Greece has offered to deliver any humanitarian aid contained on Freedom Flotilla boats to Gaza through “existing channels”. Israel as well as U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon have accepted this idea – except one thing – Greece’s offer misses the point.
In addition to the continuing humanitarian concerns, even after Israel’s ‘easing’ of restrictions and the recent ‘opening’ of the Rafah crossing by Egypt, there is the blockade itself.
| Although this video was produced one year after operation ‘Cast Lead’ ended, former AI researcher, Francesca Burke, speaks about the difficulties in getting in materials to rebuild and recover from the devastation of the military conflict as well as the blockade which still holds true and relevant today. |
Even if all the humanitarian needs of the population were relieved, the Israeli-imposed Gaza blockade would still violate the Gazans’ basic human rights.
The blockade does not target specific individuals, but collectively punishes the entire population which contravenes the Fourth Geneva Convention. It violates the Gazans’ right to health (including access to clean drinking water and sanitation), education, work, an adequate standard of living and freedom of movement. It violates their basic dignity; their basic human rights.
The blockade is illegal and must end. Period. And Israel, as the occupying power (in effective control of area), is responsible for ending it. Israel is a sophisticated, militarily advanced country that should be able to effectively meet their national security needs without unjustly punishing an entire population.
World leaders have called the blockade “unsustainable” and have urged the immediate, unconditional opening of the crossings. A report written by the UN Human Rights Council-backed fact finding mission concluded that Israel’s raid on last summer’s flotilla was in violation of international law with investigators concluding that at least six of the killings amounted to extra-judicial executions, and the force used by the commandos was “unnecessary, disproportionate, excessive and inappropriate.”
If international consensus supports the immediate lifting of the blockade; international, independent NGO’s, including Amnesty and the International Committee of the Red Cross, consider the blockade illegal; and the Israeli raid last summer was deemed “illegal, excessive and inappropriate”, why are Ban Ki-Moon and U.S. leaders urging governments to discourage the Gaza-bound flotilla – calling the flotilla “provocative” and the participants dangerous?
Putting the onus of responsibility on the civil society activists is grossly misplaced. Leaders should be addressing calls of restraint from provocative, extreme actions to the party currently violating international law, likely to initiate excessive use of force (based on past actions) and legally bound to comply as a fellow nation-state. U.S. elected officials should be seeking ways to protect U.S. citizens, not giving a green light to Israel to do what they want because the U.S. appears to have withdrawn its protection.
The Obama administration did not just voice disapproval of the flotilla, but made veiled threats against U.S. citizens on the ‘Audacity of Hope’, saying their efforts may be violating U.S. law (see ‘Holder vs. The Humanitarian Project) by supposedly “supporting a terrorist organization“. U.S. congressman have stumbled over themselves putting out public statements demonizing flotilla participants and actually putting the security of a foreign power over American lives.
Amnesty International, the organization, takes no position on the flotilla initiative as a tactic, but as a human rights activist myself, I feel the question begs to be asked:
If governments turn their backs on those who have no voice or power; have had their economy decimated, homes destroyed, and basic human rights violated at every turn, including the ability to escape such harsh conditions, then doesn’t civil society have the right, if not obligation, to intercede?
Henry David Thoreau’s ‘Resistance to Civil Government’ argues that when government produces injustice, even disguising injustice behind laws, then it is the duty of every conscientious citizen to resist, disobey, stop the “machine”.
Slavery was once legal and those participating in the Underground Railroad were breaking the law, but today we celebrate Harriet Tubman. Only a few decades ago, thousands participated in acts of civil disobedience to challenge legalized segregation and Jim Crow laws in the south. Those civil rights heroes are now our neighbors and elected officials. These are not new concepts. When did they become “irresponsible and provocative”?
An even scarier question?
If governments do nothing or even protect immoral, illegal policies perpetrated on a weak, vulnerable population and civil society is not allowed to challenge these immoral, illegal policies – even through non-violent direct actions, then … what is there left to do?
Oh my; how special! Israel and Greece and the United Nations have made a deal to take the aid supplies to Ashdod, Israel instead of Gaza.
Setting aside that little of the last batch of supplies delivered to Ashdod ever got into Gaza, NONE OF THESE SUPPLIES BELONG TO EITHER ISRAEL, GREECE, OR THE UNITED NATIONS! This pretense at an agreement is intended to obscure the fact that they are talking about property that does not belong to them. This is roughly the moral equivalent of Blackbeard "agreeing" to loot ships that do not belong to him and transfer the valuables found therein to Tortuga instead of their intended destination of Panama!
All the pretty language cannot conceal the fact that this action is still theft, piracy, and/or privateering. Israel, Greece, and the United Nations are "agreeing" to the disposition of property which belongs to other people, and speaking as one of those who donated to this aid flotilla, I do not cede to Israel, Greece, or the United Nations permission to interfere with my property or its intended destination.
Certainly the interference with the letters carried by the audacity to the children of Gaza represents interference with the mail; a serious crime under the laws of all civilized nations and maritime law as well.
The seizure of the material supplies from the aid flotilla and transport to anyplace but the intended destination represents an act of piracy no matter what flag the brigands fly at the masthead!
man is born free,why state bound him in survitude,.the problem is not israelbut a mindset of might is right as was prevailing in stoneage socities.Are we not living in that era?yes with a little bit diffrence.in the ancient times ppl were unaware of culture,civilisation,humanrights,freedom of speech,science and technology.but in modern age we are being aware of these terminologies,unable to follow these principles except our own interests means materialistic.we have been accustomed of applying these universal principle according to our own whims and wishes.6 bn ppl of the globe become slave of corporatory politics.A few of 6bn are trying to break the seige of Globalists.this move is also one of them and be enumerated as begining of the end of Globalist agenda and should continue in future.
Article 13.2 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights states…
"Everyone has the right to leave any country, including his own, and to return to his country."
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) is a declaration adopted by the United Nations General Assembly and all member states of the United Nations are bound by it. Israel, of course, is in violation of Article 13.2 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights both in their refusal to allow Gazans to leave Gaza and in refusing Palestinians a right of return to their homes, which was also a condition for Israel's admission to the United Nations.
Greece stands in violation of Article 13.2 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which means it too is defying the United Nations. Ban Ki Moon is bound by his office to enforce the recognized right of the aid flotilla to freely exit the Greek ports.
Again, completely ignored is the reason why there is a blockade in place.
1. In March, Israel intercepted a ship from Iran bound for Gaza full of weapons.
2. Democratically elected Hamas sent thousands of rockets into Israel.
Israel has a responsibility to protect her citizens.
3. Hamas Charter clearly states its goal to destroy Israel & kill all Jews.
Hamas is clearly the enemy of Israel and Israel is entitled to do everything in her power to stop Hamas from attaining its goals.
Okay Spiderman, first off., HAMAS did not send "thousands" of rockets into Israel. In fact HAMAS followed a cease fire and stopped all rockets into Israel; until Israel attacked without warning Nov 4/ 2008, then launched Operation CAST LEAD.
Second, if someone is invading your lands and stealing your homes, would you not fight back?
You think Israel is all clean and innocent?
1. "There is a huge gap between us (Jews) and our enemies �not just in ability but in morality, culture, sanctity of life, and conscience. They are our neighbors here, but it seems as if at a distance of a few hundred meters away, there are people who do not belong to our continent, to our world, but actually belong to a different galaxy." Israeli president Moshe Katsav. The Jerusalem Post, May 10, 2001
2. "The Palestinians are like crocodiles, the more you give them meat, they want more"…. Ehud Barak, Prime Minister of Israel at the time – August 28, 2000. Reported in the Jerusalem Post August 30, 2000
3. " [The Palestinians are] beasts walking on two legs." Menahim Begin, speech to the Knesset, quoted in Amnon Kapeliouk, "Begin and the Beasts". New Statesman, 25 June 1982.
4. "The Palestinians" would be crushed like grasshoppers … heads smashed against the boulders and walls." " Isreali Prime Minister (at the time) in a speech to Jewish settlers New York Times April 1, 1988
5. "When we have settled the land, all the Arabs will be able to do about it will be to scurry around like drugged cockroaches in a bottle." Raphael Eitan, Chief of Staff of the Israeli Defence Forces, New York Times, 14 April 1983.
6. "How can we return the occupied territories? There is nobody to return them to." Golda Maier, March 8, 1969.
7. "There was no such thing as Palestinians, they never existed." Golda Maier Israeli Prime Minister June 15, 1969
8. "The thesis that the danger of genocide was hanging over us in June 1967 and that Israel was fighting for its physical existence is only bluff, which was born and developed after the war." Israeli General Matityahu Peled, Ha'aretz, 19 March 1972.
9. David Ben Gurion (the first Israeli Prime Minister): "If I were an Arab leader, I would never sign an agreement with Israel. It is normal; we have taken their country. It is true God promised it to us, but how could that interest them? Our God is not theirs. There has been Anti – Semitism, the Nazis, Hitler, Auschwitz, but was that their fault ? They see but one thing: we have come and we have stolen their country. Why would they accept that?" Quoted by Nahum Goldmann in Le Paraddoxe Juif (The Jewish Paradox), pp121.
10. Ben Gurion also warned in 1948 : "We must do everything to insure they ( the Palestinians) never do return." Assuring his fellow Zionists that Palestinians will never come back to their homes. "The old will die and the young will forget."
11. "We have to kill all the Palestinians unless they are resigned to live here as slaves." Chairman Heilbrun of the Committee for the Re-election of General Shlomo Lahat, the mayor of Tel Aviv, October 1983.
12. "Every time we do something you tell me America will do this and will do that . . . I want to tell you something very clear: Don't worry about American pressure on Israel. We, the Jewish people, control America, and the Americans know it." – Israeli Prime Minister, Ariel Sharon, October 3, 2001, to Shimon Peres, as reported on Kol Yisrael radio. (Certainly the FBI's cover-up of the Israeli spy ring/phone tap scandal suggests that Mr. Sharon may not have been joking.)
