The General Assembly of CCIVS meeting in Loutraki, Greece in November 2023, in response to therecent escalation of violence in Palestine and Israel.
As International Voluntary Service organisations we stand strongly for our values of peace, freedom ofmovement, co-operation, intercultural diversity and non-violence. We are deeply saddened and shockedby the violent attacks, civilian massacre and violation of human rights taking place in Gaza.
We, the members of the General Assembly, totally condemn all acts of violence on unarmed men,women and children. The attacks by the Palestinian resistance on Israel on Oct 7, do not, in any way, justify the horrifying, unconscionable collective punishment that ensued, inflicted by the Israeligovernment on the Palestinian people. We condemn the Israeli government attacks on hospitals, ambulances, schools, places of worship, journalists, power stations, essential water infrastructure and condemn the use of white phosphorusstrikes. We strongly decry the Israeli government preventing the entry of humanitarian aid and vitalwater, food, medical supplies and services, fuel and electricity to Gaza.
We demand: ● an immediate and lasting ceasefire. ● open access for urgent humanitarian support for Gaza, including restoring water, food, fuel,electricity and medical services. ● the international community to take the necessary responsibility and put strong and seriouspressure on the Israeli government to reach an immediate ceasefire and urgently allowhumanitarian support for Gaza. ● call for a two-way arms embargo and end to the profiteering of states in weapons transfer andtrading, surveillance technology and military infrastructure.1 ● the immediate safe and secure release of Israeli and Palestinian hostages and military detainees.● the immediate withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza. ● a full investigation by the ICC into the allegations of genocide. ● the guarantee of the legitimate and just rights of the Palestinian people for recognition; includingrestitution, reparations and justice for the people of Gaza, displaced people must be allowed toreturn and be fully supported to do this. ● an end to the ongoing illegal occupation of Palestine by the Israeli government, which has beengoing on for over 75 years. ● an end to any divisive and polarising narratives or propaganda that dehumanise Palestinians,portray a collective of civilians as “terrorists”, “anti-Semites” and “human animals”. We call foran end to any journalism that justifies the further escalation of violence in Gaza. ● further detailed economic, historical and legal research, guided by international law, to ascertainproperty rights and environmental impact related to oil and natural gas resources in Gaza.Detailed studies to clearly establish the Palestinian people’s right to their separate naturalresources, as well as their rightful share in the common resources collectively owned by severalneighbouring States in the region, including Israel.2
We call upon: ● all parties to start a genuine peace process for a just and lasting peace that will lead to anindependent Palestinian state.. ● civil society organisations and governments all over the world to speak out against all forms ofracism. ● all member and sister organisations to take action within their capacity to promote peace,collaboration and actions that foster reconciliation and regeneration. ● all member and sister organisations to give further moral and material support - through specialsolidarity projects with the Palestinian people, working with local organisations in their strugglefor a just conclusion to the illegal occupation3 of Palestinian territory. We stand in solidarity with the people in Palestine, for more than 75 years Palestinians have been subject to human rights violations, crimes against humanity and a sustained apartheid regimeimplemented by the Israeli government4.Israeli authorities have repeatedly ignored UN resolutions5.Gaza, has been under unlawful blockade for 17 years, it is the largest open air prison in the world. Thefact that Israel subjects 2.3 million people to this treatment is indicative of the power imbalance. Alleged war crimes committed in the occupied Palestinian territory are being investigated by theInternational Criminal Court, including the recent complaint filed by a group of lawyers from around theworld who believe that the criteria for genocide is met in Gaza6.To date, the Israeli military havedropped more than 35000 tons of explosives on one of the most densely populated areas on earth - thisis equivalent to 2 nuclear bombs7.This is not self-defence, it is ethnic cleansing. By day 49 of theongoing recent attacks, 20031 Palestinians have been massacred including 18460 civilians, of these12288 children and women. 36350 are injured, more than 7000 people are missing beneath the rubbleand over 1.7 million people are internally displaced - the number of deaths and injured people areincreasing daily. We are united in our values of peace, non-violence and cooperation, and stand in solidarity with peopleunder occupation.
This statement follows on from the 17 October 2023: https://sci.ngo/sci-and-ccivs-call-for-an-immediate-ceasefire-in-gaza/For more information about IVS actions : https://palestineforum.weebly.com/
1 https://ishr.ch/latest-updates/ending-complicity-to-international-crimes-a-two-way-arms-embargo-on-israel/ 2https://unctad.org/publication/economic-costs-israeli-occupation-palestinian-people-unrealized-oil-and-natural-gas3 https://news.un.org/en/story/2022/10/1129722 4 As defined by human rights organisations such as Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International or the B’Tselem, among others. 5 https://www.un.org/unispal/document-category/resolution/ 6https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/11/15/lawyers-for-gaza-victims-file-case-at-international-criminal-court 7https://euromedmonitor.org/en/article/5908/Israel-hits-Gaza-Strip-with-the-equivalent-of-two-nuclear-bombs