Festival of Dignified Rage Condemns Israeli Attack on Gaza

From the Festival of Dignified Rage, the organizations, collectives, and individual participants strongly condemn the horrendous massacre perpetrated by the Israeli military against the civilian population of the Gaza Strip on December 27th of this year, resulting in hundreds of injured and dead people, the majority civilians.  This crime represents a dangerous increase in the permanent holocaust that is committed against the Palestinian people with United States financing and the world's enabling, hypocritical, and disgraceful silence.

The biggest Israeli air attack in the past 40 years, carried out with F-16 planes and Apache helicopters supplied by the United States, was announced beforehand by the Israeli Minister of Foreign Affairs Tzipi Livni, who stated on December 9 that the Israeli army should carry out a large-scale military offensive in Gaza in retaliation for that which she described as "the violation of the truce."

The operation against Hamas "is just beginning," said Avi Benayahu, one of the Israeli military's spokespersons, while Israel's Minister of Defense, Ehud Barak, declared that the attacks would continue for "as long as necessary," and alluded to an imminent land invasion carried out by the military.

As always, Israel presents itself as the victim that demands the right of self-defense against terrorism, and the corporate media promotes the lie that the slaughter was in response to the Hamas party's launching of Qassam missiles.  In reality these missiles are symbolic and almost never cause Israeli victims.  In fact, during the recent truce from June 19 to December 19, the Palestinians in Gaza didn't kill a single Israeli civilian, while Israel killed 49 Palestinians.  The argument of self-defense against terrorism is also used to justify the merciless blockade which began in January 2006 immediately after Hamas won the legislative elections.

Their goal?  Punish the Palestinians in Gaza for having elected a government that is unacceptable for Israel.  Thanks to this effort to starve to death Gaza inhabitants, the hospitals don't have the necessary medicine, medical supplies, electricity, potable water, or food to care for the wounded.  While the world leaders criticize Hamas' provocations, they limit themselves to criticizing Israel's "disproportional use of force."  However, the ferocity of this latest slaughter has provoked the rage of hundreds of thousands of people who are holding marches and rallies in many parts of the world.

Due to all of the above, we manifest our dignified rage against this genocidal attack against Gaza and we call upon the international community to resist the military offensive and exercise continual pressure on the Israeli government in order to stop the crimes against the Palestinian people.

NO TO THE MILITARY ATTACKS AGAINST GAZA!
NO TO THE STARVATION BLOCKADE!
NO TO POLITICAL AND FINANCIAL SUPPORT TO ISRAEL!
LONG LIVE THE PALESTINIAN PEOPLE AND THEIR DIGNIFIED RESISTANCE!

Translated by Kristin Bricker.