Statement on the Gaza Genocide
In the past week, Israeli military forces have escalated their offensive on the Gaza Strip. Israeli warplanes have increasingly targeted houses, civilian-populated areas and civilian facilities in the Gaza strip. Israeli warplanes have destroyed a number of houses while their residents were inside, without any prior warnings, killing and wounding many Palestinian civilians.
The Israeli government has cynically exploited the killing of three Israeli youth and used this to whip up a racist hysteria against Palestinians and the Hamas government in Gaza. It has done this without producing any evidence about who was responsible for those killings.
A campaign of indiscriminate violence against Palestinians has been incited and one Palestinian boy has been tortured and burnt to death. Now even more indiscriminate retribution has been inflicted on the civilian residents of Gaza.
Israeli occupation forces have also targeted the campuses of Birzeit University near Ramallah and the Arab American University in Jenin, resulting in the detention and arrest of students and staff and greatly infringing the Palestinian right to education.
Israel's actions are designed to terrorize and impose a collective punishment on the Palestinian people in a blatant violation of international humanitarian law.
The Party of the Laboring Masses (PLM):
-- Strongly condemns Israel's latest attack on Gaza, Palestine and demands that it stop its attacks on Gaza and respect international law including the UN resolution 242 which demands Israel withdraw from the Gaza Strip, the West Bank and East Jerusalem, territories which Israel has illegally occupied since 1967.
-- Calls on the Philippine government to immediately withdraw its ambassador from Israel, cut diplomatic ties and end any military and defence ties with Israel.
-- Supports calls for the intensification of the economic boycott, disinvestment and sanctions campaign against Israel.
Stop Israeli Bombing of Gaza-Palestine!
No to Israel's Terrorism, Collective Punishment and Genocide!
Partido Lakas ng Masa (PLM)
Manila, Philippines