June 12, 2006

Press Release

Solidarity With Palestinian People: Call To Raise Funds

The Central Committee in its meeting held on June 8-10, 2006 at Hyderabad has issued the following appeal:

The Palestinian people are facing a serious assault on their basic rights and livelihood.  Ever since the elections in February, 2006 when Hamas won a majority in the parliament and formed the government, Israel has stopped the funds amounting to $50 million per month to the Palestinian Authority, which was their legitimate dues from customs duties and taxes.  The USA and the European Union also stopped their financial assistance.

The people in the West Bank and Gaza are being literally starved  to punish them for exercising their democratic right to choose their government. Without money to pay salaries to government employees and normal business and trade coming to a standstill, this is nothing but an illegal and immoral financial blockade.

The Israeli government continues with its annexationist plans in the West Bank by building the security wall – an act which the International Court of Justice has declared to be illegal and violative of international law.  In Gaza and the West Bank, Israeli armed forces are incessantly conducting attacks with missiles and gunships, killing innocent civilians and undertaking targeted assassinations.

In such a situation, when the Indian government is underplaying our support to the Palestinian cause and continuing with the previous BJP-led government’s priority to maintain strategic ties with Israel, it is all the more necessary to mobilize popular support in support of the Palestinian people.

As a gesture of solidarity with the Palestinian people, the Central Committee calls upon all its Party units to collect funds that can be sent to Palestine for aiding the people in this difficult period. We appeal to all citizens to donate generously to this fund.

The collection should be only in the form of money and not materials.  Drafts and cheques can be in the name of Communist Party of India (Marxist).  They should be sent to the following address:

A K Gopalan Bhawan

27-29, Bhai Vir Singh Marg

New Delhi – 10 0011