Prominent rights activists launch global boycott campaign for May 10 in solidarity with Palestine

By Ahmet Gencturk

ATHENS (AA) - A group of prominent rights activists announced Thursday they have launched a global boycott campaign beginning May 10 in solidarity with Palestine.

The campaign, which was already endorsed by well-known activists including former British Labour lawmaker Keith Vaz, Burmese activist and genocide scholar Maung Zarni, and Malaysian social activist, film director, educator and political comedian Hishamudin Rais, is asking people to post videos in support of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, using the hashtag #RiseForRaffah.

Stressing that the initiative has no political leader or central organizing body, organizers stressed that the aim is to compel political leaders to take all measures to fulfill their moral, political and legal obligations to prevent genocide.

Israel has killed more than 34,900 Palestinians, the vast majority of whom have been women and children, and injured over 78,500 following a Hamas attack last October which claimed less than 1,200 lives.

Seven months into the Israeli war, vast swathes of Gaza lay in ruins, pushing 85% of the enclave’s population into internal displacement amid a crippling blockade of food, clean water and medicine, according to the UN.

Israel is accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice. An interim ruling in January said it is "plausible" that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza and ordered Tel Aviv to stop such acts and take measures to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza.​​​​​​​