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Ashraf
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Misery mounts amid Gaza closure
January 21, 2008 - 02:16 PM
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"Gaza's one-and-a-half million residents have been struggling to cope without electricity and other basic necessities on the fourth day of an Israeli blockade.
As hospital began to run short of fuel for generators and sewage spilled out onto the streets, Israel's prime minister said he would "not allow a humanitarian crisis in Gaza".
On Monday evening, Israel said that it would allow some deliveries of fuel and medicine into the territory on Tuesday. "
Margaret Chan, director-general of the World Health Organisation, described the situation as grave.
"Disruptions in the continuity of essential services take a heavy toll on people needing emergency care and those suffering from conditions such as cancer, heart disease, and diabetes," she said."
"EU officials said hospitals had already been badly hit in the absence of electricity"
http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/F4D0B4B7-D450-44E7-B6C0-33EA5744D6A5.htm
No comment
This post was edited on: 2008-01-21 at 02:26 PM by: Ashraf
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al-kafir
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Re: Misery mounts amid Gaza closure
January 21, 2008 - 02:59 PM
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I'm going to go out on a limb and suggest there must be some reason for the Israelis initiating the measures they took.
You probably missed that part which is why it was mysteriously left out of the portion of the article you did post.
Yeah - you probably just forgot.
This post was edited on: 2008-01-21 at 03:01 PM by: al-kafir
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speakup
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Re: Misery mounts amid Gaza closure
January 21, 2008 - 11:36 PM
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Reasons or not (ie rocket attacks?), do you think the blockade is justified? Secondly do you think it will be effective in stopping the rocket attacks? What alternative actions could Israel take?
What I find shocking is one idea brought up in the article, about "collective punishment" - ie punishing all of Gaza for the actions of, most likely, a percentage of its citizens. Also even if the blockade works short-term, I'm sure that the Palestinians' pain and resentment towards Israel will only be fuelled by this...increasing the hostility of the conflict long-term.
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Luke Lieberman
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Re: Misery mounts amid Gaza closure
January 22, 2008 - 11:23 AM
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Palestinian - we had this conversation before - when Hamas violently overthrew the PA in Gaza.
You said it was the beginning of Hamas's conquest and overthrow of Israel
- I asked "how are you going to fight the people who provide all your electricity."
you didn't think this would be a problem. You think maybe its a problem now?
Hamas is responsible for what is happening in Gaza - period. If they halted their pointless rocket fire on Israel tomorrow - the situation would return to normal tomorrow.
if they returned their ill-gotten control of Gaza back to the PA tomorrow the closures would end tomorrow.
if they recognised Israel's right to exist they could participate in the peace confrences.
Eventually Palestinian, Hamas is going to have to compromise somewhere, and come to terms with reality - this religious delusion you labor under is only hurting people.
you can't have it both ways - you can't declare war on Israel and then cry when they hit you back back.
If you fire on them and - in your words "make life like hell for Israelis" - they will certainly return the favor.
I feel like I am explaining things to a child.
Speakup - while I am not happy about the idea of collective punishment - I am not sure what else to do - no country in the world is going to sit there and accept 50 rockets a day being fired on them.
Hamas feels like they have a fundamental right to fire on Israel regardless of what Israel does because they regard Israel's very existance as justification for war.
therefore there is no way to negotiate with them - the Israelis are just going to have to break them - and demonstrate to them that it is in their interests to hold their fire.
If Hamas wants to be the 'legitimate' government of Gaza - then can't act like a juvenile militant organization - they have to take responsibility for the people in Gaza and recognise that their actions have consequences for their people.
This post was edited on: 2008-01-22 at 11:26 AM by: Luke Lieberman
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Arslan Jumaniyazov
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Re: Misery mounts amid Gaza closure
January 22, 2008 - 08:22 PM
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I heard that the new French government is not only pro-American but also pro-Israeli. Nonetheless: see below.
If a pro-Israeli government is saying this, it can tell us a lot about Israel's overall reputation in other places.
France "deplores" Israeli blockade of Gaza
International News Service in English
http://wiredispatch.com/news/?id=12346
Jan 21, 2008 10:49 EST
Paris (dpa) - The French Foreign Ministry said Monday that Paris "very much deplores" the Israeli blockade of Gaza and the power cuts and food shortages it produced.
"We have expressed our very deep concern regarding the humanitarian situation in Gaza," a spokesman for the ministry said in a statement.
He said France urged the reopening of crossing points "and the immediate resumption of fuel deliveries to allow the central electric power station to be turned on again."
He added that the crisis made even more urgent the payment of the 7.4 billion dollars in aid pledged by the international community to the Palestinians at a donor conference held in Paris on December 17.
"This aid concerns all of the Palestinian Territories, and therefore also Gaza," the spokesman said
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Arslan Jumaniyazov
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Gaza: An Israeli Call For Urgent Action
January 24, 2008 - 12:28 PM
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Gaza: An Israeli Call For Urgent Action
January 24, 2008 By Many Signatories
Many Signatories's ZSpace Page
Join ZSpace
http://www.zcommunications.org/znet/viewArticle/16295
We, the Israeli organizations signed below, deplore the decision by the Israeli government to cut off vital supplies of electricity and fuel (and therefore water, since the pumps cannot work), as well as essential foodstuffs, medicines and other humanitarian supplies to the civilian population of Gaza. Such an action constitutes a clear and unequivocal crime against humanity.
