Below is a first series of statements on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, mostly from Mindanao, home to a large Muslim community.
Source: Statements on Palestine
Associations (Mindanao): Statement on the recent attacks and counter-attacks between Israel and Hamas
Right to Self-Determination for Palestine!
End the Occupation Now!
As long as the root cause is not addressed violence, deaths, attacks, counter-attacks and destruction causing heavier and far reaching human, financial, emotional and psychological costs will continue. The occupation of Israel over the Palestinian territory must come to an end and let the Palestinians shape their self-determined future.
Globally known yet denied by the global powers that everyday for the last 75 years the Palestinians live with humiliations, destructions, killings, harassment and other inhumane acts regardless of age and gender by the Israeli government and State sponsored settlements. Condemning violence caused by Hamas militants while being silent to the abuses caused by the Israeli government for decades is the highest form of hypocrisy.
Supported by several global superpowers the Israel government has made Gaza Strip into an open-air prison subjecting the population to daily violent offenses, blockading food and basic necessities necessary for humanitarian survival, even the sacred places and settlements of the Palestinians are desecrated and destroyed of which mostly affected are the children, women and the elderly civilians.
The October 7, 2023 counter-attack of the Hamas to the Israeli state was unfortunately equally violent especially to Israeli civilians that was also worth denouncing. However, it set a clear message that Israel’s state-sponsored violence inflicted to the Palestinians must end and the need for just and democratic resolution to the political question on the Right to Self-Determination of the Palestinians and among other fundamentals of the International Law and Human Rights which should be observed and fulfilled without exemptions.
Anywhere in the world where smaller nations are occupied and abused will certainly find ways to send their statement of dissents and resistance against the bigger and oppressive nations. The same with the Non-Moro Indigenous Peoples in the Bangsamoro region in Southern Philippines whose right to self-governance is continuously denied and the ancestral domains are aggressively and forcefully occupied by bigger nations including the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) led Bangsamoro. The Right to Self-Determination and Defense of bigger nations must not (disregard) trample the same right to self-determination of the smaller nations.
Instead of democratically looking into solutions, global powers massively aligned to the genocidal declaration of the Israeli government against the Palestinians. We must oppose this position! War and bombings are not only destructive to humans and properties but also to the environment, adding to the intensified climate crisis the human race is facing.
The occupation and assaults must immediately come to an end! All Palestinian masses must collectively resist and should be supported by the international allies. Peace and human rights loving Israelis must shout and work harder for sustainable efforts in uniting with the Palestinian masses.
Israel must end its food and economic blockade and the international community must demand the same. Thus, humanitarian corridors must be in-placed for the international humanitarian responses which can only be possible by the mutually agreed declaration of ceasefire by all parties involved.
We demand an immediate cessation of violence and the dehumanizing actions of the Israeli state against the Palestinian population in Gaza, West Bank and East Jerusalem.
There are already three Filipinos who died in this senseless war and many still were caught up in the crossfire and or have become hostages. We demand the Philippine government to do all means to locate and identify the condition of the Filipino migrant workers both in Israel and Palestine. Of the same demand, the Philippine government must ensure a comprehensive plan for the safety of the Filipinos in the two countries. We expect it would be a long and bloody war. We therefore call for Filipinos in Israel, numbering around 30,000, to work with the Philippine Embassy to find and locate bombing shelters for their safety. For those in the Gaza Strip numbering around 130 migrant Filipinos, we call on the Philippine government to send representatives in this area, to help our citizens find safer grounds or for their immediate repatriations/evacuations. Gaza Strip under the Hamas governance does not have bomb shelters. So, we call for immediate actions by the concerned agencies for their safety and well-being.
