Israel, stop the bombing and hold talks with Palestine
July 16, 2014
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2014 July 16 - 22 [POLITICS]
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The Israeli military has intensified its air strikes against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip since July 8, causing worldwide concern.
Gaza’s Health Ministry announced that more than 170 Palestinians were killed and nearly 1,300 were injured in the bombardment as of July 13. The UN said that 80% of the victims were unarmed civilians, including women and children.
Such indiscriminate and inhumane use of force is absolutely unacceptable. Israel should immediately stop the bombing as well as all its military assaults.
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in a statement published on July 13 stated that Hamas’s firing of rockets “is a violation of international law” and called on Israel for restraint by saying, “[A]ny Israeli ground offensive will undoubtedly increase the death toll and exacerbate civilian suffering in the Gaza Strip.” In the statement, the secretary-general said he does not believe that “a longstanding, serious political dispute between Israelis and Palestinians can be resolved via military means by either side”.
The Israeli-Palestinian conflict has remained unresolved for years and has caused the situation this time.
The Japanese Communist Party has called for three imperative points to be recognized to help bring a solution:
- Israel must stop constructing its settlements illegally in and must withdraw its troops from occupied Palestinian territories;
- The right to national self-determination, including the creation of an independent state of Palestine, must fully be established; and
- Both Israel and Palestine must accept each other’s right of existence.
As Ban Ki-moon pointed out, military responses cannot solve this problem. An exchange of military attacks works only to accelerate the retaliatory cycle, leading to an increase in victims. Here again, both Israel and Palestine must halt the assaults and move toward dialogue with each other for solving the conflict.
Past related articles:
> Shii holds talks with delegates of Arab Ambassadors Council [March 18, 2014]
> Palestine’s status at UN upgraded [December 2, 2012]
> JCP vice chair meets with PLO official [January 18, 2012]
> Cessation of Israel’s settlement policy is the starting point for negotiations [October 4, 2011]
> Shii talks with Palestinian special envoys [July 16, 2011]
> Israeli attack on relief ships runs counter to global calls for peace [June 2, 2010]
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