Israel’s forcible transfer of thousands of Palestinians has been denounced as a war crime by over 300 elected officials, legal scholars, academics, artists, faith leaders and activists from around the world.
More than 300 public figures around the world in a public letter to Israel: The forcible transfer of the Palestinian community, Khan al-Ahmar, is a war crime pic.twitter.com/Lu7bqaTGmZ
— BDS DEN HAAG (@Vrouwe) June 13, 2018
The universal show of solidarity to the Palestinians was published in an open letter which voiced strong opposition to Israel’s plans to forcibly transfer thousands of Palestinians living in farming-shepherding communities in the occupied West Bank.
swilkinsonbc 300+ MPs, scholars & key figures incl Peter Gabriel & Ken Loach oppose Israel's forcible transfer of Khan al Ahmar https://t.co/V6WEwNxJ3z
— #FreePalestine ?? (@Taghreeba) June 13, 2018
Signatories include 90 members of parliament, many of whom are from the EU and UK parliaments. Other notable signatories include ten Israel Prize laureates, film director Ken Loach, artists Ai Weiwei, author Alice Walker, academic Noam Chomsky and several musicians. Dozens of Rabbis have also signed the letter denouncing Israel for what many would describe ethnic cleansing.
Minister for the Middle East @AlistairBurtUK and UK Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson call upon #Israel not to demolish Palestinian Bedouin village of #KhanAlAhmar. pic.twitter.com/585NwC93vv
— UKinJerusalem?? (@UKinJerusalem) June 12, 2018
The letter states:
“Forcible transfer – by direct physical force or by creating a coercive environment that makes residents leave their homes – is a war crime.”
Mentioning, in particular, residents facing expulsion from three areas; the Jordan Valley, the South Hebron Hills and East Jerusalem, the letter says that Israel “aims to establish facts on the ground that would achieve exclusive de-facto Israeli control in those areas and eventually facilitate formal annexation”.
100 UK Parliamentarians call on Israel's ambassador @MarkRegev to stop demolition and forcible transfer of Palestinian Bedouin community of Khan al Ahmar https://t.co/IPxE612fIR pic.twitter.com/sxOhLvNi8u
— Joseph Willits (@josephwillits) June 12, 2018
“Israel’s plans,” the letter points out, “range from freezing Palestinian development, through minimizing Palestinian foothold in major parts of the West Bank, to the destruction and transfer of entire communities.”
The plans, they add, are being implemented through “coercive measures” which are listed as: not being allowed to build new private or public buildings; denied access to water grids or to pave access roads; demolitions; threats and confiscation of essential equipment.
Israel has been implementing a plan to fotcibly transfer thousands of Palestinians who live in farming-shepherding communities. Yesterday i visited Khan al-Ahmar, and emphasized: Forcible transfer is a war crime and all people responsible for it bear personal liability. pic.twitter.com/Z07BEqt18x
— Yousef Jabareen (@DrJabareen) June 13, 2018
After denouncing Israel for committing “war crimes” the letter says that “all people responsible for it – including Israeli prime minister and the minister of defense – bear personal responsibility.”
Education challenges in Area C – The case of Khan Al Ahmarhttps://t.co/1aeOvvFPuk
AICS Jerusalem for the Tires School— AICS Gerusalemme (@AICS_Jerusalem) June 12, 2018
They also accuse Israel’s high court of “rubber stamping” the criminal policies of the Israeli government. “All it does is also implicate Israeli High Court justices in what is nothing short of a war crime, no matter how much legal formalism is enlisted in an effort to excuse the inexcusable,” the letter concludes.
(MEMO, PC, Social Media)