Emergency Demo Against Israeli War Crimes!

For Immediate Release:

"Demand an End to Israeli War Crimes"
 
In the last week 57 Palestinians including 9 children have been killed and 181 homes have been demolished as a result of one of the biggest Israeli military incursion into the Gaza Strip.  Most of the victims were killed in Rafah, a town and refugee camp in the Southern Gaza Strip.  This latest attack on the Palestinian people is a continuation of a process of ethnic cleansing that Israel has been accelerating under the Sharon government with explicit approval from the Bush administration.  The killing and home demolitions perpetuated by the Israeli government in Rafah refugee camp in Gaza is being described by many, including Amnesty International as "war crimes".
The US abstained from taking any position on  the UN Security Council Resolution passed on Wednesday condemning the atrocities in Rafah.  The In accordance to Israel's long chain of violation of UN Resolutions,  the Israeli Ambassador to the UN has vowed to continue the destruction of Gaza and the death toll continues to rise.

* In the first 10 days of May 2004, Israel's demolition of 131 residential buildings in Gaza left 1,100 Palestinians homeless.
* The majority of the demolitions this month have taken place in Rafah in the south of the Gaza Strip, where 12,600 people had already been made homeless by demolitions since the Intifada began.
* On 11 May 2004, Israel killed 15 Palestinians in the al-Zaytoun neighborhood of Gaza City, including 4 children, and injured at least 200 others, including 35 children.
* On 13 May 2004, Israel killed 12 Palestinians in Rafah, including a child, and injured at least 20 others.
* On 15 May 2004, 14 Palestinian civilians were killed and 30 injured in Rafah, with 80 homes destroyed, leaving 880 Palestinians homeless.
* On 19 May 2004, 23  Israel killed 23 Palestinians as they shot 3 missiles at a crowd of 3,000 demonstrators in the streets of Rafah.
* On 20th, May 2004, 7 people have been killed thus far as the invasion of Rafah continues.
* Rafah continues to experience ongoing Israeli military operations at the time of publishing this alert.
We call on all people of conscious to stage sit-ins at congressional district offices in whatever city you may reside and demand that the U.S. Government demand Israel to stop the destruction and ethnic cleansing in Gaza and take concrete steps to deter Israel from carrying out these crimes against humanity.
We must demand:

* The US must end its military, economic, and diplomatic support for Israel's military occupation.
* Israel to withdraw from all occupied territories.
* Immediate  return of all Palestinian refugees in exile.
* Complete and immediate Israeli compliance with the Geneva Conventions as well as UN Resolutions 194, 224 and 338.
Protests and sit-ins are part of a national call and will take place in many cities. 
In Sacramento, there will be a Protest on Monday, May 24 at 4:30 PM at 16th & J Street in Downtown Sacramento We urge each city to organize actions and demand that our government is held accountable to atrocities being committed with our tax dollars and with this administration's consent.
American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee of Sacramento, Students for Justice in Palestine UCD & CSUS and The Muslim Student Association of UCD & CSUS
Press Contacts:
John Batarseh, 916 712 3063
Lara Kiswani, 530 220 2842

================================================================================
ADC, Greater Sacramento Area Chapter

PO Box 660552

Sacramento CA 95866


Hotline: 916-484-2860

Email:adc_sac [at] hotmail.com