The Palestine Solidarity working group
Statement
The Palestine Solidarity Working Group of CCIVS has been meeting regularly over the past year, closely following the ongoing genocide and attacks on Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank. This group seeks, in whatever small way possible, to support the Palestinian people as they endure unimaginable brutality. While the group was formed in response to recent events, CCIVS has long supported Palestinian rights. The current atrocities, identified by the UN Special Rapporteur and Amnesty International as acts of genocide, are part of a larger history of systematic oppression. This history stretches back to the Balfour Declaration of 1917, followed by the Nakba of 1948, during which Palestinians were subjected to widespread ethnic cleansing and displacement—an injustice that continues unabated. The recognition of these crimes at the international level underscores the urgency of collective solidarity to advocate for justice, freedom, and dignity for the Palestinian people.
The news of the Ceasefire brings momentary joy; hostages (some Palestinian and Israeli) released, people returning to places they were forced to abandon … and then the realisation hits – what’s next?
With the ceasefire comes the numbers of:
- Massacred women and children, civilians, medical staff, journalists …
- Orphans
- Amputees and severely disabled lacking medical treatment
- People starving
- Babies freezing to death
- Palestinian hostages (including children and women) 1000 to be released in the next weeks – breastfeeding mothers being reunited with their babies after 9 months, women detained in 1.5×1.5m cells for 6 months
- Those tortured in Israeli detention cells
- Those still imprisoned illegally, including heroic medical staff of whom there is no news
- Homes, hospitals, schools, universities, mosques, churches flattened
- Ecocide and ensuing human health risk – more than 90 thousands tons of bombs dropped on Gaza, the equivalent of more than 4 atomic bombs.
And then comes the continuation of…
- Massacres in the Gaza Strip in spite of the ceasefire
- Attacks on West Bank villages, including Jenin and Nur Shams refugee camps by settlers and the Israeli Occupation Forces
- Destruction of Palestinian infrastructure, economy and basic services (schools, hospitals..)
- The continued deprivation of education for Palestinian Children in Gaza and the West Bank
- Roadblocks put into place unprecedented since 1967
- The rounding up of more Palestinians, detained without charge or trial
- The statements made by President Trump referring to the U.S. occupation and ethnic cleansing of Gaza
The United States’ decision to host Netanyahu—who faces an ICC arrest warrant for war crimes and crimes against humanity—along with the statements made by the U.S. President, must be unequivocally condemned at all levels. The forcible displacement of people is a grave violation of international law and the UN Charter, constituting an international crime.
In the pursuit of justice, The Hind Rajab Foundation (https://www.hindrajabfoundation.org/) focuses on offensive legal action against perpetrators, accomplices and inciters of war crimes and crimes against humanity in Palestine. If you know a law firm that can help or if you can support financially, please contact the Foundation.
This is not a time to relax, this is a time to continue relentlessly to highlight what is happening to the Palestinian People – news outlets may shift their focus, not reporting directly on Palestine and so allowing people to forget or to remain uninformed.
We will not.
You can find out more about how to join solidarity actions on our webpage, and directly here: https://ccivs.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/palestine_solidarity_actions.pdf