Hundreds of Palestinian citizens in Gaza, representing various local civil society organizations, called on United Nations to seriously work on ending the Israeli occupation of the occupied Palestinian territories and lifting the Israel-imposed siege of the coastal Gaza territory.
Participants of the demonstration organized by the Palestinian NGOs Network (PNGO) assured that the Israeli occupation has been exploiting silence of the international community towards increasing Israeli violations and crimes against the Palestinian people.
The demonstration, was organized outside of the United Nations UNSCO compound in Gaza City. Crowds, which included farmers, fishermen, young men and women as well as legal figures, chanted slogans commemorating the 55th anniversary of the Israeli occupation of Gaza, the West Bank and East Jerusalem in 1967 and the 15th anniversary of the tightening of the siege on the Gaza Strip.
Among the slogans were “Enough is Enough .. 55 years of occupation and injustice under silence of the international community”, “we call on United Nations to seriously work towards ending the Israeli occupation”, “the Israeli occupation exploits the international community's silence to commit more crimes and violations against the Palestinian people”, “silence by the international community helps Israel continue its occupation of Palestinian territories and further tighten the siege imposed on Gaza”.
Demonstrators also emphasized on the need for effective measures to hold Israel accountable for its crimes against the Palestinian people. They called for actions that would bring Israel to justice, which the latter has ever evaded since it has ever believed it is above international law; despite the announcement of the opening international investigation by the International Criminal Court. However, the absence of a serious position from the United Nations and the international community over the past years, gives Israel a green light that encourages it to commit more crimes against our Palestinian people.
In her speech to demonstrators, Advocacy and Media Coordinator of the Agricultural Relief Society (PARC), Nuha Elsharif, pointed out that 85 percent of the population in Gaza are in need for humanitarian assistance, while 64 percent of the same population have suffered from food insecurity.
Elsharif also noted that the prolonged crisis of power outages in Gaza has remained in place for 15 years now, saying that majority of the population get only eight hours of power supply, followed by eight hours of power outage, per day.
From his part, member of the PNGO's coordination committee, Sa'd Eddin Ziada, told the crowds that this demonstration is a reminder to all peoples around the globe that the Palestinian people's cause is a just cause that has remained unresolved for 55 years now.
He added that the Israeli occupation has carried out what Ziada described as ‘state terrorism against the Palestinian civilians, ignoring all relevant international law’.
Ziada urged the international community to make sure they can see the truth as shown by the Palestinian people under Israeli occupation.
He asserted on the Palestinian people's commitment to international resolutions that guarantee the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people including the right to return, the right of self-determination on Palestinian national soil within a fully sovereign state, including Jerusalem as its capital.
Ziada further called on the international community to stop what he described as ‘double-standard policy’ and work seriously towards holding the Israeli occupation accountable for its crimes against the Palestinian people, and put pressure to completely lift the siege on the Gaza Strip, stop settlements in the West Bank and Judaize Jerusalem.
On the current situation in Gaza, Ziada pointed out that the Israeli siege of Gaza has rendered the coastal territory in deteriorated humanitarian, economic, health and social conditions. He pointed out that rates of both poverty and unemployment have reached unprecedented levels, while food insecurity in the coastal territory has notably increased.