Open letter to Foreign Secretary David Miliband re the carnage in Gaza

This is a short letter to British Foreign Secretary David Miliband about the failure of the British government to condemn Israel's actions and Israel's continued defiance of the United Nations and International Law.

Saturday 10th January 2009

The Foreign Secretary
The Rt Hon David Miliband MP
Foreign and Commonwealth Office
King Charles Street
London
SW1A 2AH

Dear Mr Miliband

I am appalled by Israel’s continued savage attack on the people of Gaza and by the lack of condemnation from the British Government. Israel has ignored the United Nations once again and as I write this is raining bombs down on the civilian population of Gaza.

International aid groups lashed out at Israel on Thursday 8th January over the war in Gaza, saying that access to civilians in need is poor, relief workers are being hurt and killed, and Israel is woefully neglecting its obligations to Palestinians who are trapped, some among rotting corpses in a nightmarish landscape of deprivation.

1n the current 14 days (as at Saturday 10th January 2009) conflict some 780 Palestinians and 11 Israelis have died. Who started it? It was not Hamas but the IDF that broke the ceasefire. It did so by a raid into Gaza on 4 November that killed six Hamas men. During the ceasefire, Israel prevented any exports from leaving the strip in clear violation of a 2005 accord, leading to a sharp drop in employment opportunities for the Gazans.

The disgaceful bombing of the UN al-Fakhura school in the Jabaliya refugee camp on Tuesday 6th January was especially outrageous. The Israelis claimed there were so called militants firing from the school but John Ging, the director of operations in Gaza for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (Unrwa), told reporters that he had visited the school during a three-hour lull in the fighting on Wednesday and "was reassured by the management of the school ... that there were no militants in the school".

According to former US President Jimmy Carter, writing in the Washington Post on Thursday 8th January: `After 12 days of "combat," the Israeli Defense Forces reported that more than 1,000 targets were shelled or bombed. During that time, Israel rejected international efforts to obtain a cease-fire, with full support from Washington. Seventeen mosques, the American International School, many private homes and much of the basic infrastructure of the small but heavily populated area have been destroyed. This includes the systems that provide water, electricity and sanitation. Heavy civilian casualties are being reported by courageous medical volunteers from many nations, as the fortunate ones operate on the wounded by light from diesel-powered generators. `

What Israel is doing (with tacit British support) is a war crime and I urge you to speak out against it.

Yours Fathfully,
Mr Paul O’Hanlon

Paul O'Hanlon
e-mail: o_hanlon@hotmail.com

Additions

lobby parliament this monday

10.01.2009 11:46

there is now a 24 hour non stop vigil in parliament square and a mass lobby called for Monday's re-opening of parliament , There are many ways to protest, resist, object... arguing about which is the best helps no-one choosing the one that is right for you and acting on it is the only way

SiloDeBilo
Homepage: http://www.vigilforgaza.net/

Comments

Hide the following 8 comments

Everyone should do the same

10.01.2009 02:04

Thanks for posting Paul. Please do post any replies you receive.
Everybody send a ltter to Milliband, your MP, prime minister.
If no reply within a few days, send another one. It does not take long. Just and copy and paste the letter above or something similar from various anti-war sites. I hope you won't mind if we copy your letter Paul.
It only takes five minutes and perhaps the cost of a stamp.

Vandetta

I am waiting for a reply from Miliband

10.01.2009 08:42

Thanks for your comment, Vandetta. I sent David Miliband a letter last weekend and await his reply - you may have to be patient - past experience tells me it takes several weeks for them to get back to you.
There will be an all-Scotland demonstration here in Edinburgh today - hope the one down in London goes well and remember Brian Haw in Parliament Square - he's been there on his one man 24/7 protest for nearly 8 years now! Say hello to him if you can. Best from Edinburgh, Paul.

