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Statements Archive |
LAST UPDATE
July 11, 2005
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| April 10, 2002 |
For Peace and Justice in Palestine and Israel - Stop Killing!
End the Occupation |
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Peace Boat actively supports peace in Palestine and Israel and hopes for a peaceful resolution
to the conflict, recognising that both Palestinians and Israelis deserve to live in peace, security
and justice.
However, it is with great sadness and mounting anger and revulsion that we witness
the horrifying escalation in Israeli Military invasions and actions and the huge loss of life in
the Palestinian Authority areas. While we also deplore the deaths of Israeli civilians in suicide
bomb attacks, we strongly condemn this escalation in inhuman military violence of the Israeli Army
and its use of tactics such as torture, assassination, the demolition of houses and its disproportionate
use of superior firepower against a civilian population. We believe that the Israeli Government,
as all other governments, must follow UN Security Council Resolutions, follow International Law
and respect the Geneva Conventions.
Therefore, as representatives of international civil society, Peace Boat demands that the Israeli
Government:
- Immediately halt all Israeli military invasions and actions in the West Bank and the
Gaza Strip
- Immediately and fully withdraw the Israeli Army from the occupied territories of
West Bank and the Gaza Strip as laid down in United Nations Security Council Resolutions
242 and 338
- End the obstruction and destruction of Palestinian medical services and facilities and
allow the free passage of the sick and wounded to hospitals
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Silent Appeal at the Israeli Embassy, Tokyo - April 4, 2002
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| "Sharon" with blood on his hands |
12 noon, April 4, 2002: Peace Boat demonstrated in front of the Israeli embassy in
Tokyo in response to the continued and intensified Israeli offensives to demand an immediate withdrawal
of the Israeli troops from Palestine.
About 60 Peace Boat staff and volunteers from 10 different
nationalities, including American, British and Peruvian citizens, held a silent appeal covering
their mouths with black gags and showing signs stating "OCCUPATION KILLS", "ISRAELI ARMY WITHDRAW NOW!".
After dropping messages for Israeli Prime Minister Sharon in the letterbox of the Israeli embassy
each participant lined up in front of the embassy, either kneeling down or standing, with barbed
wire in front of them, symbolising the occupation. One participant represented Prime Minister Sharon
with blood on his hands, standing at the other side of the barbed wire.
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| Participants representing the Palestinian people under occupation are gagged
and bound with barbed wire |
Hanna Jongepier,
Peace Boat International Division said: "It is obvious that the Israeli
army should withdraw from the occupied territory right now. People are being killed everyday
and even ambulances; aid-workers and peace activists are being attacked. This is a very urgent
situation and today we are here to bring out the voices of the Palestinian people: Sharon should
stop killing now and put an end to the occupation!"
Mass media, including Reuters and CNN, covered the event. The news was also seen on both TV
and in major newspaper "Al Quds" in Palestine. |
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End the Occupation! Ginza Peace Walk for Palestine - March 21, 2002
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| Ambassador Waleed Siam of the PLO leads the procession |
On March 21 Peace Boat held a Peace Walk for Palestine in Tokyo to demand an end to the Israeli
Occupation of the West Bank and Gaza. The walk highlighted the fact that the withdrawal of
Israeli troops from the March invasions of Ramallah and other "Area A" areas does
not mean the end of the Occupation or an end to the Israeli military oppression of Palestinians.
The peace walkers
made their way through the centre of Ginza; Tokyo's most famous and prestigious shopping district.
The streets were busy, despite the windy day, and many passers-by signalled their support.
The Head
of the PLO Delegation to Japan, Ambassador Waleed Siam, also joined in the walk for a short time
and made a short speech on the current situation in Palestine. |
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| The "funeral procession" proceeds around the Embassy |
Continuous Walk for Peace around the Israeli Embassy - March 14, 2002
Under the slogan "Stop Killing! End the Occupation" over 25 Peace Boat staff and
volunteers from Japan, India and the UK began at 12:30pm on March 14 a 24-hour continuous protest
vigil and peace walk at the Israeli Embassy in Tokyo with a minute's silence at the Embassy
gates in mourning for the victims of the conflict.
Peace Boat Director Yoshioka Tatsuya addressed the group and media
before delivering into the Embassy mailbox a letter addressed to the Israeli Ambassador demanding
that the Israeli Government:
- Immediately halt all Israeli military invasions and actions in the West Bank and the
Gaza Strip
- Immediately and fully withdraw the Israeli Army from the occupied territories of West
Bank and the Gaza Strip as laid down in United Nations Security Council Resolutions 242 and
338
- End the obstruction and destruction of Palestinian medical services and facilities and
allow the free passage of the sick and wounded to hospitals
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| The death-toll at the beginning of the march. By the end a further 61 people
had died. |
Several police officers and a metal gate block the entrance of the road to the Israeli Embassy
so the walkers were unable to reach the Embassy door. Following the delivery of the letter,
the peace walk began with a mock funeral procession. A coffin draped in black was carried aloft,
behind a sign indicating the number of deaths since the beginning of the Intifada. Members
of the procession wore T-shirts with a "Stop Killing! End the Occupation" logo and
carried signboards with the same message in English and Japanese. The walkers moved constantly
around the block where the Embassy is located, with each circuit taking just over five minutes.
Data of the walk
- Participants in the walk: 180 people
- Hours walked: 146 hours
- Distance covered: 547.5km
- Number of times around the block: 1095 times
- Number of deaths in Palestine and Israel due to the occupation during our walk: 61 people
(data from Peace Now, Israel and Palestinian Red Crescent Society)
The event was covered by the international media and was shown on Al Jazeera television. |
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