New York:

The National Lawyers Guild (NLG) renews its call for a complete boycott of Israel in light of the latest unjustified assault on peaceful humanitarian assistance to the residents of Gaza in which at least ten human rights workers were killed. The NLG has supported the movement for boycott, divestment and sanctions against Israel for several years based on Israel’s ongoing violations of the rights of the Palestinian people.

A Guild delegation to Gaza after the December 27, 2008 Israeli attack there found overwhelming evidence of violations of international law by the Israeli military, as did the UN Report of Justice Richard Goldstone.

Israel’s assault on the flotilla of ships bringing aid to Palestine demonstrates, once again, that Israel is a rogue state acting with impunity and with the support of the United States government. The Israeli commandos’ claim that they were attacked first is belied by the facts of open aggression, with the commandos rappelling from helicopters onto the ships, which were on international waters.

In the face of this latest violation of human rights and international law, the NLG calls on every person of conscience to boycott travel to Israel and the purchase of Israeli goods, on every investor to divest of any Israeli corporate stocks and on all UN member states to impose sanctions against Israel commensurate with its continuing violations of the human rights of the Palestinian people. We further call for an immediate investigation of the actions of the commandos and prosecution of the perpetrators of these latest crimes against humanity.

The National Lawyers Guild, founded in 1937, is the oldest and largest public interest/human rights bar organization in the United States. Its headquarters are in New York and it has chapters in every state. ###