13. "We declare openly that the Arabs have no right to settle on even one centimeter of Eretz Israel… Force is all they do or ever will understand. We shall use the ultimate force until the Palestinians come crawling to us on all fours." Rafael Eitan, Chief of Staff of the Israeli Defense Forces – Gad Becker, Yediot Ahronot 13 April 1983, New York Times 14 April 1983.
14. "We must do everything to ensure they [the Palestinian refugees] never do return" David Ben-Gurion, in his diary, 18 July 1948, quoted in Michael Bar Zohar's Ben-Gurion: the Armed Prophet, Prentice-Hall, 1967, p. 157.
15. " … we should prepare to go over to the offensive with the aim of smashing Lebanon, Trans-jordan and Syria… The weak point in the Arab coalition is Lebanon [for] the Moslem regime is artificial and easy to undermine. A Christian state should be established… When we smash the [Arab] Legions strength and bomb Amman, we will eliminate Transjordan, too, and then Syria will fall. If Egypt still dares to fight on, we shall bomb Port Said, Alexandria, and Cairo." " David Ben-Gurion, May 1948, to the General Staff. From Ben-Gurion, A Biography, by Michael Ben-Zohar, Delacorte, New York 1978.
16. "We must use terror, assassination, intimidation, land confiscation, and the cutting of all social services to rid the Galilee of its Arab population." Israel Koenig, "The Koenig Memorandum"
17. "Jewish villages were built in the place of Arab villages. You do not even know the names of these Arab villages, and I do not blame you because geography books no longer exist. Not only do the books not exist, the Arab villages are not there either. Nahlal arose in the place of Mahlul; Kibbutz Gvat in the place of Jibta; Kibbutz Sarid in the place of Huneifis; and Kefar Yehushua in the place of Tal al-Shuman. There is not a single place built in this country that did not have a former Arab population." Moshe Dayan, address to the Technion, Haifa, reported in Haaretz, April 4, 1969.
18. "We walked outside, Ben-Gurion accompanying us. Allon repeated his question, What is to be done with the Palestinian population?' Ben-Gurion waved his hand in a gesture which said 'Drive them out!'" Yitzhak Rabin, leaked censored version of Rabin memoirs, published in the New York Times, 23 October 1979.
19. Rabin's description of the conquest of Lydda, after the completion of Plan Dalet. "We shall reduce the Arab population to a community of woodcutters and waiters" Uri Lubrani, PM Ben-Gurion's special adviser on Arab Affairs, 1960. From "The Arabs in Israel" by Sabri Jiryas.
20. "There are some who believe that the non-Jewish population, even in a high percentage, within our borders will be more effectively under our surveillance; and there are some who believe the contrary, i.e., that it is easier to carry out surveillance over the activities of a neighbor than over those of a tenant. [I] tend to support the latter view and have an additional argument:…the need to sustain the character of the state which will henceforth be Jewish…with a non-Jewish minority limited to 15 percent. I had already reached this fundamental position as early as 1940 [and] it is entered in my diary." Joseph Weitz, head of the Jewish Agency's Colonization Department. From Israel: an Apartheid State by Uri Davis, p.5.
21. "Everybody has to move, run and grab as many hilltops as they can to enlarge the settlements because everything we take now will stay ours… Everything we don't grab will go to them." Ariel Sharon, Israeli Foreign Minister, addressing a meeting of militants from the extreme right-wing Tsomet Party, Agence France Presse, November 15, 1998.
22. "It is the duty of Israeli leaders to explain to public opinion, clearly and courageously, a certain number of facts that are forgotten with time. The first of these is that there is no Zionism,colonialization or Jewish State without the eviction of the Arabs and the expropriation of their lands." Yoram Bar Porath, Yediot Aahronot, of 14 July 1972.
23. "Spirit the penniless population across the frontier by denying it employment… Both the process of expropriation and the removal of the poor must be carried out discreetly and circumspectly." Theodore Herzl, founder of the World Zionist Organization, speaking of the Arabs of Palestine,Complete Diaries, June 12, 1895 entry.
24. "One million Arabs are not worth a Jewish fingernail." — Rabbi Yaacov Perrin, Feb. 27, 1994 [Source: N.Y. Times, Feb. 28, 1994, p. 1]
25. "We Jews, we are the destroyers and will remain the destroyers. Nothing you can do will meet our demands and needs. We will forever destroy because we want a world of our own." (You Gentiles, by Jewish Author Maurice Samuels, p. 155).
26. "We will have a world government whether you like it or not. The only question is whether that government will be achieved by conquest or consent." (Jewish Banker Paul Warburg, February 17, 1950, as he testified before the U.S. Senate).
27. "We will establish ourselves in Palestine whether you like it or not…You can hasten our arrival or you can equally retard it. It is however better for you to help us so as to avoid our constructive powers being turned into a destructive power which will overthrow the world." (Chaim Weizmann, Published in "Judische Rundschau," No. 4, 1920)
28. "Our race is the Master Race. We are divine gods on this planet. We are as different from the inferior races as they are from insects. In fact, compared to our race, other races are beasts and animals, cattle at best. Other races are considered as human excrement. Our destiny is to rule over the inferior races. Our earthly kingdom will be ruled by our leader with a rod of iron. The masses will lick our feet and serve us as our slaves." – Israeli prime Minister Menachem Begin in a speech to the Knesset [Israeli Parliament] quoted by Amnon Kapeliouk, "Begin and the Beasts," New Statesman, June 25, 1982
29. "Tell me, do the evil men of this world have a bad time? They hunt and catch whatever they feel like eating. They don't suffer from indigestion and are not punished by Heaven. I want Israel to join that club. Maybe the world will then at last begin to fear us instead of feeling sorry. Maybe they will start to tremble, to fear our madness instead of admiring our nobility. Let them tremble; let them call us a mad state. Let them understand that we are a savage country, dangerous to our surroundings, not normal, that we might go wild, that we might start World War Three just like that, or that we might one day go crazy and burn all the oil fields in the Middle East. Even if you'll prove to me that the present war is a dirty immoral war, I don't care. We shall start another war, kill and destroy more and more. And do you know why it is all worth it? Because it seems that this war has made us more unpopular among the civilized world.We'll hear no more of that nonsense about the unique Jewish morality. No more talk about a unique people being a light upon the nations. No more uniqueness and no more sweetness and light. Good riddance." –Former Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon
30. "The Modern Age is the Jewish Age, and the twentieth century, in particular, is the Jewish Century." -Yuri Slezkine, Professor of History at University of California, Berkeley, "The Jewish Century"; Princeton University Press
31. "What shocks and worries me is the narrow-mindedness and the shortsightedness of our military leaders. They seem to presume that the State of Israel may or even must-behave in the realm of international relations according to the laws of the jungle- -the long chain of false incidents and hostilities we have invented, and so many clashes we have provoked;" – From Diary of Moshe Sharett, former Primer Minister of Israel in Livia Rokach, Israel's Sacred Terrorism published 980
32. Hebrew essayist Achad Ha-Am, after paying a visit to Palestine in 1891: "Abroad we are accustomed to believe that Israel is almost empty; nothing is grown here and that whoever wishes to buy land could come here and buy what his heart desires. In reality, the situation is not like this. Throughout the country it is difficult to find cultivable land which is not already cultivated."
33. The Balfour Declaration to Baron Rothchild, on the 2nd of November, 1917: "His Majesty's Government view with favor the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people, and will use their best endeavors to facilitate the achievement of this object, it being clearly understood that nothing shall be done which may prejudice the civil and religious rights of existing non-Jewish communities in Palestine, or the rights and political status enjoyed by Jews in any other country."
34. Lord Sydenham, Hansard, House of Lords, 21 June 1922: "If we are going to admit claims on conquest thousands of years ago, the whole world will have to be turned upside down."
35. Vladimir Jabotinsky, The Iron Wall, 1923: "Zionist colonization must either be terminated or carried out against the wishes of the native population. This colonization can, therefore, be continued and make progress only under the protection of a power independent of the native population – an iron wall, which will be in a position to resist the pressure to the native population. This is our policy towards the Arabs…"
36. Vladimir Jabotinsky, founder of Revisionist Zionism (precursor of Likud), The Iron Wall, 1923: "A voluntary reconciliation with the Arabs is out of the question either now or in the future. If you wish to colonize a land in which people are already living, you must provide a garrison for the land, or find some rich man or benefactor who will provide a garrison on your behalf. Or else-or else, give up your colonization, for without an armed force which will render physically impossible any attempt to destroy or prevent this colonization, colonization is impossible, not difficult, not dangerous, but IMPOSSIBLE!… Zionism is a colonization adventure and therefore it stands or falls by the question of armed force. It is important… to speak Hebrew, but, unfortunately, it is even more important to be able to shoot – or else I am through with playing at colonizing."
37. David Ben Gurion, future Prime Minister of Israel, 1937, Ben Gurion and the Palestine Arabs, Oxford University Press, 1985: "We must expel Arabs and take their places."
38. Joseph Weitz, head of the Jewish Agency's Colonization Department in 1940. From "A Solution to the Refugee Problem": "Between ourselves it must be clear that there is no room for both peoples together in this country. We shall not achieve our goal if the Arabs are in this small country. There is no other way than to transfer the Arabs from here to neighboring countries – all of them. Not one village, not one tribe should be left."
39. Israeli official Arthur Lourie in a letter to Walter Eytan, director general of the Israeli Foreign Ministry (ISA FM 2564/22). From Benny Morris, "The Birth of the Palestinian Refugee Problem 1947-49", p. 297: "…if people become accustomed to the large figure and we are actually obliged to accept the return of the refugees, we may find it difficult, when faced with hordes of claimants, to convince the world that not all of these formerly lived in Israeli territory. It would, in any event, seem desirable to minimize the numbers…than otherwise."
