Mr. Ambassador D. Rapfael Schultz
Mr. Ambassador Artur Koll
Women in Black Against War from Madrid and Belgrade are a part of the International Women in Black Network, founded in Israel in 1988. As of then they started protesting publicly against their government's politics in the occupied Palestinian territories.
For years, we have witnessed the violent policies of the Israeli government in Israel, Palestine and the entire region. We, also, watch in astonishment the Israeli government violating international conventions and UN resolutions aimed at a peaceful solution to the regional conflict.
Our Israeli friends have informed us of the ways in which these policies have affected the Israeli society (both the Jewish and Arab population): the society grew more militant, relying on the licence of force and violence, straying further away from the values of democracy, coexistence and respect for the other and the different.
The politics of incessant violence, especially the war in Gaza, has a very negative impact upon the international reputation of your government and society in general.
The Israeli pacifists oppose the crimes perpetrated in Gaza by the Israeli government, repeating, Not in our name!
The Israeli pacifists neither kill nor set bombs. They oppose your politics, and you arrest them for this reason! We know that in this moment there are hundreds of pacifists who have been arrested only because they protested against the siege and the war in Gaza, which is causing a great many civilian victims and destruction.
Just as it stigmatizes the Israeli pacifists, your government does the same with the pacifists in Palestine and worldwide. There is an Internet web site which accuses them of terrorism, and even considers them legitimate war targets, all because they have organized entirely non-violent activities.
We, Women in Black of Belgrade/Serbia have the moral right and legitimacy to demand the respect of human rights on behalf of all the governments in the world, including the US government, because we have first condemned and continue to condemn, demanded and continue to demand, the responsibility for all the crimes committed by the criminal Serbian regime and the Serbian armed forces throughout the ex-Yugoslavia during the 90s. We continue to demand that all crimes should be punished, first those committed in our name, and then all the others as well!
We, Women in Black of Madrid/Spain also have the moral right and legitimacy to demand the respect of human rights on behalf of all the world governments, starting with our own, but of the US government as well. We will continue to demand that all the crimes against humanity should be punished, first those committed in our name, and then all the others as well!
Mister Ambassador, we demand that the Israeli government:
- Respect and protect all the pacifists and international activists, especially those situated in Gaza at the moment;
- Release from prison all the Israeli pacifists, arrested for resisting the war. We also demand that they should not be subjected to attacks or public stigmatizing for their pacifism.
- Listen and take into consideration the voices of the Israeli pacifists demanding peace and justice.
A friend of ours, a member of the WiB Israel, has written: 'My community knows that our safety and well-being are linked to the well-being of the Palestinian people and their safety. We still refuse to be enemies, and we will continue to build a culture of non-violence, justice and peace'.
Women in Black, Belgrade
Women in Black, Madrid
Madrid, Belgrade, 20th January 2009.
