PSI CALLS FOR AN IMMEDIATE CEASEFIRE IN GAZA

PSI deplores the recent conflicts in Gaza which have already taken a severe toll on civilians in the densely populated territory. PSI is dismayed to witness ministries and other public institutions being targeted, not only putting at high risk the workers of those institutions, but with far-reaching consequences which will have to be borne by all citizens.

PSI notes that the Israeli authorities, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert in the forefront, have stated that Israel will not allow a humanitarian crisis to break out.

In the present situation where the people in Gaza have suffered for years from a lack of basic supplies, where water and electricity are rare resources, where hospitals are overstretched, where the 1.4 million people are prevented from getting out of the area, it is impossible to describe the situation as anything but a humanitarian crisis.

“The fighting in Gaza must stop now!” says PSI General Secretary, Peter Waldorff, “The solution to the conflict between Israel and Palestine will not be found in military interventions. Further bombings are more likely to increase anger and radicalisation and cause more violence and additional victims.”

The world has witnessed many attempts to create a lasting solution for Palestine and Israel end in a cul-de-sac. The only way forward, however, is through a return to the negotiating table.

PSI remains in contact with its affiliates in both Israel and Palestine and calls on other affiliates to issue similar messages calling for an immediate cessation of violence in the Palestinian/Israeli territories.

Public Services International
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CIU is a member of PSI