40. David Ben-Gurion, May 1948, to the General Staff. From Ben- Gurion, A Biography, by Michael Ben-Zohar, Delacorte, New York 1978: "We should prepare to go over to the offensive. Our aim is to smash Lebanon, Trans-Jordan, and Syria. The weak point is Lebanon, for the Moslem regime is artificial and easy for us to undermine. We shall establish a Christian state there, and then we will smash the Arab Legion, eliminate Trans-Jordan; Syria will fall to us. We then bomb and move on and take Port Said, Alexandria and Sinai."
41. David Ben-Gurion, one of the father founders of Israel, described Zionist aims in 1948: "A Christian state should be established [in Lebanon], with its southern border on the Litani river. We will make an alliance with it. When we smash the Arab Legion's strength and bomb Amman, we will eliminate Transjordan too, and then Syria will fall. If Egypt still dares to fight on, we shall bomb Port Said, Alexandria and Cairo… And in this fashion, we will end the war and settle our forefathers' account with Egypt, Assyria, and Aram"
42. [Begin, and Yitzhak Shamir who were members of the party became Prime Ministers.] Albert Einstein, Hanna Arendt and other prominent Jewish Americans, writing in The New York Times, protest the visit to America of Menachem Begin, December 1948: "Among the most disturbing political phenomena of our time is the emergence in the newly created State of Israel of the Freedom Party (Herut), a political party closely akin in its organization, method, political philosophy and social appeal to the Nazi and Fascist parties."
43. Martin Buber, Jewish Philosopher, addressed Prime Minister Ben Gurion on the moral character of the state of Israel with reference to the Arab refugees in March 1949. "We will have to face the reality that Israel is neither innocent, nor redemptive. And that in its creation, and expansion; we as Jews, have caused what we historically have suffered; a refugee population in Diaspora."
44. Moshe Dayan (Israel Defense and Foreign Minister), on February 12 1952. Radio "Israel.": "It lies upon the people's shoulders to prepare for the war, but it lies upon the Israeli army to carry out the fight with the ultimate object of erecting the Israeli Empire."
45. Martin Buber, to a New York audience, Jewish Newsletter, June 2, 1958: "When we [followers of the prophetic Judaism] returned to Palestine…the majority of Jewish people preferred to learn from Hitler rather than from us."
46. Aba Eban (the Israeli Foreign Minister) stated arrogantly. New York Times June 19, 1967: "If the General Assembly were to vote by 121 votes to 1 in favor of "Israel" returning to the armistice lines– (pre June 1967 borders) "Israel" would refuse to comply with the decision."
47. Dr. Israel Shahak, Chairperson of the Israeli League for Human and Civil Rights, and a survivor of the Bergen Belsen concentration camp, Commenting on the Israeli military's Emergency Regulations following the 1967 War. Palestine, vol. 12, December 1983: "Hitler's legal power was based upon the 'Enabling Act', which was passed quite legally by the Reichstag and which allowed the Fuehrer and his representatives, in plain language, to be what they wanted, or in legal language, to issue regulations having the force of law. Exactly the same type of act was passed by the Knesset [Israeli's Parliament] immediately after the 1067 conquest granting the Israeli governor and his representatives the power of Hitler, which they use in Hitlerian manner."
48. Joseph Weitz, Director of the Jewish National Fund, the Zionist agency charged with acquiring Palestinian land, Circa 194. Machover Israca, January 5, 1973 /p.2: "The only solution is Eretz Israel [Greater Israel], or at least Western Eretz Israel [all the land west of Jordan River], without Arabs. There is no room for compromise on this point … We must not leave a single village, not a single tribe."
49. Israeli Rabbi Yitzhak Ginsburg, Inferring that killing isn't murder if the victim is Gentile. Jerusalem Post, June 19,1989: "Jewish blood and a goy's [gentile's] blood are not the same."
50. Benyamin Netanyahu, then Israeli Deputy Foreign Minister, former Prime Minister of Israel, tells students at Bar Ilan University, From the Israeli journal Hotam, November 24, 1989: "Israel should have exploited the repression of the demonstrations in China, when world attention focused on that country, to carry out mass expulsions among the Arabs of the territories."
51. Former Prime Minister Yitzhak Shamir declares at a Tel Aviv memorial service for former Likud leaders, November 1990. Jerusalem Domestic Radio Service: "The past leaders of our movement left us a clear message to keep Eretz Israel from the Sea to the Jordan River for future generations, for the mass aliya [immigration], and for the Jewish people, all of whom will be gathered into this country."
52. Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak, quoted in Associated Press, November 16, 2000: "If we thought that instead of 200 Palestinian fatalities, 2,000 dead would put an end to the fighting at a stroke, we would use much more force…."
53. Ben Gurion: In 1899, Davis Triestsch wrote to Herzl: " I would suggest to you to come round in time to the "Greater Palestine" program before it is too late… the Basle program must contain the words "Great Palestine" or "Palestine and its neighboring lands" otherwise it's nonsense. You do not get ten million Jews into a land of 25,000 Km2". " The present map of Palestine was drawn by the British mandate. The Jewish people have another map which our youth and adults should strive to fulfill — From the Nile to the Euphrates."
54. Vladimir Jabotinsky (the founder and advocate of the Zionist terrorist organizations), Quoted by Maxime Rodinson in Peuple Juif ou Problem Juif. (Jewish People or Jewish Problem): "Has any People ever been seen to give up their territory of their own free will? In the same way, the Arabs of Palestine will not renounce their sovereignty without violence."
Moron Rivero copied and pasted these lying made up phony so called quotes above from an extremist white supremacist neo-nazi fascist web site.
Here is one quote Moron Rivero forgot to post:
Ben-Gurion gave this speech accepting the UN Partition of Palestine on the 2nd of October, 1947, months before any fighting had broken out between the Arabs and the Jews and before a single Palestinian refugee had left his home.
As everyone knows, The Arabs rejected the UN Partition, turned down the Jews offer to live in peace and prosperity as neighbors, and chose to invade and attempt genocide instead.
Ben-Gurion, 2 October 1947:
"This is our native land; it is not as passing migratory birds that we return to it. But it is situated in an area engulfed by Arabic-speaking peoples, mainly followers of Islam. Now, if ever, we must do more than make peace with them; we must achieve collaboration and alliance.
History has been harsh to us, perhaps, setting burdensome conditions which complicate our homecoming; but it has set conditions too which, in the final accounting, will not only allow but will compel Arab and Jew to work together, because they need and complement each other.
If this region is to expand to the full, there must be reciprocity, there can be mutual aid – economic, political and cultural – between Jew and Arab. That is the necessity which will prevail.
We will do everything in our power to maintain peace, and establish a mode of cooperation gainful to both. It is now, here and now, from Jerusalem itself, that a call must go out to the Arab nations to join forces with Jewry and the destined Jewish State and work shoulder to shoulder for our common good, for the peace and progress."
Why are the flotilla boats brining in medicine?
Is this not the best evidence of all that this whole thing is nothing but a big phony propaganda exercise and that these nincompoops who organized it in reality care nothing about the actual real suffering of the Palestinian people ?
source:
International Committee Of the Red Cross,
Israel and the occupied territories: 18-03-2011 Operational Update
http://www.icrc.org/eng/resources/documents/updat…
” The ICRC monitored the supply and stocks of essential drugs and disposables with the aim of ensuring that hospitals could provide an acceptable level of patient care. However, insufficient cooperation between the health ministries in Ramallah and Gaza combined with fuel shortages brought patient care to the brink of crisis on several occasions, in particular when haemodialysis fluid ran short.
The poor cooperation between the health ministries in Ramallah and Gaza made it difficult to organize a predictable and reliable supply of essential drugs and disposables for Gaza. The ICRC contacted the authorities in an attempt to prevent a negative impact on the patients, and endeavoured to fill urgent gaps when requested. The actions taken by the ICRC included, for example, supplying urgent life-saving medications for organ transplant patients who were down to their last day’s supply, and medications for new-born babies with congenital heart defects.
“The ICRC remains ready to assist the health ministry by sending urgently needed items to Gaza,” said Morven Murchison, an ICRC health coordinator. “Nevertheless, this is only a stopgap. The real solution consists in establishing a pipeline for sending drugs and disposables to Gaza according to need.”
The ICRC’s support for health-care services focuses on emergency life-saving surgery. In 2010, the ICRC supplied 242 tonnes of drugs and disposables to the health ministry for hospitals in Gaza. The items were used in the emergency surgical treatment of more than 43,000 patients.”
McClatchy Newspapers published official Israeli documents that proved the starvation blockade of Gaza had nothing to do with security,. but was a blatant attempt to starve Gaza into surrendering their elected government and accepting Israeli control through their proxy Fatah.
This is exactly the same thing the USSR attempted doing to West Berlin in 1948. We did not tolerate it then; why do we tolerate it now.
The United Nations partition plan called for two states side by side, a Palestine and an Israel. But Israel rejected the plan and simply declared itself to be in existence. And that is the root of all the evil since. Israel demands that everyone recognize their right to exist, yet refuses to grant that same right to anyone else.
On the day Israel recognizes Palestine's right to exist Palestine has promised to recognize Israel's right to exist, the borders will; be drawn and peace and commerce will replace war and suffering.
But as long as Israel maintains the double standard that they have a right to exist and others do not, there cannot be any peace.
I admire and respect those who fight to protect their homes from invasion. I would do the same, and if you are honest, you would admit you would do the same as well.
Oh my; how special! Israel and Greece and the United Nations have made a deal to take the aid supplies to Ashdod, Israel instead of Gaza.
