters on the Palestinian level will be one day dumped into the dustbin of history.

In the conclusion of his speech, Sourani stressed that Israel does not have any intentions for peace as they killed 'Arafat and continue to establish settlements, confiscate lands, destroy houses, impose a closure on the Gaza Strip, and practice ethnic cleansing in Jerusalem, change its features and even attempt to seize al-Aqsa Mosque. Moreover, they have established the wall in the West Bank and waged 3 aggressive wars against the Gaza Strip. Israel is the only state that does not have borders and is a racist state par excellence.

This conference was held at the conclusion of Sourani’s visit to Japan (8 - 21 October 2014). He was co-invited to visit Japan by Professor Egy Najasawa from Tokyo University, Kamakoura, a director at NHK TV channel, and Dowi Toshikino, a filmmaker specialized in the Palestinian cause. During this visit, he conducted a series of meetings and lectures in Tokyo, Kyoto, Hiroshima, and Fukushima. Sourani lectured on two consecutive days in Tokyo University before a large audience of academics, experts, lawyers, solidarity activists, and journalists. The lectures were introduced by Prof. Najsawa Origy, from Tokyo University. They were preceded by two films, one is about the latest war and the targeting of civilians and the other one is about the closure imposed on the Gaza Strip prepared by Dowi Toshikino, a historian and filmmaker.

Prof. Mary Okeh, a writer and specialist in in Arabic language, hosted a meeting with Sourani in Kyoto University, which was attended and a large audience of Japanese and Arabs. It should be noted that Prof Mary Okeh translated the full works of Ghassan Kanafani.

In Hiroshima, Sourani visited the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park where he met with four survivors of the nuclear attack and listened to their stories. They showed great sympathy towards the Palestinians and condemned Israeli attacks against them.
Sourani also visited Hiroshima University where he met with its president who is an expert in Middle Eastern affairs and delivered a lecture before a large audience of professors and students.

Upon returning to Tokyo, Sourani met with the director general of the Middle East Department in the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs and informed him of the latest developments related to the Palestinian cause and human rights conditions in the light of the last offensive of the Gaza Strip. Moreover, Sourani asserted that international donors are not an insurance policy for Israeli crimes. Prof. Egy Najasawa and Dowi Toshikino attended the meeting.

Furthermore, Sourani was interviewed by NHK TV network which recorded a debate between him and an Asian thinker Prof Suh*. The debate was administered by the famous director Kamakura. The debate focused on the latest Israeli offensive on the Gaza Strip. Sourani explained the situation as it is on ground and the western complicit position towards the people of Palestine. He also highlighted the international laws in this regard and the positions of peoples of the world communities, which demonstrated in solidarity with the Palestinians, especially the peoples and governments of Latin America. Additionally, Sourani stressed the optimism and strength of the people of Palestine despite the obvious imbalance of forces.

Sourani had visited Beirut before heading to Japan as he was invited by Dr. Rami Khouri, director of Isam Faras Institute for Research and International Policies in the American University. He participated in a conference about the latest Israeli offensive against the Gaza Strip, accountability for war crimes committed against civilians and the need to lift the Israeli closure imposed on the Gaza Strip tin order to start Gaza's reconstruction. Sourani made the opening speech which laid the ground for discussion throughout the conference. The conference was attended by Commissioner-General of UNRWA Pierre Krähenbühl and the former Commissioner-General of UNRWA Filippo Grandi, and many American, European, and Palestinian lawyers and academics.

Additionally, Sourani met with Dr. Kamel Mohanna, Director of Amel Association International, Mr. Ziad Abdel Samad, Director of the Arab NGO Network for Development , Dr. Saman Abu Sitta, Islah Islah, and Dr. Ghassan Abu Sitta.

ENDS

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