Palestinians in Gaza are not pawns in SCAF’s chess match

(CHICAGO 09/11/2013) – Since the Egyptian military deposed duly elected President Mohamed Morsi in July, Egypt’s actions toward Palestinians have digressed to create an atmosphere of discrimination, brutality and ruthlessness. The American Muslims for Palestine, a national education and advocacy organization, reminds the international community that the Palestinians in Gaza have nothing to do with the internal struggles in Egypt and asserts the Egyptian military should not try to bolster its relationship with Israel by further oppressing the Palestinian people. 

Specifically, AMP condemns the creation of a “buffer zone” along the border with Gaza, which will entrench and strengthen Israel’s siege on the 1.7 million Palestinians living there. The siege contravenes international law that prohibits collective punishment and that guarantees all people’s right to a quality of life and to freedom of movement and access to medical care, among other things. 

We are also concerned about how the Egyptian state media, emboldened by support from some elements of the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank, are demonizing Palestinians in Gaza and making them scapegoats for the unrest, chaos and violence currently gripping Egypt. The media also is intimating that similar violence could spread into Gaza, which would serve to further undermine the security of the Palestinians there and heighten their already vulnerable position. Gaza provides strategic national security for the Egyptian people and therefore the ruling powers of Egypt should ensure that Palestinians in Gaza are able to establish a secure, humane and high quality of life.

AMP is calling upon President Barack Obama, Secretary of State John Kerry, Congress and the international community to remind the Egyptian junta government of its obligations under international law to ease the suffering of the Palestinian people by refusing to cooperate with Israel’s siege. It is imperative that Egypt stops punishing the Palestinians and re-open the Rafah border crossing to allow Palestinians the basic human right of freedom of movement. The democratic dreams of the Egyptian revolution must not be sold out and trampled along with human rights of neighboring Palestinians by an overzealous military seemingly eager to consolidate its grip on power. 

AMP is also demanding the Egyptian military allow Palestinian fishermen to fish close to Egypt’s borders, and to cease construction of the buffer zone.