Don't Honor War Criminals!
Occupied Ramallah
15 October 2009
Occupied Ramallah
15 October 2009
The Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (PACBI) salutes the University of Chicago students who are protesting their university‘s invitation of former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert to speak. On October 15 the Harris School of Public Policy has invited former Israeli Prime Minister, Ehud Olmert, to present at a leadership conference, ignoring the serious charges of war crimes he was accused of, particularly those committed during the Israeli war of aggression on Gaza end of 2008 and early 2009.
As the Israeli premier during the recent war on Gaza, Olmert is directly responsible for the Israeli army`s willful devastation of Gaza and the crimes against humanity committed against its 1.5 million Palestinian inhabitants. The recently published report of the UN Fact-Finding Mission, led by judge Richard Goldstone, leaves no doubt that Israel intentionally committed crimes of war applied against the entire population of Gaza, mainly through applying severe and aggravated collective punishment, killing hundreds and injuring thousands of civilians, as well as destroying a large portion of the civilian infrastructure. The political and military leadership in Israel are directly implicated in these crimes and should stand trial at international war crimes tribunals.
Inviting and hosting someone repeatedly charged with war crimes to speak at the University of Chicago can only be seen by Palestinians and all supporters of just peace around the world as an act of complicity in whitewashing these crimes and in providing war criminals with a measure of respect and honor that insults the memory of their victims.
PACBI salutes the activist community at the University for standing up for international law and against honoring war criminals.