Soas Extraordinary UGM re: Gaza

An Extraordinary UGM has been called by the SU Sabbatical team. During an Extraordinary UGM we can only debate one motion, this will focus on the Freedom Flotilla and the attacks that have been made to it. It has been drafted as a skeleton and we welcome students to send suggustions and ammendments until the UGM. These can be sent to me or posted for everyone to see on the Union Website. The posts that come here will follow our Equality and Diversity policy which can be summarised as 'Share, create & complain. Try not to glare, alienate & restrain'.

Extraordinary UGM
Khalili Lecture Theatre
15:00 - 17:00
Thursday, 3rd

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Support Annekarijin de Jong and the Freedom Flotilla

 

This Union Notes:

 

1. On the night of the 30^th of May the 'Freedom Flotilla' (4 Cargo Ships, 4 Passenger Boats, 700 people) carrying humanitarian aid to Gaza from Turkey, Britain, Ireland, Greece, Kuwait and Algeria were attacked with at least 10 people having been killed.
2. This attack was done while the boats were in International Waters and has violated The United Nations Law of the Sea part VII notably:

-          Article 87 (a) provides for "Freedom of Navigation"

-          Article 88 states 'The High Seas shall be reserved for peaceful purposes'

-          Article 89 States 'No State may validly purport to subject any part of the high seas to its sovereignty.'

3. On May 6^th 2010 John Ging the Director of Operations of the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) in Gaza was quoted saying

-          'We believe that Israel will not intercept these vessels because the sea is open, and human rights organisations have been successful in similar previous operations proving that breaking the siege of Gaza is possible.'

4. A SOAS PhD researcher, Annekarijn de Jong, is on one of the boats. As part of her fieldwork research she spent 16 months in the Occupied Palestinian Territories and Israel, including annexed East-Jerusalem and Besieged Gaza.

 

 

This Union Believes:

1. Annekarijin de Jong should be immediately released from Israeli detention and allowed to resume her research.
2. The Freedom Flotilla is a humanitarian project, not an attack on Israel, and should be supported.

 

This Union Resolves:

 

1. To demand for Annekarijin de Jong's immediate release from Isaeli detention.
2. For the School and Students' Union to support Annekarijin and whatever way she deems necessary.  

--
Sebastian Andres Lillo Uribe (Sebilio)
Co-President (Finance and Communications)
SOAS Students' Union
www.soasunion.org
0207 898 4995