[News] European inaction and complicity as Gaza burns

[Anti-Imperialist News]

Letter: European inaction and complicity as Gaza burns
http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article5960.shtml

Ali Abunimah, The Electronic Intifada, 6 November 2006

[]

Smoke billows from the Palestinian town of Beit 
Lahya in the northern Gaza Strip. November 6, 
2006. (<http://www.maanimages.com>MaanImages/Moti Milrod)

6 November 2006

H.E. Mr. Erkki Tuomioja
Minister of Foreign Affairs
Ministry for Foreign Affairs
Helsinki
Finland

Dear Minister Tuomioja,

I am writing about the statement issued by the 
Government of Finland in its capacity as 
President of the European Union, concerning the 
current violence in Gaza. Since this issue 
concerns me very deeply as a Palestinian and a 
human being, I hope you will not mind if I make a 
number of points and suggestions.

Your November 4 statement says: "the European 
Union is profoundly concerned by increased 
violence in Gaza. The Presidency deplores the 
growing number of civilian casualties the Israeli 
military operation has caused. The right of all 
states to defend themselves does not justify 
disproportionate use of violence or actions which 
are contrary to international humanitarian law."

It adds that, "The Presidency calls on the 
Palestinian leadership to bring an end to 
terrorist activities, including the firing of rockets on Israeli territory."

I would like to draw your attention to the following:

-Israeli leaders indicate that they make no 
distinction between civilians and combatant 
resistance fighters. According to B'Tselem, the 
Israeli human rights organization, Israel's prime 
minister Ehud Olmert told the Knesset on October 
30 that in the past three months, the Israeli 
military has killed 300 "terrorists" in the Gaza 
Strip. According to B'Tselem's investigation, 
Israeli occupation forces did indeed kill 294 
Palestinians in Gaza between June 26 and October 
27. However, over half of those killed -- 155 
people, including 61 children –- did not 
participate in the fighting when they were 
killed. These figures do NOT include the 49 
Palestinians killed by Israel since November 1.

-As stated, since November 1 until today, Israeli 
occupation forces have killed 49 Palestinians, 
injured more than 150, and caused massive 
destruction to a people under occupation which 
under international law, Israel is bound to 
protect. Among the victims of these latest 
Israeli atrocities are at least seven children, 
two women, and two Red Crescent paramedics 
rendering assistance to the injured. Can you tell 
me how many Israelis have been killed or injured 
by the "terrorist" activity that you allege 
authorizes the Israeli military action in Gaza?

-While no one can dispute the "right of all 
states to defend themselves," Israel is patently 
not engaged in self-defence, but in protecting an 
ever-expanding colonial infrastructure and 
occupation in East Jerusalem, the West Bank and 
Gaza Strip. As the International Court of Justice 
(ICJ) found in July 2004, Israel has the option 
to defend itself by withdrawing all of its 
soldiers and settlers from the territories 
occupied in 1967, as required by international 
law. Your failure to call on Israel to do this is 
tantamount to an endorsement of Israel's illegal 
settler-colonies and its use of force to maintain them.

-Your statement makes mention of "terrorist" 
activities by Palestinians while failing to 
uphold their right to resist foreign military 
occupation. This right is universally recognized. 
You are no doubt aware, for example, that the 
constitution of your sister Scandinavian nation 
and EU member state, Sweden, prescribes that 
should any part of that country come under 
occupation, it is the duty of all public servants 
"to act in the manner which best serves the 
defence effort and resistance activities," and 
"in no circumstances may any public body make any 
decision or take any action which imposes on any 
citizen of the Realm the duty to render 
assistance to the occupying power in 
contravention of international law." It is 
therefore unclear why the EU constantly reaffirms 
Israel's supposed "right" to defend "itself" 
while making no mention of the Palestinian right 
to self-defence and resistance. Even worse, it 
appears to be EU policy that Palestinians are 
indeed under an obligation to assist their 
occupiers in suppressing resistance and helping 
to oppress them. If, heaven forbid, your country 
came under hostile military occupation what would you do?

-I wholeheartedly agree with that part of your 
statement which says, "Violence will only 
aggravate an already grave situation in the 
region." But violence will not be ended by empty 
condemnation of the victims and craven 
appeasement of the occupier. It will end when 
governments like yours take action to make 
Israel, as the occupying colonial power, 
accountable. If you do not want Palestinians to 
have to resort to any form of violence, then you 
should provide an alternative. Before the eyes of 
the world, Israeli occupation forces opened fire 
with live ammunition on a demonstration by 
courageous and exemplary unarmed Palestinian 
women in Beit Hanoun. EU member states have done 
nothing to assist Palestinians to peacefully 
resist, even as Israel mows them down with machine guns.

If your stated desire for peace is serious and 
sincere, here are six steps you can call for immediately:

(1) Noting the serious escalation of crimes and 
human rights abuses by the Israeli government, 
including indiscriminate murder of civilians and 
continued confiscation of land and construction 
of illegal settler-colonies, suspend with 
immediate effect the EU-Israel Association 
Agreement pursuant to Article 2 of that agreement.

(2) Implement a complete arms embargo preventing 
EU States from buying or selling weapons to Israel.

(3) Noting the new statements by Israel's Deputy 
Prime Minister and Minister of Strategic Threats 
Avigdor Lieberman threatening to carry out the 
extrajudicial execution the Palestinian prime 
minister Ismail Haniyeh, and calling for the 
"surgical removal" (in other words ethnic 
cleansing) of all Arab citizens from Israel (See 
Ha'aretz newspaper, November 4 and 5), severely 
reduce contacts, aid and trade with Israel until 
it renounces violence, state terrorism, 
colonialism and ethnic cleansing and commits 
itself to the full implementation of 
international law and UN Resolutions, the ICJ 
decision on the West Bank Wall, and to ending all 
forms of officially-sanctioned and 
legally-enshrined racial discrimination against its non-Jewish citizens.

(4) Noting that one third of the representatives 
and cabinet ministers elected by Palestinians 
under occupation have been kidnapped and held 
hostage by Israeli occupation forces since June, 
EU states should refuse to issue visas to any 
Israeli officials to travel in EU territory until 
all Palestinian elected representatives are 
released forthwith and allowed to conduct their 
duties unmolested by the occupation forces.

(5) Noting the repeated statements of the leaders 
of Palestinians under occupation, including prime 
minister Ismail Haniyeh, calling for a 
10-year-truce modeled on that between the IRA and 
the United Kingdom government that began the 
Northern Ireland peace negotiations, immediately 
end the sanctions against the elected Palestinian 
Authority and conduct talks with all Palestinian parties.

(6) Lend moral, political and other forms of 
support to Palestinian civil resistance 
especially the campaign of boycott, divestment 
and sanctions for which hundreds of Palestinian 
civil society organizations have called.

I trust that you will see these measures as the 
minimum reasonable steps that you are obligated 
to take given your country's commitments under 
the Fourth Geneva Convention, and your attachment 
to principles of peace, justice, anti-racism and 
human rights. I am sure that you would want the 
European Union to do no less for you if you were 
in the same situation as the Palestinians.

I eagerly await your positive response.

Yours sincerely,

Ali Abunimah
Co-founder, The Electronic Intifada
(writing in a personal capacity)


Ali Abunimah is co-founder of The Electronic 
Intifada and author of 
<http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0805080341/theelectronic-20>"One 
Country - A Bold Proposal to End the 
Israeli-Palestinian Impasse" (Metropolitan Books, 2006)


The Freedom Archives
522 Valencia Street
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(415) 863-9977
www.freedomarchives.org 
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