Scottish Friends of Palestine أصدقاء فلسطين الأسكتلنديين

Press Release 31 May 2011

Scottish Friends of Palestine welcomes the initiative taken by Egypt, the resolve of the Egyptian people, to end the collaboration with Israel and start the process of allowing the Palestinian residents of the Gaza Strip to travel freely into Egypt. It is a much welcome development in which we hope, eventually, to see trade and free passage of goods flourish. We also hope that the accounts of Palestinian deprivation, the deaths of children and adults arising from the denial of access to medical treatment by the Israeli occupation authorities and by the previous Egyptian regime, in collusion with Israel, will now cease. We now hope that the occupation authorities will end their odious practice of using access to medical treatment as a lever to recruit collaborators from amongst the Palestinian community in the Gaza Strip.

Scottish Friends of Palestine note the reservations of the state of Israel with regard to the relative freedom now accorded to the people of Gaza. We note that Israel now seems to believe that its “security” is somehow under threat by Egypt’s actions. The reality is that only when Israel decides to emulate Egypt and lift its four year barbaric, mediaeval siege of the Gaza Strip will the security of all people in the region start to improve. Ultimately the complete freedom of the Palestinian people, the recognition of their rights, is the only recipe for lasting peace in the region.

Scottish Friends of Palestine is a firm advocate of the total boycott of all Israeli institutions, academic and cultural bodies and Israeli products – until as such times that the Israeli state ceases to boycott the rights of the Palestinian people, and international law as it pertains to the Palestinian people. Visit www.easi-piesi.org to find out what you can do.