4th June 2010
President Barack Obama
President of The United States of America
White House, Washington
Mr. President,
MEMORANDUM TO THE GOVERNMENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
From Pakatan Rakyat and NGOs of Malaysia in respect of the attack on the “Mavi Marmara” and the Gaza Freedom Flotilla on 31 May 2010 On 31st of May 2010, Israeli military forces attacked the Gaza Freedom flotilla comprising 6 ships containing over 600 peace activists from 37 countries including 12 Malaysians killing 9 Turkish and a Turkish born American on the “Mavi Marmara” and wounding at least 60 of them. This attack by Israeli forces took place in international waters and has been universally condemned as a blatant criminal act in contravention of international law.
The Gaza Freedom Flotilla was in no way a threat to stability and peace to the region. Their objective was only to provide basic humanitarian assistance to the more than a million of besieged Palestinians in desperate need of food and medical supplies and to draw international attention to what was considered as an illegal and oppressive blockade of Gaza by Israel.
The United Nations, the European Union, and countries including Turkey, Sweden, Greece, France, Kuwait and Malaysia, whose citizens were on board the flotilla, have all condemned the Israeli attack.
We are appalled and deeply disappointed by your weak and inadequate response on the matter. Merely expressing deep regret for the loss of life and saying it was important to understand the facts and circumstances is a tepid and one-sided response reminiscent of statements issued by the previous Bush administration. Asking the Israeli government to conduct “a full and credible investigation” comes across as either dangerously naïve or willfully cynical. Such statements undermine the credibility of the Obama administration globally.
The weak US response will reinforce the perception that it is parroting the Israeli government’s narrative and sends an implicit and dangerous message of support for the Israeli blockade. You, in your Ankara and Cairo speeches a year ago distanced yourself from policies of the Bush administration, set out a different vision and reached out to the Muslim world as no president had done before. Now however, the United States is seen to be walking in lock-step stride with the most right wing government that Israel has seen in years.
We urge the government of the United States to take into account the strong sentiments of Malaysians on the Palestinian question. You will be aware that because of such sentiments, Malaysia has to date no formal ties with the state of Israel. We bring to your attention the strong bi-partisan resolution unanimously passed in a special emergency session of the Malaysian Parliament on 12 January 2009 after continuous attacks on Gaza by Israel causing the loss of over 1300 Palestinian lives, including many women and children. A copy of that resolution is appended.
We further urge you and the Government of the United States to recognize that Hamas is the democratically elected government in Gaza and is as such a necessary and major player in any negotiations towards a sustainable settlement of the Palestinian question.
We ask you to recognize that the blockade against Gaza has devastated its infrastructure and people and created a humanitarian and human health disaster which has contributed to the emergence of radical groups which reject a peaceful solution to the Palestinian issue.
We call on you, the President, and the Government of the United States to :
1) Take a clear position condemning the violence inflicted on the Free Gaza Flotilla and also call for an end to the blockade of Gaza.
2 ) Ensure that an international independent inquiry is held under the auspices of the UN Security Council into the Israeli attack on the Free Gaza Flotilla to establish the full facts and circumstances of the attack – this inquiry cannot be left to the Israeli government to conduct if it is to be credible.
3) Recognize that the United States is the country that can take the lead decisively and broker the breaking of the deadlock and the siege of Gaza.
4) Initiate immediate steps to bring all parties to the negotiating table for resolution of the prolonged conflict and in particular the siege of Gaza.
5) Suspend all existing economic and military aid to the state of Israel as a means to bring Israel and all other stakeholders to the negotiating table and to resolve this prolonged conflict in the Middle East.
Thank you.
Yours sincerely,
Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim
Opposition Leader, Parliament of Malaysia
Party Leader, Parti Keadilan Rakyat (KEADILAN)
Lim Kit Siang
Advisor, Democratic Action Party (DAP) Head of DAP Members of Parliament
Nasharudin Mat Isa
Deputy President, The Islamic Party of Malaysia (PAS)
Sumber: Suara Keadilan
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