PRESS RELEASE

For Immediate Release CONTACT:

Pam Richards, Peace Action Wisconsin, 414-269-9525

United Nations Solidarity with Palestinian People November 29, 4 PM

The United Nations International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People will be celebrated in Milwaukee with a vigil at the Federal Building on 3rd and Wisconsin Avenue at 4PM on Thursday, November 29, 2018. Concerned citizens are asking the federal government to withdraw the $3 billion in taxpayers’ money provided each year to Israel for military weapons used against an unarmed Democracy, the country of Palestine.

The United Nations has passed 45 resolutions condemning Israel’s violent occupation of Palestine. 146 countries (out of 193) voted to end Israel’s illegal attacks and colonization of Palestine.

With the United States assistance, Israel routinely uses bombs, snipers, bulldozers, and settlers to carry out a brutal occupation and destruction of Palestine. Using Israeli Defense Forces on Palestinian streets, snipers on top of walls, and check points and passes prohibiting Palestinians’ freedom of movement, Palestinian people live under a violent apartheid system.

The 1.8 million people of Gaza live in an open air prison in their own country. The people of Gaza are even denied free access to the rest of their country, the West Bank.

In addition to military controls and bombing, for the past decade Israel has imposed a land, air and sea blockade of Gaza, stopping any country from providing aid to the Palestinian people.

The blockade stops all food, medicine, building materials and other humanitarian aid from entering this country under siege. The World Bank estimates that the GDP losses caused by the blockade since 2007 is above 50%. Gaza’s exports virtually disappeared since the imposition of the blockade.

In May, 2018 Gaza citizens organized a non-violent “Great March of Return” along Israel’s border fence to demand an end to the blockade of Gaza. Amnesty International reported that the Israeli Defense forces (shooting protestors from on top of walls), killed over 150 people and injured at least 8,700 others, including 1,849 children, 424 women, 115 paramedics and 115 journalists. Of those injured, 5,814 were hit by live ammunition. According to Israeli media, one

Israeli soldier was moderately injured and one Israeli soldier was killed. The IDF bragged that they knew where every bullet went.

No people on Earth should be subjected to a violent system of terror and war carried out against an unarmed country by their neighbors. We demand an end to the US assistance to Israel which makes all of us partners in Israels’ crimes against Palestine.