Filtered By: Topstories
News

RP militants join protests vs Israel attacks on Gaza


MANILA, Philippines - Left-leaning militant groups added their voices to protests against Israel's attack on Gaza, and scored the United States for its support to Israel. Umbrella group Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan) called for an end to the siege and the inhumane blockade imposed by Israel on Gaza. "We condemn in the strongest terms the US government for its political and military support for Israel. For decades now, the US government has encouraged and supported Israel's occupation of Palestine and its armed aggression against the Palestinian people," it said in a statement on its website. Bayan said the US government not only provides billions of dollars of military aid to Israel, it also uses its veto power in the United Nations to support of Israel’s cause. Recently, it said the US government even rejected a UN Security Council ceasefire resolution, "a clear indication that the US supports the attacks on Gaza." "We call for an end to the siege of Gaza and for immediate relief for the Palestinian people ravaged by the Israeli armed offensives. We call for an end to the inhumane blockade imposed by Israel on Gaza and for allowing much-needed aid to be brought to (Palestinians in Gaza)," it said. The group also called for an end to the Israeli occupation as the only long-term and viable path to peace. It said it stands in solidarity with the Palestinian people in their fight of genuine self-determination and freedom from oppression. Bayan said the eight-day airstrikes followed by the ground invasion of Gaza is the latest in the long list of atrocities committed by Israel against the Palestinians under the Occupation. It said Israel justifies its armed aggression by saying it is a response to the rocket attacks of Hamas on Israel, a view supported by the United States. "What Israel refuses to acknowledge is the broader context wherein this violence is happening. The actions of Hamas should be seen in the context of the brutal, more than half-century occupation of Palestinian territory by Israel. In the case of Gaza, while Israel has pulled out its troops and settlements over the past three years, Israel has effectively set up an economic blockade that systematically and collectively punishes, starves and kills the Palestinian people," it said. Also, it said residents of Gaza have been denied any meaningful economic activity as a result of the blockade. "In light of the historical circumstances of Israeli occupation, the current offensive against the Palestinian people can never be justified," it said. - GMANews.TV
LOADING CONTENT