European
Inaction And Complicity
As Gaza Burns
By Ali Abunimah
08 November, 2006
Electronic
Intifada
H.E. Mr. Erkki Tuomioja
Minister of Foreign Affairs
Ministry for Foreign Affairs
Helsinki
Finland
Dear Minister Tuomioja,
I am writing about the statement
issued by the Government of Finland in its capacity as President of
the European Union, concerning the current violence in Gaza. Since this
issue concerns me very deeply as a Palestinian and a human being, I
hope you will not mind if I make a number of points and suggestions.
Your November 4 statement
says: "the European Union is profoundly concerned by increased
violence in Gaza. The Presidency deplores the growing number of civilian
casualties the Israeli military operation has caused. The right of all
states to defend themselves does not justify disproportionate use of
violence or actions which are contrary to international humanitarian
law."
It adds that, "The Presidency
calls on the Palestinian leadership to bring an end to terrorist activities,
including the firing of rockets on Israeli territory."
I would like to draw your
attention to the following:
-Israeli leaders indicate
that they make no distinction between civilians and combatant resistance
fighters. According to B'Tselem, the Israeli human rights organization,
Israel's prime minister Ehud Olmert told the Knesset on October 30 that
in the past three months, the Israeli military has killed 300 "terrorists"
in the Gaza Strip. According to B'Tselem's investigation, Israeli occupation
forces did indeed kill 294 Palestinians in Gaza between June 26 and
October 27. However, over half of those killed -- 155 people, including
61 children -- did not participate in the fighting when they were killed.
These figures do NOT include the 49 Palestinians killed by Israel since
November 1.
-As stated, since November
1 until today, Israeli occupation forces have killed 49 Palestinians,
injured more than 150, and caused massive destruction to a people under
occupation which under international law, Israel is bound to protect.
Among the victims of these latest Israeli atrocities are at least seven
children, two women, and two Red Crescent paramedics rendering assistance
to the injured. Can you tell me how many Israelis have been killed or
injured by the "terrorist" activity that you allege authorizes
the Israeli military action in Gaza?
-While no one can dispute
the "right of all states to defend themselves," Israel is
patently not engaged in self-defence, but in protecting an ever-expanding
colonial infrastructure and occupation in East Jerusalem, the West Bank
and Gaza Strip. As the International Court of Justice (ICJ) found in
July 2004, Israel has the option to defend itself by withdrawing all
of its soldiers and settlers from the territories occupied in 1967,
as required by international law. Your failure to call on Israel to
do this is tantamount to an endorsement of Israel's illegal settler-colonies
and its use of force to maintain them.
-Your statement makes mention
of "terrorist" activities by Palestinians while failing to
uphold their right to resist foreign military occupation. This right
is universally recognized. You are no doubt aware, for example, that
the constitution of your sister Scandinavian nation and EU member state,
Sweden, prescribes that should any part of that country come under occupation,
it is the duty of all public servants "to act in the manner which
best serves the defence effort and resistance activities," and
"in no circumstances may any public body make any decision or take
any action which imposes on any citizen of the Realm the duty to render
assistance to the occupying power in contravention of international
law." It is therefore unclear why the EU constantly reaffirms Israel's
supposed "right" to defend "itself" while making
no mention of the Palestinian right to self-defence and resistance.
Even worse, it appears to be EU policy that Palestinians are indeed
under an obligation to assist their occupiers in suppressing resistance
and helping to oppress them. If, heaven forbid, your country came under
hostile military occupation what would you do?
-I wholeheartedly agree with
that part of your statement which says, "Violence will only aggravate
an already grave situation in the region." But violence will not
be ended by empty condemnation of the victims and craven appeasement
of the occupier. It will end when governments like yours take action
to make Israel, as the occupying colonial power, accountable. If you
do not want Palestinians to have to resort to any form of violence,
then you should provide an alternative. Before the eyes of the world,
Israeli occupation forces opened fire with live ammunition on a demonstration
by courageous and exemplary unarmed Palestinian women in Beit Hanoun.
EU member states have done nothing to assist Palestinians to peacefully
resist, even as Israel mows them down with machine guns.
If your stated desire for
peace is serious and sincere, here are six steps you can call for immediately:
(1) Noting the serious escalation
of crimes and human rights abuses by the Israeli government, including
indiscriminate murder of civilians and continued confiscation of land
and construction of illegal settler-colonies, suspend with immediate
effect the EU-Israel Association Agreement pursuant to Article 2 of
that agreement.
(2) Implement a complete
arms embargo preventing EU States from buying or selling weapons to
Israel.
(3) Noting the new statements
by Israel's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Strategic Threats
Avigdor Lieberman threatening to carry out the extrajudicial execution
the Palestinian prime minister Ismail Haniyeh, and calling for the "surgical
removal" (in other words ethnic cleansing) of all Arab citizens
from Israel (See Ha'aretz newspaper, November 4 and 5), severely reduce
contacts, aid and trade with Israel until it renounces violence, state
terrorism, colonialism and ethnic cleansing and commits itself to the
full implementation of international law and UN Resolutions, the ICJ
decision on the West Bank Wall, and to ending all forms of officially-sanctioned
and legally-enshrined racial discrimination against its non-Jewish citizens.
(4) Noting that one third
of the representatives and cabinet ministers elected by Palestinians
under occupation have been kidnapped and held hostage by Israeli occupation
forces since June, EU states should refuse to issue visas to any Israeli
officials to travel in EU territory until all Palestinian elected representatives
are released forthwith and allowed to conduct their duties unmolested
by the occupation forces.
(5) Noting the repeated statements
of the leaders of Palestinians under occupation, including prime minister
Ismail Haniyeh, calling for a 10-year-truce modeled on that between
the IRA and the United Kingdom government that began the Northern Ireland
peace negotiations, immediately end the sanctions against the elected
Palestinian Authority and conduct talks with all Palestinian parties.
(6) Lend moral, political
and other forms of support to Palestinian civil resistance especially
the campaign of boycott, divestment and sanctions for which hundreds
of Palestinian civil society organizations have called.
I trust that you will see
these measures as the minimum reasonable steps that you are obligated
to take given your country's commitments under the Fourth Geneva Convention,
and your attachment to principles of peace, justice, anti-racism and
human rights. I am sure that you would want the European Union to do
no less for you if you were in the same situation as the Palestinians.
I eagerly await your positive
response.
Yours sincerely, Ali Abunimah
Ali Abunimah is
co-founder of The Electronic Intifada and author of "One Country
- A Bold Proposal to End the Israeli-Palestinian Impasse" (Metropolitan
Books, 2006)
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