PRESS RELEASE

VIVA PALESTINA MALAYSIA

APPEALS TO THE EGYPTIAN GOVERNMENT TO ALLOW

VIVA PALESTINA CONVOY INTO GAZA

On 28^th December 2009 , Viva Palestina Malaysia handed over a letter of appeal to the Egyptian Ambassador, asking for safe, easy and quick passage of all vehicles in the Viva Palestina convoy through Egypt into Gaza.

Sunday December 27th marks the anniversary of the attack on Gaza by Israel, which left over 1,400 people dead, and over 5,000 injured in 22 days. At 11 35 am, the time of the first attack, a group of humanitarians on the “Viva Palestina Convoy” embarked on an International Hunger Strike in the main square in Aqaba, Jordan.

The International Hunger Strike will aim to highlight the ongoing illegal siege imposed on Gaza, and to remember the victims of the attacks who died during the 22 day bombardment by Israel.

This International Hunger Strike will also highlight the refusal by Egypt, under Israeli pressure, to allow the humanitarian aid to reach the 1.5 million civilian people in Gaza who continue to be subjected to collective, sustained, and devastating punishment.

The convoy has been stranded in the city for 3 days now, having been refused permission to enter Egypt on their way to Gaza. There are 500 people from no less than 20 different countries in 250 vehicles loaded with charitable humanitarian aid. The convoy is being led by leading international politician George Galloway, having left London on December 6th.

Each day, 15 more people from the convoy will join in the International Hunger Strike, and they will go without food until the convoy is allowed to enter safely into Egypt, and through the Rafah border to Gaza.

For Egypt to prevent this compassionate and charitable aid, donated by ordinary caring people from all over the world, unnecessarily adds to the hardships currently endured on a daily basis, by the besieged and distressed people in Gaza.

The volunteers in the Viva Palestina Convoy are hopeful that the leaders of the West will exert their influence, put pressure on Egypt, the United States, and Israel to end this inhuman blockade forced upon Gaza, and allow for the safe passage of this essential humanitarian aid. Enough is enough, this has to end now, for the sake of humanity.

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For more information please contact:

Azra 016 209 4500

Azian 012 211 5749

Yuzaidi 012 273 4353

Noraini 012 277 1710

Bowling competition and ice skating for all interested. Do let us know if you are.

For more info, contact Jemaimah at jem_clarke_1@hotmail.com or Azra at azrabanu@gmail.com

Sixty one years on, today Palestine still remains under occupation. Despite repeated calls by the United Nations under countless UN Resolutions for Israel to honour the rights of the Palestinians to a statehood, Israel has remained obnoxious. The longstanding occupation now has led to other more demeaning and sinister moves by the Zionist regime to carve up more land by building Jewish-only settlements on Palestinian lands and constructing the notorious wall that snakes through the West Bank from north to south, disrupting daily movements of the Palestinian people and blocking access to schools, farms and water sources. Against every sense of justice and international laws and convention, Israel has been laying siege on the densely populated Gaza strip since 2006, turning it into the biggest terrestrial prison on earth and collectively punishing the population of Gaza for putting up resistance against the occupation, an act that is sanctioned even by the United Nations and the Geneva Conventions. The siege was than followed by a massive military strike against a deprived population that lasted for 22 days, killing no less more than 1,000 people, half of these women and children, with the aim of breaking the spirit of the Palestinian people, only to find them surviving the nightmarish ordeal and coming out stronger.

These episodes only prove one thing i.e. no power can put down a national aspiration for freedom. The Palestinian people will continue to remain steadfast in their struggle to liberate their land and restore their dignity in the face of the most oppressive regime the world has ever known. They have put up sixty one years of honourable struggle to regain their freedom and they are showing no signs of letting up.

COMPLETE Malaysia would like to call upon men and women of conscience to contemplate on this longstanding suffering of fellow human beings who have been continuously denied of a homeland, freedom and dignity. It is a great shame for the whole of humanity to allow such gross violations of human rights going unchecked for over half a century. It is the paradox of the century that the Palestinians lost their freedom and the right to a homeland the same year the Universal declaration of Human rights was endorsed by the United Nations in 1948.

COMPLETE Malaysia therefore calls on governments of the world, civil societies and individuals of conscience to exhaust all efforts, be it diplomatic, legal and economic, to condemn Israel’s racist acts of dehumanizing the Palestinian people. It has become incumbent on every person to express solidarity with the Palestinian people and stand firmly by their side as they thrive hard to earn the freedom and regain their honour and dignity.

COMPLETE Malaysia will continue to raise awareness on the Palestinian issue by holding events with the objectives of dissemination of information and bringing understanding to members of the public. It is hoped that our humble effort will receive the warm support of every Malaysian regardless of creed and ethnic background, to do what is right in the name of humanity. COMPLETE Malaysia holds the view that the Palestinian issue is not one of religious or mere territorial dispute, but it is one of oppression and subjugation of one nation unto another that was left to linger for far too long. Therefore we hope every Malaysian will join us in unison when we say ‘Enough is Enough’ in the face of the Zionist Regime of Israel and demand a stop to their barbaric acts of debasement and annihilation of the Palestinian Nation.

Adnan Tahir
Chairman
COMPLETE Malaysia

1. consider breaking diplomatic, economic and cultural ties with Israel
2. request the UN Security Council to impose and immediate arms embargo and economic sanctions on Israel
3. request world leaders and eminent persons to seriously consider bringing charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity to political and military leaders of Israel.

We believe the above measures will isolate and compel Israel to seriously negotiate to end the tragedy leading to the creation of a free and independent state of Palestine. We strongly urge your government to seriously and sincerely consider our proposals with an open and clear conscience and compassion for the sake of world humanity and peace.

COMPLETE urges the governments of Russia and France to exert their diplomatic weight to lead the international community to seek a just and speedy political solution to this conflict, end Israeli occupation, and restore the dignity of the Palestinian people and their right to self determination in line with past UN resolutions.

For this political solution to succeed and endure, we believe Israel needs to be brought to the negotiating table with the Palestinian leadership chosen democratically by its people.

Meanwhile we implore Russia and France to urge both parties to end hostilities and compel Israel to act within the bounds of international law and discharge its obligations as an occupying power. Failure to find a lasting and just political settlement to this conflict will not only prolong the pain and suffering of the Palestinian people, it will also prolong the peace and security problems that have been plaguing our world.

We believe the above measures will isolate and compel Israel to seriously negotiate to end the tragedy leading to the creation of a free and independent state of Palestine.
The delegation comprising of Executive Committee members of COMPLETE was led by their Chairman, Adnan Mohd Tahir.

COMPLETE (COALITION OF MALAYSIAN NGOs AGAINST PERSECUTION OF PALESTINIANS) is a coalition of more than 100 NGOs that cuts across racial, religious and political lines in Malaysia. This coalition was formed after the recent escalation of Israel-Palestine conflict that culminated in the invasion of Gaza. We intend to work closely with foreign NGOs with similar objectives, and together as a worldwide united front of NGOs, act as an effective pressure group to governments, pushing for a just and comprehensive resolution of the conflict.

www.completemalaysia.com

For further information, please contact:

Noraini Hashim 012 277 1710
Siti Jamilah 012 371 8518
Yuzaidi Yusoff 012 273 4353