Publish to Newswire
Add an EventFrom the Open-Publishing Calendar
From the Open-Publishing Newswire
Indybay Feature
Greens call on Israel to end "terrorizing"
Activists in the Green Party
of the United States are asking the U.S. to hold
the government of Israel accountable for the
latest wave of bloodshed, and insist that Israel
seek negotiation instead of the "War on
Terrorism" against the Palestinian people that
Israel's own policy of assassination recently
ignited.
of the United States are asking the U.S. to hold
the government of Israel accountable for the
latest wave of bloodshed, and insist that Israel
seek negotiation instead of the "War on
Terrorism" against the Palestinian people that
Israel's own policy of assassination recently
ignited.
THE GREEN PARTY OF THE UNITED STATES
MEDIA RELEASE
For immediate release:
Wednesday, December 12, 2001
Contacts:
Nancy Allen, Media Coordinator, 207-326-4576,
nallen [at] acadia.net
Scott McLarty, Media Coordinator, 202-518-5624,
scottmclarty [at] yahoo.com
GREENS DEMAND THAT ISRAEL CEASE ITS HYPOCRITICAL
'WAR ON TERRORISM' AGAINST PALESTINIAN PEOPLE
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Activists in the Green Party
of the United States are asking the U.S. to hold
the government of Israel accountable for the
latest wave of bloodshed, and insist that Israel
seek negotiation instead of the "War on
Terrorism" against the Palestinian people that
Israel's own policy of assassination recently
ignited. Greens condemn the current escalation
of violence committed by both sides and call for
an international peace force to enforce a
ceasefire, and support the demand by United
Nations Human Rights Commissioner Mary Robinson
that Israel stop bombing the West Bank and Gaza
Strip, assaults which Ms. Robinson said are
"terrorising and terrifying the civilian
population".
"Israel's continued occupation -- with heavy
military supervision and imposed economic
deprivation -- of the Palestinian territories
continues in violation of international law and
in the face of the U.N.'s condemnation," said
Anita Rios, an Ohio Green organizer and member of
the party's national steering committee.
"Greens condemn the suicide bombings that have
killed Israeli citizens, and see such tactics as
counterproductive in the movement to liberate
Palestinians. But the Israeli government
instigated the current wave of violence, with the
assassination of Hamas leader Mahmoud Abu Hanoud,
at a time when Ariel Sharon demanded a week's
cessation of violence by Palestinians before
negotiations would begin."
"Assassinations are not 'self-defense' but an
illegal attack on civilians," added Ben Manski,
also a steering committee member of the Green
Party of the United States, and a Jewish American
who grew up in Jerusalem and whose family left
Israel at the time of the invasion of Lebanon.
"The Sharon government seems determined to
destroy any chance of ending Israel's half
century oppression of Palestinians, and has
declared the Palestinian Authority under Yasser
Arafat to be the enemy in a hypocritically
declared 'war on terrorism' against an already
subjugated people. Both Israeli and Palestinian
civilians will continue to suffer -- especially
Palestinians, who have already suffered loss of
their human rights, homes, livelihoods, and the
lives of children."
Bulent Ecevit, the Prime Minister of Turkey,
Israel's closest ally in the Middle East,
recently revealed that Sharon has told him Israel
wants to "be rid of" Arafat. Israel and the U.S.
both boycotted the Fourth Geneva Convention in
Switzerland on December 4 and 5, at which Israel
was reprimanded by 114 states, including Britain
and other European Union nations, for
indiscriminate and disproportionate violence
against Palestinian civilians and breaches of the
Geneva Conventions.
"We are ashamed of the silence of the U.S. about
Sharon's responsibility, as the leader of a
wealthy and heavily armed state, for lighting the
fuse that set off the recent attacks," said Annie
Goeke, a Pennsylvania Green activist and chair of
the party's International Committee.
"Palestinian civilians are being murdered with
American weapons and with the Bush
Administration's approval."
The Green Party of the United States continues to
demand that Israel -- and the United States, the
power behind Israel -- adhere to international
law and the decisions of the U.N., that it begin
negotiations and the process of granting
self-determination to the Palestinian people, and
that it respect the right of exiled Palestinians
to return home.
Greens are also concerned that Israel's new 'war'
and the Bush Administration's threat to expand
the military assaults against Afghanistan to
other Muslim nations, especially Iraq and
Somalia, will destroy the fragile alliance with
some Muslim nations and lead to a long and bloody
war across the Middle East and central Asia -- as
well as violent attacks against civilians in the
U.S. and our allies.
MORE INFORMATION
The Green Party of the United States
http://gp-us.org
END
MEDIA RELEASE
For immediate release:
Wednesday, December 12, 2001
Contacts:
Nancy Allen, Media Coordinator, 207-326-4576,
nallen [at] acadia.net
Scott McLarty, Media Coordinator, 202-518-5624,
scottmclarty [at] yahoo.com
GREENS DEMAND THAT ISRAEL CEASE ITS HYPOCRITICAL
'WAR ON TERRORISM' AGAINST PALESTINIAN PEOPLE
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Activists in the Green Party
of the United States are asking the U.S. to hold
the government of Israel accountable for the
latest wave of bloodshed, and insist that Israel
seek negotiation instead of the "War on
Terrorism" against the Palestinian people that
Israel's own policy of assassination recently
ignited. Greens condemn the current escalation
of violence committed by both sides and call for
an international peace force to enforce a
ceasefire, and support the demand by United
Nations Human Rights Commissioner Mary Robinson
that Israel stop bombing the West Bank and Gaza
Strip, assaults which Ms. Robinson said are
"terrorising and terrifying the civilian
population".
