JERUSALEM – January 23, 2008 – With its decision to cut the Gaza Strip’s fuel and food supply and close the crossings into the area last week (with the exception of a fuel and aid delivery yesterday and limited emergency shipments), the Israeli government is imposing collective punishment on Gaza’s 1.5 million residents. The Association for Civil Rights in Israel (ACRI) strongly condemns the blockade: sweeping sanctions against an entire population constitute an extreme violation of international law, which prohibits collective punishment. In addition, denying a civilian population of its basic human needs is unequivocally immoral.
With the blockade causing a shortage of electricity, heat, food, and other basic supplies and curtailing medical services, the residents of Gaza are being held hostage in a violent conflict beyond their control. The residents of Sderot and the Gaza-border communities, too, are victims of a violent conflict – their lives paralyzed by an ongoing barrage of Kassam rockets from Gaza for years.
ACRI calls on Israel not to attempt to resolve the ongoing crisis in Sderot with collective punishment on Gaza’s residents. ACRI condemns all violent attacks and humanitarian sanctions on civilians.
Just as in any instance of collective punishment, in Gaza, the most vulnerable are suffering most acutely: the sick, the poor, women and children – and not those responsible for shooting rockets on Sderot.
ACRI calls on Israel to lift the blockade on Gaza immediately.
