| January 15, 2009 |
Stop the Killing – Listen
to the Voice of the World, Peace Boat Actions for Gaza |
|
 |
Israel has conducted large scale bombing of Gaza since December 27, 2008.
Despite the deaths of over 1000 Palestinians, nearly a third of whom
are estimated to be children, Israel continues its massive military bombardment.
Since
the attacks began, Peace Boat, together with other NGOs involved in Palestinian
issues, has conducted a range of actions in protest against
Israel's attacks. |
site design imagesparkle.com |
Actions in Japan
On 30 December, letters protesting Israel's military actions and demanding
an immediate end to the siege on Gaza were delivered to the Israeli Embassy
in Japan as well as to the Japanese Minister for Foreign Affairs. A vigil
was held in front of the Israeli Embassy on this day, with over 300 participants
lighting candles in memory of the victims.
|
| |
|
As Israel's relentless assault on Gaza continued into the New Year, a peace
parade and symposium were held in Tokyo on January 10, 2009. With the
theme of “Light for Gaza”, citizens of Tokyo gathered to
show their opposition to the military actions and call for an immediate
ceasefire.
|
| |
Actions on board the ship
Peace Boat members also staged activities outside of Japan, with a group
of over 250 participants on board the 63rd Global Voyage for Peace staging
a die in on board the ship as it crossed the Pacific Ocean on January 2,
2009. They held up the message “Listen to the voice of the world
- Stop the killing!”, using the unique platform of the vessel at
sea to call for an end to the violence.
|
| |
The ship then returned to Japan on January 13, 2009 whereupon a huge banner,
handmade by participants during the voyage, was displayed from the ship
in protest to Israel's attacks on Gaza.
|
| |
|
In solidarity with the Palestinian people, Peace Boat continues to call
for an immediate end to the fighting and the increasingly critical humanitarian
crisis in Gaza. |
| |
