| Gaza Meeting – Injustice and Despair |
| Press Releases |
| Monday, 12 January 2009 09:32 |
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Date of meeting: 9th January 2009. Over 350 people attended a meeting organised by BCoM to discuss the current situation in Gaza. Dr Brian Iddon MP, David Crausby MP, Gary Titley MEP and Ismail Adam Patel from the Friends of Al-Aqsa condemned the Israeli aggression and explained their endeavours to bring an end to the massacre in Gaza. A most moving account was presented by Mohammed Adam Chairman of BCOM who spoke passionately about the human atrocity unfolding in Palestine. Pointing out that the Palestinians were being subjected to a holocaust where the history, culture and the people of Palestine were being annihilated. He re-emphasised his message to the Prime Minister, to call for an immediate ceasefire, condemn Israeli actions in the Gaza Strip, impose an arms embargo against Israel, use your best endeavours to suspend the EU-Israel Trade Agreement.Ismail Adam explained how historically Jews and Muslims had always lived in harmony in Jerusalem and outlined the important distinction between peaceful Jews and the Zionists who continue to push for an expansion of the Israeli state. He also demonstrated how the Israeli state had dispossessed the Palestinians of so much of their land that a Palestinian state seemed no longer viable. Dr Iddon highlighted the extensive Zionist lobby in Britain which includes the very powerful, Friends of Israel lobby in Parliament. The effect of this lobbying results in a failure on the part of the media to provide a balanced and accurate account of the situation in Palestine. This biased media reporting has generally concentrated on the rocket attacks from Gaza as a provocation for the Israeli attack. It was clarified on the night that on this occasion, it has been Israel which has violated the terms of the ceasefire, and now murdered hundreds of innocent men, women and children. The meeting ended with a comment from a Palestinian woman who talked of her anguish and the loss of so much life in Palestine. She explained how children of Gaza are psychologically traumatised and recalled an incident where her own children woke up from their sleep in a terrified state at the noise of fireworks asking if the Israeli planes were now attacking England. This type of event where the true facts and indeed the history of the region is explained is needed with a wider audience. This may help dispel the myths that exist and promote positive and informed dialogue, as opposed to often uninformed, empty rhetoric. |
