Published at: https://shiptogaza.se/sv/node/711 Date: 2012-09-25 - PDF generated at: 2021-09-28 18:48 Copyrights: Ship to Gaza (), 2021

Call to end the siege of Gaza

Pressmeddelande Skapad 25/9 2012 kl 18:00

Today Ship to Gaza and the Freedom Flotilla Coalition publish a call to end the siege of Gaza. The call has already been signed by hundreds of parlamentarians from all over Europe and elsewhere, famous artists, respected academics, peace activists. You can undersign at the webpage petition.shiptogaza.se [1], where the call is published in several languages.

The petition

This summer, the intensified blockade of the Palestinian people of the Gaza Strip has continued into its sixth year. The blockade?referred to as "the siege" by its victims?is a violation of international law and of the fundamental human rights of the civilian population in Gaza. The blockade has devastating humanitarian consequences for more than 1.6 million people, most of them children, on this coastal strip between the Mediterranean Sea and the Negev desert.

The blockade is illegal, inhumane and?from ´s point of view?counterproductive; it neither stops weapons from being smuggled into the Strip or missiles from being fired, nor has it put Hamas out of power. On the contrary.

The documentation of the blockade´s inhumanity and failure to generate anything but violence and despair, is mounting. ?End the blockade on Gaza now?, 50 humanitarian organizations and UN agencies urged in an exceptionally frank statement in June. In addition, a UN report issued in August concluded that Gaza won?t be livable by 2020 if urgent action is not taken.

The blockade makes it impossible to properly rebuild the hospitals, homes and water treatment plants that were all destroyed in the massive bombing of Gaza in the winter of 2008/2009. The export ban prevents Gaza?s residents from earning a living and is an important factor behind the almost total dependency on aid. The ?tunnel economy?, which is one of the consequences of the blockade, nurtures criminality and undermines any legitimate economy.

Family members who live in Gaza and the West Bank are denied the right to visit each other. Young people are denied access to higher education at Palestinian universities in Jerusalem and the West Bank. Fishermen are forbidden to fish outside of three nautical miles from the coast.

Throughout history, the Mediterranean Sea has provided a link between people and cultures. However, for the Palestinians in Gaza the sea constitutes a wall, just like the ones that separate them from Israel, and other parts of Palestine. The blockade is a clear impediment to a sustainable and just peace. However, it is evident that our politicians have fallen short when it comes to adhering to declarations on human rights and international law. It is now time for civil action.

Civil action is what the Ship to Gaza/Freedom Flotilla is offering. The S/V Estelle has been sailing since the beginning of the summer. Gaza is her destination; ending the siege is her goal. We, the undersigned, express our support for non-violent actions of solidarity like the Ship to Gaza/Freedom Flotilla, an initiative in which some of us are participating as passengers and others as committed sympathizers on land.

Our message is simple:

Palestinians are humans with human rights! End the siege! Let the people go!

Ship to Gaza-Sverige www.shiptogaza.se [2]

Spokespersons:

Dror Feiler: +46 702855777

Mattias Gardell: +46 703036666

Ann Ighe: +46 709740739

Victoria Strand + 46 727356564

Media coordinator:

Mikael Löfgren: +46 707983643 [email protected] [3]

[4] [5]

Links [1] mailto:[email protected] [2] http://www.shiptogaza.se [3] https://webmail.hgu.gu.se/owa/redir.aspx?C=115f847f97ba479db66306992e11fc50&URL=mailto%3amedia%40shiptogaza.se [4] https://shiptogaza.se/print/711 [5] https://shiptogaza.se/printpdf/711