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<h1><font size="-1"><font face="Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif">Protest
the genocidal siege of Gaza.</font></font></h1>
<font size="-1"><font face="Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif"><br>
ALL OUT, Saturday, noon time; <br>
<br>
In front of Au Bon Pain, Harvard Sq<br>
_____________________________________________<br>
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height="94" width="810"><br>
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<div><strong style="">CNI Urges a Complete End to the Political and
Economic Siege of</strong><strong> Gaza</strong><st1:city><st1:place></st1:place></st1:city><st1:date
month="1" day="23" year="2008"><br>
January 23, 2008<br>
</st1:date>Action Alert</div>
<div class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">The situation in <st1:city><st1:place>Gaza</st1:place></st1:city>
is bleak and awful.<span style=""> </span>John Ging, director of the
United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) in <st1:city><st1:place>Gaza</st1:place></st1:city>
said two days ago the civilian population was living in "abject misery"
and had been stripped of their human dignity (as reported in <a
href="http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=dTPuyZizjaZ%2FJbt5fMsUnGUfJKWwF43y">AKI</a>).
<br>
<br>
"People here in <st1:city><st1:place>Gaza</st1:place></st1:city>
have been living in abject misery and hardship now for a long time,"
Ging told the Arab TV network, Al-Jazeera. "On top of that they are
living in darkness. You have to see how miserable the situation is. The
civilian population is under occupation. It is collective punishment -
they are victims."<br>
<br>
In a photo-op of humanitarianism, <st1:country-region><st1:place>Israel</st1:place></st1:country-region>
momentarily relented and allowed in tanks of diesel fuel so that the
generating pumps could begin providing electricity to <st1:city><st1:place>Gaza</st1:place></st1:city>'s
1.5 million inhabitants. But this was hardly enough to prevent
thousands from massing at the Rafah Gate bordering <st1:country-region><st1:place>Egypt</st1:place></st1:country-region>
in an attempt to get through. At first the Egyptian army stood them
off, but today, tens of thousands - the Egyptians are reporting as many
as <a
href="http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=9FIEy6TEt3opOmkSXs20TYawQy1a7C%2Ba">200,000</a>
- stormed through the Rafah Gate, which had been blasted down by the
Palestinians, to purchase food, fuel and other items made scarce by the
six-month Israeli siege.<span style=""> <br>
<br>
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">President
Mubarak said he permitted it because the Palestinians were starving,
but he was also responding to Egyptian popular anger at the condition
of Palestinians. Scores of protesters had already been arrested in
Cairo and other cities for demonstrating against the siege, according
to today's <a
href="http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=nRI%2B9%2BJTvyR7LXVVjtKm94awQy1a7C%2Ba">al-Jazeera</a>,
and the Gazans' desperate situation -- living without electricity, with
shortages in food, water, and medical supplies -- was not being lost on
the rest of the Arab world. The Arab League condemned the Israeli
actions.<span style=""> </span>Secretary General Amr Moussa has
called it a <a
href="http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=R0cGZ0gSZCC0dbq3kfXMs4awQy1a7C%2Ba">war
crime</a>. The European Union condemned the siege.<br>
<br>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">In contrast, the <st1:country-region><st1:place>U.S.</st1:place></st1:country-region>
has said little other than they are "in touch" with the Israelis about
the situation and "hope" that a humanitarian crisis will be avoided.
The State Department under the Bush administration holds Hamas
responsible for all violence in <st1:city><st1:place>Gaza</st1:place></st1:city>,</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">Amira Haas wrote in today's <a
href="http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=NT1d6MD58kvl4G759vlc1GUfJKWwF43y">Haaretz</a>
that the Israelis have not learned that escalating the level of
violence against Palestinians is not the answer to dealing with them.<span
style=""> </span>It has the direct opposite effect. In <st1:city><st1:place>Gaza</st1:place></st1:city>
they answer military violence with Qassam rockets aimed at Israeli
civilians.<span style=""> </span>The cycle of violence cannot be
broken by such tactics.<br>
<br>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">The humanitarian situation in <st1:city><st1:place>Gaza</st1:place></st1:city>
needs to be addressed immediately by the <st1:country-region><st1:place>United
States</st1:place></st1:country-region>. This is another instance in
which <st1:country-region><st1:place>Israel</st1:place></st1:country-region>
should not be allowed to set policy, as it did in <st1:country-region><st1:place>Lebanon</st1:place></st1:country-region>
in 2006.<span style=""> </span>CNI
urges it members to write their senators, congressional
representatives, the Secretary of State, and leading presidential
candidates to protest against the escalation of violence against the
Gazans and ask for an end to the collective punishment of innocent
people.<span style=""> <br>
</span></div>
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