[antiwar-van] For immediate release: MAWO condemns the Israeli assault on Palestinians in Rafah!

[Kira Koshelanyk]

Mobilization Against War and Occupation www.mawovancouver.org / mawoinfo at yahoo.ca


For Immediate Release:


May 20, 2004


End the Occupation! Self-determination for Palestinians!

Mobilization Against War and Occupation (MAWO) Condemns the recent Israeli assault on Palestinians in Rafah, Gaza Strip.

Since the beginning of May 2004, the State of Israel has dramatically increased its campaign of terror against the Palestinian people and for the past 20 days, has waged a brutal and all out war on their lives. 

In the first 10 days alone, the Israeli Defense Force (IDF) demolished 131 homes in the Gaza Strip leaving more than 1,100 Palestinians homeless; and in the days following, doubled that number to more than 2,000. Citing "security reasons" as justification, the IDF has implemented a policy of collective punishment on the people of Gaza Strip and especially those in the refugee camp of Rafah. Aside from violating international law, the Geneva Conventions and the most recent UN security council resolution, #1544 adopted on May 19, against Israel's current assault, these attacks are a continuation of the Israeli governments aggression toward all Palestinians as part of the decades old occupation of their land and the operations the IDF carries out to try to ultimately kill the popular resistance for the right of Palestinians to self-determination and an end to the occupation.

Human Rights organizations in Israel and Palestine report arbitrary shootings of residents, including children, and late Thursday night, Israel unleashed another helicopter missile attack bringing the death toll of Palestinians to 46 killed since Israel launched its invasion into Rafah on Tuesday, May 18. The IDF, under "Operation Rainbow" and the premise of closing off tunnels which are used to smuggle arms from Egypt to Gaza to fuel the resistance, has increased its program of structural and ethnic cleansing in Rafah. Having already leveled the 250m wide "Philadelphia Corridor" between Rafah and the Egyptian border to the South, Israel plans on widening this "no man's land" by another 500m through the crushing and destruction of hundreds more homes, forcing hundreds more Palestinian families into the streets.

Through the closing of roads and checkpoints, people have been denied the simple right to return to their homes, emergency and humanitarian vehicles have been denied access to those in need of help and injured patiends can't be transferred from the crowded Rafah hospital to larger facilities in Gaza City.

Mobilization Against War and Occupation (MAWO) joins the calls made by the Palestinian people for an end to these massacres and an end to the occupation. 

The right to self-determination is an inalienable human right and the occupation of Palestine by Israel is a direct denial of that right; we join people the world over in raising the call for an end to this obscene attack against humanity so that joined together, our voices will become stronger and louder.


END THE OCCUPATION! 

SELF-DETERMINATION FOR PALESTINIANS!

For More Information, Contact:

Shannon Bundock: 778-891-1470 

Kira Koshelanyk: 778-881-6156

Co-Chairs, Mobilization Against War and Occupation

www.mawovancouver.org

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*Palestine solidarity activists in Vancouver have called for an emergency demonstration against the Israeli massacres on  Friday May 21 at 12 noon at the constituency office of Stephen Owen, Liberal cabinet minister and Canadian Parliamentarian for Israel, located at 5315 West Boulevard. ALL ARE ENCOURAGED TO ATTEND!!!

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