| FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE | CONTACT: |
MOURNING TENT TO REMEMBER AND PROTEST 1300 DEAD FROM THE ISRAELI ASSAULT ON GAZA
WHERE: Westlake Park, Fourth and Pine in Downtown Seattle
WHEN: Saturday, January 24, 2009.
12:00 - 2:30 PM
WHAT: In a continuation of activities to protest against Israel's recent offensive and ongoing starvation siege of Gaza, the Save Gaza Campaign will erect a Mourning Tent at Westlake Plaza at noon on Saturday January 24th. The Mourning Tent is suggested by traditional Palestinian ceremonies, and will remember not only the 1300 Palestinians killed in the recent Israeli offensive, but also the thousands of Palestinians killed by Israeli violence during the previous several years.
The event will also include a Jewish Kaddish ceremony, silent vigils around the Mourning Tent, plus displays and information about the Israeli assault. The sponsors of the event call on Israel to remove troops, lift the siege immediately and open the borders of Gaza to food, medical supplies and other necessary humanitarian aid.
There will be no orations or speakers. Participants are asked to respect the nature of this day of mourning.
POINTS OF INFORMATION:
1. The recent massive assault against a captive population violates international law (including the Fourth Geneva Convention of 1949) and constitutes a crime against humanity.
2. There has been an ongoing siege of Gaza since Israeli troops withdrew in September 2005. This siege has been intensified at specific intervals since then, with no real subsequent respite. The withholding of food, fuel, medicine, and practically every daily necessity, together with the complete restriction of movement in and out of the territory, has resulted in massive unemployment and widespread hunger in Gaza.
3. The recent escalation of siege and violence began when Israel violated the ceasefire on November 4 with the killing of 6 Palestinians inside Gaza.
4. The Israeli assault on Gaza was undertaken not as a way to enhance Israel's security, but as a form of collective punishment against the 1.5-million strong captive population of the territory.
5. There is no possibility that the assault and starvation siege can lead to a peaceful resolution to the conflict; they can only increase and prolong the violence.
For more information, contact::
Amin Odeh, Voices of Palestine
telephone: 206-605-8448
e-mail: odehamin@yahoo.com
Co-sponsors:
Voices of Palestine, Palestine Solidarity Committee, American Jews for a Just Peace, Jewish Voice for Peace, Palestinian Concerns Task Force, Church Council of Greater Seattle, and the Mid East Focus Group of St. Mark's Cathedral, Friends of Palestinian Medical Relief Society (PMRS), Council on American-Islamic Relations - Seattle (CAIR), Arab American Community Coalition (AACC), ADC-Seattle (American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee), Arab Center of Washington (ACW), American Muslims of Puget Sound (AMPS), Students for Justice in Palestine- UW (SJP)
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