Amnesty Call for Immediate Ceasefire in Gaza

 

 JOIN AMNESTY'S CALL FOR AN IMMEDIATE CEASEFIRE TO END CIVILIAN SUFFERING
 

Hi Christopher!

Today, I am sending you an urgent plea on behalf of the millions of civilians caught in the devastating conflict in the occupied Gaza Strip and Israel.

Over the past three weeks, we have witnessed an escalation of violence that has resulted in a catastrophic humanitarian crisis. More than 2 million people in Gaza are struggling to survive amidst unprecedented devastation. Over 6,546 individuals have lost their lives in Gaza, and at least 1,400 in Israel. Thousands more are injured, and over 200 have been taken hostage. Civilians, including children, are paying the highest price, and we cannot stand by silently.

Today, Amnesty International is issuing an urgent call for an immediate ceasefire by all parties involved in this conflict. The cessation of violence is crucial to end the immense suffering of civilians and to ensure access to life-saving aid. Join us by signing our global petition.

TAKE ACTION NOW
The impending ground offensive by Israeli forces threatens to have cataclysmic consequences for the civilians in Gaza. Civilians in Israel also continue to face the threat of indiscriminate rocket fire. An immediate ceasefire is the most effective way to protect civilians and facilitate the delivery of urgent humanitarian aid.

I want to share a message from an Amnesty fieldworker in Khan Younis in Gaza:

“We work amid ongoing, ceaseless bombardment and [we] ask about the most deadly cases where civilians and displaced people were killed. I meet with those who have lost their entire families, women, children, and the elderly. Under these dangerous conditions, we are the only ones still working on the ground to document violations and war crimes.”
 

In these trying times, your support is more crucial than ever. Our researchers, many of whom are from the region and have lost family members in the conflict, are working around the clock to shed light on and stop devastating human rights violations in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories.

We urge you to make a donation to Amnesty International today. Your contribution will be doubled and 100% of your gift will enable us to continue our vital work on the ground, documenting human rights violations, exposing war crimes, and advocating for accountability and justice. Your donation will be 2X matched until midnight.

YES, I SUPPORT AMNESTY'S WORK IN GAZA!
Christopher, your immediate support is vital. Please consider donating to Amnesty International today.

In hope and solidarity,

Ketty Nivyabandi, Secretary General

Amnesty International Canada

P.S. The situation is urgent, and every moment counts. Please, make your donation now and 2X your support for our crucial work in Gaza. Help bring an end to this humanitarian catastrophe. Together, we can make a difference!

             
DONATE NOW
Amnesty International Canada
312 Laurier Ave E, Ottawa, ON K1N 1H9

1-800-266-3789 | members@amnesty.ca

 

 

Dear Christopher,

Thank you for your generous gift to Amnesty International's Burton Human Rights Impact Fund.

Your donation will be doubled and will help ensure that today's human rights challenges and crises do not go unaddressed.

You can download the official receipt for your donation as a printable pdf.

war on children - Avaaz petition

 

The streets of Palestine and Israel are drenched in blood, tears, and heartbreak. Now hundreds of thousands of children in Gaza were given 24 hours to flee their homes... or face death. It’s an all out war on children. ENOUGH! Let’s demand an immediate international shield to protect innocent children from this horror before more are attacked, or even worse…slaughtered.
 

JOIN THE CALL
Dear friends,
This is personal for me. I’ve seen friends in Gaza shellshocked, searching for loved ones amidst the debris, recovering lifeless little bodies. The cries of families in Israel, reeling from the horrors perpetrated by Hamas, are just as haunting.

And it's about to get worse. Israel announced that hundreds of thousands of children in Gaza have only 24 hours to evacuate their homes ... or face death.

What’s needed to end this atrocious child abuse is a deal where Hamas releases the children and families it's holding hostage, in parallel with Israel freeing the Palestinian children it’s imprisoned, and halting its military assault on schools and areas populated with kids.

This is where our movement can help pull back the war machine. Let’s ignite an unprecedented global outcry demanding key leaders from the US, Qatar, Turkey and Germany use their influence on Israel and Hamas to save the children on both sides.
Add your name, be these children’s shield
Key leaders are trying to negotiate with Israel and Hamas, and sources tell us massive public pressure from people around the world will help them move both sides to save these kids.

This is the most important call a global community like ours can make right now to save innocent lives caught in the crossfire.

Our movement will have to be louder than the drums of war.

The truth is it takes courage to take a stand on this issue. Both the Israeli government’s brutal apartheid policies and Hamas’s inhumane attack are responsible for this round of carnage. The world’s governments' continued collective silence about the decades-long war crimes inflicted on the children of Palestine makes them complicit.

Families in Palestine and Israel yearn for their children’s safety. Avaaz means 'voice'. We've always believed that silence can be a deadly ally to oppression. Our voices now matter more than ever. Help us build that massive wake up call: add your name now! We’ll make it deafening in key capitals, and take it directly to leaders who can act now.
Add your name, be these children’s shield
We’re already in the room with the key actors negotiating between both sides - but they won’t act unless a tsunami of voices from across the world makes this demand more deafening than the bombs falling on Gaza. Our movement has the power to help save the lives of these kids, let’s make sure we use every bit of that power before it’s too late.

With hope and courage,

Fadi, with Christoph, Alice, John, Mo and the rest of the Avaaz team
 

More information:

Palestinians flee northern Gaza after Israel orders 1 million to evacuate as ground attack looms (AP)
Israel announces 6-hour window for Gazans fleeing south, as troops gather near border (CNN)
What is Hamas, and what’s happening in Israel and Gaza? A really simple guide (BBC)
When a family dies under Israel’s bombs, part of Gaza’s history disappears (Al Jazeera)

Avaaz is a 70-million-person global campaign network that works to ensure that the views and values of the world's people shape global decision-making. ("Avaaz" means "voice" or "song" in many languages.) Avaaz members live in every nation of the world; our team is spread across 18 countries on 6 continents and operates in 17 languages. Learn about some of Avaaz's biggest campaigns here, or follow us on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram.
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27 Union Square West
Suite 500
New York, NY 10003

river wading spirit deer

old man
on a rock ledge
by long rapids

rapids roar
sends memories
floating

upriver a shadow
emerges from brush
a doe drinks

the doe wades midstream
stops to wind scent

old man watches
reminiscing decades
of wading this sacred river

the doe moves
wades the shallow river
to the far bank

doe climbs ashore
walks a few yards
reenters the cool water

old man has never
witnessed a deer
aimlessly wading like himself

many minutes pass
the doe disappears
behind a far bend

 

Deer are herbivores. Sort of like very large rabbits or very skinny cows. There was no logical reason for the deer to wade around aimlessly in the river for at least ten or fifteen minutes. The riverbed is scoured with troughs and ledges. If the old man were to slip - which he has done and torn his big toe ligament - he will recover. If the deer were to slip and damage her delicate legs, it would be a death sentence for her.  

 

My friend Doug, who is a professional nature videographer, says it's too bad I didn't have a video camera to record this scene (better than bad haikuish*).      

*At one of the early meetings of Haiku Canada at Eric Amann's apartment one of us asked a respected visiting Japanese haijin what the Japanese call poetry which looks like haiku, but isn't - "haikuish"!

Passing of the Jungle: poem by Morley Ellis

 
I nurture struggling creatures.
Endangered!  Trying to survive.
In a fertile environment,  they thrive, and begin to multiply.
I watch them, getting nothing in return.
Then one day as I grow weak, their coils embrace me.
Hold me close, and comfort me as I cross over.