OVER 100 UK PARLIAMENTARIANS CALL FOR END TO SLAUGHTER IN GAZA

[DK Matai]

Dear ATCA Open and Philanthropia Friends

We are grateful to Richard Burden, Member of Parliament, United
Kingdom; Chair of the Britain-Palestine All Party Parliamentary Group;
and distinguished ATCA Contributor for his submission:

Dear DK and Colleagues

Over 100 UK Parliamentarians from different parties have so far signed
a statement demanding an end to the slaughter in Gaza. The statement
calls for an immediate ceasefire, an embargo on the supply of military
equipment to both sides and for urgent intervention by the
international community to stop the humanitarian catastrophe which is
unfolding.

The continuing slaughter in Gaza is an outrage. The international
community has to make clear that respecting its calls for a ceasefire
is not simply an optional extra for those launching attacks on either
side. International humanitarian law must be upheld. That means
protecting civilians from military attack. Common humanity also
demands that food, medicines and other essential supplies must be
allowed to get through to the one and a half million people who are
under siege.

The statement – below – was first published on 31st December 2008. It
has now (as at 16:00 GMT on 06 January 2009) been signed by 106
Parliamentarians: 97 Members of Parliament and 9 Members of the House
of Lords.

STOP THE SLAUGHTER IN GAZA

Israel's continuing massive military strikes on Gaza are an outrage
that the international community must not allow to continue.
Palestinian rocket attacks which traumatise the lives of communities
in Southern Israel are also utterly unacceptable. Both sides must
cease fire.

Israel's actions are disproportionate and counter productive to
achieving either security for the people of Israel or peace in the
Middle East. Physicians for Human Rights (Israel) have warned that
"targeting of civilians and of medical facilities is a breach of
international humanitarian law. The targets chosen by the Israeli
military include also clearly civilian installations."

Gaza is one of the poorest and most densely populated places on earth.
For the last two years, the blockade and previous Israeli strikes had
already disrupted electricity supplies and access to clean water. Even
before the current attack, Gaza's health system was near collapse.
Hospitals are short of medicines, blood and essential equipment. Only
half of Gaza's 58 ambulances are functioning.

We call on the international community, and especially the High
Contracting Parties to the Fourth Geneva Convention, to intervene to
stop the humanitarian catastrophe unfolding in Gaza. We call for an
immediate ceasefire by all parties and for an embargo on the supply of
military equipment to both sides. The international community must
also assert unambiguously that there is no military route to peace in
the Middle East and redouble its efforts to create a secure and
independent state of Palestine alongside a secure and independent
Israel.

Signatories:

HOUSE OF COMMONS: Nick Ainger, Danny Alexander, John Austin, Norman
Baker, Anne Begg, Roger Berry, Clive Betts, Roberta Blackman-Woods,
Peter Bottomley, Colin Breed, Lyn Brown, Karen Buck, Richard Burden,
Lorely Burt, Alistair Carmichael, David Chaytor, Katy Clark, David
Clelland, Harry Cohen, Michael Connarty, Derek Conway, Frank Cook,
Jeremy Corbyn, Ann Cryer, Jim Devine, Jim Dobbin, Frank Dobson, Jim
Dowd, David Drew, Mark Durkan, Clive Efford, Natascha Engel, Paul
Flynn, Hywel Francis, Neil Gerrard, Ian Gibson, Roger Godsiff, Nia
Griffith, Nick Harvey, John Hemming, David Heyes, Simon Hughes, Brian
Iddon, Eric Illsley, Lynne Jones, Sir Gerald Kaufman, Sally Keeble,
Peter Kilfoyle, Susan Kramer, Norman Lamb, Mark Lazarowicz, John
Leech, David Lepper, Tom Levitt, Martin Linton, Tony Lloyd, Andy Love,
Judy Mallaber, Rob Marris, Chris McCafferty, John McDonnell, Anne
Moffat, Madeleine Moon, Michael Moore, Doug Naysmith, Edward O'Hara,
Nick Palmer, Andrew Pelling, Steve Pound, Ken Purchase, Andy Reed,
Alan Reid, Linda Riordan, Martin Salter, Mohammad Sarwar, Alison
Seabeck, Virendra Sharma, Jim Sheridan, Clare Short, Marsha Singh,
Andy Slaughter, Andrew Smith, Angela C Smith, Sir Peter Soulsby,
Phyllis Starkey, Jo Swinson, Ian Taylor, David Taylor, Sarah Teather,
Robert Walter, Steve Webb, Mike Weir, Alan Whitehead, Stephen
Williams, Hywel Williams, Derek Wyatt, Tim Yeo.

HOUSE OF LORDS: Bishop of Winchester, Lord Cope of Berkeley, Lord
Luce, The Right Reverend Michael Scott-Joynt, Lord Hylton, Lord Wright
of Richmond, Baroness Northover, Baroness Tonge, Lord Sheikh of
Cornhill.



Richard Burden, MP

[ENDS]

We are grateful to all sources for the information presented. We
welcome your thoughts, observations and views. To reflect further on
this, please respond within Facebook's ATCA Open discussion board.

Best wishes


DK Matai
Chairman, ATCA Open

-- ATCA, The Philanthropia, mi2g, HQR --

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[DK Matai]

Dear Friends

It is important to note the logic and perspective from both sides:

http://tinyurl.com/0701ATCA

This is a complex, multi-layered issue and one must be neutral to get
to the truth. There is also the wisdom of another great spiritual
poet -- Saadi -- to be considered:

"The human family is one body with many parts
Creations arising from one unseen essence
Any harm to any part summons an awakening
a dis-ease and a healing response from all parts
Those who fail to feel the pain of others cannot be called truly
human."

Ref: "Golden Age: Knowing What is Enough! From The Inter-Net to The
Inner-Net" http://tinyurl.com/mi2g0101

Love


DK

[DK Matai]

Dear Friends

Israel has just admitted that no rockets were fired from the UN school
in Gaza which was hit with loss of 40 lives.

This contradicts yesterday's allegation: http://tinyurl.com/atca0801

Best wishes


DK

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