Signed,
Alliance of the Tri-People for the Advancement of Human Rights (ALTAHR)
Lanao Alliance of Human Rights Advocates (LAHRA)
Alyansa ng mga Mamamayan para sa Karapatang Pantao (AMKP)
Multi-Stakeholders Initiatives for Humanitarian Actions against Disasters (MIHANDS)
Tri-People Organization against Disasters (TRIPOD) Foundation
International Institute for Research and Education (IIRE) - Manila
MindaNow
Alyansa ng Kabataang Mindanao para sa Kaoayapaan (AKMK)
Ranaw Women and Children Resource Center (RWCRC)
LABAN Kababaihan!
Timuay Justice and Governance (TJG)
Kilusang Maralita sa Kanayunan
Mindanao Tri-People Women Resource Center (MTWRC)
Mindanao Peoples’ Peace Movement - Lanao del Sur and Marawi City Cluster
The Unica Post (TUP) - MSU Marawi City
Kaagapay OFW Resource and Service Center
Guild of Advocates for Humanity’s Optimal Mending (GAHOM) - Marawi City
Mindanao Peoples’ Peace Movement - Maguindanao and Cotabato Cluster
Association of Polictica Science Students (APSS) - MSU Marawi City
Sumpay Mindanao
Junior Diplomats Club (JDC)- MSU Marawi City
Lanao Fisheries Advocacy Network (LFAN)
English Major’s Society (EMS) - MSU Marawi City
Inged Fintailan
Teduray and Lambangian Youth and Students Association (TLYSA)
In Defence of Human Rights and Dignity Movement (iDefend) - Iligan City
AgroEco Federation of Lanao del Norte
Life on Aquatic and Marine Fisheries Center for Community Development (LAFCCOD)
Mindanao Peoples’ Peace Movement - LANIMOOC Cluster
Kalye Trees Youth Organization (KTYO) - Agusan del Sur
Mindanao Peoples’ Peace Movement - Caraga Region
Interfaith Movement for Peace (IMovePeace) of Mindanao
Philippine Alliance of Human Rights Advocates (PAHRA)
Liga ng Makabagong Kabataan (LMK)
Mindanao Tri-People Women Forum (MTWF)
Kahugpungan sa mga Mag-uuma ug Mangingisda sa Zamboanga del Sur (KAMAGMASUR)
Nagkahiusang Anak sa mga Mag-uuma alang sa Kalambuan (NAMAK)
Mindanao Peoples’ Peace Movement - Katawhang Migrante Council
United Society of Bold and Wise (USBAW) LGBTQ+ - Tigbao
Iligan Youth Advocates for Development (IYAD)
Sibagat Ecumenical Churches Association (SECA)
October 13, 2023
Mindanao, Philippines
Political Science student of Marawi City campus MSU
Statement on Palestine Crisis released last Nov 2, 2023 from Political Science student of Marawi City campus MSU
The Association of Political Science Students of Mindanao State University-Main Campus, founded on the principles of justice, freedom, and commitment to the non-negotiability of the right to life, vehemently condemns the continued war crimes and crimes against humanity committed by the state of Israel towards the Palestinian people. The relentless bombings in the Gaza Strip, the attacks on innocent civilian populations, and the killings in the occupied West Bank and in East Jerusalem are a testament to the inhumane and despicable acts of injustice that the state of Israel is morally culpable. The 75 years of history of the crisis is the history of the displacement, disenfranchisement, and oppression of the Palestinians since the Nakba or the Palestinian Catastrophe in 1948 until the present-day occupation constituting the ramifications of today’s catastrophe.
While “wars have limits” is the banner of International Humanitarian Law, the deliberate blockade in Gaza by Israel that cut the area from access to humanitarian aid, the use of excessive force which is clearly disproportionality, and the recent air strikes that targeted hospitals and place of worship that took the lives of many civilians are clear violations and disrespect to the covenant of international law that states have to uphold in all times. Hence, we condemn the acts of the state of Israel as they constitute war crimes.
