IPSC Planning Letter/'Advert' In Irish Times On Palestinian Situation

I got this in my mail and it seems like an initiative worth supporting considering that Palestinian Activists seem to be seeing this as a moment when the pressure for Boycott, Disinvestment and sanctions should be Increased. Will be in the paper on saturday.

We believe this is not the time to relax but to intensify the pressure that is building especially introducing new BDS actions so that we can once and for all end the 61 year injustice against the native Palestinians (Israel must be made to comply with all Palestinian Rights especially the rights of refugees to return to their homes and lands). We also believe the International community should not be paying for Israel's war crimes and must hold Israel accountable.

Please begin to or expand your work in your community for BDS (see http://www.bdsmovement.net and http://www.pacbi.org) and develop legal, media, and out reach strategies to build up the isolation of Israel like we did with South Africa so that such atrocities that have been ongoing for 61 year are ended and we move to a post-Apartheid era of Peace with Justice. For resources and tools, we are listing below links to: pictures and video, facts on Gaza, Declarations by the UN and human rights groups, political analysis, and the link to 25 actions to do. http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2009/01/419580.html

THE IPSC INITIATIVE WORD ATTACHMENT ATTACHED AS TEXT BELOW IPSC LETTER

Dear Friend

The recent Israeli onslaught on the population of Gaza has once again focused the eyes of the world on Palestine for the most tragic of reasons. In the Ireland Palestine Solidarity Campaign we have issued numerous statements over the past few weeks calling for action in relation to the horrific situation in Gaza.

We now believe that at this time, it is important to focus minds on the core of the problem; the Israeli Occupation of Palestine, its failure to abide by international law and its continued takeover of Palestinian land.

We have prepared a statement which will form the basis of a one-page advert in the Irish Times newspaper on Saturday 24th January. We are asking you to sign up to this statement and to pay €100 towards the cost of the advert.

This is a unique and historic opportunity to add your name to the widespread call across Irish society to express solidarity with the people of Palestine and call for justice for the Palestinian people. The statement is attached with this email.
If you would like your name to be added to this statement list; please email confirmation to
irishcallforjustice@gmail.com and cc to kevin@ipsc.ie by Thursday 22nd January at 6.00 at the very latest but preferably long before as we need to confirm space with the Irish Times.

Please lodge €100 in the IPSC bank account: Bank of Ireland, St. Stephen's Green, Dublin 2. Account No: 423 27706 Sort code 90-00-84 or send a cheque to the IPSC, Room 5, 64 Dame St. Dublin 2. If we do not receive your contribution to the advert, we cannot include your name.

If the Palestinian people ever required our solidarity – they need it now. Please join this mass call from Irish society.

Best wishes

Marie Crawley

Chair, Ireland Palestine Solidarity Campaign (IPSC)

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Irish Call for Justice for Palestine

Israel’s bombardment of Gaza has killed over 1,200 Palestinians, a third of them children. Thousands have been wounded. Civilians taking refuge in clearly marked UN facilities have been killed.

This military assault on Palestinians in Gaza comes in the wake of years of economic blockade by Israel, a blockade which has destroyed the Gazan economy and condemned its population to poverty. According to a World Bank report last September, “98% of Gaza’s industrial operations are now inactive” – only 23 out of 3,900 were active. This Israeli blockade is illegal under international humanitarian law.

The most recent assault in Gaza is only the latest phase in Israel’s oppression of the Palestinian people and appropriation of their land.

The Israeli state has continuously expanded at the expense of the Palestinian people and today encompasses 78% of Palestine. In 1948 over 700,000 Palestinians were expelled from their homes to make way for the creation of the state of Israel. Today millions live dispersed through the region as refugees. This refugee population is recognised and guaranteed a right of return to Palestine by UN General Assembly Resolution 194.

In 1967, Israel occupied the remainder of Palestine: the West Bank and Gaza. Contrary to Article 49 of the Fourth Geneva Convention, it has built and continues to build settlements on Palestinian land. Today, nearly 500,000 Israeli settlers live in these illegal settlements in the West Bank (including East Jerusalem), and the number grows daily as Israel expands its settler programme.

Israel has resisted pressure from the international community to comply with international human rights and humanitarian law. It has refused to comply with UN Security Council demands to cease building settlements and remove those it has built (Resolutions 446, 452 and 465) and to reverse its illegal annexation of East Jerusalem (252, 267, 271, 298, 476 and 478).

Since September 2000, over 5,000 Palestinians have been killed by the Israeli military; almost 1000 of them minors. 11,000 Palestinians languish in Israeli jails having been ‘convicted’ by Israeli courts, including hundreds of minors. Every year hundreds of Palestinian homes are demolished. The Palestinian population of the West Bank and Gaza lives imprisoned by walls, barriers and checkpoints that prevent or impede access to shops, schools, workplaces, hospitals and places of worship. They are subjected to restrictions of every kind and to daily ritual humiliation at the hands of occupation soldiers and checkpoint guards.

Invasion, occupation and plantation of their land is the reality that Palestinians have faced for decades and still face on a daily basis, as their country is reduced remorselessly. Unless and until this Israeli aggression is halted and reversed, and the democratic rights of the Palestinian people are vindicated, there will be no justice or peace in Palestine. Israel’s 40-year occupation of the West Bank and Gaza must be ended.

The occupation can end if international, political and economic pressure is placed on Israel by the international community. The Palestinian people continuously call on the international community to intervene.

We, the undersigned call for the following:

• The Irish government to cease its purchase of Israeli military products and services and call publicly for an arms embargo against Israel.
• The Irish Government to demand publicly that Israel reverse its settlement construction, illegal occupation and annexation of land in accordance with UN Security Council resolutions and to use its influence in international fora to bring this about.
• The Irish Government to demand publicly that the Euro-Med Agreement under which Israel has privileged access to the EU market be suspended until Israel complies with international law.
• The Irish government to veto any proposed upgrade in EU relations with Israel.
• The Irish people to boycott all Israeli goods (those with a barcode beginning 7290) and services.

Ireland Palestine Solidarity Campaign