COLOMBO : Sri Lanka Journalists for Global Justice held a protest and handed over a petition to the UN office in Colombo on Wednesday Oct 19, Calling for a ceasefire in Palestine, protection of human rights and ending the Israeli occupation in Palestine through a political settlement.
The protesters shouted slogans such as ‘ Hands Off Palestine’ and ‘ Hands Off Gaza’ wanted to hand over a petition to the UN office here to be routed to their headquarters.
The letter stated : “Expressing our disappointment at the United Nations failure to deescalate the tensions and call for an immediate ceasefire at the very onset of the latest phase of the conflict, we request you to please consider swift action by the United Nations, through all its institutions and mechanisms, along the following lines proposed below:-
- An immediate cease-fire on all sides and a return to their former positions of all combatant elements – especially the Israeli military, the militant units of the Hamas administration of Gaza and allied Occupation resistance groups.
- Immediate action to alleviate the suffering of the Gaza Palestinians. The efficient facilitation by all sides of the essential work of the crisis response agencies, local and international, to meet the urgent needs of the population in the current conflict-affected areas (e.g. medical treatment, food supply, shelter, energy supply).
- The strict observation, until a ceasefire begins, of the all four Geneva conventions, the 1977 protocol, and all internationally stipulated rules of armed engagement, including international law pertaining to War Crimes and Genocide,
- The strict observation by all sides, of the proper treatment of detained combatants and civilians during hostilities and after.
- The full implementation of all UN resolutions on the Palestinian issue.
- A special urgent call by the Secretary General as well as the General Assembly and Security Council to reactivate the stalled peace process with a genuine intention to bring about peace in keeping a two-state solution within defined borders as per UN resolution 181 with East Jerusalem as the capital of the Palestinian state.
We point out to you that Israel’s eviction order to more than a million Gaza Palestinians is ethnic cleansing — a second Nakba — in direct violation of international legal protocols that define ‘War Crimes’ and Crimes against Humanity’.
We call on the UN, being the primary world organization to ensure world peace and protect communities and individual citizens, to ensure compliance with these norms and laws by member governments. If there are perpetrators of war crimes and crimes against humanity in the course of the ongoing armed hostilities in Palestine-Israel, we expect the UN to uphold the law by name those perpetrators on all sides and holding them accountable in whatever form possible.
We respect the UN and its ancillary organs, as the legitimate supreme world body that ensures world peace, international justice and human prosperity. We look to you and your Organisation, for leadership and the organizing of fruitful collective action by the community of nations to address and permanently resolve the ongoing human tragedy and persistent political instability in Palestine-Israel. We assure you and all your staff of our fullest support and co-operation in this.”
SRI LANKA JOURNALISTS FOR GLOBAL JUSTICE (SLJGJ)
