We, the Undersigned, call on the United Nations to demand that the State of Israel end its crippling blockade of Gaza or face sanctions.

Smaller than Dublin, Ireland, Gaza is one of the most densely populated places on earth. 80% of its nearly 2 million residents are refugees from other parts of Israel-Palestine who were expelled from their homes in 1948 and 1967, making it the world's largest refugee camp.

The eight-year siege has sealed Gaza off from the world by land, air and sea, forbidding entry of desperately needed medical supplies, reconstruction materials, and such other goods as toys, crayons, books, candles, matches, fishing rods, baby formula, chocolate, pasta, coffee, shampoo, sheets, donkeys and cows. 90% of the water is undrinkable and water is expected to run out entirely by 2020 (B'Tselem 2014, UNCT oPT 2012, PWA fact sheet, Mar. 2014 )

This siege, which Israel does not formally acknowledge, is illegal. [1] It devastates the Gazan economy, impedes reconstruction from past bombings, separates families, prevents students from studying abroad, and hurts fishermen and farmers, who cannot pursue their livelihoods near the Buffer Zone without risk of being shot. [2] (FAO fact sheet, 25 May 2010 ) It denies the people of Gaza legal right to live in peace, freedom and dignity, to resist military occupation, and to flee when attacked, as many of them once did to arrive in Gaza.

For these and many other reasons, we call on the President of the UN Security Council to pass a resolution urging all members to impose economic and political sanctions on Israel until it lifts the siege and gives the people of Gaza the chance to live a normal life.



___________________

[1] It violates Article 33 of the 4th Geneva Convention against collective punishment against a civilian population (See also A/HRC/12/37, para. 30).

[2] In January alone, Israel fired on farmers and fisherman on eight separate occasions, in direct violation of the August 26, 2014 Ceasefire. (See Attacks on Gaza, Jan-Mar 2015 )

Respectfully,

Dr. Mohammed N. Ziara, Doctor of Medicine (M.D.), Medical\Surgical Bachelor of Medicine, Fifth Year Medical Student, trainee at Al-Shifa Hospital, Gaza and CEO & Public Relations Officer Network of Human Rights Defenders.



Jamil Barghouti, Mayor of Bab al-Shams



Zaina Masri, of the well known political Palestinian Al-Masri family of Nablus

Dr. Mads Gilbert, Norwegian physician, humanitarian, and activist involved with solidarity work concerning Palestinians. Through the Norwegian Aid Committee he supported the humanitarian effort at al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza during both Operation Cast Lead (2008, 2009) and Operation Protective Edge (2014)

Rania Masri, PH.D., professor, activist. Website: Green resistance.wordpress.com



Dr. Basem Naim, Gaza, Head of Council on International Relations,



Jafar Ramini, UK, Political Writer/Analyst, Commentator



Iyad Burnat, Bil'ln, Palestine, Founding member of the Bil'in Popular Non Violent Resistance Committee. For the past 10 years he has organized weekly non-violent demonstrations against the confiscation of their land, destruction of their olive trees, and Israel’s illegal Separation Wall and settlements.



Thawra Abukhdeir, Palestinian, a cousin of Mohammed Abu Khdeir



Hamde Abu Rahma, Award winning Palestinian Photojournalist and Activist and author of photo book Roots Run Deep – Life in Occupied Palestine.



Remi Kanazi, Palestinian-American poet



George Galloway, British politician, broadcaster, and writer. He instigated the Viva Palestina aid convoy to the Gaza Strip in January 2009



Alison Weir, USA, Executive Director, If Americans Knew, Author of Against Our Better Judgment, President, Council for the National Interest

Ilan Pappé, PhD, Israeli historian and socialist activist.The author of The Ethnic Cleansing of Palestine



Eran Efrati, former Israeli combat soldier turned anti-occupation activist and investigative researcher.



Dr. Richard Falk, USA, Professor of International Law, Emeritus, Princeton University, former UN Special Rapporteur for Occupied Palestine (2008-2014)

Melissa Parke MP, Australia, Former Minister for International Development (AusAID), Federal Labor Member for Fremantle and former United Nations Lawyer.



Professor Nurit Peled-Elhanan, Israel, Sakharov Prize laureate for human rights and Co-initiator of the Russel Tribunal on Palestine



Miko Peled, Israeli peace activist and author of The General’s Son

Ronnie Barkan, Founder, Boycott From Within

Denny Cormier, Cairo, Egypt, International Human Rights Activist, PAN

Tarek Sarad, Switzerland, Activist, Editor-in-Chief, Falastin News

Anne Tsoulis, An accredited Greek/Australian filmmaker, writer. script editor and producer for feature films, television and digital new media.



Pamela Olson, Journalist and author of Fast Times in Palestine, named a "Top 10 Travel Book of 2013" by Publishers Weekly

Dr. Peter Cohen, Anthropologist, Founder, Humanity for Palestine



Eileen Carr, Dublin, Ireland, Independent Human Rights Activist, Gaza Toy Drive



Hedy Epstein, USA, Human Rights Activist, Jewish Voice for Peace, Holocaust Survivor



Greta Berlin, France, Co-founder, Free Gaza movement; Passenger on 1st Free Gaza and 11th US Boat to Gaza voyages



Mary Hughes Thompson, Canada, Co-founder, Free Gaza movement;

Passenger on 1st Free Gaza and 11th Canadian Tahrir voyages

Paul Larudee, USA, Co-founder, Free Gaza and Free Palestine movements, Passenger on 1st Free Gaza and 10th Freedom Flotilla I voyages

Bill Dienst, MD, USA, medical doctor on board 1st Free Gaza voyage 2



Kathleen Wang, USA, Women in Black Los Angeles, passenger on 1st Free Gaza voyage



Gene St. Onge, USA, Free Palestine movement representative, Greek boat, Sfendonhi, 10th Freedom Flotilla 1 voyage

Lawrence Tawil, USA, passenger on 1st Free Gaza voyage.

Baroness Jenny Tonge, UK parliamentarian. Passenger on 3rd free Gaza voyage

Darlene Wallach, USA, Free Gaza movement and Justice for Palestinians, Passenger on 1st Free Gaza voyage

Janet Kobren, USA, passenger, 10th Freedom Flotilla I voyage

Nordine Saidi, Belgium / Mouvement Citoyen Palestine / Belgium

Ernesto Paramo, UK, Pro-Palestinian Activist and Community Organizer

David Schermerhorn, USA, crew on 1st, 4th, 8th, and 11th voyages

Mary Ellen Bennett, USA, Human Rights Activist



___________________

NOTE: The above petition addressed to the UNSC President is the addendum named in the subject line of a letter addressed to the UN General Secretary. Once the petition closes it will be packaged with a hard copy of all its signers, along with a copy of the letter for reference. The letter to Mr. Ban Ki-Moon was already e-mailed to him on June 23, with a hard copy delivered to the UN General Secretary's office, as well as to all the bodies cc'd at the end of the letter (which includes the President of the UN General Assembly, H.E. Mr. Sam Kahamba). Below is just an excerpt from this aforementioned letter.

___________________



FIRST ACTION on The letter sent to Mr. Ban Ki-Moon and cc'd Parties



We therefore urge the United Nations to take the following actions:

1. Pass a Resolution imposing sanctions on Israel if it fails to allow the free entry and exit of goods into and out of Gaza by air and sea (Hamas has requested that a UN peacekeeping Force be placed on its borders, and such a force could ensure compliance of an agreement in which Gaza imports no arms and Israel does not attack or hinder the free moment of people and goods)...to read the full letter click here >>

Under signers continue to come in.

The most updated current list of under signers can be viewed here >>