Israel Must Stop!

Joinus tomorrow in Glasgow to call on Israel to STOP THE KILLING.

Our press release HERE

Israel must stop.

The Scottish Socialist Party feels and shares the worldwide revulsion at Israel's ground attack on the people of Gaza.

This is an area slightly smaller than Motherwell, but with the entire population of the Central Belt of Scotland crammed into the small space, which has been subject to attacks by a professional army, equipped by Nato, for two weeks.

The children whom Israel has not managed to kill are traumatised by life, and the essential infrastructure of Gaza has been shattered.

Israel's actions are entirely out of keeping with the responsibilities of sovereign states. They are aimed at civilians, and they kill civilians. Reports from the Foreign Correspondent for the American TV station, NBC news, Ayman Mohyeldin (@AymanM) have plainly shown the Israeli forces targeting and attacking a group of football playing children. The children, who were shelled as they played, were between the ages of 9 – 11. Four young boys died shortly after the correspondent had been kicking the ball with them. Day after day, hour after hour, report after report, we see the medical services in Gaza, overcome by the targeting, injury and death meted out on ordinary children, women and men.

A child lies dead on a beach in Gaza after Israeli forces shelled his football match.

A mother is told the news of her child's death on the beach.

The Israel Defence Forces are acting in a manner in which they would never perpetrate against Israeli citizens.

We have been here before. There is a word for what the behaviour of the IDF has done to demolish the relationship between Israelis and Palestinians.

It is the only word which the Afrikaans language has given to the world. It is a word we hoped would only ever be used in history classes.

That word is Apartheid.

We oppose genocide. We call on the governments of Europe to join us in this opposition. We plead with the governments of our European Union to oppose Israel's genocide. We recognise and welcome the statement from the Scottish Government opening our hospitals to those injured in the Israeli attacks, but this needs to go further.  Scotland needs to send hospital aircraft to the region.  Scotland needs to send humanitarian aid and Scotland needs to ensure all TV services allow a Disasters Emergency Committee humanitarian aid appeal.We plead with the Scottish and UK Government to oppose Israel’s attacks and to use all the levers of commerce and diplomacy to bring this disproportional action to a halt.

Murder hurts its victims. Mass murder hurts humanity.
Israel must stop.

The SSP condemn the Israeli attacks on the people of Gaza.

The Scottish Socialist Party deplores the continued violence in the Middle East and the completely disproportionate violence from the Israel Defense Forces, which amount to collective punishment of the Palestinian people.

We condemn the State sanctioned and executed murders of civilians. The UN has stated that 70% of those who have been killed by drone attack, ground forces, fighter-planes or gun boat have been ordinary Palestinians who are in effect, imprisoned and ghettoized behind the Israeli built  wall. Shockingly, disgustingly, sadly 30% of those killed have been children.

We call upon the Israeli government to rein in their Defense Forces and to remember that the inhabitants of the Gaza strip are human beings, entitled to be treated with dignity; and entitled to the protection of the Israeli Defense Forces for as long  as Israel takes it upon itself to blockade Gaza.

We call upon both Israel and Hamas to cease fire immediately, and call on both sides to refrain from deliberately targeting civilians.

We further call on Israel to end its economic and physical blockade of Gaza, and to replace the essential infrastructure which has been destroyed by its actions - actions which were perpetrated by their Defense Forces with no heed given to their proportionality or legality.

The grievous loss of life of civilians in Gaza is a stain on the reputation not only of the Defense Forces, but on the whole State of Israel.

Statement: Councillor Jim Bollan

As long as the State of Israel behaves in this manner, the Scottish Socialist Party believes we have no option other than to call on our members and supporters, and indeed all Scots, to boycott all Israeli goods.

SSP West Dunbartonshire Councillor, Jim Bollan who in 2010 led his Council to boycott Israeli goods said,

"Zionist Israel must be forced to stop the Genocide of the Palestinians in Gaza.  We need  to build public pressure on all Governments to take action against the Israeli Government to force them to halt the slaughter of Palestinians Immediately.  Israeli Apartheid is no different from that in South Africa.  Solidarity and respect with the Palestinian People."

