Palestine Latest: 9 January 2009
The depravity with which the Israeli Government is inflicting death on the people of Gaza reached a new low today as news began to leak out of yet another Israeli war crime in the town of Zeitoun.
According to the United Nations the events in a second shelter in the town represents ‘one of the gravest events since the beginning of the offensive.’
Eyewitness accounts obtained by the UN describe how, on the 4th January, the IDF rounded up 110 people, half of them children and moved them into a single story home. The IDF told the people they were being led to their safety.
Then 24 hours later the IDF bombed the shelter killing 30 people. According to the Red Cross and the UN, the IDF’s refusal to allow humanitarian access to the area for four days was because of this incident.
Following this incident the Red Cross issued a statement on the deaths of children killed by the Israeli Army in which they said that there had been a 250% increase in deaths to children since the ground invasion.
Read the BBC report here: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/7819492.stm
Here’s the latest update from the Red Cross
http://www.icrc.org/web/eng/siteeng0.nsf/htmlall/palestine-update-050109?opendocument
Israel allowed the ICRC to get blood supplies (but don’t say how much) and 1000 tetanus injections into Gaza. The injections are given to the wounded to help reduce the chance of infection. Only 1000 when there are over 3000 known wounded already. A pittance, just crumbs from the Israeli table.
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If you live in the UK, the PSC have set up a web page with a pre written letter that they will use to forward to your MP. It literally takes a couple of minutes and will exert pressure on them to act. It calls on them to pressure the Government into taking real action that will force Israel to end its invasion and siege on Gaza.
All you have to do is visit http://www.iparl.com/lobby-psc/widget.html and put in your postcode – easy as that.
Please take the time to do this, small actions like this can make a difference.
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Don’t forget there are demonstrations in London and Edinburgh tomorrow. Last Saturday’s had over 60,000 people there.
MARCH ROUTE: Speakers Corner at Hyde Park, Bayswater, Notting Hill Gate, left into Kensington Church Street, left into Kensington High Street, past the Israeli Embassy. There will be rallies with speakers at Speakers Corner and at the end of the march.
ALL SCOTLAND DEMONSTRATION 10 JANUARY
STOP THE MASSACRE: ISRAEL OUT OF GAZA
Bring in-date medicine for Gaza, and spare shoes.
Supported by Stop the War Scotland, Glasgow and Edinburgh, Pauline McNeil MSP, Sandra White MSP, Muslim Association of Britain, Scottish Palestine Solidarity Campaign, Glasgow Palestine Human Rights Campaign, Lebanese Community Scotland, Scottish Afghan Society, Scottish Islamic Foundation.