Rep. Brosas condemns PH gov’t support for Israel

MANILA, Philippines — Gabriela party-list Rep. Arlene Brosas has condemned the Philippine government’s expression of support to Israel amid the ongoing armed conflict over the Middle East as thousands of innocent Palestinians have been killed.

In a statement on Thursday, Brosas said that President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. should not have made an outright support for Israel’s actions, and similarly, should have refrained from calling Hamas militants a terrorist group.

Last October 11, Marcos said the Philippines stands with Israel, which suffered an all-out attack from Hamas last October 7.

“We strongly condemn President Marcos Jr.’s outright support to Israel at a time when thousands of Palestinians are being slaughtered and driven out of their land,” Brosas said.

“Expressing sadness is not enough.  While some world leaders express their condemnation against Israel’s actions, it is disheartening to see the Philippine government offering ‘moral support’ to apartheid Israel and declaring Hamas as a terrorist organization,” she added.

While it was Hamas that brought the fight to Israel through an aerial, land, and sea attack, the militant group soon found itself hammered after Israeli forces fought back though missile strikes.

Estimates from the United Nations (UN) show that the death toll due to the conflict is already around 4,300 — of which 1,300 are Israeli nationals and the remaining 3,000 are Palestinians.

Israel has also faced scrutiny for the way it fought back, as it was accused of indiscriminately bombing structures in Gaza, including hospitals where wounded Palestinians — including children, women, and the elderly — were being treated.

“Israel should not be given preferential treatment or be considered above the law just because they are backed by notorious war-mongerer United States,” Brosas claimed.

“These relentless acts of violence perpetrated by the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) are clear violations of international humanitarian law and must also be condemned by the international community,” she added.

Aside from not extending a message of solidarity, Brosas also urged the Philippine government to file diplomatic protests against Israel to end the killing of civilians in Gaza, while reassessing the Philippines’ relationship with the Middle Eastern country.

“Thousands of Palestinians are killed every day right before our eyes.  It is time to reassess the Philippines’ relationship with Israel and take a principled stand against these grave human rights violations,” she noted.

Earlier, Basilan Rep. Mujiv Hataman urged his fellow lawmakers from the House to join in calling for an end to hostilities between Israel and Hamas.

Hataman said he intends to file a resolution calling for an immediate end to the horrific violence against innocent civilians, women, children and the elderly.

This call from the lawmaker came just after the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) announced that a fourth Filipino had just died during the war between Israel and Hamas.

Israel, believed to have one of the world’s best air defenses, was taken by surprise after Hamas launched an all-out assault including missile strikes from Gaza last October 7.

Analysts believe that the attack heightened Middle East tensions again to levels unseen since the Six Day War and the Yom Kippur War.  Hamas has threatened to kill Israeli captives every time a civilian building is bombed by Israel’s forces.

However, there have also been questions raised against Israel as it was accused of committing rights abuses themselves — like extrajudicial killings against innocent Palestines, who have been merely seeking independence from Israel.

Hamas also questioned Israel’s indiscriminate missile strikes, which has targeted buildings housing innocent Palestinians.  This week, a hospital in Gaza was hit by a blast which Israel and Hamas blamed at each other.

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