(Previous - Threats to SSP Councillor from Zionist website: HERE

Statement from Jim Bollan on the threats: HERE

SSP condemn the Israeli attacks on Peace Flotilla HERE )

Update on threats to SSP Councillor Jim Bollan

(see HERE for original post)
Jim has sent this statement to us -

"The death threats and vile hate messages from right wing Zionists will have no effect on the Council's boycott of Israeli goods.  These threats expose the paucity of the arguments these Zionists try to put forward to justify the slaughter of innocent Palestinians by the IDF.  The boycott was unanimously approved by WDC and remains in place.  The Council Leader only last week confirmed and re-enforced our policy which was taken on humanitarian grounds after the IDF killed 1,300 innocent Palestinians in Gaza in 2008/2009.  The Scottish Socialist Party stands 100% behind the Palestinians. Unless we speak out...nothing will change."

CiF Watch Threaten Scottish Councillor

Threat to SSP Councillor from Pro-Zionist Website

Creepy pro-zionist web page, “CiF Watch” (Website HERE and twitter account @CiFWatch) has issued a threat to Councillor Jim Bollan after he endorsed West Dunbartonshire Council’s boycott of Israeli goods.

The West Dunbartonshire boycott reads, This Council condemns the massacre of 9 peace activists by the Government of Israel, and the continuing blockade of Gaza. Council notes these brave people were trying to deliver 10,000 tons of humanitarian aid to Palestinians in Gaza which has been blockaded since 2007 by the IDF. This Council therefore re-affirms its current boycott of all Israeli goods. Council also agrees to write to all Scottish Local Authorities, Westminster and Holyrood Governments calling on them to implement an immediate boycott of all Israeli goods.
Motion by Councillor Jim Bollan – Boycott of Israeli Goods

US based CiF Watch have posted an article by contributor, Aussie Dave, who has said “Jim Bollan: you are going down.” (see HERE )

The site, was purportedly set up to counter Guardian articles about Israeli Human Rights infringements in the occupied territories and Gaza (see Amnesty International concerns about Israel HERE  and HERE ), but seems to have been set up to threaten anyone with a contrary view to Zionist propaganda.

CiF Watch have refused, contrary to their own site rules that state, “Comments which are ad hominem, racist, contain threats of violence or other inappropriate material will be deleted,” to withdraw the article. In a Twitter conversation with a SSP Campsie member, CiF first denied there was a threat and then said the threat came from Jim. The person behind the Twitter account does not seem to have control, or understanding, of the posts on the CiF site.

The Twitter conversation can be found on the @sspcampsie twitter feed.

(Screen grabs of original article below)

SSP statement after the Israeli storming of the Peace Flotilla HERE

Podcast and video of Jim Bollan HERE and HERE

Bearsden Freedom flotilla to Gaza organiser to speak in SSP meeting in Glasgow

Joint SSP / SSY Public Meeting

speakers:
Bearsden man HASAN NOWARAH, chair of Justice for Palestine, one of the organisers of the aid flotilla to Gaza - just back home with broken bones from the Israeli Defence Force assault

JENNY HASTON - SSY, who visited Palestine

Tuesday 8th June 2010, 7.30pm
Piper in the Square bar (upstairs),
George Square Glasgow

SSP condemn unreservedly the murder of aid workers by Israeli forces

The naked aggression against the people of Gaza by the Israeli state has been exposed once again in another despicable, murderous act against unarmed people. The unprovoked attack on the peace and humanitarian aid convoy in international waters is akin to the anti racism attacks on activists in the southern states of America in the 1960’s and the shooting of peaceful protesters in Sharpeville, South Africa in 1960.

The Scottish Socialist Party stands shoulder to shoulder with the flotilla activists and the Palestinian people and we call on the UK and Scottish Governments to condemn the heinous crime of the Israeli Government immediately.

We call for a boycott of Israeli goods and international sanctions on the Israeli state. The UN must show leadership of the international community and initiate action rather than the stream of empty words it has issued over the years.

The UK Government also needs to initiate an enquiry at the BBC reaction to the flotilla and the attack. The BBC is reported to have refused to give coverage of the flotilla and on the morning of the attack was only reporting the words of Israeli spokespeople. This seeming BBC policy towards reporting on Gaza recalls a refusal to broadcast a charity appeal for aid to Gaza in January 2009.

The SSP calls for an immediate end to the Israeli blockade of Gaza and for justice for the Palestinian people.

Demonstrate today (Monday 31 May) 5pm George Square, Glasgow/ Edinburgh – foot of The Mound/ Dundee City Square/ Aberdeen St Nicolas Centre/ Inverness Town House/ Stirling Foot of King Street/ Banff Low St/ Moffat Holm St. Send details of other protests to campaign@scottishpsc.org.uk

Photos from rikki Reid, who attended demo in Glasgow:








Photos from SSP member Mike Dyer, who attended a demo in Manchester: