Palestinians are being subjected to a collective punishment

The Palestine Solidarity Network – Malta held a Press Conference in the light of recent local and international developments concerning Palestine. Currently the Palestinian population is being subjected to a brutal collective punishment at the hands of the Israeli state, following the death of three Israeli settlers in unclear circumstances. Meanwhile, it appears that the Maltese Government is ready to support Israel’s bid for a seat in the UN Security Council.

 In the past few days Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza have seen one of the fiercest Israeli repressions in recent times. More than 600 Palestinians have been arrested and most of them are being detained without charges. 6 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli soldiers and one boy was abducted by illegal Israeli settlers, and burned. Moreover, dozens of Palestinian villages, refugee camps, schools and universities have come under attack from Israeli soldiers and illegal settlers. Gaza is once again experiencing a shower of Israeli bombs, with more than 100 airstrikes carried out in a few days.

It is disturbing that while there has been an international outcry with regards to the death of the three Israeli settlers there is a very weak political reaction to the atrocities being perpetrated by the Israeli state. Suffice to say that from September 2000 up to April 2013 the Israeli occupation forces have killed 1,518 Palestinian children. That’s the equivalent of one Palestinian child killed by Israel every 3 days for almost 13 years. However, we heard very few political statements condemning such killings.
The Palestine Solidarity Network – Malta is also strongly denouncing the Maltese Government’s support of Israel’s bid for a seat in the UN Security Council. It’s alarming that Malta, a country which has historically shown clear support for the Palestinian cause, is shifting its stance to one of support for the Israeli state. Such decision will help legitimize the Israeli oppression of Palestinians and sends the wrong message to a state that has been repeatedly and shamelessly ignoring UN resolutions.
The Palestine Solidarity Network – Malta
The Palestine Solidarity Network – Malta is a group of organisations and individuals active against the systematic oppression and dispossession of the Palestinian population at the hands of the Israeli state and its allies. The network works for:
• an end to Israeli occupation and colonization
• the right of Palestinian refugees to return to their homes and lands, as stipulated by the 194 UN resolution.
• the dismantling of the current Apartheid system that, with its practices of segregation and institutional racism, is denying the fundamental human rights of Palestinians in the Occupied Territories and of Palestinian citizens of Israel
• Israeli compliance with international law
The network raises awareness on issues related to Palestine and holds solidarity actions in Malta. It supports the global Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions campaign (www.bdsmovement.net) targeting entities and individuals participating in colonization, military occupation, racial discrimination and ethnic cleansing by the Israeli state.
The organisations within the network include: Moviment Graffitti, Third World Group, Koperattiva Kummerc Gust, Integra Foundation, Zminijietna – Voice of the Left, Arab Maltese Community, Partit Komunista Malti, Arabic Culture and Information Society and Garden of Knowledge.