End the Siege of Gaza

Monday, October 27, 2008

End the Siege of Gaza

In un cammello dalla bocca legata

ho sentito l'urlo di Gaza mai domata.

In a camel from the mouth linked

I heard the cry of Gaza never quelled.

Dear all,

In support of the global day of mobilization `End the Siege of Gaza,´ we´re
taking our protest to the internet. With one simple click, you can send a fax
from our web site to Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak, calling for an end
to the siege, which has for over a year now effectively imprisoned more than
1.5 million people and denied basic human rights in violation of
international law. (http://www.peaceandjustice.it/gaza/ - see below for the
full text of the fax)

Adding insult to injury, the Israeli Defense Ministry has also denied access
to Gaza to over 120 health professionals from around the world who had
been invited to the international conference `Siege and Mental
Health...Walls vs. Bridges´, organized by the Gaza Community Mental
Health Program and the World Health Organization and long-scheduled to
be held October 27-28.

Let´s flood Minister Barak´s offices with our condemnation of this unjust
obstruction of free access for those working to find solutions to alleviate the
suffering, as well as our calls for an immediate end to the siege.

Send your fax today! Making your voice heard is just a click away!
http://www.peaceandjustice.it/gaza/

For more information on the effects of the siege, see the Amnesty
International Report: The Gaza Strip: A Humanitarian Implosion
http://www.amnesty.org.uk/uploads/documents/doc_18343.pdf
As well as the End the Siege web site: http://www.end-gaza-siege.ps/

Anna, Becky, Gene, Maria Chiara, Rose and Stephanie
U.S. Citizens for Peace & Justice - Rome
info@peaceandjustice.it
http://www.peaceandjustice.it

Mr. Ehud Barak
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense
Ministry of Defense
Fax: +972 3 691 6940

Dear Minister Barak,

Today marks the beginning of the international conference `Siege and
Mental Health...Walls vs. Bridges´, organized by the Gaza Community
Mental Health Program and the World Health Organization. This
conference represents an opportunity for academic discussion among
health professionals concerning the impact of the Gaza siege as well as an
open exchange of ideas between Palestinian and international experts for
the development of appropriate mental health and social services.

I am writing to express my outrage at the decision of the Israeli Defense
Ministry to deny entry to Gaza to the over 120 international participants just
two weeks prior to a conference that has been in the works for more than a
year. Denying entry to international experts is to deny academic freedom,
cultural dialogue and understanding. It is to deny support for solutions to
alleviate the suffering of the people of Gaza, and in particular, the most
vulnerable members of their community. And the conference certainly
represents no threat to the security of Israel.

I applaud the efforts of the organizers and international participants in their
determination to go ahead with the conference in Ramallah. The work of the
Gaza Community Mental Health Program provides a source of hope,
reconciliation, and in the long run, a mutually beneficial relationship
between Israelis and Palestinians.

I am also writing to call for an immediate end to the siege, which has
effectively imprisoned one and a half million people, including half a million
children, without proper food or medical care since June 2007. The siege
has significantly increased malnutrition, poverty and unemployment and led
to a decline in education and health services. Without sufficient fuel and
electricity, water treatment plants are shut down and hospitals are unable to
provide medical care. Restrictions on movement and access in and out of
Gaza further deny residents the opportunity to seek employment or health
care elsewhere.

Not only are targeting civilians and collective punishment both prohibited by
international law, but they also represent an immoral act in violation of basic
human rights that is utterly indefensible.

Israel, which has demonstrated its complete control over Gaza, has both a
legal and moral responsibility to guarantee residents access to food, clean
water and medical care. Furthermore, the people of Gaza are also rightfully
entitled to live a dignified life, free of despair.

I join people all over the world in calling on Israel to end this suffering. A call
to end the siege is an appeal for justice, a message of peace.

Sincerely,

_______________________________________________
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