A group of 34 leftist charities and other non-governmental organizations (NGOs) signed a statement Friday urging an end to Operation Protective Edge between Israel and Hamas, AFP reports Friday.
The statement was signed by groups including ActionAid, Cooperation for Assistance and Relief Everywhere (CARE), Oxfam and Save the Children and urged the international community to step up efforts to find a lasting solution to disputes in the region.
"Military actions by all parties must stop," the statement said.
"Since 2009, history has shown that military operations have failed to bring peace and security for people in Gaza and in Israel," it continued. "Over the years we have repeatedly called for ceasefires and for all sides to protect civilians from harm. Sadly, these ceasefires have not lasted and we have had to revert back to life-saving relief and emergency programs, aiding innocent people to cope with the trauma, and rebuilding Gaza time and time again."
The statement neglected to mention that those ceasefires - broken by Hamas, which is not equivalent to a "side" in the traditional sense of international relations - have only briefly punctuated the over 8,000 rockets fired on Israel since the Disengagement in 2005.
Nor did the statement relate to the fact that Israel continues to provide the bulk of Gaza's electricity, water, gas, and supply needs despite Hamas's constant threats of genocide against the Israeli people.
ActionAid works primarily in underdeveloped countries, not in the Middle East - but is directly funded by the United Nations (UN), which has demonstrated on multiple occasions a clear anti-Israel bias.
CARE lists on its website that it works to provide "security, human rights and livelihood" to Gazans who "have been undermined by a naval and land blockade" by Israel - despite the fact that it is Egypt, not Israel, which has instituted a blockade on Gaza.
Its partners include the United Nations Foundation; the US Middle East Partnership Initiative (MEPI), which made headlines in 2007 for sponsoring a program which specifically barred Israeli Jews at the University of California; and the World Bank, which blames Jews in Judea-Samaria for poverty in the Palestinian Authority (PA).
Oxfam has been linked to the terrorist group Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (“PFLP”), and made headlines earlier this year for dropping actress Scarlett Johansson for her support for the Judea-Samaria based Sodastream company after facing pressure from anti-Israel groups.
Save the Children is among the NGOs actively supporting a Palestinian Authority (PA)-based children's show which encourages terrorism as a symbol of "martyrdom," according to a Palestinian Media Watch report in 2013.