It has taken over 50 years of relentless oppression and a monstrous Wall for even a single Israeli crime to be brought before an International Court. The foundation of Israel in 1948 has resulted in the destruction of over 400 Palestinian villages, dozens of massacres of Palestinians at the hands of Israeli Forces and the destruction and theft of massive amounts of land. Occupation of what remained of historic Palestine in 1967 was an overt and devastating injustice as was the illegal annexation of the heart of Palestine – Jerusalem. With some 5 million refugees, Palestinians are becoming the largest population of refugees in the world while almost half of the Palestinian male population has been through Israeli prisons. Despite all of this, the international community has remained essentially idle in front of these blatant violations of Human Rights and International Law, offering no significant challenge and failing to demand proper accountability.
Today, the Apartheid Wall is condensing all of the crimes
of Israeli Occupation into one project.
- The Wall condemns an entire population to open-air prisons, restricting free movement and stifling all forms of productive economy;
- The Wall threatens the livelihood and existence of over 300,000 Palestinians by separating them from their land, resources, families, schools, medical centers and livelihoods, imposing conditions in which they are forced to abandon their cities and villages, thus becoming part of the growing number of Palestinian refugees;
- The Wall illegally confiscates land, valuable underground water aquifers and other natural resources.
- The Wall is a clear continuation of Israel’s racist Apartheid policy of land annexation, dispossession and expulsion of the Palestinian people.
- The Wall will put an end to a viable two-state solution and will lock Palestinians into ghettos or bantustans
throughout historic Palestine, imposing an Apartheid system of extreme magnitude.
Since the beginning of the construction of the Wall in June 2002, Palestinians have been protesting against it and international organizations have repeatedly highlighted ways in which the Wall violates Human Rights Law and International Humanitarian Law. In October 2003, the United Nations’ General Assembly passed resolution ES 10/13, demanding that Israel stop construction of the Wall and demolish the existing sections within one month’s time. Israel refused to comply with this resolution as it has done with all other UN resolutions regarding the rights of the Palestinian people. Nonetheless, ongoing Palestinian pressure, supported by international censure pushed the United Nations General Assembly on December 8 2003 to pass a resolution requesting that the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague give an Advisory Opinion on the “legality” of the Wall. Hearings were thus held in the Hague in February 2004.
On the 9th of July, 3 pm, the advisory opinion of the
International Court of Justice will be issued.
The importance of the Court’s opinions is well known. A positive Court opinion can make a difference. In 1971, after the ICJ brought a verdict against South Africa’s Occupation of Namibia, the international community imposed sanctions on the Apartheid State. Subsequent International isolation, economic sanctions and diplomatic pressure have supported the South African Anti-Apartheid Movement in its struggle against a racist and colonialist regime and have brought South African Apartheid to an end.
The release of ICJ advisory opinion is not only occasion to evaluate the readiness of the international community to take up its responsibilities towards Palestine, but also a time to highlight the devastating effects of the Wall, its racist and colonialist motives and to prompt all further steps to tear down the Apartheid Wall. We must engage in an increasingly determined, coordinated and Palestinian-led effort in order to see the Wall fall as a first step to ending Israeli Apartheid and Occupation.
On July 9th, remain critical and expose the political implications of the ICJ decision – whatever its content may be -to support us in raising up the Palestinian voice to the world’s public opinion.
The international community has a responsibility to take into strong consideration not only the legal but also the political consequences of the Court’s decisions. We are calling upon all seekers of justice and friends of Palestine to act in solidarity with our struggle against the Apartheid Wall and Israeli Occupation.
The Palestinian Grassroots Anti-Apartheid Wall Campaign is asking for immediate action – sanctions and boycott on Apartheid Israel until the Wall falls and Israel complies with International Law and the UN resolutions.
WE ARE CALLING FOR DAYS OF ACTION ON THE 9TH & 10TH OF JULY
Take the demands of the affected Palestinian communities in resistance and the Palestinian Anti-Apartheid Wall Campaign to the streets and make them heard:
Tear down the Apartheid Wall!
Stop the Occupation!
Sanctions and Boycott on Apartheid Israel!
Justice for Palestine!
We are urging you to support our efforts and make our voices heard: Mobilize in your streets and organize protests and info events.
Distribute our press releases; use independent media, lobby and pressure mainstream media to report on the ICJ opinion taking into account the Palestinian voice, the construction of the Wall, the Palestinian struggle against it and world wide solidarity.
Thank you for your support!
Palestinian Grassroots Anti-Apartheid Wall Campaign
www.StoptheWall.org
Download this Call to Action as a PDF to distribute activist and solidarity networks, as well as any meetings or events around the ICJ ruling.