No to ALL terrorism – against Londoners and Palestinians

July 07, 2005

The terrorist attacks in London have shattered the lives of wholly innocent Londoners who never hurt a Palestinian, an Arab or a Muslim. The Scottish PSC received the email below from Balata Refugee Camp in Nablus, Palestine. Walid was one of the hundreds of victims of Israeli state terrorism we met during the last two weeks in June during the visit of the SPSC Summer '05 Solidarity Delegation to Palestine. His solidarity across continents with the people of London demonstrates the general Palestinian ability to discriminate between the people of Britain and our government's support for the arch-terrorist Ariel Sharon. The Israeli Army deliberately kills Palestinians, including children, routinely during the current 'peace process'

"Dear Friends,

I am shocked about the terrorist attacks which happened in London this morning, it is a real tragedy. Once I heard the news my memory start going over you all, wondering and pray to God to hear that you are all safe and well, as well as I hope all your families and friends are safe and fine. I am sending my comfort to all the families and the friend who lost a dear member or a friend in this ugly terrorist anarchy. I don’t have much to say but I know the feeling of loosing a dear relative or a friend during terrorist events from the enemy of peace. I am sharing you the sadness of the loss of two teenagers here, one was killed and the other one injured seriously in his head in Balata camp last night; who knows when he will pass away but God; (as a result of) one of the often shooting night in the camp. Sincerely, Walid Abdelhadi"

We share the grief of the victims, and the friends and relatives of the victims, of the never-ending terrorism against the Palestinians and the shocking new terrorism against Londoners.

The Scottish Palestine Solidarity Campaign utterly condemns those who have taken a leaf out of Blair and Bush's book by killing wholly innocent civilians, this time in London. Tony Blair, for his part, has never found it in his heart to condemn Israel's endless crimes against the Palestinian people. Indeed he has repeated again and again his solidarity with the perpetrators of these crimes, including Ariel Sharon.

The savage crimes of Israel and the US, supported by Britain, have hardened the hearts of those who exploded bombs in the London transport system yesterday. The ethnic cleansing of the Palestinian people and the uncounted deaths in Iraq are making the world a very dangerous place indeed. If we are to end and prevent terrorism against innocent citizens of this country, we must end our government's support for state terrorism by Israel and the US. 

For the moment we must all stand firm against ALL terrorism, whether the kind which Tony Blair condemns or the much more common examples of state terrorism which he endorses. That, after all, is what separates ordinary, decent people from hypocrites.

It is necessary, but not enough, to oppose terrorism : we have to deal with the initial crimes and despair which breeds terrorism. We must end the horror of a world in which tens of thousands die each day of preventable hunger and disease, where Israel's iron heel forces the Palestinians deeper into its man-made hell, where Fallujah, Iraq is turned to the same kind of rubble as hundreds of Palestinian homes and villages.