www.newsandletters.org
|
|
NEWS & LETTERS, December 2006 - January 2007Women fight for GazaMemphis, Tenn.--Peace activists here took the challenge put out by the Israeli and Palestinian peace movement "particularly the women" to bring attention to the Israeli government's crimes against humanity being visited upon the people of the Gaza Strip (see "Our Life and Times," October-November 2006 N&L). At anti-war demonstrations every Wednesday morning, activists from the Mid-South Peace and Justice Center and News and Letters Committees now include explicit protests against the Israeli atrocities in Gaza. Women in Black, who demonstrate every Wednesday afternoon, also took up the cause, joining Women in Black groups in Israel to raise awareness about the deteriorating situation in Gaza. We will continue our protests through December, when we will plan a protest action as part of an international campaign to stop the destruction of the citizens of Gaza. As Israel steps up its attack on the entire population of the Gaza Strip, a new study by Human Rights Watch reveals no effective framework in place in the Occupied Territories to respond to the escalating violence experienced by women and girls at the hands of Palestinian men, including battering from husbands, boyfriends and brothers, child abuse, rape, incest and so-called crimes of "honor." While the problem is recognized, the Palestinian Authority has taken no action. Violence is often unreported and when reported, unpunished. Abuse continues if a crime is reported, as authorities encourage marriage between a woman and the man who raped her, and they send women back to abusive families or husbands. While the report acknowledged the problems caused by Israel's withholding of tax revenue as well as the current strife, the report stated that there are laws and institutions in place that could help women if implemented. The report reveals Palestinian women fighting on two fronts, for freedom from Israeli repression and freedom from the abuse by their own comrades. --Women in Black member |
|
Home l News & Letters Newspaper l Back issues l News and Letters Committees l Dialogues l Raya Dunayevskaya l Contact us l Search Published by News and Letters Committees |
