From: Ismail Zayid
To: Guardian Weekly

Sent: Friday, January 19, 2001 5:07 PM

Subject: Unchallenged Oppression

 

The Editor
The Guardian Weekly

Jan. 19, 2001

Dear Editor:

Ewen MacAskill’s compelling account {"Building unbearable lives" Jan 18-24} catalogues truthfully a litany of Israel’s oppressive practices against Palestinians, including demolition of their homes, expropriation of their land, humiliation and blatant racism. What is more surprising than Israeli refusal to terminate its illegal occupation of Palestinian land, is that it has remained unchallenged by the so-called leader of the ‘free world’, the US, and its acquiescent allies, Britain, Europe, Canada ,amongst others. This illegal occupation, and the oppressive practices that go with it, has remained for 33 years, in defiance of international law, Security Council resolutions and the Fourth Geneva Convention. These countries brag about upholding international legitimacy and the UN Charter, yet remain completely silent on this score. However, when Iraq illegally occupied Kuwait, it was immediately met by a war, that devastated that country, and economic sanctions that continue, ten years later, to starve and murder its men women and children. War is not the solution for the Palestine conflict. What is called for is effective political action by those who claim to uphold international law.

Is there a limit to this hypocrisy and double standards, and how long must Israel be allowed to remain above international law?

Yours Sincerely

Ismail Zayid, MD.