Survivors of the 1995 Srebrenica massacre of 8,000 Bosnian Muslims protested in front of the US Embassy in Sarajevo Jan. 8 to demand Washington call a halt to Israel's offensive in the Gaza Strip. Said Munira Subasic, who lost her husband and son in the massacre: "In 2009, Palestinian mothers are going through ordeals we experienced in 1995 and we are raising our voice because we know about pain and suffering. We know how it feels to lose a child or husband."
Hundreds joined the Sarajevo protest, some with signs reading "Stop the killing of innocent children" and "Srebrenica 1995—Gaza 2009." Said Murat Tahirovic, the head of an association of Bosnian wartime camp inmates: "I believe the United States, as the leading world power, could stop the bloodshed of civilians and, even worse, of children in Gaza." (Reuters [2], Jan. 8)
A Bosnian-Palestinian friendship association has been established to take up donations for Gaza relief efforts. Authorities have also expressed readiness to accept injured Palestinians in three Bosnian cities. A hospital in Sarajevo has announced that it would keep at least 100 beds available in case of medical evacuation from blockaded Gaza. (Press TV [3], Iran, Jan. 8)