Setting aside that little of the last batch of supplies delivered to Ashdod ever got into Gaza, NONE OF THESE SUPPLIES BELONG TO EITHER ISRAEL, GREECE, OR THE UNITED NATIONS! This pretense at an agreement is intended to obscure the fact that they are talking about property that does not belong to them. This is roughly the moral equivalent of Blackbeard “agreeing” to loot ships that do not belong to him and transfer the valuables found therein to Tortuga instead of their intended destination of Panama!
All the pretty language cannot conceal the fact that this action is still theft, piracy, and/or privateering. Israel, Greece, and the United Nations are “agreeing” to the disposition of property which belongs to other people, and speaking as one of those who donated to this aid flotilla, I do not cede to Israel, Greece, or the United Nations permission to interfere with my property or its intended destination.
Certainly the interference with the letters carried by the audacity to the children of Gaza represents interference with the mail; a serious crime under the laws of all civilized nations and maritime law as well.
The seizure of the material supplies from the aid flotilla and transport to anyplace but the intended destination represents an act of piracy no matter what flag the brigands fly at the masthead!
response to Edith Garwood:
Boiling your blog above down to its core argument you are claiming:
Helping Hamas get heavy weapons fighting Slavery of African Americans .
That is just such an exaggerated and silly equation.
I bet even the Gazans themselves would roll their eyes at you, Edith.
I think it is the opposite, that the fight for human rights and humanitarian law, that got its start in the anti-slavery movement, the womens suffrage, then out of the ashes of the holocaust and the American civil rights movement is best exemplified to day in the Jews of Israel, who even though they are outnumbered 100 to 1, refuse to be bullied and chased out of the middle east by racist bigoted genocidal enemies.
Yet after 60 years of fighting and over 100,000 Israeli war dead, from wars the Israelis never wanted, not a one of them, yet the Israelis are still willing always to give one more try to living in peace and quite with a Palestine as a neighbor in mutual recognition of the Palestine homeland and the Jewish homeland.
One day there will be peace, Edith. Palestinians will have Palestine, and Jews will have a democratic Jewish homeland of Israel and the people will all live in peace and then, when that day comes you will understand.
Why are the flotilla boats brining in medicine?
Is this not the best evidence of all that this whole thing is nothing but a big phony propaganda exercise and that these nincompoops who organized it in reality care nothing about the actual real suffering of the Palestinian people ?
source:
International Committee Of the Red Cross,
Israel and the occupied territories: 18-03-2011 Operational Update
http://www.icrc.org/eng/resources/documents/updat…
” The ICRC monitored the supply and stocks of essential drugs and disposables with the aim of ensuring that hospitals could provide an acceptable level of patient care. However, insufficient cooperation between the health ministries in Ramallah and Gaza combined with fuel shortages brought patient care to the brink of crisis on several occasions, in particular when haemodialysis fluid ran short.
The poor cooperation between the health ministries in Ramallah and Gaza made it difficult to organize a predictable and reliable supply of essential drugs and disposables for Gaza. The ICRC contacted the authorities in an attempt to prevent a negative impact on the patients, and endeavoured to fill urgent gaps when requested. The actions taken by the ICRC included, for example, supplying urgent life-saving medications for organ transplant patients who were down to their last day’s supply, and medications for new-born babies with congenital heart defects.
“The ICRC remains ready to assist the health ministry by sending urgently needed items to Gaza,” said Morven Murchison, an ICRC health coordinator. “Nevertheless, this is only a stopgap. The real solution consists in establishing a pipeline for sending drugs and disposables to Gaza according to need.”
The ICRC’s support for health-care services focuses on emergency life-saving surgery. In 2010, the ICRC supplied 242 tonnes of drugs and disposables to the health ministry for hospitals in Gaza. The items were used in the emergency surgical treatment of more than 43,000 patients.”
Why are the flotilla boats brining in medicine?
Is this not the best evidence of all that this whole thing is nothing but a big phony propaganda exercise and that these nincompoops who organized it in reality care nothing about the actual real suffering of the Palestinian people ?
source:
International Committee Of the Red Cross,
Israel and the occupied territories: 18-03-2011 Operational Update
http://www.icrc.org/eng/resources/documents/updat…
” The ICRC monitored the supply and stocks of essential drugs and disposables with the aim of ensuring that hospitals could provide an acceptable level of patient care. However, insufficient cooperation between the health ministries in Ramallah and Gaza combined with fuel shortages brought patient care to the brink of crisis on several occasions, in particular when haemodialysis fluid ran short.
The poor cooperation between the health ministries in Ramallah and Gaza made it difficult to organize a predictable and reliable supply of essential drugs and disposables for Gaza. The ICRC contacted the authorities in an attempt to prevent a negative impact on the patients, and endeavoured to fill urgent gaps when requested. The actions taken by the ICRC included, for example, supplying urgent life-saving medications for organ transplant patients who were down to their last day’s supply, and medications for new-born babies with congenital heart defects.
“The ICRC remains ready to assist the health ministry by sending urgently needed items to Gaza,” said Morven Murchison, an ICRC health coordinator. “Nevertheless, this is only a stopgap. The real solution consists in establishing a pipeline for sending drugs and disposables to Gaza according to need.”
The ICRC’s support for health-care services focuses on emergency life-saving surgery. In 2010, the ICRC supplied 242 tonnes of drugs and disposables to the health ministry for hospitals in Gaza. The items were used in the emergency surgical treatment of more than 43,000 patients.”
man is born free,why state bound him in survitude,.the problem is not israelbut a mindset of might is right as was prevailing in stoneage socities.Are we not living in that era?yes with a little bit diffrence.in the ancient times ppl were unaware of culture,civilisation,humanrights,freedom of speech,science and technology.but in modern age we are being aware of these terminologies,unable to follow these principles except our own interests means materialistic.we have been accustomed of applying these universal principle according to our own whims and wishes.6 bn ppl of the globe become slave of corporatory politics.A few of 6bn are trying to break the seige of Globalists.this move is also one of them and be enumerated as begining of the end of Globalist agenda and should continue in future.
Article 13.2 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights states…
“Everyone has the right to leave any country, including his own, and to return to his country.”
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) is a declaration adopted by the United Nations General Assembly and all member states of the United Nations are bound by it. Israel, of course, is in violation of Article 13.2 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights both in their refusal to allow Gazans to leave Gaza and in refusing Palestinians a right of return to their homes, which was also a condition for Israel’s admission to the United Nations.
Greece stands in violation of Article 13.2 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which means it too is defying the United Nations. Ban Ki Moon is bound by his office to enforce the recognized right of the aid flotilla to freely exit the Greek ports.
Thank you Peter. I do wish I had had more space and time to address more issues above, but the post was already too long.
1) All countries have the right to protect their citizens and no one is saying they do not. It is incorrect, however, to jump from this right to the statement, “Israel is entitled to do everything in her power to stop Hamas from attaining its goals.”
Israel has the right to self-defense, but must not violate the rights and welfare of innocent parties or international law when doing so. The blog outlines just a few ways in which the current Israeli-imposed blockade violates international law and the basic human rights of the Palestinians living within that territory.
Israel is one of the most technologically advanced militaries in the world. Some of the brightest, strategic thinkers in the military and government live there and they are very capable of safe-guarding national security without unjustly punishing an entire population.
2) The blockade is also not entirely about weapons or security. Israeli politicians and military authorities have said as much publicly. McClatchy newspapers just last year uncovered an Israeli document stating how the blockade was not about security, but “economic warfare” waged to obtain a political goal. This is a ‘collective punishment’ against an entire population which contravenes international law. See http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2010/06/09/95621/israe….
Israel says it has the right to decide who it wants to engage in economic relations with or not, but this is not as straight forward as they would have us believe.
Israel maintains control over Gaza’s airspace, territorial waters, all land crossings (including indirect control of the Rafah crossing into Egypt) which means the movement of people/goods/aid into and out of the territory, and administrative functions, such as the population registry, electromagnetic fields (which impact Radio, TV and telecommunications), family reunification, trade (exports/imports therefore the economy), tax system, currency policies, water and electricity supply.
Israel maintains effective control, thus remains the occupying power over the Gaza Strip with obligations under international law.
One of the MAIN obligations of an occupying power is to safe guard the welfare of the population it occupies – namely the civilians living in the Gaza Strip which constitute the vast majority of the population. Significantly, over 50% of the population is children. An occupying power cannot wage ‘economic warfare’ against those it controls and is legally obligated to protect.
3) Weapons smuggling. Yes, there has been the interception of weapons ostensibly on their way to the Gaza Strip via the sea, but these have been easily intercepted by the Israeli navy. Ending the current blockade would not mean Israel would not have the power to continue to intercept suspicious shipments – they were doing this even before the ‘official’ blockade was put into effect – but ending the blockade would allow Gazan fishermen to finally be able to go past three nautical miles to where the fish are located without being fired upon by Israeli gunboats.
And while it is true that over the past 8-9 years, thousands of rockets have been fired into southern Israel, weapons have mainly made their way into the strip via the tunnels, including the more advanced Katuysha rockets that have a longer range. Also, rocket fire into Israel saw its lowest point due to a politically negotiated cease fire which was in effect just prior to operation 'Cast Lead' – not the blockade.
I visited Sderot while in Israel a couple of years ago, and I really felt for the mothers who had to worry about sending their children off to school or the playground. No child – no human being – should have to live in that kind of fear and stress; not knowing when and if a rocket is going to hit. Amnesty International has long condemned these indiscriminate attacks and have called them what they are – a war crime – and they must stop.
Amnesty has long said, human rights violations by one party does not justify violations by the other party. Children and other innocents continue to die disproportionately on both sides of this issue; no side is wholely innocent or whole guilty, but there are certain standards by which to judge behavior and legal obligations to hold parties to.
