NEWS | Wednesday, 07 January 2009

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The General Workers Union and six other NGOs yesterday issued a condemnation of the Israeli attacks on Gaza. They called on the Maltese government to take a clear stand to “condemn the Israeli aggression.”
The GWU was joined by Moviment Graffitti, Peace Lab, Zminijietna, Third World Group, Kopin and Koperattiva Kummerc Gust.
“While we condemn any acts of violence perpetrated by both sides, we believe that it is neither just nor helpful for the objective of peace to put the actions done by Hamas and the bombardments by the Israeli state on the same level, as it was the Israeli aggression which killed hundreds of persons in a few days.”
The groups added that although Israel claimed it was acting in retaliation to the Hamas rocket attacks, “nothing justifies such a harsh and brutal attack which is killing and wounding all these persons.”
They said peace in the region was only possible if Palestinians have their own state: “We are calling on European governments including the government of Malta to take concrete action and to put pressure on the Israeli government to stop these attacks immediately and to start participating sincerely in a process leading to peace and justice.”
The groups said they supported the Coalition of Women for Peace and Gush Shalom, the pacifist Israeli movements, who are protesting in Tel Aviv against the Israeli government for using war for electoral purposes. “These pacifists are insisting it was Israel which broke the truce in November in a series of military attacks on Gaza which caused the death of six Palestinians. Like them we believe Israel should accept the Palestinian proposal to restore the truce on condition that the Israeli government lift the siege that was in place during the past months.”
The group said Palestinians have been living as prisoners in their own land for more than 60 years and have been enduring a systematic policy of terror from Israel.
“In the West Bank checkpoints are continually humiliating the Palestinian population and a huge wall being built by Israel is creating an apartheid, while also grabbing more land from Palestinian territory. Furthermore, hundreds of illegal Israeli settlements are also being built on Palestinian land.”
The groups said Gaza has been under an “unacceptable and illegal siege”, with hundreds dying as a result of Israeli military actions, and a lack of access to health due to Israeli restrictions on the mov ement of people and essential goods such as medicines, food and fuel.
“Regardless of whether one agrees with Hamas’s control of Gaza, what the Israeli government has been doing for the past years is nothing but a ‘collective punishment’ which is causing suffering and death among innocent people.”
Alternattiva Demokratika yesterday also called for an immediate truce and cease fire in the Middle East.
Chairman Arnold Cassola said: “The necessity of an immediate truce in the area is vital. We disagree with Israel Foreign Minister Tizpi Livni who has declared that there is no humanitarian emergency in the area.”
Cassola said that the humanitarian emergency could be seen daily on television screens. “Nobody can deny the daily suffering and death of Israeli victims of the senseless Hamas provocation and the suffering and death of the hundreds of Palestinians, victims of the ruthless and what is clearly a totally disproportionate reaction of the Israeli government, which the peace loving international community cannot accept. Stop killing now, in the name of reason and common sense.”

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