News

gate48 statement

July 10, 2014

We, members of gate48, a platform for critical Israelis living in the Netherlands, follow the escalating violence and unnecessary loss of life in Israel/Palestine with grave pain and concern. Israel has the right to protect its people, but bombing a densely inhabited area and the killing of civilians in Gaza is a criminal act of collective punishment. Just like other attacks on Gaza before, this operation will not stop the rocket shooting and will not end hostilities. We therefore call for an immediate end to the present Israeli operation on Gaza.

 The current escalation that started with the horrendous kidnapping and killing of three Israeli boys cannot be taken out of context. Palestinians have been living for decades under an occupation that deprives them from their basic human rights and has taken many innocent lives. No crime, horrific as it is, justifies punishing an entire population. Security – for both peoples – can only be achieved by lifting of the siege over Gaza and bringing an end to the occupation.

 Since the kidnapping and murder, Israeli politicians did not try to stop vigilante violence and calls for revenge by the Israeli public. On the contrary: they continuously used the media to incite the public, and to spread hate and anger towards all Palestinians. This resulted in the horrifying murder of a Palestinian boy who was burned alive. Although many Israeli politicians were quick to condemn the murder, they did not take responsibility or change their role in the escalating atmosphere of unrestrained violence towards Palestinians within and outside Israel.

 The current attack already took the lives of 36 civilians in Gaza, 11 of which are children. Collective punishment is an unacceptable answer to any kind of violence. We call upon the Dutch government as part of the EU to demand from Israel to implement an immediate cessation of the Israeli military operation.