No to Israeli War Crimes! Hands Off Gaza!
Statement of Tyneside Stop the War Coalition
The Tyneside Stop the War Coalition, encompassing the South
Tyneside Stop the War Coalition and all the stop the war groups condemn the
ongoing Israeli aerial bombings of the Gaza Strip that began Saturday, December
27 and call for an immediate cessation of all aggression against the Gaza Strip
and Palestinian people. The heinous Zionist crimes constitute a form of
collective punishment by the Israeli State, backed by the U.S. imperialists,
and by the British government aimed at crushing the heroic resistance of the
Palestinians to the unjust and illegal occupation. The Palestinians have
rejected and repelled -- and continue to reject and repel -- all efforts and
machinations to extinguish their national and historic right to
self-determination and their lands.
The Israeli Zionists decision to launch its devastating
attack on Gaza on the Jewish Sabbath after Christmas was hailed by them as
"a stroke of brilliance" and that the stroke of surprise had enabled
and "increased the number of people who were killed". They used the
same Anglo-US phrase "we left them in shock and awe". They have
cheered the killing of Palestinian Policemen and civilians alike as well as the
bombing of Mosques, government buildings and their university.
This criminal and bloody assault on Gaza one of the most
crowded and oppressed parts of Palestine has been condemned the world over by
peace and justice loving people as another crime of the imperialist system of
states and their cats paw Israel. It was not so long ago that the Israelis
Zionists launched their attack on Lebanon killing thousands. They have not
learnt anything from this defeat at the hands of the Lebanese resistance and
they will fail again and again in the face of the heroic Palestinian
resistance.
Like any occupied people the Palestinians have the right to
resist and to take up arms to do so, because the Israeli state is trying to
extinguish their right to exist. Despite of the withdrawal of Israeli troops
and settlements in the Gaza strip three years ago, Israel maintains complete
control of the territory by sea, air and land. And since the elections won by
Hamas in 2006 Israel has punished 1.5 million people with and inhuman blockade
of essential supplies, backed by the US Britain and the EU. During the last
seven years 5,000 Palestinians have been killed by Israel army many in the West
bank. The Israelis have an army supplied by US with some of the most advanced
weaponry. During the same period some 16 Israelis have been killed mostly by
homemade rockets.
The Israeli Zionists are the authors of the break down of
the ceasefire. Hamas is blamed for the break down of the ceasefire last month
but it was in fact sunk by Israel’s assassination of six Hamas fighter in
Gaza on November 5 and its refusal to lift the siege of the embattled territory
as expected under the Egyptian brokered deal.
For us the biggest concern must be that the British
Government has failed to condemn this attack by Israel on Gaza. They have tried
to place the blame firmly on Palestinian peoples elected administration and
police whilst making some mealy mouthed words in calling for an end to the
violence on both sides.
Miliband was forced because of the opposition of the
Palestinians and people of Britain and the world to shift his position, but he
only gave some general call for and end to the violence. Gordon Brown, the
Prime Minister only called on Israel to show restraint but not to demand an
immediate cessation to their criminal assault on Gaza. David Cameron the
conservative leader also stopped short of calling for a ceasefire.
We in the stop the war coalition call on the workers and
their organisations, youth, students, democratic and peace loving people of
Britain to condemn this brutal Israeli aggression, demand its immediate
cessation and to organise and participate in actions organised around the
country.
No to Israeli War Crimes! Hands Off Gaza!
Long Live the Heroic Palestinian Resistance!