On Sunday 22 October, we will be taking to the streets en masse to demand an end to Israeli violence against the Gaza Strip. Meet at 2pm in Place Schuman.
Subjected for 16 years to an Israeli blockade responsible for a major humanitarian disaster, the inhabitants of the Gaza Strip are currently facing the deadliest offensive in their history.
We unequivocally condemn all attacks against civilian populations, including those perpetrated by Hamas since 7 October against Israeli civilians, which have resulted in hundreds of deaths. However, no attack can justify ignoring the laws of war.
In the space of a few days, more than 6,000 tonnes of bombs were dropped on densely populated civilian areas, resulting in more than 2,700 deaths in one week, a third of them children (situation at midday on 16 October). On top of this, Israel has imposed a total siege on the Gaza Strip, cutting off supplies of water, electricity, food and fuel, as well as access to humanitarian aid. Human Rights Watch also reports that the Israeli army used white phosphorus, a chemical weapon whose use is prohibited in densely populated areas.
These actions, which constitute war crimes and even crimes against humanity, must be seen in the light of alarming statements by Israeli officials indicating a desire to target not Hamas, but the Gazan population as a whole. On 9 October, Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant described the people of Gaza as «human animals to be treated as such».». «An entire nation is responsible».», said Israeli President Isaac Herzog on 14 October. This desire to collectively punish the entire Gazan population raises fears of the worst.
Since 13 October, as part of the war launched against Gaza, Israel has issued an evacuation order to the 1.1 million inhabitants of the north of the Gaza Strip, telling them to move to the south of the territory, a decision that heralds a major humanitarian disaster, tantamount to a «death sentence» according to the WHO. The International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) denounced these orders as an attempt to forcibly and illegally displace civilians, which could reflect genocidal intent. The United Nations Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the occupied Palestinian territories, Francesca Albanese, called on the international community to avert the danger of ethnic cleansing, echoing the forced displacement of hundreds of thousands of people during the Nakba of 1948 and the Naksa of 1967. In fact, the settlers, who are stepping up their violence in the West Bank and who, together with the Israeli army, have killed 50 people in the West Bank and Jerusalem since 7 October (situation at midday on 16 October), and their political proxies have never given up their dream of «re-conquering» and re-colonising Gaza.
By systematically refusing to oblige all parties to comply with international law, and by allowing violations to go unpunished, the international community bears a crushing responsibility for the desperate situation we face today.
Faced with the drama unfolding before our eyes, the compass of Belgium and the European Union must more than ever remain international law and the protection of life, dignity and human rights. A broad coalition of civil society organisations will demonstrate this Sunday 22 October from 2pm in front of the European Commission headquarters to demand that the EU and Belgium :
- that they do everything in their power to obtain a ceasefire, the protection of all civilian populations, and access to international aid for the Gazan population, which is currently experiencing an absolute humanitarian emergency;
- that they call for respect for the rights of all, in accordance with international humanitarian law and international human rights law, including the release of all those who have been unlawfully deprived of their liberty.
- that they demand that Israel lift the siege of Gaza with a view to lifting the blockade and reconnecting it with the rest of the occupied Palestinian territory;
- that they give political and financial support to the ongoing investigation by the International Criminal Court into the situation in Palestine and encourage the Prosecutor of the Criminal Court to make this a priority so that all war criminals are rapidly held to account;
- address the structural causes of the present conflict by adopting binding measures against Israel to end the occupation, colonisation and apartheid against the Palestinian people, starting with an end to trade with Israeli settlements.
The organisers are calling on participants to respect these slogans and demonstrate peacefully.
Any apology for war crimes or attacks on civilians, or any manifestation of anti-Semitism or any other form of racism will result in exclusion from the event.
This call to demonstrate was published on Monday 16 October. The speed at which the situation is evolving is likely to render certain elements obsolete by Sunday 22 October.
Provisional list of signatories: Viva Salud, 11.11.11., Association belgo-palestinienne, Les Ambassadeurs d'expression, Agir pour la paix, AWSA-Be (Arab Women's Solidarity Association - Belgium), BA4P, Broederlijk Delen, CNAPD, De-Colonizer, Een Andere Joodse Stem, Intal, Jeunes CSC, Jeunes FGTB, FGTB, Palestina Solidariteit, Union des progressistes juifs de Belgique (UPJB), Présences et actions culturelles (PAC), Réseau Wallon de lutte contre la pauvreté, Solsoc, Soutien belge Overseas, Vrede vzw
Find out all the information about the event here.
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The aid you provide to our partner AWDA remains vital. As long as there is fuel and medicine in the Gaza Strip, they can continue to work. Please make a donation now.
