Israel, Stop invasion of the Gaza Strip immediately
May 20, 2021
Israel is again committing a massacre in the Gaza Strip, Palestine. As of May 19, 219 residents of the Gaza including 63 children and young adults were killed due to Israeli bombardment which began on May 10. 1,600 are injured, and the toll of casualties has been rapidly increasing.
Israel insisted that it began bombing Gaza to respond to firing rockets at Israel by Palestinian party "Hamas". Hamas demanded Israel remove Israeli border police from "Sheikh Jarrah" in East Jerusalem and Al-Aqsa mosque in the first place. Shortly before Hamas’s notice, Israel had already blocked the roads along the Gaza Strip and started to prepare for war, halting the largest military exercise in its history. And then when Hamas launched a rocket after giving Israel an ultimatum, Israel began a massacre in Gaza under the pretext of Hamas attack.
Israel has expelled Palestinians in "Sheikh Jarrah" in East Jerusalem from their towns and villages to make way for new illegal Jewish settlers and sent the police to violently suppress residents who oppose the eviction. Forced eviction of residents in Sheik Jarrah and crackdown on protests raised the ire of Palestinians, which represent in microcosm ethnic cleansing of Palestinian indigenous people since the foundation of Israel in 1948. As protests spread, Israeli border police broke into Al-Aqsa Mosque and fired tear gas, flash grenade, and rubber-coated bullets at protesters and worshippers. The protests spread to the Gaza Strip and West Bank which were occupied by Israeli military forces since 1967 and to Palestinian communities in Israel. In addition, Palestinian casualties increased as the Israeli military and police fired at unarmed protesters. Amid ongoing situation, Hamas demanded Israel withdraw its border police from the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound and Sheikh Jarrah. It is not just Hamas. All Palestinian resistance groups in Gaza began to combat Israel, as it has blocked the land, sea, and air of Gaza and committed regular massacre since 2007.
Palestinians fight back against Israel after Israeli military’s violence on unarmed protesters comes to a head. However, Israel rationalizes its attacks on Palestinians, saying it is "self-defense" against preemptive attack by ruthless Islamic terrorist group, Hamas.
Israel’s all-round attack on Palestinians in Israel or Palestine including Gaza has its origin. In 1948, Israel was founded on 78% of "historic Palestine’s land" following Israeli ethnic cleansing of Palestinian indigenous people. In 1967, Israel militarily occupied 22% of remaining land: the West Bank and Gaza Strip including East Jerusalem. Although Palestinian citizens in Israel account for 20% of the total population, Israel passed a law with the constitutional status which stipulates "Israel is a Jewish state". Moreover, Israel has 60 laws which formally discriminate Palestinian citizens in Israel.
For this reason, Palestinian civil society and South African civil society which went through apartheid have long defined Israel as an "Apartheid State". Israeli actions across Palestinian regions conform to the rule of apartheid which "establishes and maintains dominance of another racial group by one racial group and systemically oppresses another racial group". The two former UN Special Rapporteurs on human rights in Palestine defined Israel as an apartheid state before. Recently, Israeli human rights organization B’Tselem and Human Rights Watch also announced their official position defining Israel as a system of segregation, isolation, and racism. Palestinians in occupied Palestine and Israel, and 7 million Palestinian refugees, who are deprived of right to go back to their homes after they were forcibly evicted in 1948 when Israel was founded, are facing hardship. Apartheid is an exact rule to include the hardship.
Palestinian civil society has called on international community to impose sanctions against Israel and embargo on Israeli weapons, as the world imposed sanctions on apartheid South Africa. However, in these circumstances, the United States supported Israeli attack on Gaza saying it is exercising "right to defense" and rejected the passage of the UNSC resolution requesting a ceasefire, and continued to support weapons as previously scheduled. What about South Korea? Two days after the Israeli bombardment in Gaza began, Korean government had the FTA signing ceremony with Israel. Without any consideration of Israeli military occupation, it has held Palestine accountable for Israeli massacre on Palestinian civilians, saying indiscriminate rocket attacks from Gaza lead to large-scale casualties including children.
