Sri Lanka Journalists for Global Justice protest Israeli atrocities in Palestine

On 17 October Israel carried out an air raid on-Ahli Arab Hospital in Gaza. Palestinian officials said at least 500 people were killed in the Israeli raid.

The health ministry in Gaza said the blast at the hospital was caused by an Israeli air raid. The Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) an armed group denied an Israeli allegation which attributed the explosion to a misfired rocket launched by the PIJ.

In the face of ongoing atrocities being committed by the 75-year-old illegal Israeli occupation of Palestine, last evening the Sri Lankan Journalists for Global Justice(SLJGJ) organised a protest march starting at the Palestine Embassy in Colombo, to the United Nations Headquarters. The group was scheduled to hand over a petition to the UN Representative in Colombo.

Heavy rains which broke out forced the crowd which had gathered opposite the Palestine embassy to seek shelter in the embassy premises.

However, when the protestors commenced their march on the UN Headquarters, a large contingent of police who had gathered, prevented marchers from proceeding claiming Baudhaloka Mawatha was a High Security Zone and as such the march could not be permitted.

Marchers were then forced to seek other routes and gathered in front of the UN headquarters building where after condemning the Israeli atrocities they handed over a petition to a representative of the Resident representative.

Th demonstration continued for around 45 minutes, after which Ameen Izadeen on behalf of the SLJGJ thanked the participants and reminded them that a round table discussion would be held at the Centre for Society and Religion at Deens Road Maradana at 10.30 am on Thursday 19 October.

Israel’s illegal occupation of Palestine lands date back to weeks before the state of Israel was officially recognised by the United Nations on 11 May 1949.

Those early attacks resulted in thousands of Palestinians fleeing their lands and homes. According to United Nations (UN) figures of 2019 record more than 5.6 million Palestinians being registered with UNRWA as refugees and more than 1.5 million living in UNRWA-run camps.

Israel to date, has annexed 78% of Palestine. The West Bank and the Gaza Strip though nominally controlled by the Palestinian Authority, are effectively under control of Israeli forces. Even travel between the two areas are tightly controlled by the Israeli occupation force.

Michael Lynk, Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian territory occupied by Israel since 1967, said the political system of entrenched rule in the occupied Palestinian territory satisfied the prevailing standard for the existence of apartheid. ‘Amnesty International’ and ‘Human Rights Watch’ too in separate reports has accused Israel of enforcing policies of apartheid on Palestinians.

Even as this piece is being written, Israel has imposed a complete blockade of food, water, fuel and medicines entering the Palestinian land of Gaza and ordered all Palestinians -over 2 million people- to leave the Gaza within 24 hours. (Sherly Kandappa)