Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME) is calling on Israel and its allies to define their end goal, amid renewed violence between Hamas and Israel. Calls for a ceasefire from CJPME and the UN Secretary-General have been ignored.
“Even if, after a massive offensive, Israel deals a blow to Hamas, the status quo will unfortunately continue,” says Thomas Woodley, president of CJPME. Conflict experts stress that as long as Palestinians are deprived of their human rights and freedom, their armed resistance to Israel’s bellicose occupation and apartheid will only continue.
“For the sake of Israelis and Palestinians, world leaders must insist on a plan that offers hope for a different future,” Mr. Woodley continued.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said his country was “engaging in a long and difficult war,” which would likely include a ground invasion of the Gaza Strip, as well as continued strikes from land and sea. Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant announced that Israel was imposing a “complete siege” on Gaza, cutting off electricity and blocking the entry of food and fuel, while calling Palestinians “human animals”.
The CJPME recalls that the Fourth Geneva Conventions require that belligerents – that is, Israel and Hamas – allow civilians to flee hostilities, and that they authorize humanitarian aid – food and medical supplies – to reach trapped civilians. To this end, the United Nations World Food Program has called for the establishment of humanitarian corridors to deliver food to Gaza following Israeli airstrikes.
“It is natural to react with horror and anger to images of dead and desecrated Israelis,” continues Mr. Woodley. CJPME notes that international law dictates that armed resistance movements must distinguish between civilians and combatants and that Hamas’ attacks on civilians and the taking of civilian hostages are illegal and appalling. “But a prolonged and brutal Israeli attack on Gaza will only increase the death toll and misery, and will only deepen hostility between Palestinians and Israelis.»
True friends of Israel and of the Palestinians insist on an endgame that would lead to a different outcome, one that would establish trust, security and freedom for both Israelis and Palestinians.
CJPME is also horrified that Israel’s military response has thus far involved indiscriminate use of violence against civilian targets in Gaza. Over the past two nights, airstrikes have killed entire families in their homes as they slept. Earlier in the day, an attack on the Jabalya refugee camp center killed at least 50 people. Several residential towers, ambulances and even a United Nations school housing displaced families were directly affected. CJPME warns that in this context, Canada’s expression of “total support” for Israel will be understood as a green light to commit new massacres.
CJPME recalls that in 2008-2009, when launching Operation “Cast Lead”, Israel sought to weaken Hamas’ military capabilities, put an end to Hamas rocket attacks and destroy Hamas’s smuggling tunnels. Fifteen years later, Israel faces exactly the same threats, because, in the meantime, it has only sought to repress and dominate the Palestinians. CJPME says that blind support for either the Israeli side – as many Canadian politicians have expressed recently – or the Palestinians is a political and humanitarian impasse.
Nuanced voices on the conflict call for recognizing this reality and putting pressure on both sides to find a way to move beyond violence and find a truly viable path forward.
Pierre Jasmin – Les Artistes pour la Paix (Artists for Peace)
