The Israeli government has begun yet another round of unprecedented state atrocities against the Palestinian people, including the killing of civilians, the razing of homes, arresting men and boys aged 14 to 40, stamping numbers on the arms of detainees, demolishing Yasser Arafat�s place of residence, clandestine executions, the destruction of civil infrastructure and the re-occupation of Palestinian territories. While the killing of Israeli civilians by vile Islamic terrorists are equally condemned, the Israeli government is directly and firstly responsible for pushing the region to the brink of an all-out war because of its occupation of Palestinian territories. Its unbridled assaults and its denial of a Palestinian state are playing into the hands of Islamic terrorist groups and states like the Islamic Republic of Iran and providing recruitment grounds for them.
This carnage similarly affects Palestinian refugees residing in the territories, namely over 600,000 in the West Bank and nearly a million in the Gaza Strip. [These refugees are all those and their families who lost their homes during the Arab-Israeli wars.] On 21 March, for example, the Israeli government attacked a refugee camp in the Gaza Strip, killing 100 and wounding over 500. Several days ago, it attacked Jenin refugee camp in the West Bank, killing 6. During this time, the Israeli government has shelled numerous refugee camps. There is no electricity, water and a serious shortage of food. There is a curfew in some of the camps. Thousands of refugees are trapped. They are being shot at if they attempt to venture outside. Even UNRWA (UN Relief Works Agency) staff responsible for assisting Palestinian refugees has been shot at and one is still in detention. The situation is intolerable and must end immediately. This can only be done with the intervention of progressive people in Israel, the Palestinian territories as well as throughout the world. The International Federation of Iranian Refugees (IFIR) calls on groups and individuals to exert pressure on the Israeli and USA governments and defend the Palestinian people and refugees. Demand:
1. An end to the Israeli government war on the Palestinian people and refugees.
2. An immediate withdrawal of Israel from all occupied territories.
3. Condemnation of the Israeli government and the prosecution of Ariel Sharon as a war criminal.
4. Condemnation of the assassination of Israeli civilians by Islamic terrorists.
5. Open borders and the right to asylum for Palestinians seeking protection.
6. A right of return for Palestinian refugees.
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