Calls & Statements

JAI calls for actions and statements on events and crisis. Calls got sent immediately to the YMCA-YWCA JAI partners and friends for actions and responses.

YWCA Action Alert - October 2015: Endless State of Emergency

Category: Calls & Statements
Created: 07 October 2015

YWCA Palestine Logo

YWCA 7Oct2015

Suleiman Mansour

Four Palestinians, ages 13-19, have been executed in less than 32 hours. Over 500 have been injured just since Saturday, October 3rd. More than 40 have been shot with live ammunition while another 150 or more shot with rubber bullets. Fourteen ambulances have been attacked. It is for all these reasons that the Red Crescent has declared a "state of emergency." We call it the Endless State of Emergency.

The YWCA of Palestine mourns the loss of all these lives. Many of those killed were innocent of the alleged crimes they were said to have committed. They were children coming home from school like 13 year old Abed Al-RahamObeidallah who was shot in the Aida Refugee Camp or Hadeel Al-Hashlamon, an 18 year old young woman trying to cross the Hebron checkpoint. She was shot 10 times and left to bleed out. Later her ambulance was met by her father, the doctor on duty on the eve of the Jewish Holiday, the Atonement or what Jews call Yom Kippurwho had to pronounce the death of his own daughter. In one case one of the alleged "terrorists", Fadi Alloun, 19 years old, was goinghome  and  was gunned down by the police in Jerusalem when he approached them for help against an angry mob of settlers calling, "Death for Arabs" in Jerusalem.

In addition to this recent violence, holy sites have been under attack including a fire up in the Galilee at the church known for Jesus' miracle with loaves and fishes and Al-Aqsa. Al-Aqsa has been stormed many times over the past few weeks by settlers and soldiers and Muslims have been denied their right to worship.

We are more than deeply concerned about this escalation of violence which many feel is fueled by the newly elected extreme right wing government whose Prime Minister, Netanyahu, has just declared "a war to the death against Palestinian terrorism."

Whether or not this is the beginning of an intifada, it is definitely a deepening of an entrenched military occupation which acts with impunity and settler colonial policies like theongoing settlement buildingswhich areagainst international laws.

On this one year anniversary of our historic conference on UNSCR 1325, where we celebrated women's rights to freedom, peace, and dignity, we implore you to stay steadfast to your commitments to act for justice and peace.  We need more than your tears of sorrow and outrage. We need you to act to hold Israel accountable and to defend Palestinian civil and international rights.


Actions Needed:

  • Support Palestinian rights to nonviolent resistance.
  • Demand that all holy sites be respected and protected.
  • Use your economic leverage to support the BDS global movement.
  • Hold Israel accountable for war crimes at the International Criminal Court.
  • End arms trades and unconditional military and diplomatic aid.

The YWCA of Palestine
7th of October, 2015

 

How long will our places of worship continue to be burnt without accountability and punishment?

Category: Calls & Statements
Created: 22 June 2015

KAIROS Logo LargeLast Thursday, the 18th of June 2015, on the shores of the Lake of Tiberias, Jewish extremists set fire to the Church of the Multiplication run by the Benedictine monks in Tabgha. Voices of protest - emerging from the Christian, Muslim, and Druze religious leaders and communities - were raised throughout Palestine condemning the attack. Kairos Palestine joined in expressing these genuine religious and national feelings.

This is not the first incident of its kind. In the past three years, over 43 attacks on churches and mosques have been documented. In all cases, the perpetrators are the same: young Jewish extremists, blinded by religious extremism and encouraged by a religious leadership to hate and exclude. "We are perplexed that neither the government, nor the police have taken any measures to arrest and punish those who did it," noted His Beatitude, Patriarch Emeritus Michel Sabbah, "this is a stark contrast to the oppression Palestinians face on daily basis from Israel’s security establishment". This principle of double standards is based on ethnic and religious foundations, whereupon a Jew has all rights even if he commits a crime, while a Palestinian is guilty until proven innocent. This discriminatory regime is unacceptable by any standard, especially when used against the indigenous people of the land, a product of its plural and ancient history throughout consecutive generations and centuries.

We warn of the continuation of such incidents that may fan dissent and fire religious conflicts in the Holy Land. This growing extremism and the violence it generates destroys hope for a political and rational solution to the conflict.