As of May 18, Israel is bombing Southern Lebanon, suggesting escalation of the war. Israel is committing additional crimes despite the International Criminal Court’s investigation into Israel’s war crimes. Israel must stop bombing Gaza immediately. As long as Israel has control across Palestine, it can resume bombing at any time. Israel must withdraw from all militarily occupied territories in Palestine, and apartheid regime must be ended. Therefore, we demand as follows:
- Israel must stop massacre in the Gaza Strip immediately
- Israel must withdraw from all occupied territories in Palestine and Syria
- Korean government must abolish FTA with Israel and impose a comprehensive arms embargo on Israel
160 Organizations Signed:
A Study Group for East Asian Detention Camp at Yonsei University
Activists group for Human Rights 'BARAM'
Advocates for Public Interest Law
All my kids
All For Little One
Alliance for migrant workers' equal
Alternative Culture Solidarity
Asian Dignity Initiative
Association Fraternalle Internationale (AFI)
Association of Korea Doctors for Health Rights
Billy Carter
Book Club <Republic of the Humanitas>, Hyanglin Church
Catholic human rights committee
Center for Cultural Society
Center for Sexual rigHts And Reproductive justicE
CHANG: Korean Human Rights Research Center
CHANGJAK21
Cheonbuk Edumadang
Civilian Military Watch
Climate Justice Forum
Deadline Witches
Dianalab
Diversity Korea
Dongdo
Donghak-Chondogyo Network for People
DxE Korea Wildlife
Equality and Solidarity! Human Rights Movement Plus+
Fairfacetrading
Feminist Institute for Peace Studies, FIPS
Friends of "Comfort Women" in Sydney
Gallery Podonamu
Gangjeong International Team
Gangjeong Peace Network
GongGam Human Rights Law Foundation
Goyang Branch of National Teacher's Union
Goyang YMCA
GREEN KOREA JEONBUK
Green Party Korea
Green Party Seoul
Gwanak Educational Community, MODU
GWANAK WOMEN'S ASSOCIATION
Gwanak-Action
Gwang-Ju Human Rights Center Hwal JJak
Gwanghwamoon Brookforest
Gyeonggi Association of Self-Sufficiency Promotion Center
Gyeonggi bukbu peace action
Gyeonggi women's association united
Human Rights Center of the National Council of Churches in Korea
Human Rights Education Center 'deul'
Human Rights Movement Space 'Hwal'
Imagination for International Solidarity
Incheon NoSaMo
Incorporated Organization Silcheon Bulgyo
Inter-Island Solidarity for Peace of the Sea (Jeju)
International Committee, The National Council of Churches in Korea
International Solidarity Working Group of the Justice Party of Korea
JANGSU YMCA
Jeonbuk Sdidanrity Against Disability Discrimination
Jeonju YMCA
JPIC Commission (in The Association of Major Superiors of Women Religious in KOREA)
Justice and Peace Priests' Association, Anglican Church of Korea
Justice Party Dongjak-gu Committee
Korea Migrant Human Rights Center
Korea Refugee Right Network
Korea Vietnam Peace Foundation
Korea Women’s Political Solidarity
Korean Community organization network for education & training
Korean Confederation of Cats Union in Chung-Ang Univ.
Korean Confederation of Trade Unions
Korean Deaf LGBT
Korean Federation Medical Activist Groups for Health Rights(Association of Korea Doctors for health rights, Association of Physicians for Humanism, Korean Dentist's Association for Healthy Society, Korean Nurses association for health rights, Korean Pharmacists for Democratic Society, Solidarity for worker's health)
Korean Hanbumo Association
Korean House for International Solidarity
Korean New Zealanders for a Better Future
Korean Nurses association for health rights
Korean Progressive Network Jinbonet
Korean Sexual-minority Culture & Rights Center
Korean Solidarity against Precarious Work
Korean Solidarity for Overseas Community Organization
Korean Women Workers Association
KTU GWANDONG
KYC
Life & Safety Network
Little Difference
Memorial Association For Professor Kim Chan kuk
Migrant World TV
MINBYUN - Lawyers for a Democratic Society International Solidarity Committee
Minju Choson
my sister place
Nanum House Council, Anglican Church of Korea
NanumMunhwa
National Council of YMCAs of Korea
NGO HANBARAGI
NGOdagachi
NICS Jesus Direct Action
Nodl Center for Independent Living
North and South Together
Palestine Peace & Solidarity in South Korea
PAX CHRISTI KOREA
PEACE MOMO
Peace Mothers of KOREA
Peace Network
Peace Treaty Movement
Peace Treaty Movement, Incheon
PeaceGround
People Making Jeju a Demilitarized Peace Island
People, not Profit
People's Solidarity for Participatory Democracy (PSPD)
PFLAG KOREA
Platform.c
Progressive 3.0
Pumm & Pedagogy
Q&I
Rainbow Action Against Sexual-Minority Discrimination
Rainbow PUTS
RAINBOW THEOLOGICAL INSTITUTE
Refugee Rights Center, NANCEN
Saeminjok church
SARANGBANG Group for Human Rights
Scarlet ChaCha
Secondthesis
Seongmunbak Church
Seoul Human Rights Film Festival
Sinchon Centre for Cultural-politics Research
Social Apostolate Committee, Korea Province, Society of Jesus
Solidarity Against Disability Discrimination
Solidarity for Another World
Solidarity for LGBT Human Rights of Korea
Solidarity for Peace & Human rights of Asia
Solidarity for USAFIK Comfort Women's Human Rights
St. Francis Peace Center Foundation
Students for Peace in Palestine, Department of Sociology, Chung-Ang University
Sumdol Presbyterian Church
Sungshin w. univ. student&minority committee
Supporters group for migrant workers movement
The Declaration of Global Citizen
The Frontiers
The Korean Council for Justice and Remembrance for the Issues of Military Sexual Slavery by Japan
The night of detectives
The People’s Solidarity for Korea Youth Policy
The Rainbow Refugee Coalition
The Transgender Liberation Front
The wednesday peace studies group
Theater company GORAE
Togotherdream
Uijeongbu Area Self-help Center
Urnuri Peace Corp.
We are the us people
Women Making Peace
WON-PEACE
World Without War
YMCA meeting for peace and unification.
Yonmindong
Yonsei University Theological College Alumni Association
Youth PLHIV Community of Korea 'R'