AN OPEN LETTER TO THE GOVERNMENTS OF ISRAEL, THE UNITED STATES, AND THE WORLD

We are an international group of artists, activists, academics and others who are deeply concerned with both the recent horrific violence in the Gaza Strip and the ongoing brutal siege and occupation that provide the context of the atrocities.

We call on the Israeli government to end the occupation of all territory conquered in 1967 and to lift fully and unconditionally the crippling siege of Gaza. A blockade is an act of war, and by preventing an occupied people from receiving food and medical supplies, Israel not only violates the ceasefire but also breaches the Fourth Geneva Convention, which prohibits collective punishment of civilian populations.

We call on all governments of conscience to hold Israel accountable for the war crimes and the crimes against humanity that have been perpetrated, with US support, against the captive population of Gaza.

We furthermore call on our own respective governments to boycott Israeli products and institutions and to divest from Israeli companies and other companies that profit from Israels policy of occupation until Israel complies with international law. We call on the United Nations to apply sanctions if Israel refuses to comply, as the UN would do with any other rogue state.

We especially demand that the US Government stop aid to Israel, particularly the 3 billion dollars of annual military aid, until Israel ends completely its policies of occupation and collective punishment of the millions of Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank. Since the US Government claims special friendship with Israel, the US Government has special responsibility regarding Israels breaches of international law.

We fervently beseech the new Obama administration to do everything in its power to prevent such devastation as we have witnessed in Gaza from ever happening again, and to bring an end to the ongoing siege, occupation, violence and massacre that have brought such tremendous suffering to the people of the West Bank and Gaza.