The Social Democratic Party of Kenya (SDP) condemns in the strongest terms possible the on-going Israeli attacks on Gaza (to date Israel has killed over 700 Palestinians including children).
As we speak Shellfire has killed a further 15 people and more than 200 have been injured in an attack on a UN run school used as a shelter in Gaza. It is very clear now that the Israeli attacks are no longer about ‘defending’ itself and destroying the tunnels but about exterminating the Palestinian people.
We are in solidarity with a statement by eminent civil society activists on 22 July, 2014 in Palestine who have said:
“What we are witnessing is the intended genocide of 1.8 million Palestinians living in the Gaza Strip, we call for a ceasefire with Israel only if conditioned on an end to the blockade and the restoration of basic freedoms that have been denied to the people for more than seven years. Our foremost concerns are not only the health and safety of the people in our communities, but also the quality of their lives – their ability to live free of fear of imprisonment without due process, to support their families through gainful employment, and to travel to visit their relatives and further their education. These are fundamental human aspirations that have been severely limited for the Palestinian people for more than 47 years, but that have been particularly deprived from residents of Gaza since 2007. We have been pushed beyond the limits of what a normal person can be expected to endure.
A living death: Charges in the media and by politicians of various stripes that accuse Hamas of ordering Gaza residents to resist evacuation orders, and thus use them as human shields, are untrue. With temporary shelters full and the indiscriminate Israeli shelling, there is literally no place that is safe in Gaza.
Likewise, Hamas represented the sentiment of the vast majority of residents when it rejected the unilateral ceasefire proposed by Egypt and Israel without consulting anyone in Gaza. We share the broadly held public sentiment that it is unacceptable to merely return to the status quo – in which Israel strictly limits travel in and out of the Gaza Strip, controls the supplies that come in (including a ban on most construction materials), and prohibits virtually all exports, thus crippling the economy and triggering one of the highest poverty and unemployment rates in the Arab world.
To do so would mean a return to a living death.
Unfortunately, past experience has shown that the Israeli government repeatedly reneges on promises for further negotiations, as well as on its commitments to reform. Likewise, the international community has demonstrated no political will to enforce these pledges. Therefore, we call for a ceasefire only when negotiated conditions result in the following:
· Freedom of movement of Palestinians in and out of the Gaza Strip.
· Unlimited import and export of supplies and goods, including by land, sea and air.
· Unrestricted use of the Gaza seaport.
· Monitoring and enforcement of these agreements by a body appointed by the United Nations, with appropriate security measures.
Each of these expectations is taken for granted by most countries, and it is time for the Palestinians of Gaza to be accorded the human rights they deserve”.
The Social Democratic Party of Kenya (SDP) on its part calls on the Kenya Government to immediately expel the Israeli Ambassador from Kenya and recall Kenya’s Ambassador from Tel Aviv as well as impose broad-based Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) against Israel.
These demands are made with the intention of sending a clear message to Israel that its current and on-going attacks in the Palestinian Gaza Strip --which have resulted in the killing of over 700 Palestinians including 150 children, in 2 weeks-- are unacceptable and must cease immediately.
The Kenya Government must show leadership and take decisive action. It is time for the Kenya Government to join the progressive countries and leaders of the world. It is time to send a clear message to Israel that its violations of international law and what it is doing in the Palestinian Gaza Strip is unacceptable. Expelling the Israeli Ambassador would be a start and will send a moral message to the Government of Israel.
Benedict WACHIRA
Secretary General
25th July 2014