An inhumane and illegal act

On 18 July 2014, an open letter was sent to to The Guardian by a group of eminent dignitaries.

This is an edited version:

“Israel has once again unleashed the full force of its military against the captive Palestinian population, particularly in the besieged Gaza Strip, in an inhumane and illegal act of military aggression.

Israel's ability to launch such devastating attacks with impunity largely stems from the vast international military cooperation and trade that it maintains with complicit governments across the world.

Over the period 2008-19, the US is set to provide military aid to Israel worth $30bn, while Israeli annual military exports to the world have reached billions of dollars.

In recent years, European countries have exported billions of euros' worth of weapons to Israel, and the EU has furnished Israeli military companies with research grants worth hundreds of millions.

Emerging economies such as India, Brazil and Chile are rapidly increasing their military trade and cooperation with Israel, despite their stated support for Palestinian rights. By importing and exporting arms to Israel and facilitating the development of Israeli military technology, governments are effectively sending a clear message of approval for Israel's military aggression, including its war crimes and possible crimes against humanity.

Israel's military technology is marketed as ‘field-tested’ and exported across the world. Military trade and joint military-related research relations with Israel embolden Israeli impunity in committing grave violations of international law and facilitate the entrenchment of Israel's system of occupation, colonisation and systematic denial of Palestinian rights.

We call on the UN and governments across the world to take immediate steps to implement a comprehensive and legally binding military embargo on Israel, similar to that imposed on South Africa during apartheid.”

Some of those who signed the above letter are listed below:

Adolfo Peres Esquivel, Nobel Peace Laureate; Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Nobel Peace Laureate; Betty Williams, Nobel Peace Laureate; Mairead Maguire, Nobel Peace Laureate; Jody Williams, Nobel Peace Laureate; Roger Waters of Pink Floyd; Federico Mayor Zaragoza, former Unesco director general; Alice Walker, author of ‘The Colour Purple;’; James Kelman, Booker Prize winner; Michael Ondaatje, Booker Prize winner; Liz Lochhead, national poet for Scotland; Brian Eno, musician; Caryl Churchill, playwright; John Pilger, journalist and filmmaker; Ken Loach, filmmaker; Luisa Morgantini, former vice president of the European Parliament; Jeremy Corbyn, MP; John McDonnell, MP; Michael Mansfield, barrister.


These signatories are Jewish.

Noam Chomsky, academic; Mike Leigh, writer and film director; Richard Falk, former UN special rapporteur on Occupied Palestine; Ronnie Kasrils, former South African Minister; Ilan Pappe, Israeli historian; Sir Geoffrey Bindman, lawyer.

'It is not a war, it is MURDER,' said Noam.

'It is war crimes and possible crimes against humanity.' It is a 'system of occupation, colonisation and systematic denial of Palestinian rights,' said the top folk cited above.

Everyone knows this is happening. Most do not care. Some applaud the ongoing savagery and make the case for it aggressively. Some dare not speak out for fear of being labelled anti-Semitic.

But most just don't give a damn. Fish in a barrel versus the A-bomb and they couldn't care less.

When it happens to us, no one should expect the cavalry.