Prof. John Dugard, the UN Special Rapporteur for Human Rights in the Palestinian Territories, called the Israeli government’s actions “serious war crimes” for which its political and military officials should be prosecuted and punished. The killing of more than 40 civilians this past week violates, he said, “the strict prohibition on collective punishment contained in the Fourth Geneva Convention. It also violates one of the basic principles of international humanitarian law that military action must distinguish between military targets and civilian targets.” Indeed, the very legal framework invoked by the Israeli government to carry out this illegal and immoral act – declaring Gaza a “hostile entity” within a “conflict short of war” – has absolutely no standing in international law.
We call on the Secretary General of the UN, Mr. Ban Ki-Moon, to lead the Security Council to a decisive decision to end the siege on Gaza when it meets in emergency session on Wednesday.
We call on the governments of the world, and in particular the American government and the European Parliament, to censure Israel’s actions and, in light of recent attempts to revive the diplomatic process, to end all attacks on civilians, including the continuing demolition of Palestinian homes at an alarming rate.
We call upon the Jews of the world in whose name the Israeli government purports to speak, and upon their rabbis and communal leaders in particular, to speak out unequivocally against this offense to the very moral core of Jewish values.
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Arslan Jumaniyazov
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Continued.....
January 24, 2008 - 12:29 PM
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And we call upon the peoples of the world to let their officials and leaders know of their repudiation of this cruel, illegal and immoral act – an act that stands out in its cruelty even in an already oppressive Israeli Occupation.
We condemn attacks on all civilians, and we acknowledge the suffering of the residents of Sderot. Still, those attacks do not justify the massive disproportionality of Israeli sanctions over a million and half civilians of Gaza, in particular in light of Israel’s oppressive 40 year occupation. Such violations of international law by a government are especially egregious and must be denounced and punished if the very system of human rights and international law is to be preserved.
The Israeli government’s decision to punish Gaza’s civilian population, with all the human suffering that entails, constitutes State Terrorism against innocent people. Only when Israeli policy-makers are held accountable for their actions and international law upheld will a just peace be possible in the Middle East.
The Alternative Information Center * Bat Tsafon * Combatants for Peace * Gush Shalom * The Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions (ICAHD) * Physicians for Human Rights * The Coalition of Women for Peace
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Luke Lieberman
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Re: Misery mounts amid Gaza closure
January 24, 2008 - 05:46 PM
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Arslan - you are not making any arguements - if you'ld like to do that we will debate.
I take it as far as your concerned Hamas bears no responsibility for this situation despite 3000 rockets being fired in the last year and repeated warnings from the Israelis.
You seem interested in holding only one side responsible and demonsatrate again your clear bias in this issue.
Israel no longer occupies Gaza - and it is time they relinquished all legal responsiblity for it - let Hamas find their utilities from someone else - there is no reason Israel should be obligated to supply the same people who are firing on them.
I have one question for you - Arslan, there is no question that Hamas is using fuel for both its rocket factories and the rockets themselves - do you honestly expect Israel to supply fuel for rockets which are being shot at them?
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Arslan Jumaniyazov
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Re: Misery mounts amid Gaza closure
January 24, 2008 - 10:47 PM
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You say that I am not making any argument. Then you say I am demonstrating again my clear bias on this issue. So, which is it, Luke? How can I demonstrate my bias without making an argument?
Certainly, I am making an argument. I am quoting a statement by several Israeli Peace organizations. There are certainly two messages in it. One is that the Israeli Peace Organizations (mentioned above) are condemning collective punishment. Another is that (this is more for Palestinians) there are Israelis who care for Palestinian well-being more than the government officials do.
I don't understand your problem. Don't you like to hear the voices of Israeli dissidents? Or don't you like me to read what they write? Or don't you want me to post what they say?
Israel no longer occupies Gaza
Do you think I am going to buy this claim? Just a cursory look at Wikipedia gives several credible sources showing this to be untrue:
The Israeli human rights organization B'tselem said in November 2006 that "the broad scope of Israeli control in the Gaza Strip creates a strong case for the claim that Israel's occupation of the Gaza Strip continue." [3] University of London, School of Oriental and African Studies, law professor Iain Scobbie noted in 2006 that "Israel retains absolute authority over Gaza’s airspace and territorial sea. It is manifestly exercising governmental authority in these areas.... it is clear that Israeli withdrawal of land forces did not terminate occupation." [4] And according to some Palestinians, Israel's occupation of the Gaza Strip continued. "They control the water, the sky and the passages. How can you say occupation is over?" said Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat in 2005. [5] Similar viewpoints have been presented by many other Palestinian organizations and leaders.[6][7] [8] The Al Mezan Center for Human Rights also argues that the Gaza Strip remains occupied by Israel.[9]
Prior to Israel's withdrawal from the Gaza Strip, the United States considered the Gaza Strip to be an Israel-occupied territory. Following the withdrawal, no official US government statement has been made on the status of the Strip. However, the CIA World Factbook (which is an official U.S. government publication), which was last updated in 2007, continues to list the Gaza Strip as an Israeli-occupied territory.