While Hamas must end the indiscriminate rocket fire into Israel, Israel as the occupying power must end the blockade immediately and unconditionally and begin meeting its obligations to safeguard the welfare of the people it controls until such time the occupation ends.
4) Israel may consider Hamas the enemy while it has its current Charter, but this blockade does not target Hamas. It targets innocent civilians with no involvement with rockets and no control over the well-armed Hamas militia.
Several experts have noted that Hamas is not only NOT weakening under the blockade, but is actually benefiting – both politically and financially. Politically, they’re seen as the underdog while Israel is the bully. Financially, they benefit because the tunnels were initially created as a way for the inhabitants to survive, but as time passed, Hamas created a tunnel industry – charging for their use, employing desperate individuals (including children) and levying taxes on goods brought in. They have also been able to get cement and other building goods for their own personal use while the regular people continue to suffer.
I know the points you raised keep getting repeated, but they either aren't relevant to the argument about lifting the blockade (i.e. Israel has the right to self-defense – of course they do) or don't hold up when examined in context.
Again, completely ignored is the reason why there is a blockade in place.
1. In March, Israel intercepted a ship from Iran bound for Gaza full of weapons.
2. Democratically elected Hamas sent thousands of rockets into Israel.
Israel has a responsibility to protect her citizens.
3. Hamas Charter clearly states its goal to destroy Israel & kill all Jews.
Hamas is clearly the enemy of Israel and Israel is entitled to do everything in her power to stop Hamas from attaining its goals.
Okay Spiderman, first off., HAMAS did not send “thousands” of rockets into Israel. In fact HAMAS followed a cease fire and stopped all rockets into Israel; until Israel attacked without warning Nov 4/ 2008, then launched Operation CAST LEAD.
Second, if someone is invading your lands and stealing your homes, would you not fight back?
You think Israel is all clean and innocent?
1. “There is a huge gap between us (Jews) and our enemies �not just in ability but in morality, culture, sanctity of life, and conscience. They are our neighbors here, but it seems as if at a distance of a few hundred meters away, there are people who do not belong to our continent, to our world, but actually belong to a different galaxy.” Israeli president Moshe Katsav. The Jerusalem Post, May 10, 2001
2. “The Palestinians are like crocodiles, the more you give them meat, they want more”…. Ehud Barak, Prime Minister of Israel at the time – August 28, 2000. Reported in the Jerusalem Post August 30, 2000
3. ” [The Palestinians are] beasts walking on two legs.” Menahim Begin, speech to the Knesset, quoted in Amnon Kapeliouk, “Begin and the Beasts”. New Statesman, 25 June 1982.
4. “The Palestinians” would be crushed like grasshoppers … heads smashed against the boulders and walls.” ” Isreali Prime Minister (at the time) in a speech to Jewish settlers New York Times April 1, 1988
5. “When we have settled the land, all the Arabs will be able to do about it will be to scurry around like drugged cockroaches in a bottle.” Raphael Eitan, Chief of Staff of the Israeli Defence Forces, New York Times, 14 April 1983.
6. “How can we return the occupied territories? There is nobody to return them to.” Golda Maier, March 8, 1969.
7. “There was no such thing as Palestinians, they never existed.” Golda Maier Israeli Prime Minister June 15, 1969
8. “The thesis that the danger of genocide was hanging over us in June 1967 and that Israel was fighting for its physical existence is only bluff, which was born and developed after the war.” Israeli General Matityahu Peled, Ha’aretz, 19 March 1972.
9. David Ben Gurion (the first Israeli Prime Minister): “If I were an Arab leader, I would never sign an agreement with Israel. It is normal; we have taken their country. It is true God promised it to us, but how could that interest them? Our God is not theirs. There has been Anti – Semitism, the Nazis, Hitler, Auschwitz, but was that their fault ? They see but one thing: we have come and we have stolen their country. Why would they accept that?” Quoted by Nahum Goldmann in Le Paraddoxe Juif (The Jewish Paradox), pp121.
10. Ben Gurion also warned in 1948 : “We must do everything to insure they ( the Palestinians) never do return.” Assuring his fellow Zionists that Palestinians will never come back to their homes. “The old will die and the young will forget.”
11. “We have to kill all the Palestinians unless they are resigned to live here as slaves.” Chairman Heilbrun of the Committee for the Re-election of General Shlomo Lahat, the mayor of Tel Aviv, October 1983.
12. “Every time we do something you tell me America will do this and will do that . . . I want to tell you something very clear: Don’t worry about American pressure on Israel. We, the Jewish people, control America, and the Americans know it.” – Israeli Prime Minister, Ariel Sharon, October 3, 2001, to Shimon Peres, as reported on Kol Yisrael radio. (Certainly the FBI’s cover-up of the Israeli spy ring/phone tap scandal suggests that Mr. Sharon may not have been joking.)
13. “We declare openly that the Arabs have no right to settle on even one centimeter of Eretz Israel… Force is all they do or ever will understand. We shall use the ultimate force until the Palestinians come crawling to us on all fours.” Rafael Eitan, Chief of Staff of the Israeli Defense Forces – Gad Becker, Yediot Ahronot 13 April 1983, New York Times 14 April 1983.
14. “We must do everything to ensure they [the Palestinian refugees] never do return” David Ben-Gurion, in his diary, 18 July 1948, quoted in Michael Bar Zohar’s Ben-Gurion: the Armed Prophet, Prentice-Hall, 1967, p. 157.
15. ” … we should prepare to go over to the offensive with the aim of smashing Lebanon, Trans-jordan and Syria… The weak point in the Arab coalition is Lebanon [for] the Moslem regime is artificial and easy to undermine. A Christian state should be established… When we smash the [Arab] Legions strength and bomb Amman, we will eliminate Transjordan, too, and then Syria will fall. If Egypt still dares to fight on, we shall bomb Port Said, Alexandria, and Cairo.” ” David Ben-Gurion, May 1948, to the General Staff. From Ben-Gurion, A Biography, by Michael Ben-Zohar, Delacorte, New York 1978.
16. “We must use terror, assassination, intimidation, land confiscation, and the cutting of all social services to rid the Galilee of its Arab population.” Israel Koenig, “The Koenig Memorandum”
17. “Jewish villages were built in the place of Arab villages. You do not even know the names of these Arab villages, and I do not blame you because geography books no longer exist. Not only do the books not exist, the Arab villages are not there either. Nahlal arose in the place of Mahlul; Kibbutz Gvat in the place of Jibta; Kibbutz Sarid in the place of Huneifis; and Kefar Yehushua in the place of Tal al-Shuman. There is not a single place built in this country that did not have a former Arab population.” Moshe Dayan, address to the Technion, Haifa, reported in Haaretz, April 4, 1969.
18. “We walked outside, Ben-Gurion accompanying us. Allon repeated his question, What is to be done with the Palestinian population?’ Ben-Gurion waved his hand in a gesture which said ‘Drive them out!'” Yitzhak Rabin, leaked censored version of Rabin memoirs, published in the New York Times, 23 October 1979.
19. Rabin’s description of the conquest of Lydda, after the completion of Plan Dalet. “We shall reduce the Arab population to a community of woodcutters and waiters” Uri Lubrani, PM Ben-Gurion’s special adviser on Arab Affairs, 1960. From “The Arabs in Israel” by Sabri Jiryas.
20. “There are some who believe that the non-Jewish population, even in a high percentage, within our borders will be more effectively under our surveillance; and there are some who believe the contrary, i.e., that it is easier to carry out surveillance over the activities of a neighbor than over those of a tenant. [I] tend to support the latter view and have an additional argument:…the need to sustain the character of the state which will henceforth be Jewish…with a non-Jewish minority limited to 15 percent. I had already reached this fundamental position as early as 1940 [and] it is entered in my diary.” Joseph Weitz, head of the Jewish Agency’s Colonization Department. From Israel: an Apartheid State by Uri Davis, p.5.
21. “Everybody has to move, run and grab as many hilltops as they can to enlarge the settlements because everything we take now will stay ours… Everything we don’t grab will go to them.” Ariel Sharon, Israeli Foreign Minister, addressing a meeting of militants from the extreme right-wing Tsomet Party, Agence France Presse, November 15, 1998.
22. “It is the duty of Israeli leaders to explain to public opinion, clearly and courageously, a certain number of facts that are forgotten with time. The first of these is that there is no Zionism,colonialization or Jewish State without the eviction of the Arabs and the expropriation of their lands.” Yoram Bar Porath, Yediot Aahronot, of 14 July 1972.
23. “Spirit the penniless population across the frontier by denying it employment… Both the process of expropriation and the removal of the poor must be carried out discreetly and circumspectly.” Theodore Herzl, founder of the World Zionist Organization, speaking of the Arabs of Palestine,Complete Diaries, June 12, 1895 entry.
24. “One million Arabs are not worth a Jewish fingernail.” — Rabbi Yaacov Perrin, Feb. 27, 1994 [Source: N.Y. Times, Feb. 28, 1994, p. 1]
25. “We Jews, we are the destroyers and will remain the destroyers. Nothing you can do will meet our demands and needs. We will forever destroy because we want a world of our own.” (You Gentiles, by Jewish Author Maurice Samuels, p. 155).
26. “We will have a world government whether you like it or not. The only question is whether that government will be achieved by conquest or consent.” (Jewish Banker Paul Warburg, February 17, 1950, as he testified before the U.S. Senate).
