Appeal from the left: Call for Action against Israel’s War on Palestine and Lebanon
Different left groups in Lebanon have issued the following statement. There is also an e-mail address to inform of international protests against the Israeli aggression: lebanon.solidarity@gmail.com. See also the web site of the Relief Center – Sanayeh, Beirut, Lebanon: http://sanayehreliefcenter.blogspot.com/
Appeal from the left:
Call for Action Against Israel’s War on the Palestine and Lebanon
The Israeli war machine continues with its war for the ethnic cleansing of Palestine and Lebanon. Attacks against civilian targets are continuing, resulting in scores of dead and wounded in Gaza, the West Bank, and Lebanon, with the vocal and tacit support of the international community. For the past three days, attacks on Lebanon resulted in the destruction of major civilian roads cutting-off whole areas and hindering relief efforts.
Whole families are being trapped under rubble in South Lebanon. The southern suburbs of Beirut, one of the most densely populated and poor neighbourhoods in the country, are currently witnessing intensive bombardment with the majority of civilians trapped due to the bombing of bridges and roads. Just as in Gaza, Israel is attempting to ethnically cleanse a population under the pretext of replying to the legitimate acts of the resistance.
The issue for us is clear. It is the presence of a fascist and racist regime in Israel. US imperialism, its allies and military power in Israel, proves that the issue has nothing to do with democracy or freedom. Their democracy is nothing but murder, destruction of houses, bombardment of electrical and fuel installations, and the indiscriminate targeting of children. The Israeli regime has indicated that they will not stop. In these days, there is no space for compromise. It is either resistance or collaboration.
The international community is fully responsible for the massacres against the peoples of Lebanon and Palestine. Our reply is a full scale popular resistance against imperialism and its allies in the Arab regimes and the west. In the past several days, a group of organisations in Beirut initiated an open sit-in in the centre of the city to mobilise for actions against Israeli aggression against Gaza and in support for the legitimate acts of the resistance. With the targeting of Lebanon, the sit-in has turned into a meeting point for mobilisation of relief and solidarity actions.
We call on all our friends in the world to act in solidarity with the people of Palestine and Lebanon through demonstrations and rallies outside Israeli and US embassies calling for an immediate and unconditional end of the occupation, the release of all prisoners of war in Israel, and the right of people.
No to Imperialism and Occupation!
No to the Indifference of the “International Community”!
No to Dictatorships!
Leftist Assembly for Change, ATTAC Lebanon, Ajial Community Center, Lebanese Communist Party Youth, Union of Democratic Youth in Lebanon, Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (Youth Section), Fatah (Youth Section), Palestinian Cultural Clubs (American University of Beirut, Lebanese American University, Beirut Arab University, Lebanese University), No Frontiers (AUB), Pablo Neruda Group (LAU), Independent Left Group (LAU, Byblos), AUB Women’s Rights Club, Helem LGBT
I am disgusted with the pro US/Israeli endorsement by the Canadian
Comment by John Shafer — July 18th, 2006 @ 3:04 PMGovernment and the domestic media. Many of us know the dirty game
that is going on. Israeli war crimes are to be allowed to continue. It
must not be. Israel out of Lebanon. Israel out of Palestine. An end
to US lapdogs, vassals and waterboys like Canada’s Harper, Graham
and Layton. Canada out of Afghanistan, Canada out of Indigenous lands!
Dear Friends,
I have been following the coverage on your site from Lebanon and Montreal and it has been very helpful.
I would like to share an article which helps analyze what is behind the vicious onslaught against Lebanon and Palestine:
http://www.revcom.us/a/054/israelattack-en.html
This is on the website of Revolution, the voice of the Revolutionary Communist Party, USA
Comment by marcello — July 18th, 2006 @ 8:04 PMI discovered you site since the start of the assault in Lebanon, and I am very happy for that. I am of Lebanese origin and I mostly liked the articles that are published from Lebanon because it gives me a perspective about the situation from a Lebanese citizen in Lebanon, in addition to the info on the Montreal activities. I wish I was in Beirut, I was there in 1996 during the Israeli offensive, and I worked with the NGO to help displaced people from the south: collect funds, deliver supplies and perform fist aid. Some of the leftist groups you list here, I already know and even worked with one of them.
Lebanese people are a nation that loves to live. Anyone who thinks that by destroying the infrastructure and terrorizing the population by killing innocent people will make the Lebanese people bent is mistaken. The Lebanese already went through this many times and we rebuilt everything. When the destruction stops, Lebanese people will get out of the rebels, clean up the mess and start rebuilding. The restaurant and night clubs will reopen and the people will enjoy there lives again. The most important is to stay united in this crucial moment of the Lebanese history.
Thank you
Comment by RBN — July 18th, 2006 @ 11:29 PMThe Canadian Governemnt is a complete joke. Harper can’t even bring himself to critisize Israel, even after they’ve killed Canadian citizens, nevermind the War Crimes being committed to the Lebanese people that we see in the Media. “Defend herself” he said, “response was Measured”, he said. Dude, the israeli soldiers (in Palestine/Lebanon)were captured on Occupied land, not kidnapped as the corrupt mainstream media portrays it.
I’m ashamed of my countries leaders, selling out innocent people in this way, my only hope lies in the knowledge that someday they’re gonna pay.
Comment by Ken — July 29th, 2006 @ 9:59 AMThey say Isreal has the right to defend themselves. But they are NOT defending themselves! They are on an all out war on Hezbolla, Lebenon, and its people! Isreal and the US are mad because Iranian president says that Isreal should be wiped off the map. But Isreal is already wiping south Lebenon off the map. Has the world not seen the photos and the before and after satilite photos of whole villages LEVELED. They say that Hezbolla fires rockets at innocent civilians. Im sure Hezbolla would love to trade Isreal their WWII era Katushka rockets for thier F16s, tanks, american made helicopters, and night vision scopes, so Hezbolla can presicely aim bombs at the Isreali army. If indeed Hezbolla uses human shields to fire thier rockets from civilian buildings, then these are innocent civilians. Why drop bunker busting bombs on them for a few Hezbolla? If Hezbolla were firing these rockets from a building with innocent american or isreali civillians do you think they would still drop a bomb? HELL NO! They think that thier own peoples lives are worth more than the expendable Lebenese. People are People!! LIBERATE PALISTINE!!!
Comment by Albert — August 3rd, 2006 @ 6:42 PMThe Lebanese have been harbouring Hezbolla for many years, and allowed them to retain their arms (the only faction to do so after their last war). Why didn’t the Lebanese government ask them to at least put down their arms, why did they allow an unsanctioned kidnapping of israelies by a guerilla army unit(Hezbollah), trained & armed by the syrian army and the iran air force to operate out of their country?
Despite what you think about the nature of the fighting between Hezbollah and Israel now, you cannot ignore the fact that Hezbollah has triggered this fighting by an unprovoked kidnapping.
Also, given that the Hezbollah missile launcher sites are in residential areas, and they themselves dress like civilians, it is no wonder that a.) so many real civilians (due to hezbollah tactics – firing missiles at israel from residential areas) are being killed, and b.) take a gun off a Hezbollah fighter and he looks like a civilian anyway
Comment by Alla — August 8th, 2006 @ 9:33 AM