Statement from JfJfP executive committee

July 14, 2014

Jews for Justice for Palestinians utterly condemns the horrific bombardment of Gaza, which has seen:

* Whole families destroyed. Hospitals and ambulances targeted. Reports from health professionals of new weapons that “melt bones”. Gaza’s water and sewerage infrastructure deliberately bombed.

* The people of northern Gaza told by Israel’s military to leave or die, raising the spectre of the 1948 expulsions among a population mostly descended from those refugees.

As the toll of deaths and terrible injuries mounts, Gaza is suffering collectively, on an industrial scale, the fate of Mohammad Abu Khdeir, the young boy burned alive two weeks ago in Jerusalem by Jewish vigilantes. The world proclaimed its horror at his murder. But what is it doing to save Gaza?

Israel claims to be the state of the Jewish people worldwide, and expects Jews to support it, “right or wrong”. JFJFP represents an alternative Jewish viewpoint that judges Israel’s deeds by international law and the UN Charter of Human Rights.

Jewish people have a proud history of fighting for such universal standards, against racism and oppression, following our culture, heritage and teachings.

We say now:

* End the onslaught on Gaza immediately and unconditionally.

* Every life is of equal value. Palestinian human rights start with the right to life.

* Collective punishment of a whole population is illegal and immoral.

* Despite the defiant salvo of rockets, this is not a “conflict” between equal sides:

Israel has a highly effective defence against scattershot, primitive weapons, whereas the Gazans have no defence at all against highly concentrated, sophisticated and deadly weapons.

* As the occupying and controlling power, Israel has a legal duty to protect and nurture the people of Gaza. Instead it imposes a tight siege and engages in countless “minor” shootings and destruction apart from the full-scale onslaughts.

* We call on the British Government to hold Israel to account in the international arena for all its breaches of international laws, rulings and standards, and to use all diplomatic, financial, economic and political pressure at its disposal, including arms embargoes and trade restrictions.