Paul O'Hanlon
mail e-mail: o_hanlon@hotmail.com

pressure is vital

10.01.2009 08:54

i agree, writing to miliband, mps, meps etc is vital. there may not be an immediate or noticeable shift in policy, but they need to know how the electorate feel and it is a simple and quick way to keep up the pressure. i have been writing all week, especially to miliband demand the expulsion of the israeli ambassador and the freezing of the eu economic agreement. these two issues should be mentioned in any correspondence.

also, end the letter with a direct question to indicate clearly you want a response. then, if you don;t get one you can keep writing.

http://www.writetothem.com/

fco:

fcoresponsecentre@fco.gov.uk,

psrammellinfo@fco.gov.uk or

private.office@fco.gov.uk

um rahel

you people are delusional

10.01.2009 10:51

just what effect do you imagine writting to milliband will have?

the man is a zionist, from a long line of zionists/tulmuldists ...

... do you really think he will even read, let alone consider your views?

the facts are there, why hide from them ... milliband is a traitor (acting as an agent for a foreign power is THE definition of treachery)

I think you are either delusional or attempting to pull the wool over our eyes and pretend everything is fine and dandy in our democracy[sic]

labour friends of israel, and membership of it, is now more important to advancement than any consideration of british politics ...

... don't believe that?
... want to call me an anti-semite?

then fly from the truth if that is what will keep you happy

get real

jackslucid
mail e-mail: jackslucid@hotmail.com

Clarity

10.01.2009 13:35

Spot on Jackslucid. Good to see you actually following the plot rather than what the PTB want you to believe.

A point I don't see raised on IMC is this anti-Semitism nonsense. Are people not aware that the majority of Palestinians are themselves Semites? Where does that place the IDF and their psychopathic controllers?

anonymous bosch

jackslucid 's comment

10.01.2009 19:38

'the man is a zionist, from a long line of zionists/tulmuldists ... '

A Tulmuldist (sic) is One versed in the Talmud; one who adheres to the teachings of the Talmud. ie a Jew

If you want to call Miliband a Jew. Do so. Don't hide your description in double meanings.

I know his grandparents were Jewish, I don't know if he is. If he is SO WHAT!!

Not all Jews agree on the situation in Israel / Gaza

Attack the man, not his religion.

Captian Kirk
Homepage: http://jackslucid 's comment

what double meaning?

10.01.2009 21:56

Either it is disingenuous of you, or you are mearly ignorant of the fact that not all jews place the talmud at the centre of their religion, some even reject it outright.

If you wish to enter into a religious discussion, at some point it will be necessary for any rational being to characterize religions as being somewhat troublesome.

Why exclude judaism from such a characterization, especially when one takes into account the outpouring of israels current lot of rabbis, who are extremly explicit in their utter belief in the rightousness of the slaughter of Palestinians - who themselves were the original jews and semites of the area and underwent almost a total conversion to christianity or eventually islam.

The talmud is a very difficult and, at sometimes, a very disturbing book. Those who allow it to justify their own outlook are no better - or different - to those that used the bible equally so and engaged in their own gruesome slaughters.

The current intensification of zionist/israeli/talmudist attrocity and the inevitable radicalisation of islam ain't a pretty site to us rational non-religous utopianists

So I will attack both the man and the religion - and any other force that I see as being for racial/religious/national exclusivity and all the associated ills therin.

Any force that places the supremacy of the self over the selfless I, quite childishly, react against.

What should I do, ignore the facts?

jackslucid
mail e-mail: jackslucid@hotmail.com

why so condescending?

10.01.2009 22:27

jakslucid - why the belittling comments? you know, there are many thousands of people who are upset and angry but are not keen or able - for many reasons - to engage in forms of protest that are more confrontational or, in their view, dangerous. just because you choose to use a certain way to behave and protest, doesn't mean it is the only way. look how may people were on the streets of london today. how dare you decide that people who choose to express their disgust through petioning their mp's etc are delusional. there are many ways to bring about change, yours is not the only way, nor is it the force of one action alone that makes the difference. i am in no way delusional about our so called democracy, and you don't know who i am, what i do or how i do it. i just happened to think that bombarding the establishment with angry letters is worth doing, especially if it engages people who would not normally participate. who are you to judge me, or anyone else, for the actions we take? are you so much better than everyone else?

um rahel