Facebook

April 15th, 2011                                                                                                                               

A Message From Italian NGO Workers In Palestine Following The Murder Of Vittorio Arrigoni

We are living as if in a nightmare. As often happens here in Palestine, when we feel that the worst has already happened, we realize that a new horror has occurred following the brutal murder of Juliano Mer Khamis in Jenin. 

We express our sincere condolences with Vittorio’s family, his friends and companions in the International  Solidarity Movement and with all the people who have known him during the past years, when he was serving as a focal point for all of us in Gaza.

In December 2008, during the Israeli military assault on the people of Gaza ("Operation Cast Lead"), Vittorio was the only one among the Italians who took the decision to remain in the Gaza Strip and stay with the people, as the Israeli army was killing over 1400 Palestinians in less than a month. Throughout the past years he has carried out his daily solidarity work with great humanity and responsibility, protecting the people of Gaza who suffer from the collective punishment and the illegal and inhumane siege imposed upon them by the Israeli government. Moreover, Vittorio did an exceptional job of documenting the daily human rights violations of the Palestinian population, as well as physically supporting the fishermen and farmers in Gaza, who are restricted from fishing and working their lands.

Many vigils will take place today, both in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, to commemorate the memory of Vittorio and to demand that legality be restored in Gaza, as well as wishing for a fair peace and the cessation of the brutal siege imposed on the civilian population for the past 4 years.

We stand on the side of the Palestinians and we also thank them for their heartfelt solidarity expressed during these difficult hours. The voiceless people of Gaza are the main victims of this tragedy as they lost a friend and a vocal advocate of their rights.

We urge the public not to make the trivial equation, misleading and counterproductive, between Palestinians, terrorists, Islam and fundamentalism. Such an effort in truly understanding and analyzing what the situation is the only way left to remember Vittorio's legacy, as he showed us through his work and unconditional solidarity that humanity stands above any sort of discrimination arising from religious, cultural and political differences. We also urge all the authorities in charge in the Gaza Strip to shed light on this incident.

We expect the international community to do everything in its power to see that this tragedy is not being used for the justification of another Israeli aggression on the civilians in the Gaza Strip.

We strongly believe, now more than ever, in the importance of standing beside the people of Gaza and not leaving them alone in their prison, being the victims of both Israeli military attacks as well as internal fighting among militant groups.

Italian NGOs will maintain their presence and efforts in the Gaza Strip like they have been doing for a long time, aiming at responding to the needs of its population and strengthening their links with civil society organizations. These organizations are fighting daily for dignity and human rights, promoting peace and international solidarity values just as Vittorio has been doing during the last years of his life.

STAY HUMAN.