27. “We will establish ourselves in Palestine whether you like it or not…You can hasten our arrival or you can equally retard it. It is however better for you to help us so as to avoid our constructive powers being turned into a destructive power which will overthrow the world.” (Chaim Weizmann, Published in “Judische Rundschau,” No. 4, 1920)
28. “Our race is the Master Race. We are divine gods on this planet. We are as different from the inferior races as they are from insects. In fact, compared to our race, other races are beasts and animals, cattle at best. Other races are considered as human excrement. Our destiny is to rule over the inferior races. Our earthly kingdom will be ruled by our leader with a rod of iron. The masses will lick our feet and serve us as our slaves.” – Israeli prime Minister Menachem Begin in a speech to the Knesset [Israeli Parliament] quoted by Amnon Kapeliouk, “Begin and the Beasts,” New Statesman, June 25, 1982
29. “Tell me, do the evil men of this world have a bad time? They hunt and catch whatever they feel like eating. They don’t suffer from indigestion and are not punished by Heaven. I want Israel to join that club. Maybe the world will then at last begin to fear us instead of feeling sorry. Maybe they will start to tremble, to fear our madness instead of admiring our nobility. Let them tremble; let them call us a mad state. Let them understand that we are a savage country, dangerous to our surroundings, not normal, that we might go wild, that we might start World War Three just like that, or that we might one day go crazy and burn all the oil fields in the Middle East. Even if you’ll prove to me that the present war is a dirty immoral war, I don’t care. We shall start another war, kill and destroy more and more. And do you know why it is all worth it? Because it seems that this war has made us more unpopular among the civilized world.We’ll hear no more of that nonsense about the unique Jewish morality. No more talk about a unique people being a light upon the nations. No more uniqueness and no more sweetness and light. Good riddance.” –Former Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon
30. “The Modern Age is the Jewish Age, and the twentieth century, in particular, is the Jewish Century.” -Yuri Slezkine, Professor of History at University of California, Berkeley, “The Jewish Century”; Princeton University Press
31. “What shocks and worries me is the narrow-mindedness and the shortsightedness of our military leaders. They seem to presume that the State of Israel may or even must-behave in the realm of international relations according to the laws of the jungle- -the long chain of false incidents and hostilities we have invented, and so many clashes we have provoked;” – From Diary of Moshe Sharett, former Primer Minister of Israel in Livia Rokach, Israel’s Sacred Terrorism published 980
32. Hebrew essayist Achad Ha-Am, after paying a visit to Palestine in 1891: “Abroad we are accustomed to believe that Israel is almost empty; nothing is grown here and that whoever wishes to buy land could come here and buy what his heart desires. In reality, the situation is not like this. Throughout the country it is difficult to find cultivable land which is not already cultivated.”
33. The Balfour Declaration to Baron Rothchild, on the 2nd of November, 1917: “His Majesty’s Government view with favor the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people, and will use their best endeavors to facilitate the achievement of this object, it being clearly understood that nothing shall be done which may prejudice the civil and religious rights of existing non-Jewish communities in Palestine, or the rights and political status enjoyed by Jews in any other country.”
34. Lord Sydenham, Hansard, House of Lords, 21 June 1922: “If we are going to admit claims on conquest thousands of years ago, the whole world will have to be turned upside down.”
35. Vladimir Jabotinsky, The Iron Wall, 1923: “Zionist colonization must either be terminated or carried out against the wishes of the native population. This colonization can, therefore, be continued and make progress only under the protection of a power independent of the native population – an iron wall, which will be in a position to resist the pressure to the native population. This is our policy towards the Arabs…”
36. Vladimir Jabotinsky, founder of Revisionist Zionism (precursor of Likud), The Iron Wall, 1923: “A voluntary reconciliation with the Arabs is out of the question either now or in the future. If you wish to colonize a land in which people are already living, you must provide a garrison for the land, or find some rich man or benefactor who will provide a garrison on your behalf. Or else-or else, give up your colonization, for without an armed force which will render physically impossible any attempt to destroy or prevent this colonization, colonization is impossible, not difficult, not dangerous, but IMPOSSIBLE!… Zionism is a colonization adventure and therefore it stands or falls by the question of armed force. It is important… to speak Hebrew, but, unfortunately, it is even more important to be able to shoot – or else I am through with playing at colonizing.”
37. David Ben Gurion, future Prime Minister of Israel, 1937, Ben Gurion and the Palestine Arabs, Oxford University Press, 1985: “We must expel Arabs and take their places.”
38. Joseph Weitz, head of the Jewish Agency’s Colonization Department in 1940. From “A Solution to the Refugee Problem”: “Between ourselves it must be clear that there is no room for both peoples together in this country. We shall not achieve our goal if the Arabs are in this small country. There is no other way than to transfer the Arabs from here to neighboring countries – all of them. Not one village, not one tribe should be left.”
39. Israeli official Arthur Lourie in a letter to Walter Eytan, director general of the Israeli Foreign Ministry (ISA FM 2564/22). From Benny Morris, “The Birth of the Palestinian Refugee Problem 1947-49”, p. 297: “…if people become accustomed to the large figure and we are actually obliged to accept the return of the refugees, we may find it difficult, when faced with hordes of claimants, to convince the world that not all of these formerly lived in Israeli territory. It would, in any event, seem desirable to minimize the numbers…than otherwise.”
40. David Ben-Gurion, May 1948, to the General Staff. From Ben- Gurion, A Biography, by Michael Ben-Zohar, Delacorte, New York 1978: “We should prepare to go over to the offensive. Our aim is to smash Lebanon, Trans-Jordan, and Syria. The weak point is Lebanon, for the Moslem regime is artificial and easy for us to undermine. We shall establish a Christian state there, and then we will smash the Arab Legion, eliminate Trans-Jordan; Syria will fall to us. We then bomb and move on and take Port Said, Alexandria and Sinai.”
41. David Ben-Gurion, one of the father founders of Israel, described Zionist aims in 1948: “A Christian state should be established [in Lebanon], with its southern border on the Litani river. We will make an alliance with it. When we smash the Arab Legion’s strength and bomb Amman, we will eliminate Transjordan too, and then Syria will fall. If Egypt still dares to fight on, we shall bomb Port Said, Alexandria and Cairo… And in this fashion, we will end the war and settle our forefathers’ account with Egypt, Assyria, and Aram”
42. [Begin, and Yitzhak Shamir who were members of the party became Prime Ministers.] Albert Einstein, Hanna Arendt and other prominent Jewish Americans, writing in The New York Times, protest the visit to America of Menachem Begin, December 1948: “Among the most disturbing political phenomena of our time is the emergence in the newly created State of Israel of the Freedom Party (Herut), a political party closely akin in its organization, method, political philosophy and social appeal to the Nazi and Fascist parties.”
43. Martin Buber, Jewish Philosopher, addressed Prime Minister Ben Gurion on the moral character of the state of Israel with reference to the Arab refugees in March 1949. “We will have to face the reality that Israel is neither innocent, nor redemptive. And that in its creation, and expansion; we as Jews, have caused what we historically have suffered; a refugee population in Diaspora.”
44. Moshe Dayan (Israel Defense and Foreign Minister), on February 12 1952. Radio “Israel.”: “It lies upon the people’s shoulders to prepare for the war, but it lies upon the Israeli army to carry out the fight with the ultimate object of erecting the Israeli Empire.”
45. Martin Buber, to a New York audience, Jewish Newsletter, June 2, 1958: “When we [followers of the prophetic Judaism] returned to Palestine…the majority of Jewish people preferred to learn from Hitler rather than from us.”
46. Aba Eban (the Israeli Foreign Minister) stated arrogantly. New York Times June 19, 1967: “If the General Assembly were to vote by 121 votes to 1 in favor of “Israel” returning to the armistice lines– (pre June 1967 borders) “Israel” would refuse to comply with the decision.”
47. Dr. Israel Shahak, Chairperson of the Israeli League for Human and Civil Rights, and a survivor of the Bergen Belsen concentration camp, Commenting on the Israeli military’s Emergency Regulations following the 1967 War. Palestine, vol. 12, December 1983: “Hitler’s legal power was based upon the ‘Enabling Act’, which was passed quite legally by the Reichstag and which allowed the Fuehrer and his representatives, in plain language, to be what they wanted, or in legal language, to issue regulations having the force of law. Exactly the same type of act was passed by the Knesset [Israeli’s Parliament] immediately after the 1067 conquest granting the Israeli governor and his representatives the power of Hitler, which they use in Hitlerian manner.”
48. Joseph Weitz, Director of the Jewish National Fund, the Zionist agency charged with acquiring Palestinian land, Circa 194. Machover Israca, January 5, 1973 /p.2: “The only solution is Eretz Israel [Greater Israel], or at least Western Eretz Israel [all the land west of Jordan River], without Arabs. There is no room for compromise on this point … We must not leave a single village, not a single tribe.”
49. Israeli Rabbi Yitzhak Ginsburg, Inferring that killing isn’t murder if the victim is Gentile. Jerusalem Post, June 19,1989: “Jewish blood and a goy’s [gentile’s] blood are not the same.”
50. Benyamin Netanyahu, then Israeli Deputy Foreign Minister, former Prime Minister of Israel, tells students at Bar Ilan University, From the Israeli journal Hotam, November 24, 1989: “Israel should have exploited the repression of the demonstrations in China, when world attention focused on that country, to carry out mass expulsions among the Arabs of the territories.”
51. Former Prime Minister Yitzhak Shamir declares at a Tel Aviv memorial service for former Likud leaders, November 1990. Jerusalem Domestic Radio Service: “The past leaders of our movement left us a clear message to keep Eretz Israel from the Sea to the Jordan River for future generations, for the mass aliya [immigration], and for the Jewish people, all of whom will be gathered into this country.”
52. Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak, quoted in Associated Press, November 16, 2000: “If we thought that instead of 200 Palestinian fatalities, 2,000 dead would put an end to the fighting at a stroke, we would use much more force….”
53. Ben Gurion: In 1899, Davis Triestsch wrote to Herzl: ” I would suggest to you to come round in time to the “Greater Palestine” program before it is too late… the Basle program must contain the words “Great Palestine” or “Palestine and its neighboring lands” otherwise it’s nonsense. You do not get ten million Jews into a land of 25,000 Km2″. ” The present map of Palestine was drawn by the British mandate. The Jewish people have another map which our youth and adults should strive to fulfill — From the Nile to the Euphrates.”
