IPPNW Statement on the Violence in Gaza and the conflict between Israel and Palestine
IPPNW has released the following
statement, signed by the Federation's three Co-Presidents, in response to the
escalating conflict in the Middle East.
Released January 6, 2009
[PDF 64KB]
Stop
the bloodshed!
We, physicians who have the mission to protect life and
promote health, cannot accept the present suffering and bloodshed taking place
in Gaza. We urge all parties to immediately take all the necessary steps to achieve
an immediate, complete, and stable ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and the South of
Israel, and to provide sufficient medical care for all the victims who suffer
from severe injuries.
We also call upon you to facilitate the renewal
of negotiations for a comprehensive and lasting peace treaty between Israel and
the Palestinians, based on the mutual right of both peoples to freedom and security.
IPPNW
believes that peace in Palestine and Israel is not possible unless there is an
end to illegal occupation of land and the use of force; recognition of legitimate
boundaries; and a genuine commitment to non-violent conflict resolution. As physicians
from all over the world we cannot in any way accept such indiscriminate and disproportionate
use of violence against civilians as we are now witnessing. We therefore urge
all parties to support the United Nations in their urgent responsibility to intervene
and stop this humanitarian catastrophe, which could also ignite a regional war.
International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War (IPPNW), recipient
of the Nobel Peace Prize in 1985, is a non-partisan, global federation of national
affiliates in more than 60 countries, including Israel and Palestine, dedicated
to research, education, and advocacy relevant to the prevention of all wars. To
this end, IPPNW seeks to promote non-violent conflict resolution and to minimise
the effects of war. IPPNW has long advocated a peaceful and just resolution of
the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and has developed a Medical Roadmap for peace
in the Middle East.
Helsinki, Moscow, and Stockholm on January 6, 2009
Vappu Taipale, Sergey
Kolesnikov, and Ime John
Co-presidents of IPPNW