The entire world must join to stop Israel's genocide of Palestinians

- Co-Presidents of Palestine Solidarity Committee

The Co-Presidents of the Sri Lanka Committee for Solidarity with Palestine Minister Athauda Seneviratne and Imtiaz Bakeer Markar have expressed shock and grief over Israel's brutal assault on the Palestinians in Gaza.

Issuing a statement the Co-Presidents demanded that the United Nations put an immediate end to Israel's genocide and assume its duties in ensuring that Israel abide by the UN resolutions that had been passed many years ago. The UN had created two states when it divided historical Palestine into two. While Israel celebrated its 60 anniversary amidst pomp and ceremony, a state of Palestine has still not emerged as was required by UN resolution 242. They added the world cannot look the other way and pretend not to see the genocide of Palestinians by the Israeli - Zionist forces. There are organisations and institutions that protect, quite appropriately, the rights of whales, but we have still to see any world body doing the same for the Palestinians.

The statement went on to say that Israel has committed innumerable acts of violence against the Palestinian people for the past sixty years and more. These acts amount to genocide. For similar if not lesser crimes Serbian leaders had been hauled before the World Court to face war crimes charges and charges of genocide. We cannot understand how Israel can get away with nary a note of condemnation for its barbaric acts against the innocent civilian population in Palestine.

Stating that the recent air attacks on civilians in Gaza had killed more than a hundred little children and women as shown on TV coverage, the Co-Presidents demanded that the UN meet and pass sanctions against Israel similar to the ones passed against the racist apartheid state of South Africa. Only severe sanctions can make Israel abide by international law. Minister Seneviratne and Mr. Markar stressed that the entire world, including the western world which is quick to pass judgment on small states like Sri Lanka, must take quick and effective measures to bring to a hault Israel's genocide of the Palestinian people on humanitarian grounds.