Human Rights Issues in "Israel
Today"
Israel
is a pariah nation condemned by the UN and much of the international
community for its multiple violations of international human rights
law, including:
- Continuing
the occupation of the Palestinian people
- Building
housing settlements on confiscated land
- Seizing
additional land and property from Palestinians to build "The
Wall",
highways for the exclusive use of Israelis, and military areas,
etc.
- Using
extremely disproportionate and indiscriminate force in the invasion
of the Gaza Strip during "Operation
Cast Lead"
in Dec. 2008
- Inflicting
heavy casualties on Palestinians, many civilians and children with
no way to escape the bombing
- Refusing
to compensate the 5.8 million Palestinian refugees and their descendants
who were displaced from their homes and properties during 1948
Israeli
Diplomats, like our speaker today, should not
be given a public platform from which to promote their views as
long as they refuse to recognize and cooperate with international
laws.
HERE
ARE FURTHER DETAILS:
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In
June 1967, the Israeli military invaded the West Bank, Gaza and
East Jerusalem. These areas of historic Palestine under military
control are the "Occupied Territories," comprising some 3.5 million
Palestinians, and they are systematically being incorporated into
the state of Israel in violation of international law.
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Life under occupation is very harsh. The Palestinians have
virtually no human or civil rights. Unemployment is rampant.
In order to go about their daily lives, the people in the Occupied
Territories must line up and go through multiple checkpoints manned
by the Israeli army. Proper paperwork, including Palestinian
ID's, and permits are required to pass through, and many people
are denied entry, even into East Jerusalem which is Palestinian
territory and home to many hospitals, schools, and employers.
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Israel has built 200+ settlements in the West Bank, and over 400,000
Israelis have moved onto Palestinian land. Many of the settlers
are armed and aggressive extremists, and their actions are regularly
protected by Israeli Defense Forces.
♦
Israel has seized a majority of the West Bank land as military bases,
settlements, security areas, "land reserves," by-pass roads linking
settlements with Israel, and other areas forbidden to Palestinians.
Palestinians are confined to small fragmented areas resembling
Bantustans in an Israeli version of Apartheid.
-
Israelâ's sovereignty in Jerusalem is questioned by the international
community, and contrary to what the Israelis would like you to
believe, Jerusalem does not belong to Israel. This is why
other nations have their embassies in Tel Aviv instead.
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East Jerusalem was declared as an occupied territory in UN Security
Council Resolution 242 which specifically emphasized the "inadmissibility
of the acquisition of territory by war." Yet Israel continues
to seize homes and land and allow Israeli settlers to move into
East Jerusalem.
-Over
10,000 Palestinian homes have been destroyed, leaving 30,000 people
homeless. Housing demolitions and displacement are common
for Palestinian families, and they are powerless to protect their
properties or get legal permission to build homes.
-
The Gaza strip remains under siege today. Despite the withdrawal
of Israeli settlers in 2005, Israel still controls entry into Gaza.
People cannot leave and cannot get the goods and services they
need. They are literally locked into a ghetto.
-In
Dec. 2008, Israel invaded the Gaza strip, causing massive destruction
and Palestinian causalities. The vast majority of the Palestinians
killed in Israel's operation were innocent civilians rather than
combatants, according to a new report by B'Tselem, an Israeli human
rights organization. Of the 1,387 deaths, 773 were non combatants.
320 of these were under the age of 18, and 109 were women.
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Nine Israelis were killed during the Gaza war -- four by rocket
fire on southern Israel, including three civilians and one soldier,
while the other five were soldiers killed in combat, primarily
from "friendly fire" incidents.
-
The Goldstone Report which investigated the Gaza Invasion for the
UN concluded that both Israel and the Palestinians had committed
violations of International Law, but that Israel because of it’s
huge army and sophisticated weaponry was more culpable and guilty
of Crimes Against Humanity in it's 2008/09 Gaza onslaught.
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U.S. aid has made Israel's army one of the most powerful military
forces in the world. Israel is using U.S. F-16 fighters and Apache
helicopters in attacks against Palestinian civilians. This violates
the U.S. Foreign Arms Export Act. Over $3 billion in US foreign
aid is given to Israel, and most of it is used for military operations.
There
Will Be No Security For ISRAEL Until There Is Justice For PALESTINE.
Resources
For more information:
--END
THE OCCUPATION --COMPLY WITH INTERNATIONAL LAWS
--FREEZE
SETTLEMENTS --NEGOTIATE AN EQUITABLE SOLUTION ON LAND AND
WATER
The
US claims to be an "honest broker" --fair to both sides--
in the so-called peace process. At the same time, the U.S. proclaimed
itself the unswerving ally of Israel. These roles are contradictory.
Massive U.S. aid funds the occupation. Since 1949, the U.S.
has given Israel well over $100 billion in grants, loans and other
assistance. This amounts to over $15,000 per Israeli citizen.
A
genuine peace with a minimum of justice requires an independent
and viable Palestinian state on the territories occupied by Israel
in 1967 (West Bank, Gaza, East Jerusalem). Jerusalem should be
shared as the capital of both Israel and Palestine. Palestine should
be an equal neighbor alongside Israel with peace and security for
both peoples.