"Israel's continued occupation -- with heavy
military supervision and imposed economic
deprivation -- of the Palestinian territories
continues in violation of international law and
in the face of the U.N.'s condemnation," said
Anita Rios, an Ohio Green organizer and member of
the party's national steering committee.
"Greens condemn the suicide bombings that have
killed Israeli citizens, and see such tactics as
counterproductive in the movement to liberate
Palestinians. But the Israeli government
instigated the current wave of violence, with the
assassination of Hamas leader Mahmoud Abu Hanoud,
at a time when Ariel Sharon demanded a week's
cessation of violence by Palestinians before
negotiations would begin."
"Assassinations are not 'self-defense' but an
illegal attack on civilians," added Ben Manski,
also a steering committee member of the Green
Party of the United States, and a Jewish American
who grew up in Jerusalem and whose family left
Israel at the time of the invasion of Lebanon.
"The Sharon government seems determined to
destroy any chance of ending Israel's half
century oppression of Palestinians, and has
declared the Palestinian Authority under Yasser
Arafat to be the enemy in a hypocritically
declared 'war on terrorism' against an already
subjugated people. Both Israeli and Palestinian
civilians will continue to suffer -- especially
Palestinians, who have already suffered loss of
their human rights, homes, livelihoods, and the
lives of children."
Bulent Ecevit, the Prime Minister of Turkey,
Israel's closest ally in the Middle East,
recently revealed that Sharon has told him Israel
wants to "be rid of" Arafat. Israel and the U.S.
both boycotted the Fourth Geneva Convention in
Switzerland on December 4 and 5, at which Israel
was reprimanded by 114 states, including Britain
and other European Union nations, for
indiscriminate and disproportionate violence
against Palestinian civilians and breaches of the
Geneva Conventions.
"We are ashamed of the silence of the U.S. about
Sharon's responsibility, as the leader of a
wealthy and heavily armed state, for lighting the
fuse that set off the recent attacks," said Annie
Goeke, a Pennsylvania Green activist and chair of
the party's International Committee.
"Palestinian civilians are being murdered with
American weapons and with the Bush
Administration's approval."
The Green Party of the United States continues to
demand that Israel -- and the United States, the
power behind Israel -- adhere to international
law and the decisions of the U.N., that it begin
negotiations and the process of granting
self-determination to the Palestinian people, and
that it respect the right of exiled Palestinians
to return home.
Greens are also concerned that Israel's new 'war'
and the Bush Administration's threat to expand
the military assaults against Afghanistan to
other Muslim nations, especially Iraq and
Somalia, will destroy the fragile alliance with
some Muslim nations and lead to a long and bloody
war across the Middle East and central Asia -- as
well as violent attacks against civilians in the
U.S. and our allies.
MORE INFORMATION
The Green Party of the United States
http://gp-us.org
END
For more information:
http://gp-us.org
We are 100% volunteer and depend on your participation to sustain our efforts!
Donate
$230.00 donated
in the past month
Get Involved
If you'd like to help with maintaining or developing the website, contact us.
Publish
Publish your stories and upcoming events on Indybay.
Topics
More
Search Indybay's Archives
Advanced Search
►
▼
IMC Network
As the self-appointed leader in the new world war against terrorism that veto vote is deplorable. Politicians in the US are so intimidated by a pro-Israel lobby and media that no ones dares challenge right-wing, war-loving nuts. The fact that four times more Palestinians than Israelis have been killed since the start of the latest intifada, instigated by Ariel Sharon’s visit to a holy Islamic site. All killing of innocent civilians is terrorism and illegal based on international law and on the US ratified 1949 Geneva Convention, whether done with low-tech (suicide bombers, knives) or high-tech (jet bombers, tanks) methods.
If Sharon had any interest in a peaceful resolution to the killing, why did he order the assassination of the Hamast leader on the very eve of the new American Middle East envoy’s arrival? Sharon as former head of the Israel Defense Force championed the Brutal invasion of Lebanon that killed tens of thousands of innocent civilians. This abomination was culminated in September 1982 when he allowed the murder of a couple thousand Palestinians civilians by his Christian militia friends at the Beirut UN refugee camps of Sabra and Chatila.
Even though bulldozers were immediately supplied by the IDF to bury the evidence (butchered women, children and elderly), some reporters were able to get a view as to what had happened. Consequently these criminal actions were reported to the world and most of it was repulse— much like the reaction to the twin-tower attack by terrorists.
The UN met, condemned this genocide, and Israel withdrew. A commission of inquiry was created in Israel to review this matter, and based on the findings, Sharon resigned— however no one has ever ben tried for those horandous war crimes. It is ludicrous for him to now call Arafat (co-winner of the 1994 Nobel Peace Prize) a terrorist. Sharon currently justifies killing Palestinian civilians, by saying that Arafat is not doing enough to control low-tech terrorists—so he now uses his own brand of high-tech terrorism to kill and destroy the PLO police and infra structure which inhibits Arafat from doing his job. It’s all crazy.
As an American war veteran, I object to the waste of my taxes to fund all high-tech military terrorism and inhumane occupations. Sadly, as long as politicians throughout the world can boost their poll ratings by banging war drums and voting for new wars, the killing of innocent civilians will never stop.