 
KAIROS Statement on the violence in Gaza
20 November 2006
The Israeli withdrawal of settlements from Gaza in August 2005 was
seen by many as a positive step in reducing the poverty and violence
that have characterized life in Gaza for many years. The withdrawal
offered a faint hope to the Palestinians in Gaza that daily life
would improve through increased mobility, less armed conflict, and
a better standard of living.
That hope has been crushed as Israeli military incursions to the
Gaza Strip have intensified in recent months. Since August 2006,
350 Palestinians have died and hundreds more wounded. On November
7, Israeli troops withdrew from the town of Beit Hanoun after a
week of siege but the next day fired artillery shells that landed
in a crowded neighborhood killing 19 civilians, including at least
6 children. According to media reports, a 12 year old Palestinian
girl was also shot in the head by an Israeli sniper and two teenaged
volunteers with the Palestinian ambulance service were killed in
Beit Lahiya.
The effect of these military attacks on an entire town was captured
poignantly in the testimony of a young Palestinian from Beit Hanoun
on November 3:
We have no water, no electricity. We hide in the remote corners
of our houses. Ambulances are not authorized to enter into this
occupied and closed zone. The soldiers have circled the houses they
want to invade. They occupied the houses and they shut up the families
in one room. Now they are using then as forts. They use explosives
to pierce holes in the walls, they blow off doors, and the people
are terrified. They shoot anyone that moves.
Yesterday they fired on people that were seeking shelter, who were
not armed, who were not in fighting positions. They shot them in
the back, and when one was wounded and wanted to flee, they killed
him. Those who wanted to collect his body were targets as well.
In numerous cases, ambulances couldn't go to the aid of the wounded.
Children who slip out from their parent's watch or that look out
the windows are killed by Israeli soldiers positioned on the roofs
and balconies of the houses they occupy.
The Israeli government stated that the intention of the Gaza invasion
was to stop the firing of Qassam rockets launched by Palestinian
militants into nearby Israeli towns across the Gaza border. The
killing of a woman on November 15 in the Israeli border town of
Sderot was the first Qassam casualty since July 2005. The launching
of these rockets is a violation international human rights standards
and should be stopped. However, the Israeli response is totally
disproportionate to the Palestinian rocket attacks. The Israeli
human rights organization, B’Tselem called the Israeli shelling
of civilian areas a “war crime”, and pointed out that
under international humanitarian law, it is forbidden to launch
an attack if it is expected to cause injury to civilians that would
be excessive in relation to the direct military advantage anticipated
from the attack.
The international response from many countries to the events in
Gaza over the past several weeks has been highly critical of the
Israeli actions. The head of the European Union stated that “the
right of all states to defend themselves does not justify disproportionate
use of violence or actions which are contrary to international humanitarian
law.”
The response from the Canadian government was extremely disappointing.
Foreign Affairs Minister Peter MacKay issued a press release on
November 8 expressing “concern” and “sympathy”
about civilian casualties but offered only the mildest of rebukes
to the Israeli government regarding the prevention of civilian casualties.
There was no reference to international law or any indication that
the Israeli military offensive was disproportionate. Canada also
voted against a resolution of the UN Human Rights Council on November
15 that called for international action, including a UN delegation
to Gaza, to protect the human rights of Palestinians.
The violence against Palestinians in Gaza is unconscionable and
must stop, as must any firing of rockets by Palestinians into Israeli
civilian population areas. More urgently, for a lasting and just
peace the Occupation of Palestinian Territories must be ended so
that a Palestinian state can be created. For decades, the international
community has promised to support the Palestinians in creating a
safe and secure state. But as time passes, this vision of two states
for two peoples seems more remote than ever. We urge the Canadian
government and other countries of the UN to exert maximum diplomatic
pressure to bring Palestinians and Israelis together for authentic
negotiations that would lead to an end to the Israeli Occupation
and a just peace for both peoples.
Over the past year, Canada has diminished its peace-building role
in the Middle East through its uncritical support of Israel without
reference to crucial international human rights instruments such
as the Fourth Geneva Convention that were put in place to protect
civilians in times of war. We call on Canada to play a constructive
role in applying the laws of human rights to all parties involved
in the conflict. Canada once had significant stature in the Middle
East as a country that engendered the respect of all parties. The
worsening situation calls for fresh thinking and new approaches.
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