We are equally frustrated with the appalling inaction and apathy of the United Nations, if not the international community, towards the humanitarian crisis in Palestine. The failure of the UN Security Council to pass the many resolutions calling for a ceasefire and immediate humanitarian intervention reflects the selfish geopolitical interests of the hegemonic states undermining the urgency of the humanitarian crisis. We would also express our grave disapproval of the unified support of the Western states to Israel justifying that Israel has the right to defend itself. We cannot recall an occupier with a powerful military capacity who has long committed attacks in East Jerusalem, West Bank, Ramallah, and Gaza Strip to suddenly call for and invoke the right to self-defense when it has been aggressive. The criminal responsibility of Israel is shared by U.S.A. and western allies.
While we don’t support the proliferation of violence, we understand the frustration of the Palestinian people and we believe that efforts to liberate themselves from their oppressors, from the apartheid Israel, is a justified cause. The Palestinians who have long suffered from Israel have no place to go and cannot seek refuge given that Israel blocked them. Palestinians now are in a destitute situation that they either die from the bombings or starvation. The world’s population plays a pivotal role in reshaping this status quo both in the digital and physical world. We call for a continuous campaign to pressure and demand from governments and international bodies for immediate action for a ceasefire, for humanitarian intervention, and to hold Israel accountable to its criminal responsibilities. We call for the International Courts to take the Israel-Gaza incident with urgent matter to investigate.
The APSS believes that the truth can only be freed when we speak and fight for it. With this, we also condemn the mainstream (western) media for romanticizing stories of Israel, changing narratives of the oppressed as radicalism, ignoring the situation of the Palestinians, and altering the truth in favor of the aggressor. Our very own ambassador to the UK posted and deleted on X an abhorrent suggestion of killing innocent children to prevent terrorist radicalization. We condemn this act of Ambassador Locsin as it was simply Islamophobic, unbecoming of a human more than a Filipino, and regrettably, does not represent the values of the Filipino people. Such a narrative is dangerous and cannot be tolerated for whatever excuse given that it came from a powerholder in society.
For over 75 years, systemic answers to this situation have been failing or no answer at all. But now, people will speak for the rightful truth and against the cause that kills the people of Palestine. We call for the international community and the domestic/national and local governments to find effective measures and mechanisms to stop the war and address the crisis.
The struggle of the Palestinians is not far from the struggle of Moros for autonomy, the Palestinians is the rightful owner of their land which was taken from them, they have the right to self-determination as people, and above all, they have the right to live as humans with dignity. With this statement, we hope and encourage individuals to demand justice for the Palestinians and accountability from Israel, for the unjust world systems, and we will never cease talking about Palestine. We will be the alarm clock of those who sleep during injustice. The APSS stands high and firm, in solidarity, with the Palestinian people. We will march and shout, from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free!
#FreePalestine
#EndTheOccupationNow
#IsraelWagingGenocide
#PoliticalNews
#international
#UnitedNations
Mindanao State University - Political Science Society Statement on Israel and Palestine
The MSU-IIT Political Science Society condemns in the strongest terms the genocide that US-backed Israel is committing against the people of Palestine. We mourn the loss of lives and offer solidarity in their fight for their existence. We vehemently condemn the murder of innocent children, women, the elderly, and the general civilian population who have disproportionately received the brunt of the illegal occupation and military attacks by Israel. We condemn the bombings of churches, residences, refugee camps, and hospitals and their medical vehicles and call for a humanitarian corridor to be secured to allow the passage of medical aid and other basic necessities. The blockade imposed by Israel is a collective punishment that no government or any institution should celebrate or, at the very least, support.
While the recent attacks have been magnified, the Palestinian people have long suffered under Israel’s systematic eradication of the Palestinian state. The 75-year-long occupation and militarization should not be isolated from the recent attacks. With this, the MSU-IIT Political Science Society condemns in equal fervor the support of the United States, Britain, and other states that have colluded with the Zionist cause. Since the 1948 Nakba, when hundreds of thousands of Palestinian people were violently expelled from their land, the Israeli government did not just illegally seize control of the Gaza Strip, but other parts of Palestine as well, including the West Bank, where Hamas does not have effective control over. It is unthinkable how the international community sides with an illegal settler colony at the expense of the Palestinians, millions of them are children. While Russia was condemned by the international community for its atrocities, there seems to be a deafening silence, if not deliberate support, for Israel’s violations of international law. In fact, the United States has vetoed over 50 United Nations resolutions against Israel in the past five decades.