54. Vladimir Jabotinsky (the founder and advocate of the Zionist terrorist organizations), Quoted by Maxime Rodinson in Peuple Juif ou Problem Juif. (Jewish People or Jewish Problem): “Has any People ever been seen to give up their territory of their own free will? In the same way, the Arabs of Palestine will not renounce their sovereignty without violence.”
Thank you Peter. I do wish I had had more space and time to address more issues above, but the post was already too long.
1) All countries have the right to protect their citizens and no one is saying they do not. It is incorrect, however, to jump from this right to the statement, “Israel is entitled to do everything in her power to stop Hamas from attaining its goals.”
Israel has the right to self-defense, but must not violate the rights and welfare of innocent parties or international law when doing so. The blog outlines just a few ways in which the current Israeli-imposed blockade violates international law and the basic human rights of the Palestinians living within that territory.
Israel is one of the most technologically advanced militaries in the world. Some of the brightest, strategic thinkers in the military and government live there and they are very capable of safe-guarding national security without unjustly punishing an entire population.
2) The blockade is also not entirely about weapons or security. Israeli politicians and military authorities have said as much publicly. McClatchy newspapers just last year uncovered an Israeli document stating how the blockade was not about security, but “economic warfare” waged to obtain a political goal. This is a ‘collective punishment’ against an entire population which contravenes international law. See http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2010/06/09/95621/israe….
Israel says it has the right to decide who it wants to engage in economic relations with or not, but this is not as straight forward as they would have us believe.
Israel maintains control over Gaza’s airspace, territorial waters, all land crossings (including indirect control of the Rafah crossing into Egypt) which means the movement of people/goods/aid into and out of the territory, and administrative functions, such as the population registry, electromagnetic fields (which impact Radio, TV and telecommunications), family reunification, trade (exports/imports therefore the economy), tax system, currency policies, water and electricity supply.
Israel maintains effective control, thus remains the occupying power over the Gaza Strip with obligations under international law.
One of the MAIN obligations of an occupying power is to safe guard the welfare of the population it occupies – namely the civilians living in the Gaza Strip which constitute the vast majority of the population. Significantly, over 50% of the population is children. An occupying power cannot wage ‘economic warfare’ against those it controls and is legally obligated to protect.
3) Weapons smuggling. Yes, there has been the interception of weapons ostensibly on their way to the Gaza Strip via the sea, but these have been easily intercepted by the Israeli navy. Ending the current blockade would not mean Israel would not have the power to continue to intercept suspicious shipments – they were doing this even before the ‘official’ blockade was put into effect – but ending the blockade would allow Gazan fishermen to finally be able to go past three nautical miles to where the fish are located without being fired upon by Israeli gunboats.
And while it is true that over the past 8-9 years, thousands of rockets have been fired into southern Israel, weapons have mainly made their way into the strip via the tunnels, including the more advanced Katuysha rockets that have a longer range. Also, rocket fire into Israel saw its lowest point due to a politically negotiated cease fire which was in effect just prior to operation 'Cast Lead' – not the blockade.
I visited Sderot while in Israel a couple of years ago, and I really felt for the mothers who had to worry about sending their children off to school or the playground. No child – no human being – should have to live in that kind of fear and stress; not knowing when and if a rocket is going to hit. Amnesty International has long condemned these indiscriminate attacks and have called them what they are – a war crime – and they must stop.
Amnesty has long said, human rights violations by one party does not justify violations by the other party. Children and other innocents continue to die disproportionately on both sides of this issue; no side is wholely innocent or whole guilty, but there are certain standards by which to judge behavior and legal obligations to hold parties to.
While Hamas must end the indiscriminate rocket fire into Israel, Israel as the occupying power must end the blockade immediately and unconditionally and begin meeting its obligations to safeguard the welfare of the people it controls until such time the occupation ends.
4) Israel may consider Hamas the enemy while it has its current Charter, but this blockade does not target Hamas. It targets innocent civilians with no involvement with rockets and no control over the well-armed Hamas militia.
Several experts have noted that Hamas is not only NOT weakening under the blockade, but is actually benefiting – both politically and financially. Politically, they’re seen as the underdog while Israel is the bully. Financially, they benefit because the tunnels were initially created as a way for the inhabitants to survive, but as time passed, Hamas created a tunnel industry – charging for their use, employing desperate individuals (including children) and levying taxes on goods brought in. They have also been able to get cement and other building goods for their own personal use while the regular people continue to suffer.
I know the points you raised keep getting repeated, but they either aren't relevant to the argument about lifting the blockade (i.e. Israel has the right to self-defense – of course they do) or don't hold up when examined in context.
Thank you Peter. I do wish I had had more space and time to address more issues above, but the post was already too long.
1) All countries have the right to protect their citizens and no one is saying they do not. It is incorrect, however, to jump from this right to the statement, “Israel is entitled to do everything in her power to stop Hamas from attaining its goals.”
Israel has the right to self-defense, but must not violate the rights and welfare of innocent parties or international law when doing so. The blog outlines just a few ways in which the current Israeli-imposed blockade violates international law and the basic human rights of the Palestinians living within that territory.
Israel is one of the most technologically advanced militaries in the world. Some of the brightest, strategic thinkers in the military and government live there and they are very capable of safe-guarding national security without unjustly punishing an entire population.
2) The blockade is also not entirely about weapons or security. Israeli politicians and military authorities have said as much publicly. McClatchy newspapers just last year uncovered an Israeli document stating how the blockade was not about security, but “economic warfare” waged to obtain a political goal. This is a ‘collective punishment’ against an entire population which contravenes international law. See http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2010/06/09/95621/israe….
Israel says it has the right to decide who it wants to engage in economic relations with or not, but this is not as straight forward as they would have us believe.
Israel maintains control over Gaza’s airspace, territorial waters, all land crossings (including indirect control of the Rafah crossing into Egypt) which means the movement of people/goods/aid into and out of the territory, and administrative functions, such as the population registry, electromagnetic fields (which impact Radio, TV and telecommunications), family reunification, trade (exports/imports therefore the economy), tax system, currency policies, water and electricity supply.
Israel maintains effective control, thus remains the occupying power over the Gaza Strip with obligations under international law.
One of the MAIN obligations of an occupying power is to safe guard the welfare of the population it occupies – namely the civilians living in the Gaza Strip which constitute the vast majority of the population. Significantly, over 50% of the population is children. An occupying power cannot wage ‘economic warfare’ against those it controls and is legally obligated to protect.
3) Weapons smuggling. Yes, there has been the interception of weapons ostensibly on their way to the Gaza Strip via the sea, but these have been easily intercepted by the Israeli navy. Ending the current blockade would not mean Israel would not have the power to continue to intercept suspicious shipments – they were doing this even before the ‘official’ blockade was put into effect – but ending the blockade would allow Gazan fishermen to finally be able to go past three nautical miles to where the fish are located without being fired upon by Israeli gunboats.
And while it is true that over the past 8-9 years, thousands of rockets have been fired into southern Israel, weapons have mainly made their way into the strip via the tunnels, including the more advanced Katuysha rockets that have a longer range. Also, rocket fire into Israel saw its lowest point due to a politically negotiated cease fire which was in effect just prior to operation 'Cast Lead' – not the blockade.
I visited Sderot while in Israel a couple of years ago, and I really felt for the mothers who had to worry about sending their children off to school or the playground. No child – no human being – should have to live in that kind of fear and stress; not knowing when and if a rocket is going to hit. Amnesty International has long condemned these indiscriminate attacks and have called them what they are – a war crime – and they must stop.
Amnesty has long said, human rights violations by one party does not justify violations by the other party. Children and other innocents continue to die disproportionately on both sides of this issue; no side is wholely innocent or whole guilty, but there are certain standards by which to judge behavior and legal obligations to hold parties to.
While Hamas must end the indiscriminate rocket fire into Israel, Israel as the occupying power must end the blockade immediately and unconditionally and begin meeting its obligations to safeguard the welfare of the people it controls until such time the occupation ends.
4) Israel may consider Hamas the enemy while it has its current Charter, but this blockade does not target Hamas. It targets innocent civilians with no involvement with rockets and no control over the well-armed Hamas militia.
Several experts have noted that Hamas is not only NOT weakening under the blockade, but is actually benefiting – both politically and financially. Politically, they’re seen as the underdog while Israel is the bully. Financially, they benefit because the tunnels were initially created as a way for the inhabitants to survive, but as time passed, Hamas created a tunnel industry – charging for their use, employing desperate individuals (including children) and levying taxes on goods brought in. They have also been able to get cement and other building goods for their own personal use while the regular people continue to suffer.
I know the points you raised keep getting repeated, but they either aren't relevant to the argument about lifting the blockade (i.e. Israel has the right to self-defense – of course they do) or don't hold up when examined in context.
Moron Rivero copied and pasted these lying made up phony so called quotes above from an extremist white supremacist neo-nazi fascist web site.
Here is one quote Moron Rivero forgot to post:
Ben-Gurion gave this speech accepting the UN Partition of Palestine on the 2nd of October, 1947, months before any fighting had broken out between the Arabs and the Jews and before a single Palestinian refugee had left his home.
As everyone knows, The Arabs rejected the UN Partition, turned down the Jews offer to live in peace and prosperity as neighbors, and chose to invade and attempt genocide instead.
Ben-Gurion, 2 October 1947:
“This is our native land; it is not as passing migratory birds that we return to it. But it is situated in an area engulfed by Arabic-speaking peoples, mainly followers of Islam. Now, if ever, we must do more than make peace with them; we must achieve collaboration and alliance.
