Sangat – A South Asian Feminist Network | Secretariat
13 June 2024
As a South Asian Feminist Network, Sangat stands in solidarity with the Palestinian people. We, the women of South Asia, strongly condemn the barbaric genocide in Palestine that the Israeli state continues with impunity. The devastating death toll in Palestine is inhuman, unforgivable, and unjustifiable. Each horrific image and news report coming out of Gaza, Rafah, and the West Bank breaks our hearts. We mourn the loss of all innocent lives caught in this brutal conflict. Sangat, a feminist network, the feminist voice of South Asia, urgently calls for an end to this aggression. We demand a permanent ceasefire and an end to genocide, and occupation. We stand in unwavering solidarity with the Palestinian struggle for liberation.
The horrific and inhumane conditions in Gaza leave us heartbroken and outraged. We recognize the immense pain and anger of Palestinians who face Israel’s deadly and dehumanizing colonial occupation. Since the tragic events of October 7, the death toll has risen relentlessly. While 1,170 Israelis were killed, the actions of the Palestinian resistance must be seen in the context of years of atrocities in Gaza. Israel’s brutal response has resulted in over 37,000 Palestinian deaths, with the violence persisting for eight months. In Gaza, a child is killed or wounded every 10 minutes, over 10,000 women have died, and 250 Palestinians are killed daily. 84 percent of health facilities and 62 percent of homes are destroyed. Despite an International Court of Justice order to halt attacks, Israel continues its deadly raids on Rafah, where half of Gaza’s 2.3 million people have sought refuge. Supported by Western allies, Israel uses starvation as a weapon of war. Innocent babies, children, and women are killed in what can only be described as a living slaughterhouse, with severe restrictions on essentials. Palestinians are treated as less than human, in complete violation of their rights.
We are appalled and deeply concerned by the continued support of various heads of state for the Prime Minister of Israel. Our collective response to the October 7 massacre has tethered us to an Israeli prime minister who serves only his personal interests and those of the fringe groups in his coalition government. Before the airstrikes in Rafah, both the US and Israel threatened anyone who attempted to halt their megalomaniac killing spree of Palestinians on their own land. Netanyahu had the audacity to term the Rafah strike a “tragic mistake.” When will this tyrant, Netanyahu, be held accountable for the lies that have led to the deaths of thousands of innocents? After supporting the massive death and destruction in Palestine, the American president finally said there needed to be a ceasefire. What an irony! However, Israel continues to ignore world opinion while its Western allies still support the genocide with trillions of dollars of financial and political backing, flouting the ICJ ruling.
We call for an immediate and permanent ceasefire and freedom for Palestine. With 145 countries recognizing a Palestinian state, we stand firmly with this global consensus. Palestinians have endured decades of Israeli settler colonial violence. The Israeli state’s blockade and siege of Gaza over the past seventeen years have created a system of apartheid, forcing millions to live as refugees in numerous countries. The current targeting and bombing of Rafah, Palestinian civilians, their homes, schools, and hospitals is the culmination of a Zionist strategy aimed at totally expelling Palestinians from their homeland. We stand against the loss of civilian lives in any conflict and extend our deepest sympathies to the grieving families on both sides. This horror needs to be stopped.
Sangat stands strongly against this heinous genocide. How long do we have to see this bloody Zionist rampage? Our feminist struggle for social justice, equality, human rights, and peace includes the right to self-determination for all people. We again share our solidarity with Palestine and join our Palestinian sisters, brothers, and allies worldwide in condemning the ongoing genocidal war against the Palestinian people. We demand an immediate end to the war and a permanent ceasefire, an end to the impunity enjoyed by the Israeli government, and accountability for those responsible for these atrocities. We also call for the protection of activists and students advocating for peace and freedom for Palestine. We are united in our demand for a free, independent Palestine.
We stand with Palestine. The time for change is now!
Leave a Reply