With these things in mind, we support the resistance efforts of the Palestinian people in their struggle for national liberation. While no sane person would advocate for violence, we have to understand that there is violent resistance because there is violent oppression. Peaceful means have been exhausted but were met with further violence. For instance, peaceful protests during the 70th commemoration of the Al-Nakba have been met with ammunition, incurring Palestinian deaths and injuries. While the Society is cognizant of the civilian casualties incurred by the attacks of both the Israeli government and Hamas, albeit asymmetrical in magnitude, it is in no position to dictate how the Palestinian people should defend themselves in the face of apartheid. This is not to say, however, that one entity gets to have a free pass on violence. Parties involved should all be tried in the International Court for the crimes they have committed. We dream of a peaceful resolution to this injustice, but how could such be attained in the current, violent crossfire remains in the hands of the watching States and most especially, by Israel, the aggressor.
Notwithstanding, every form of resistance counts. Hence, we urgently call for the following actions:
We call for the international community to take a firm stand in condemning Israel for the Palestinian genocide and to use their platforms to advocate for an immediate ceasefire. We call for an immediate stop to the total blockade imposed by Israel on the Gaza Strip. We call for international institutions and organizations to render their support for the Palestinian cause by any means necessary. Needless to say, we also condemn the Philippine government’s support to Israel, and call for the reevaluation of its relations with the latter, demand for the embodiment of rules-based principles, and encourage its participation in its peaceful resolution. There is no democratic reason to support a colonizer who steals land and indiscriminately murders people who only want to live in the lands where their ancestors are buried. We call for the students and faculty members of MSU-IIT and the wider MSU System to fight for what the institution says it fights for: the right to self-determination and the right of the people to their ancestral lands. It is disheartening that the University is clad in silence when the Palestinian cause should remind us of our collective historical struggle against illegal occupation and massacre.
Palestine has been fighting for the recognition of their state and a place in the international community for decades ever since Israel intruded the peaceful state of Palestine. We, the MSU-IIT Political Science Society, recognize Palestine as an independent state. Palestine rightfully belongs to their land and deserves justice for all lives lost in the prolonged illegal occupation of Israel. Israel must be condemned by International law for all their committed human rights violations. We are hopeful that this statement will contribute to the cause which has received unfair treatment in media coverage and from the rest of the world. May we all witness the coming emancipation of Palestine and until then, we shall sing along with the cry of Liberation, “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free.”
𝗙𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗠𝗶𝗻𝗱𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗼 𝘁𝗼 𝗣𝗮𝗹𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗲, 𝗹𝗼𝗻𝗴 𝗹𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝘀𝗼𝗹𝗶𝗱𝗮𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘆!
𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗦𝗢𝗟𝗨𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡 𝗜𝗦 𝗙𝗥𝗘𝗘𝗗𝗢𝗠, 𝗡𝗢𝗧 𝗙𝗨𝗥𝗧𝗛𝗘𝗥
𝗢𝗖𝗖𝗨𝗣𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡 𝗢𝗙 𝗣𝗔𝗟𝗘𝗦𝗧𝗜𝗡𝗘
• Released on October 23, 2023
https://www.facebook.com/PoliticalScienceSocietyPSS/posts/867531115170787/
Partido Manggagawa
The Partido Manggagawa (PM) joins the world in campaigning for peace and the call for de-escalation of armed hostilities between Palestine and Israel to pave the way for a negotiated, internationally brokered political solution to end this war.
