“A ceasefire alone is not justice.” UAWC reacts to the Ceasefire deal
In a press release published late afternoon on the 16th of January, La Via Campesina’s Palestinian member organization, the Union of Agricultural Workers’ Committees (UAWC), stated that the ceasefire announcement is a necessity in alleviating our people’s suffering. However, it does not end the tragedy they endured, nor does it erase the devastation left in the wake of this war.
We will work tirelessly to rehabilitate our lands destroyed by the occupation. We will breathe life back into our fields and farms, heal our groves with clean water and care, and support each other as we persevere. We will ensure that Palestinians can continue to cultivate their lands, harvest their crops, and feed their families with dignity.
the Union of Agricultural Workers’ Committees (UAWC) | 16.01.2025
Here is the full text of the press release.
The Palestinian people have never wavered in defending their rights and resisting all forms of oppression and colonization. After 467 days of the Israeli occupation’s brutal genocidal war on Gaza, the long-overdue announcement of a ceasefire has finally come. This announcement is a necessity in alleviating our people’s suffering, but it does not end the tragedy they endured, nor does it erase the devastation left in the wake of this war.
A ceasefire alone is not justice. True justice entails complete liberation from occupation, dismantling the settlements that steal our land, and restoring full sovereignty over our resources and territory. Justice means that Palestinians can live in dignity in Palestine, free from bombings, displacement, or siege.
For 15 months, our people in Gaza have stood against a relentless war machine. The Israeli occupation and its imperial accomplices massacred tens of thousands of Palestinians, with conservative estimates putting the death toll at more than 50,000 martyrs including over 10,000 children, and medical professionals estimating the true number of direct and indirect deaths in the hundreds of thousands. At least 120,000 wounded now bear injuries that may never heal, many of which will result in permanent disabilities. In its attempt to obliterate the fabric of Palestinian life, the Israeli occupation dropped over 85,000 tons of bombs, including internationally prohibited chemicals, on Gaza. This is equivalent to six Hiroshima atomic bombs and exceeding the amount of explosives used in World War II.
The occupation did not stop at killing our people directly; it deliberately destroyed everything that represents and sustains life in Gaza. This Israeli targeting of critical infrastructure devastated hospitals, schools, water systems, electricity networks, and energy sources in its attempt to make Palestinian life impossible and Gaza unlivable. Israeli settler colonialism targets the land, which is the very essence of Palestine. As of September 2024, the genocidal war destroyed a conservative estimate of over 67.6% of Gaza’s agricultural lands, 71.2% of fruit-bearing trees, 67.1% of field crops, and 58.5% of vegetable production. These figures are not just cold statistics, and what happened in Gaza cannot simply be reduced to numbers. This is a manufactured humanitarian catastrophe that will remain a stain on the global conscience.
The Union of Agricultural Work Committees (UAWC) affirms that the land is our life, and food sovereignty lies at the heart of our struggle for liberation. The occupation has destroyed our lands in an attempt to deprive us of the ability to sustain ourselves, cultivate our food, and feed our children. Rebuilding our food systems is not just an economic necessity; it is a form of resistance and the source of life. We will restore life to our land, no matter how much the occupiers try to strip it of its identity.
We issue a heartfelt call to people with a conscience: do not stop here. Solidarity with our people is not a temporary stance but an ongoing moral and humanitarian obligation until justice is fully achieved. The perpetrators of war crimes and genocide must be held accountable. A comprehensive arms embargo must be imposed to stop the weapons that kill our people. And rebuilding Palestine must be supported according to a Palestinian vision, not dictated by the occupation.
As of September 2024, the genocidal war destroyed a conservative estimate of over 67.6% of Gaza’s agricultural lands, 71.2% of fruit-bearing trees, 67.1% of field crops, and 58.5% of vegetable production. These figures are not just cold statistics, and what happened in Gaza cannot simply be reduced to numbers. This is a manufactured humanitarian catastrophe that will remain a stain on the global conscience.
We will work tirelessly to rehabilitate our lands destroyed by the occupation. We will breathe life back into our fields and farms, heal our groves with clean water and care, and support each other as we persevere. We will ensure that Palestinians can continue to cultivate their lands, harvest their crops, and feed their families with dignity.
Despite this unprecedented scale of devastation, Palestinians have once again proven that our will to live is stronger than any war machine. The resilience of our people is a profound expression of our belief in justice and our unwavering commitment to life, dignity, and freedom, no matter how brutal the occupation becomes.
This land, for which we have bled, will remain free. Our people, who have endured death, will remain steadfast in their rights. Our martyrs are the beacon of our dignity, and our wounded are the embodiment of our resilience.
Our struggle is not over. We will remain steadfast. We will be free.
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