Hundreds of British Artists Urge Israel to End Gaza Blockade

London, MINA – More than 250 artists and writers in Britain urge Israel to end Gaza Strip blockade, saying coronavirus pandemic could have a devastating effect on the “world’s largest open prison.”

“Long before the global outbreak of Covid-19 threatened, the United Nations had predicted that the blocked coastal strip would not live in 2020,” said an online letter statement. Thus quoted from Al Jazeera on Sunday.

The statement added with the virus outbreak, nearly two million Gazans, most of whom were refugees, faced a deadly threat.

“Long before the ongoing crisis, Gaza hospitals had stretched to their peak due to a lack of important resources. The health care system is also unable to deal with thousands of gunshot wounds, leading to many amputations, “said the artists.

The statement added “We support Amnesty International’s call on all world governments to impose a military embargo on Israel until the country fully fulfills its obligations under international law.”

Participated in signatures exposed online, famous rocker Peter Gabriel, director Ken Loach and actor Viggo Mortensen. Other signers include poet Taha Adnan, Canadian writer Naomi Klein, and the artist group Massive Attack.

The Gaza Strip has been under Israeli blockade since 2007, when the Hamas movement began to control the enclave after winning general elections.

Israel and Hamas have fought three wars since then. Then, it reached a truce at the end of 2018 which was renewed again after last year’s successive attacks. (T/RE1)

Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)