31 May 2010

On the night of May 30-31 the Israeli armed forces committed a murderous assault and maritime boarding, in the international waters of the east Mediterranean, against a group of ships carrying humanitarian aid to Gaza. This act shows once again the profound contempt that the Israeli government has for human life and for the rules of international law. Regrettably, it is logically consistent with the whole illegal and criminal blockade to which Israel has been subjecting the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip for several years, and it prolongs the murderous attack that was made on this population during "Operation Cast Lead" (28 Dec. 2008 to 18 Jan. 2009), an attack which continues to have long-term biological, chemical and radioactive effects on the inhabitants.

We denounce the scandalous behaviour of the Israeli government all the more vehemently because this government, apparently capable of anything, possesses weapons of mass destruction. Israel has just stated that it does not consider itself concerned by the final resolution of the 8th NPT Revision Conference, a resolution which invited Israel by name to participate in 2012 in a regional conference with a view to making the Middle East a zone free of weapons of mass destruction, nuclear, biological and chemical. Thus the bloody act of maritime piracy that the Israeli government has just committed is intended not only to prolong the blockade of Gaza: its result and likely its purpose is to torpedo any resumption in the peace process, even though this would seem to be the only prospect for leading the region towards a just, secure and lasting peace - something the Israelis themselves could benefit from.

ACDN calls on French citizens passionate about peace and justice to show their indignation and to inform the Israeli government that they condemn its policies and methods, and that in due course they will punish at the ballot box those French politicians who have or will have made themselves accomplices.