Saturday 14 October 2023
The following statement has been written by the editorial committee of Aontacht Media with the consultation of individuals involved with organising for Palestine.
The editorial committee of Aontacht Media stands with the people of Palestine at this hour. The Israeli government has called for the immediate evacuation of all Palestinians in northern Gaza. This would require the evacuation of 1.1 million civilians in one of the most densely packed areas on earth, it would involve thousands of injured civilians being taken out of Gaza’s biggest hospital. This is a war-crime. Israel’s indiscriminate attacking of civilians in Gaza has resulted in the deaths of hundreds of children, who make up the majority of the Gazan population. We always have, and always will condemn Israel completely. We are deeply saddened to see that the attacks on Palestinians have reached such a great level of depravity. The root cause of this indiscriminate violence is clear: The state of Israel, which is being administered by a downright fascist government who’s end goal is the complete elimination of the Palestinian people from the region. Obviously, the Palestinian people have a right to resist and prevent such a situation from happening. It is absolutely the case that every corner of Palestinian society demands the end of the apartheid state, release of all prisoners and the equal treatment of Palestinian people in the region, and we condemn the attempts by the media to dehumanise the Palestinian people and their struggle with the smear of “terrorism”.
We call on everyone to join the demonstration in solidarity with Palestinians this Saturday, at the Spire at 1pm. We implore people to boycott Israeli settlement goods, to petition their universities and workplaces to divest from the Israeli state, and to put pressure on politicians to sanction Israel for their war crimes. We urge students to go further, to engage in student strikes and direct action on the ground. The only way to go about this is to get involved, to get organised, and there are two organisations which serve precisely this purpose: BDS (Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions) and IPSC (Ireland-Palestine Solidarity Campaign).
We demand the immediate sanction of the Israeli apartheid regime, the severing of all economic and diplomatic ties, and the expulsion of the Israeli ambassador from Ireland.
Ón abhainn go dtí an fharraige, beidh an Phalaistín saor,
Editorial Committee of Aontacht Media