[E-rundbrief] Info 914 - Peace-boat to Gaza May 2010

[Matthias Reichl]

E-Rundbrief - Info 914 - Gush Shalom (Israel/ Palestine): Let the Aid
Boats through to Gaza! End the siege! Gush Shalom in action.

Bad Ischl, 23.5.2010

Begegnungszentrum für aktive Gewaltlosigkeit

www.begegnungszentrum.at

================================================

LET THE AID BOATS THROUGH TO GAZA! END THE SIEGE!

Gush Shalom in action.

The State of Israel has no interest in flooding television screens all
over the world with footage of its navy violently assaulting against
peace activists at sea. It is time to remove the suffocating siege and
allow residents of Gaza to have free contact with the outside world,
freely operate sea and air ports of their own like any country in the world.

The Gush Shalom movement calls upon the government to allow the
eight-boat aid flotilla from all over the world to reach the shores of
Gaza, where they are scheduled to arrive next week, and unload the
humanitarian cargo which is urgently needed by the residents of Gaza. In
a letter to Defense Minister Barak, Gush Shalom calls upon him to cancel
immediately the instructions given to Israeli Navy ships off the Gaza
shore to intercept the aid flotilla.

"The whole world is looking. The State of Israel has no interest in
flooding the international television screens with images of Israeli
sailors and naval commandos violently assaulting hundreds of peace
activists and humanitarian aid workers, many of them well-known in their
countries. Whose interest will it serve when hours long dramatic live
reports arrive from the Mediteranean, with the world's sympathy given to
hundreds of non-violent activists, on board eight boats, assaulted by
the strongest military power in the Middle East?" were the words of a
letter to the Defense Minister.

No harm whatsoever will be caused to Israel from the aid flotilla
reaching Gaza Port and unloading a cargo of medical supplies and
medicines, school supplies and construction materials to rebuild the
houses destroyed by the Israeli Air Force a year and half ago and not
yet been restored. On the contrary, it would be in Israel's best
interest to declare without delay that as a humanitarian gesture, the
boats' way will not be blocked. And in general, it is time to end once
and for all the suffocating siege imposed on the Gaza Strip and causing
terrible suffering to its million and a half inhabitants.

The siege on Gaza utterly failed in all the goals set for it by the
government of Israel. The siege was supposed to result in toppling the
Hamas government – and on the contrary strengthened this government,
which relied on the support of a significant part of the Palestinian
People. The siege was supposed to help in gaining the release of
captured soldier Gilad Shalit - but on the contrary, the siege just
delays that release, which could have been achieved long ago had the
government of Israel agreed to the prisoner exchange deal, on which most
of the details have been decided long ago. It's time to end this cruel
and pointless siege.

The residents of the Gaza Strip, like the citizens of Israel and of any
other country in the world, have the right to maintain direct contacts
with the outside world - to leave their country and return to it, to
develop their economy, to import the products they need and export their
own produce to anyone who wants to buy it, without asking or needing for
permission from Israel, Egypt or any other country. Just as Israel needs
no permit from any other country to operate daily the sea ports of
Ashdod and Haifa and Eilat and the Ben Gurion International Airport, so
are the Palestinians and their state to be entitled to run their own sea
port and airport in the Gaza Strip. Let the flotilla of humanitarian aid
from all over the world be given the honour of inaugurating the
sovereign Palestinian Port of Gaza!.

http://zope.gush-shalom.org/home/en/events/1274528110

-- 

Matthias Reichl, Pressesprecher/ press speaker,
Begegnungszentrum fuer aktive Gewaltlosigkeit
Center for Encounter and active Non-Violence
Wolfgangerstr. 26, A-4820 Bad Ischl, Austria,
fon: +43 6132 24590, Informationen/ informations,
Impressum in: http://www.begegnungszentrum.at
Spenden-Konto Nr. 0600-970305 (Blz. 20314) Sparkasse Bad Ischl,
Geschäftsstelle Pfandl
IBAN: AT922031400600970305 BIC: SKBIAT21XXX