Gaza - Ceasefire NOW

You will have been watching, with growing concern, the recent flare-up in the Middle-East which threatens all attempts to bring peace to the region. You may therefore wish to add your name to this petition for a ceasefire, and to pray more earnestly for an end to such bloodshed.

"Dear friends,

The Gaza-Israel crisis is out of control. It's come to this: bloody full-scale invasion, or a cease-fire. With rockets raining down on both sides, Israel launched a ground assault into the Gaza Strip this weekend. Three Israelis and over a hundred Palestinians, many of them civilians and children, lie dead already. The next 48 hours are crucial -- Israel's cabinet will discuss a larger invasion Wednesday. But Hamas floated a Gaza ceasefire months ago, and 64% of Israelis support the idea.

Both sides know they are in a battle for global legitimacy, and we need a massive global outcry for a cease-fire now -- sign the emergency petition below, then forward this message to friends and family. We will deliver our petition to senior Israeli and Palestinian leaders this week, as well as in a major billboard campaign:

http://www.avaaz.org/en/gaza_ceasefire_now/98.php?CLICK_TF_TRACK

Citizens on both sides are desperate for safety. Many experts believe that without a ceasefire to stabilize Gaza, there is no chance for achieving a comprehensive peace and a fair two-state deal. While the US still maintains no-one must talk to Hamas, Israel itself has begun to break that taboo, and public reports and our own contacts indicate that European and Arab officials now support a Gaza ceasefire.

Like the Hezbollah-Israel war of 2006, this conflict is spinning out of control. Just as it did then, international pressure can help achieve a ceasefire today. The combatants take public opinion very seriously. So let's send a united global message to the warring parties to stop the violence -- sign the petition and spread the word today:

http://www.avaaz.org/en/gaza_ceasefire_now/98.php?CLICK_TF_TRACK"