Letters For Palestine

Infanticide at Israeli Checkpoints

Background
  • Israel runs many Hundreds of Checkpoints throughout the Occupied Palestinain Territories.
  • The Israeli Military close these checkpoints at nights at specific times.
  • This denies passage to Palestinians who require to pass for Medical reasons.
  • This includes Pregnant Palestinian Women who go into Labor, have complications and require access to a Hospital. Often on the other side of a closed checkpoint
  • 5 Women were documented as dying in Childbirth at IDF Checkpoints over a seven year period
  • 35 Babies were documented as dying in Childbirth at IDF Checkpoints over a seven year period
  • This was documented by Halla Shoaibi - Palestinian newborns are dying at checkpoints - https://newint.org/blog/2011/07/13/palestine-birth-at-checkpoint
  • 4th Geneva Convention - Article 16 - "The wounded and sick, as well as the infirm, and expectant mothers, shall be the object of particular protection and respect.”
  • Take action and ask your Political Representatives whether they Consider Israel’s actions in Gaza meets the definition of Terrorism!
  • Please take action. 
                    1) Open your Email client by clicking here - winston.peters@parliament.govt.nz
                    2) Copy the following email addresses into the CC field - jacinda.ardern@parliament.govt.nz; simon.bridges@parliament.govt.nz; 
​                          james.shaw@parliament.govt.nz

                     or Choose Politicians to email from the "government contacts" tab on the left if you are outside New Zealand

                    3) Put "Infanticide at Israeli Checkpoints in the Occupied Palestinian Territories" into the Subject Line
                    4) Copy and Paste the following Suggested text into that email 
                    5) Edit that email to reflect who you are sending it to, your details and any words you want to include in that email.
                    6) Send Your email.
                    7) Wait 24 hours and follow up asking for a response if you don't receive Confirmation of your email
Suggeted Text
Email subject line - Infanticide at Israeli Checkpoints in the Occupied Palestinian Territories

To:     Winston Peters - Foreign Minister
​
CC:   Jacinda Ardern - Prime Minister
​         Simon Bridges - Leader of the National Party
         James Shaw - Co Leader of the Green Party

Subject: Infanticide at Israeli Checkpoints in the Occupied Palestinian Territories

Dear Mr Peters

I have recently come across information that the Israeli Military carry out Infanticide at Israeli Checkpoints in the Occupied Palestinian Territories in the Occupied Palestinian Territories.

In a seven year period, 5 Pregnant Women and 35 babies died at Israeli Checkpoints:
My understanding is that the UN recognises that the Palestinian Territories of the West Bank, Jerusalem and Gaza are “Occupied Territories” and therefore come under the 4th Geneva Convention - https://ihl-databases.icrc.org/applic/ihl/ihl.nsf/Treaty.xsp?documentId=AE2D398352C5B028C12563CD002D6B5C&action=openDocument 

My understanding that under the “4th Geneva Convention - Article 16”, the actions mentioned above goes against International Conventions and therefore International Law.

The specific convention is as follows:
4th Geneva Convention - Article 16 - "The wounded and sick, as well as the infirm, and expectant mothers, shall be the object of particular protection and respect.”

An argument can therefore be made that the Politicians of the Government of Israel and the Military Hierarchy of Israel have contravened International Law and therefore are War Criminals.

My questions are these:
  • Does our country support “4th Geneva Convention - Article 16”?
  • Does our country agree that Israeli actions in regards to “4th Geneva Convention - Article 16 “ contravene International Conventions?
  • Does our country agree that Israeli actions in regards to “4th Geneva Convention - Article 16 “ contravene International Law?
  • If Israel is in contravention of International Law, what will our country do to bring this War Crime to International Attention or to the attention of the International Criminal Court at the Hague? Please note that there is “Universal Jurisdiction” for War Crimes and there are “No Statute of Limitations” to War Crimes. Our country has the right to take any identified War Crime to the ICC at any time.

I look forward to your response on behalf of the our country's government to my questions above.

Kind regards

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