UK civil rights groups condemn Israel's terrorism
Palestine-UK, Politics, 7/1/2006

Israel's ongoing military operations in the occupied territories are "nothing less than the collective punishment of an entire civilian population," said a group of human rights, civil society and NGO organizations in the UK.

"We view the frantic international efforts to secure the release of a single Israeli soldier captured in combat in the Occupied Territories as utter hypocrisy and disgraceful double-standards," they said in a joint statement Friday.

"There are at least 9,800 Palestinians currently being held by the Occupation Forces in Israeli prisons. Of that number, Israel is holding 126 Palestinian women and 450 minors," the statement said.

The signatories, including the Palestinian Return Center, the Muslim Association of Britain, Friends of Al-Aqsa, the Islamic Human Rights Commission, Arab Media Watch and the Palestinian Solidarity Campaign, strongly condemned "Israel's illegal attacks and siege." Chair of the Islamic Human Rights Commission, Massoud Shadjareh criticized Israel's terrorist nature but warned that such inhumane tactics would backfire.

"Mass murder, kidnapping and targeting of civilian infrastructure is not only the methodology of the Israeli state but also inherent in Zionism," Shadjareh said But he pointed out that "history has repeatedly shown us that victory is ultimately on the side of the oppressed," as in cases such as South Africa to Lebanon, where the occupiers were forced to leave.

In their joint statement, the civil rights groups said that the Tel Aviv regime was blatantly contravening Article 33 of the Fourth Geneva Convention which prohibits 'collective penalties' and all likewise measures of intimidation.

They called for "an immediate end to the degrading and inhuman treatment of Palestinian prisoners" and their release and for an end to the extra judicial killings of civilians.

"We urge the British government to honor its treaty obligation to respect and 'ensure respect' for the Fourth Geneva Convention Relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War," their statement also said.

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