We see these crimes as a continuation of the unjust policies and laws used against the Christians, Muslims, and those who have faithfully preserved the religious heritage in the Holy Land for centuries. These incidents remind us with concern that Israel continues to deny regular access to our holy sites and has deprived generations of this right. This is one of the reasons that have led to a systematic dwindling of Christian presence, an important and long presence and witness in the history of this land.

We affirm that the only way to peace in the Holy Land is through respecting the existence, traditions, and places of worship of the three monotheistic religions. Peace depends on respecting basic and elementary human rights of all based on international law, adopting the path of justice and love, and uniting the wills of peoples and governments.

In this context, it is necessary to underline the responsibility of the global community in implementing international law and UN resolutions related to the right of worship. We especially remind the churches of the world of their responsibility to work for justice, peace and reconciliation in the Holy Land. In order to stop this ailment of blind extremism, we call upon the churches to support and stand in solidarity with the calls and demands of Palestinian Christians as expressed in the document "A Moment of Truth" and all ensuing statements. We ask the churches to adopt policies and action plans that help achieve justice and peace, and we express gratitude to the churches that have already adopted such policies.

We call upon and warn the Israeli authorities that ignoring the escalation of extremism without holding the Jewish terrorists accountable for their deeds is encouraging them to pursue such acts in the future, and by doing so, negating the spirit of the Jewish religion itself. The Israeli authorities are responsible for this kind of terrorism and the absence of security for the religious Christian and Muslim sites.

 

Diplomatic pressure for Peace: A call for Sanctions

Category: Calls & Statements
Created: 23 July 2014

"So now, you kings, come to your senses, You earthly rulers, learn your lesson".
Psalms 2:10

What is going on these days in Gaza is not war. It is a massacre of civilians, men, women and children. More than 600 people killed and over 3600---- injured, the majority being civilians; this cannot be justified as an act of self-defense! What is going on in Gaza is blind evil striking out through a wrong vision of security, self-defense and peace.

We implore God Almighty who told us: "Ask and it will be given to you, search and you will find,, knock and the door will be open to you." ( Mt.7;7) O lord we have asked, and we have knocked, and we have been seeking justice and peace for years. But no doors have been opened and we have been treated very unjustly. Lord, open the hearts and minds of all, those who are afraid and insecure, those who kill, and the people of Gaza who, despite a 7 year-old siege and three consecutive assaults believed that they were secure in their rebuilt homes, but their homes are demolished and their lives taken.

It is time for a radical change of concepts and positions. Israelis and Palestinians can live together in peace and mutual love if the root causes of injustice are removed. Education given to the people was negative in past years. A new education must start: love is possible, coexistence is possible. The concept of fear and insecurity should change. The concept of killing so easily hundreds of men, women and children must change. Lords of war, you are on the wrong path. All the killings, all your violence, all your weapons will not bring you security and will not take away your fear.

The ways of peace are ways of peace. Only these can lead to security and peace. Israel and all Israel's friends must understand that after sixty years of killing and violence, the salvation and the survival of Israel will never be achieved by the present violence.. Israel's friends must help Israel understand, if their love for Israel is sincere and if they truly care for the human being, whether Israeli or Palestinian, things must change. The present Palestinian Authority has chosen this path of peace, and maintains its right and constant position, even if it has lost its popularity among its own people, who see that these ways of peace facing Israeli violence are fruitless.

The same conversion should happen in the hearts of Israeli Authorities. All their armies, weapons and reprisals are useless and fruitless. Seeking peace can only be achieved through peaceful means.

We call upon all who care for human dignity, and human life to act now without any further delay. We call upon the international community, governments, churches and civil society to exert pressure on Israel to abide by international law and to lift the siege on Gaza and put an end to its military occupation of the Palestinian Territories in accordance with UN resolutions. And to overcome and remove all the obstacles that have hindered the long awaited peace. It takes wisdom and compassion over and above being fair to both parties of this conflict – especially when one is an occupier and the other is occupied. There needs to be an exerted effort and resolve to bring about peace for all: Israelis and Palestinians whereby everybody feels secure and enjoying freedom and equal rights in a democratic sovereign state. No more repetition of invasions and massacres and senseless killing, whether individual or collective as it is happening now in Gaza.

We call on the Churches to assume their responsibilities towards the Holy Land, the land of their roots, if they truly care for their roots, and for the Holy Land and its people. Many churches seem to be indifferent or intimidated to take action. Churches need to put pressure on Israel and also on their governments to end Israeli impunity and hold her accountable. Such Diplomatic pressure is needed now more than ever. It is a question of saving lives but also imposing accountability for criminal acts. As in similar International situations, now is the time for Economic and Military Sanctions.

