Matt Luciano / Contributing Writer
One and a half million Palestinian men, women and children live within the Gaza
strip; a region that borders Israel to the north and east, Egypt to the south
and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Currently, Israel controls Gaza’s
borders, airspace and access to water. On Jan. 20, Israel shut down Gaza’s only
power plant just days after sealing off its borders.
Within the past several weeks, dozens of Palestinians have been killed and
hundreds more wounded due to what the Israeli government calls “retaliation” for
rocket fire directed at a southern Israeli town. This punishment has resulted in
the death of innocent people.
Demonstrations were held throughout the United States Jan. 29 to protest the
Israeli blockade, which is in clear violation of international law. Several
organizations, such as the ANSWER coalition of Florida, Students United for
Palestinian Equal Rights, Muslim American Society and many others came together
in peace and solidarity to stand up for human rights.
Br. Sofian Abdelaziz Zakkout, director and counselor of the American Muslim
Association of North America spoke his mind in a CNN report on Jan. 28.
“We are opposed to the blockade of the Gaza Strip. We are against the mass
punishment of our nation,” Zakkout said.
The Israeli blockade refuses the shipment of fuel; hospital facilities are
virtually ineffectual without the use of electricity and many Gazans are being
denied the right to travel outside of the strip to receive necessary medical
care or supplies.
“Everything is controlled by Israel, like a prison,” Zakkout said.
Furthermore, innocent Gazans must face poor and unsanitary sewage as well as
contaminated water, Zakkout emphasized.
“Imagine the thousands of children and newborn children without heat, hot milk,
medicine or nutrition,” he said.
According to Article 33 of the Geneva Convention “no protected person may be
punished for an offence he or she has not personally committed. Collective
penalties and likewise, intimidation and terrorism are prohibited.”
As a signatory, Israel has an obligation to uphold the laws outlined in the
Fourth Geneva Convention.
Zakkout believes Israel should be held responsible for every child and elderly
person and affirms that “we [Palestinians] are against the killing or torturing
of Christian or Jewish peoples and call upon the Christian and Jewish
communities to have compassion and respect.”
The most important concern is the restoration of peace and justice. Each year,
Americans send billions of tax dollars in aid to Israel. Many people, myself
included, believe the United States is responsible for the continuity of the
blockade and the suffering the Palestinian people are enduring. Our government
has proven capable of putting an end to a crisis such as the one in Gaza. The
common sentiment Sunday night was that of urgency for our government to stop the
mass oppression and collective punishment of innocent Palestinians; to call it
an injustice would be a grotesque understatement.
I call upon anyone who believes in the legitimacy of this American democracy to
demand that our government take immediate action and strongly urge those people
to join us in solidarity and support of upholding human rights, peace, and
justice for all Palestinians.
Source:
© Copyright 2008 The Beacon
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