Even the pro-Israeli CIA refers to the territory as Israel-occupied. What are you talking about?
Arslan
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Arslan Jumaniyazov
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Re: Misery mounts amid Gaza closure
January 24, 2008 - 10:51 PM
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More than a year after Gaza withdrawal, the following statement was made:
16 Nov. 06: Gaza Humanitarian Crisis - A Joint Statement by Israel 's leading human rights organizations
Nine Israeli human rights organizations issued an unprecedented joint call to the international community to ensure human rights in the Gaza Strip. The statement comes in light of the dire humanitarian situation there:
Some 80% of the population is extremely poor, living on less than $2 a day. A majority of the population is dependant on food aid from international donors.
In the past four months, the Israeli military has killed over 300 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. Over half of those killed were unarmed civilians who did not participate in the fighting. Among the dead, 61 were children.
About 70% of Gaza 's potential workforce is out of work or without pay.
On 28 June, Israel bombed Gaza ' s only independent power station, which produced 43% of the electricity needed by the residents in Gaza . Since then, most of the population has electricity between 6 and 8 hours each day, with disastrous consequences on water supply, sewage treatment, food storage, hospital functioning and public health.
The Gaza Strip is almost entirely sealed off from the outside world, with virtually no way for Palestinians to get in or out. Exports have been reduced to a trickle; imports are limited to essential humanitarian supplies.
Israel cannot shirk its responsibility for this growing crisis. Even after its Disengagement in 2005, Israel continues to hold decisive control over central elements of Palestinian life in the Gaza Strip:
Israel continues to maintain complete control over the air space and territorial waters.
Israel continues to control the joint Gaza Strip-West Bank population registry , preventing relocation between the West Bank and Gaza , and family unification.
Israel controls all movement in and out of Gaza , with exclusive control over all crossing points between Gaza and Israel , and the ability to shut down the Rafah crossing to Egypt .
Israeli ground troops conduct frequent military operations inside Gaza .
Israel continues to exercise almost complete control over imports and exports from the Gaza Strip.
Israel controls most elements of the taxation system of the Gaza Strip, and since February has withheld tax monies legally owed to the PA, and amounting to half of the to tal PA budget.
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Arslan Jumaniyazov
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Re: Misery mounts amid Gaza closure
January 24, 2008 - 11:03 PM
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In short, the claim that there is no occupation is nonsense. I am still stunned to see people claiming that. The only thing that was done is the removal of settlements. That is it. Moreover, it was compensated by building new settlements in the West Bank. Israel's land grad is so brazen that they announced new settlements during so-called negotiations in Annapolis.
Of course, rocket attacks by Hamas are wrong. I am completely against that. But I am of the opinion that it is possible to condemn rocket attacks on civilians but at the same time try to understand why it happened. Terrorism is the weak side's tactic. You talk about bias. I think, it will be balanced to condemn both Hamas terror and Israeli state terror. I don't think you are capable of that. You will claim that Israel does not practice terror. But for me that kind of argument is similar to the one by Palestinians who say that Hamas does not practice terror.
The bottom line. Israelis are dispropotionately killing more Palestinians. They use disproportionately more power. They disproportionately punish the entire Gazan population. And they are still occupying internationally recognized Palestinian lands. If Israel returns to pre-1967 territory and grants full sovereignty to Palestinians in Gaza and West Bank, and if Palestinians keep firing rockets on Israel even after that, my disproportionate criticism will shift toward Palestinians. Until then, I will be more critical of Israel.
Arslan
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Ashraf
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Re: Misery mounts amid Gaza closure
January 25, 2008 - 03:17 AM
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Arslanik wrote:
In short, the claim that there is no occupation is nonsense. I am still stunned to see people claiming that. The only thing that was done is the removal of settlements. That is it. Moreover, it was compensated by building new settlements in the West Bank. Israel's land grad is so brazen that they announced new settlements during so-called negotiations in Annapolis.
Of course, rocket attacks by Hamas are wrong. I am completely against that. But I am of the opinion that it is possible to condemn rocket attacks on civilians but at the same time try to understand why it happened. Terrorism is the weak side's tactic. You talk about bias. I think, it will be balanced to condemn both Hamas terror and Israeli state terror. I don't think you are capable of that. You will claim that Israel does not practice terror. But for me that kind of argument is similar to the one by Palestinians who say that Hamas does not practice terror.
The bottom line. Israelis are dispropotionately killing more Palestinians. They use disproportionately more power. They disproportionately punish the entire Gazan population. And they are still occupying internationally recognized Palestinian lands. If Israel returns to pre-1967 territory and grants full sovereignty to Palestinians in Gaza and West Bank, and if Palestinians keep firing rockets on Israel even after that, my disproportionate criticism will shift toward Palestinians. Until then, I will be more critical of Israel.
Arslan
You are absolutely right, Arslan
"Israel" still occupies Gaza and whoever refuses this fact is simply hallucinating big time.
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