Almighty God, heavenly Father, hear our prayers. Help us work together towards freedom, justice and peace Fill our heart with love and compassion and help us achieve just peace without which no security can be guaranteed for anybody. Remind us that we are all created in your image, and that we can all triumph over every evil and live in your peace, and not only by human treaties and agreements.

National Coalition of Christian Organizations in Palestine  Kairos Palestine 
 NCCOP  kairos-palestine

                                         

 

YWCA Palestine Conference Report - 29 Sep. - 1 Oct. 2014

Category: Calls & Statements
Created: 13 February 2015

YWCA Palestine LogoWomen's Freedom, Peace and Dignity in Palestine UNSCR 1325 for Accountability

It takes a village to raise a child. It takes many people to pull off a successful conference. The YWCA of Palestine would like to thank all the people who made this conference possible, meaningful, and historic.

First we would like to thank our YWCA family beginning with our national staff and board members, our association staffs and members. We also are very appreciative of the support from World YWCA as well as Y-Global for their special support, and all our YWCA sisters and brothers from around the world. Conference preparation began many months before the actual conference and it took everyone’s hard work and creativity to make it a success. We would also like to thank Joint Advocacy Initiative for their assistance for the success of our Witness Visit and for their presentation on the Olive Tree Campaign during the conference.

To read the full report please click here.

 

Join the Global Movement to Support Gaza's Right to Life

Category: Calls & Statements
Created: 23 July 2014

YWCA Palestine Logo

YWCA Alert 23July2014

(Art by Amir Schiby)

In memory of four boys killed playing football on the beach in Gaza:
Mohammed Bakr, 9 years old. Ahed Bakr, 10 years old. Zakaria Bakr, 10 years old. Mohammed Bakr, 11 years old.

In this time of fear and suffering, from Jerusalem to Gaza, from Hebron to Nazareth, we reaffirm that all people deserve security, justice, dignity, and peace. We mourn all who have died, been injured, or made homeless. This is not a conflict but a war... it is an offensive Israeli attack on a people who have no army, navy, or air force.

"Operation Protective Edge" as Israel calls it, is taking place in the context of Israel's illegal military occupation and a seven year siege on Gaza. Israel controls Gaza from air, land, and sea therefore it is obliged to protect civilians not attack them according to the Geneva 4 Convention. It is criminal to collectively punish a whole population, or to target civilians, journalists, and medical workers. It is criminal to use banned weapons and gases that blow up bodies beyond recognition. These are crimes against humanity and violate humanitarian and international law.

We cannot be silent. We must hold Israel and all governments and companies accountable.

With feelings of pain, grief, and anger thousands of people are taking to the streets here in Palestine and throughout the world. They are calling for an end to genocide‐‐‐the killing of children and the bombing of civilians. They are also calling for the end of the illegal Israeli Occupation‐‐‐ the building of the illegal wall and the settlements it protects. They are calling for equal rights for all and the right of return for the over 7.5 million refugees' worldwide. They are calling for a just peace not just a cease‐fire.

Christians, Muslims, and Jews here in Palestine and Israel along with people of conscience throughout the world ask you to raise your voices, stand in solidarity, and act. The time is now.

  1. Pray for a cease‐fire and a peace with justice
  2. Mourn the deaths by holding memorial services or public readings of all the names
  3. Join local or national protest marches and demonstrations
  4. Support arms embargos like the ones that were imposed in South Africa
  5. Demand that your government stop trade with Israel or boycott Israeli products
  6. Support Palestine taking Israel to the Hague or Criminal Court of Justice for war crimes
  7. Sign petitions, post on face book, or write letters to the editor sharing your views
  8. Demand severance of diplomatic ties with Israel
  9. Demand immediate international protection of civilians

 

THERE CAN BE NO PEACE WITH OCCUPATION……LET US END OCCUPATION

 

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A joint program of East Jerusalem YMCA and YWCA of Palestine, works for Peace with Justice in Palestine, based on Humanitarian and Christian Values, by mobilizing the world movements of YMCA and YWCA, churches, church-based organizations, UN agencies, and other relevant organizations to influence decision-makers and prompt actions that contribute to end Israeli occupation and all its violations of International Law.

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Joint Advocacy Initiative
YMCA Street - Beit Sahour - Palestine
P. O. Box 19023, East Jerusalem
Tel / Fax: + 970 (0)2 2774540
E-mail: info@jai-pal.org