Joshua Rowe, "Guardian: Words and deeds in the Middle East," International Solidarity Movement, January 19, 2009.

The leaders of the western world are wringing their hands in despair at the sight of the horrors inflicted on Gaza (Gaza crisis, 16 January). The UN general secretary, the French president and others are holding intensive discussions with some of the leaders of the Middle East in an attempt to put an end to the carnage in Gaza. Word, words, words.

Meanwhile, hundreds of Palestinian civilians get killed, thousands are bleeding to death, tens of thousands are uprooted and wandering in vain in search of some shelter to protect them. The Israeli army bombs hospitals and UNRWA relief centres, and, defying international convention, it uses white phosphorus bombs against civilians. “What else can we do?” these leaders keep asking. Well, here is what you can do: move from words to deeds. Only immediate, decisive and strict sanctions against the state of Israel and its limitless aggression will make it realise that there’s a limit.

We, as Israeli citizens, raise our voices to call on EU leaders: use sanctions against Israel’s brutal policies and join the active protests of Bolivia and Venezuela. We appeal to the citizens of Europe: please attend to the Palestinian Human Rights Organisation’s call, supported by more than 540 Israeli citizens : boycott Israeli goods and Israeli institutions; follow resolutions such as those made by the cities of Athens, Birmingham and Cambridge (US). This is the only road left. Help us all, please!

Signatories (only partial list appeared in the Guardian)

Gish Amit, Adv. Abeer Baker,Iris Bar, Yoram Bar Haim, Prof. Daphna Carmeli (Haifa University), Prof. Yoram Carmeli (Haifa University), Keren Dotan, Ronit Dovrat, Dr. Judith Druks (City University, London), Rona Even, Dr. Ovadia Ezra (Tel Aviv University), Prof. Rachel Giora (Tel Aviv University), Neta Golan, Tamar GoldschmidtAdar Grayevsky, Dalia Hager, Haim Hanegbi, Rosamine Hayeem, Ala Hlehel, Aya Kaniuk, Lana Khaskia, Prof. Vered Kraus (Haifa University), Yael Lerer, Dr. Aim Deuel Luski (Tel Aviv University), Eilat Maoz, Moshe Machover, Prof. Charles Manekin (University of Maryland), Dr. Ruchama Marton, Dr. Anat Matar (Tel Aviv University), Rela Mazali, Prof. Yitzhak Y. Melamed (John Hopkins University), Dorothy Naor, Dr. David Nir, Annie Ohayon, Noam Paiola, Michal Peer, Sigal Perelman, Amit Perelson, Jonathan Pollak, Prof. Yehuda Shenhav (Tel Aviv University), Dr. Kobi Snitz (Technion – Israel Institute of Technology), Ruth Tenne, Adv. Lea Tsemel, Michael Varshavsky, Oded Wolkstein, Sergio YahniRecommend this Post

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