On US-Israel Aggression

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G A B R I E L A N E T W O R K U S A
A Philippine-US Women's Solidarity Mass Organization, est. 1989

STATEMENTS and RELEASES

GABNet Statement on US-Israel Aggression

12 August 2006

Contact: Lalee Vicedo, GABNet National Campaigns Director

campaigns@gabnet.org, 1212.592.3507

GABRIELA Network joins the people of the world in condemning Israel’s state sponsored genocide of the Lebanese and Palestinian people. With imperialist interests eyeing the Middle East, the U.S. yet again wages an unjust war, extending the battlefield from Iraq to Lebanon with Israel as advance force.

U.S. President Bush would like us to believe that Israel and the US are saving western civilization. GABRIELA Network debunks this myth. This is not a war of self defense. This is a war of empire. Israel is now tripling the number of troops in Lebanon so it can once again take over the southern part of the country. Israel wants to expand the settlements in the West Bank, continue building the apartheid wall and continue the occupation of Gaza.

The US dreams of endless war with its client states having to help foot the bill. It wants to further destabilize the region and then have an excuse to attack Syria and Iran.

Shamefully, the US-Israeli offensive continues without regard to the huge costs upon others. Upon the 5^th consecutive week of warfare, the death toll reaches up to 900, not sparing children, in Lebanon and over 150 people in Gaza. Over one million people have been displaced. Israel has deliberately targetted the infrastructure of both Lebanon and Gaza making life almost unlivable. For the first time children may starve. This war also presents costs to Filipinos with over 30,000 Filipino overseas contract workers trapped in Lebanon, only 1,000 safely returned to the Philippines, and at least two Filipinas have already died in the conflict.

Israel is in violation of International Law. Under the 1949 Geneva Conventions collective punishments are a war crime. Article 33 states: "No protected person may be punished for an offense he or she has not personally committed," and "collective penalties and likewise all measures of intimidation or of terrorism are prohibited." Preventing of civilians from seeking refuge and medical care is also prohibited.

None of this could happen were it not for US sponsorship. The US gives Israel over 14 million dollars a day in aid. Now it is rushing more military hardware to its surrogate death machine. The US is doing the same in the Philippines, giving mass amounts of military aid and technical assistance – making the Philippines the 4^th largest recipient of such aid in the world. The Philippine government wants to eliminate any opposition. Over 700 activists have been killed in the last five years. All this again in the name of fighting the “war on terror.”

GABRIELA Network stands with progressive-minded people, anti-imperialists, and feminists alike to condemn the Israeli-U.S. occupation of Palestine and the invasion and bombing of Lebanon and the massacre of hundreds of civilians. GABRIELA Network calls for an immediate cease fire, the withdrawal of Israeli troops and the restoration of government sovereignty in the Middle East. We call for an end to all imperialist-driven wars and a beginning of true democracy.

What you can do: JOIN PROTESTS. Come to TEACH-INS. Find out more: http://electronicintifada.net/lebanon/. VOLUNTEER and help GABNet strengthen women’s voice against war.

STATEMENTS and RELEASES

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