By means of war, Israel has dispossessed the Palestinians of their right to existence as a free country, with their territories effectively occupied and ghettoized by Israeli forces since the 1960s. And this horrific condition suffered continuously by the Palestinian people was also made possible with the imposition of unimaginable forms of repression, including killings and an unjust economic embargo, while the Israeli government continues to enjoy massive military and economic assistance from the US and other Western powers.
The retaliatory campaign to completely siege Gaza by cutting off food, water, and electricity supplies to annihilate “subhuman” Palestinians is not simply out of bounds but downright genocide that needs to be opposed to avert a colossal humanitarian crisis.
We continue to emphasize that the only solution we see for peace to finally reign in this region is for the community of free nations under the United Nations to work together to end Israel’s occupation and endless expansion in Palestinian territories and to guarantee Palestinian freedom. We always believe that this kind of international process can gain momentum if both the Palestinians, the Israeli people, and the whole world demand peace rather than each other’s annihilation under a condition of perpetual war.
We also learned from news reports that some Filipinos went missing and were believed to have been killed in the custody of the Hamas group. We call on the Philippine government to exert all efforts to determine their actual condition and secure their safe release and repatriation.
The Philippines maintains diplomatic relations with Palestine since 1989, thus, working for freedom and peace and preserving mutual respect with each other as independent nations will work better than being torn apart by geo-political alignment and other relations dictated by big powers.
PRESS STATEMENT
Partido Manggagawa
11 October 2023
Ref: Renato Magtubo
Chairperson
* * *
Ceasefire now and humanitarian aid to Gaza towards an end to Israeli occupation
We join the majority of the United Nations and the peoples of the world in campaigning for peace and in calling for an immediate ceasefire to the armed conflict in Gaza to pave the way for a negotiated, internationally brokered political solution to resolve the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.
By means of war, Israel has dispossessed the Palestinians of their right to existence as a free nation, with their territories effectively occupied and ghettoized by Israeli forces since the Nakba of 1948. This horrific condition suffered continuously by the Palestinian people was made possible with the imposition of unimaginable forms of repression, including killings and an unjust economic embargo, while the Israeli government continues to enjoy massive military and economic assistance from the US and other Western powers.
The retaliatory campaign by Israel to completely siege Gaza by cutting off food, water, and electricity supplies to annihilate “subhuman” Palestinians is not simply out of bounds but is downright genocide that needs to be opposed to avert a colossal humanitarian crisis.
We continue to emphasize that the only solution we see for peace to finally reign in this region is for the peoples of the world, along with institutions such as the United Nations, to campaign for an end to Israel’s occupation and continued land grabbing in Palestinian territories, and to guarantee the right to self-determination of the Palestinian people.
The Philippines maintains diplomatic relations with Palestine since 1989, thus working for freedom and peace and preserving mutual respect with each other as independent nations will work better than being torn apart by geo-political alignments and other relations dictated by big powers.
However, we find the vote of abstention to the UN ceasefire resolution by the Philippine government politically reprehensible since a “no position” stand in the face of a glaring state of genocide and humanitarian crisis in Gaza works in favor of imperialist powers who seek for the total extermination of any Palestinian resistance to Israeli occupation.
We therefore demand that the Philippine government reverse its stand in favor of the UN ceasefire resolution as this is the most urgent need at the moment to stop further loss of lives and destruction, facilitate global humanitarian aid to Gaza, and formulate a workable and just solution to end the war.
We likewise call on the Philippine government to exert all efforts to determine the actual condition and secure the safe release and repatriation of Filipinos who reportedly went missing or have been killed in the October 7 attack by Hamas. At least 30,000 Filipinos live in Israel, and 100 live in Gaza Strip, according to reports.
STOP THE WAR ON GAZA!
CEASEFIRE AND HUMANITARIAN AID TO GAZA!
END ISRAELI OCCUPATION OF GAZA AND WESTBANK!
FREEDOM FOR PALESTINE!
November 4, 2023
Partido Manggagawa
• https://partidongmanggagawa2001.blogspot.com
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