BEGIN:VCALENDAR
VERSION:2.0
X-WR-CALNAME:www.indybay.org
PRODID:-//indybay/ical// v1.0//EN
BEGIN:VEVENT
UID:Indybay-18474151
SEQUENCE:18497472
CREATED:20080123T005000Z
DESCRIPTION:End the Criminal Israeli Siege of Gaza NOW!\nStop the Collective Punishment 
 of the Palestinian People!\n\nCoalition Calls for Emergency Protests Jan. 
 25-26 in\nWashington, San Francisco, Anaheim and other cities\n\nThe 
 A.N.S.W.E.R. (Act Now to Stop War and End Racism) Coalition, joins with the 
 National Council of Arab Americans, Free Palestine Alliance, Muslim 
 American Society Freedom Foundation, Palestinian American Women’s 
 Association, Al-Awda Palestine Right of Return Coalition and other anti-war 
 and progressive organizations in calling for emergency protests demanding 
 an immediate end to the Israeli blockade and siege of Gaza. Protests will 
 take place on January 25-26 at Israeli embassies, consulates, U.S. federal 
 buildings and other locations.\n\nMore than 1.5 million Palestinian people 
 living are suffering from life-threatening shortages of food, medicines, 
 fuel and other vital necessities, caused by the Israeli military’s 
 sealing-off of one of the most densely populated areas of the world. Gaza 
 City is blacked-out at night, including hospitals. Doctors must examine 
 patients by candlelight. \n\nThe crisis is growing more severe by the day. 
 The United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) and the World Food 
 Programme, which together supply food to more than two-thirds of the 
 population, have stated that unless the blockade is lifted they will be 
 forced to stop operations by this weekend. A cut-off in aid would threaten 
 an already food-deprived population with mass starvation. The great 
 majority of Gaza residents are from refugee families, driven out of other 
 parts of Palestine when the state of Israel was created in 1948.\n\nThe 
 Israeli government imposed a blockade on Gaza after the Hamas party was 
 democratically elected in January 2006. The Bush administration backed 
 Israel’s action. Last week, Israel tightened the blockade, sealing off 
 Gaza, supposedly because of Palestinian attacks by the military wing of 
 Hamas. Yet, on December 23, 2007, Israel rejected Hamas call for ceasefire 
 negotiations. Since then, Israeli air and ground attacks have killed dozens 
 of Palestinians and wounded hundreds more in Gaza, most of them civilians. 
 In 2007, 373 Palestinians were killed in Gaza and the West Bank, compared 
 to just 13 Israeli deaths.  \n\nThe Israeli blockade is in clear violation 
 of international law, which strictly forbids collective punishment and 
 labels it a war crime. Article 33 of the Fourth Geneva Convention (1949) 
 states in part: “No protected person may be punished for an offence he or 
 she has not personally committed. Collective penalties and likewise all 
 measures of intimidation or of terrorism are prohibited.” \n\nCollective 
 punishment is a war crime. Imposing a blockade on the population in Gaza is 
 undeniably a form of collective punishment. The U.S. government, which 
 gives billions of dollars in military and economic aid to Israel every 
 year, shares the guilt for this war crime.\n\n\n 
 https://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2008/01/22/18474151.php
SUMMARY:Emergency Protest to End the Siege of Gaza Now!
LOCATION:Israeli Consulate\n456 Montgomery at California St.\nnear Montgomery BART
URL:https://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2008/01/22/18474151.php
DTSTART:20080126T000000Z
DTEND:20080126T020000Z
END:VEVENT
END:VCALENDAR