History has been harsh to us, perhaps, setting burdensome conditions which complicate our homecoming; but it has set conditions too which, in the final accounting, will not only allow but will compel Arab and Jew to work together, because they need and complement each other.
If this region is to expand to the full, there must be reciprocity, there can be mutual aid – economic, political and cultural – between Jew and Arab. That is the necessity which will prevail.
We will do everything in our power to maintain peace, and establish a mode of cooperation gainful to both. It is now, here and now, from Jerusalem itself, that a call must go out to the Arab nations to join forces with Jewry and the destined Jewish State and work shoulder to shoulder for our common good, for the peace and progress.”
McClatchy Newspapers published official Israeli documents that proved the starvation blockade of Gaza had nothing to do with security,. but was a blatant attempt to starve Gaza into surrendering their elected government and accepting Israeli control through their proxy Fatah.
This is exactly the same thing the USSR attempted doing to West Berlin in 1948. We did not tolerate it then; why do we tolerate it now.
The United Nations partition plan called for two states side by side, a Palestine and an Israel. But Israel rejected the plan and simply declared itself to be in existence. And that is the root of all the evil since. Israel demands that everyone recognize their right to exist, yet refuses to grant that same right to anyone else.
On the day Israel recognizes Palestine’s right to exist Palestine has promised to recognize Israel’s right to exist, the borders will; be drawn and peace and commerce will replace war and suffering.
But as long as Israel maintains the double standard that they have a right to exist and others do not, there cannot be any peace.
I admire and respect those who fight to protect their homes from invasion. I would do the same, and if you are honest, you would admit you would do the same as well.
response to Edith Garwood:
Boiling your blog above down to its core argument you are claiming:
Helping Hamas get heavy weapons fighting Slavery of African Americans .
That is just such an exaggerated and silly equation.
I bet even the Gazans themselves would roll their eyes at you, Edith.
I think it is the opposite, that the fight for human rights and humanitarian law, that got its start in the anti-slavery movement, the womens suffrage, then out of the ashes of the holocaust and the American civil rights movement is best exemplified to day in the Jews of Israel, who even though they are outnumbered 100 to 1, refuse to be bullied and chased out of the middle east by racist bigoted genocidal enemies.
Yet after 60 years of fighting and over 100,000 Israeli war dead, from wars the Israelis never wanted, not a one of them, yet the Israelis are still willing always to give one more try to living in peace and quite with a Palestine as a neighbor in mutual recognition of the Palestine homeland and the Jewish homeland.
One day there will be peace, Edith. Palestinians will have Palestine, and Jews will have a democratic Jewish homeland of Israel and the people will all live in peace and then, when that day comes you will understand.
Why are the flotilla boats brining in medicine?
Is this not the best evidence of all that this whole thing is nothing but a big phony propaganda exercise and that these nincompoops who organized it in reality care nothing about the actual real suffering of the Palestinian people ?
source:
International Committee Of the Red Cross,
Israel and the occupied territories: 18-03-2011 Operational Update
http://www.icrc.org/eng/resources/documents/update/2011/palestine-israel-update-2011-03-18.htm
” The ICRC monitored the supply and stocks of essential drugs and disposables with the aim of ensuring that hospitals could provide an acceptable level of patient care. However, insufficient cooperation between the health ministries in Ramallah and Gaza combined with fuel shortages brought patient care to the brink of crisis on several occasions, in particular when haemodialysis fluid ran short.
The poor cooperation between the health ministries in Ramallah and Gaza made it difficult to organize a predictable and reliable supply of essential drugs and disposables for Gaza. The ICRC contacted the authorities in an attempt to prevent a negative impact on the patients, and endeavoured to fill urgent gaps when requested. The actions taken by the ICRC included, for example, supplying urgent life-saving medications for organ transplant patients who were down to their last day’s supply, and medications for new-born babies with congenital heart defects.
“The ICRC remains ready to assist the health ministry by sending urgently needed items to Gaza,” said Morven Murchison, an ICRC health coordinator. “Nevertheless, this is only a stopgap. The real solution consists in establishing a pipeline for sending drugs and disposables to Gaza according to need.”
The ICRC’s support for health-care services focuses on emergency life-saving surgery. In 2010, the ICRC supplied 242 tonnes of drugs and disposables to the health ministry for hospitals in Gaza. The items were used in the emergency surgical treatment of more than 43,000 patients.”
Edith:
The real mystery question in all this, the question I have been asking you on this blog for 3 years now is:
"WHY IS THE EGYPTIAN GAZA BORDER NOT OPENED ????"
It is obvious to anyone with half a brain that if Hamas, which has the full backing of its parent organization the powerful Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood, wanted the Gaza border open to goods import/export, Hamas could simply request this of the Egyptian military government and the Egyptian military government, scared to death as it is of the Muslim Brotherhood would probably open the border to Gaza up in like 5 minutes flat.
If the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt wanted that border to Gaza opened it would have happened already, believe me. The Egyptian military government right now is so scared of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood they practically pee their pants every time they think about them.
You know a big part of the reason why the border with Egypt is still closed to commercial goods import and export, and it has nothing what so ever to do with Israel.
You said it yourself above.
A lot of different groups, especially Hamas and the corrupt Egyptian authorities in Sinai as well are making way way too much revenue from the tunnels and smuggling trade and to keep this gift that keeps on giving alive, well, if that means a closed border and the people of Gaza suffering under a poor economy, then so be it.
Thank you Peter. I do wish I had had more space and time to address more issues above, but the post was already too long.
1) All countries have the right to protect their citizens and no one is saying they do not. It is incorrect, however, to jump from this right to the statement, “Israel is entitled to do everything in her power to stop Hamas from attaining its goals.”
Israel has the right to self-defense, but must not violate the rights and welfare of innocent parties or international law when doing so. The blog outlines just a few ways in which the current Israeli-imposed blockade violates international law and the basic human rights of the Palestinians living within that territory.
Israel is one of the most technologically advanced militaries in the world. Some of the brightest, strategic thinkers in the military and government live there and they are very capable of safe-guarding national security without unjustly punishing an entire population.
2) The blockade is also not entirely about weapons or security. Israeli politicians and military authorities have said as much publicly. McClatchy newspapers just last year uncovered an Israeli document stating how the blockade was not about security, but “economic warfare” waged to obtain a political goal. This is a ‘collective punishment’ against an entire population which contravenes international law. See http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2010/06/09/95621/israeli-document-gaza-blockade.html.
Israel says it has the right to decide who it wants to engage in economic relations with or not, but this is not as straight forward as they would have us believe.
Israel maintains control over Gaza’s airspace, territorial waters, all land crossings (including indirect control of the Rafah crossing into Egypt) which means the movement of people/goods/aid into and out of the territory, and administrative functions, such as the population registry, electromagnetic fields (which impact Radio, TV and telecommunications), family reunification, trade (exports/imports therefore the economy), tax system, currency policies, water and electricity supply.
Israel maintains effective control, thus remains the occupying power over the Gaza Strip with obligations under international law.
One of the MAIN obligations of an occupying power is to safe guard the welfare of the population it occupies – namely the civilians living in the Gaza Strip which constitute the vast majority of the population. Significantly, over 50% of the population is children. An occupying power cannot wage ‘economic warfare’ against those it controls and is legally obligated to protect.
3) Weapons smuggling. Yes, there has been the interception of weapons ostensibly on their way to the Gaza Strip via the sea, but these have been easily intercepted by the Israeli navy. Ending the current blockade would not mean Israel would not have the power to continue to intercept suspicious shipments – they were doing this even before the ‘official’ blockade was put into effect – but ending the blockade would allow Gazan fishermen to finally be able to go past three nautical miles to where the fish are located without being fired upon by Israeli gunboats.
And while it is true that over the past 8-9 years, thousands of rockets have been fired into southern Israel, weapons have mainly made their way into the strip via the tunnels, including the more advanced Katuysha rockets that have a longer range. Also, rocket fire into Israel saw its lowest point due to a politically negotiated cease fire which was in effect just prior to operation ‘Cast Lead’ – not the blockade.
I visited Sderot while in Israel a couple of years ago, and I really felt for the mothers who had to worry about sending their children off to school or the playground. No child – no human being – should have to live in that kind of fear and stress; not knowing when and if a rocket is going to hit. Amnesty International has long condemned these indiscriminate attacks and have called them what they are – a war crime – and they must stop.
Amnesty has long said, human rights violations by one party does not justify violations by the other party. Children and other innocents continue to die disproportionately on both sides of this issue; no side is wholely innocent or whole guilty, but there are certain standards by which to judge behavior and legal obligations to hold parties to.
While Hamas must end the indiscriminate rocket fire into Israel, Israel as the occupying power must end the blockade immediately and unconditionally and begin meeting its obligations to safeguard the welfare of the people it controls until such time the occupation ends.
4) Israel may consider Hamas the enemy while it has its current Charter, but this blockade does not target Hamas. It targets innocent civilians with no involvement with rockets and no control over the well-armed Hamas militia.
Several experts have noted that Hamas is not only NOT weakening under the blockade, but is actually benefiting – both politically and financially. Politically, they’re seen as the underdog while Israel is the bully. Financially, they benefit because the tunnels were initially created as a way for the inhabitants to survive, but as time passed, Hamas created a tunnel industry – charging for their use, employing desperate individuals (including children) and levying taxes on goods brought in. They have also been able to get cement and other building goods for their own personal use while the regular people continue to suffer.
I know the points you raised keep getting repeated, but they either aren’t relevant to the argument about lifting the blockade (i.e. Israel has the right to self-defense – of course they do) or don’t hold up when examined in context.
Edith:
The real mystery question in all this, the question I have been asking you on this blog for 3 years now is:
“WHY IS THE EGYPTIAN GAZA BORDER NOT OPENED ????”
It is obvious to anyone with half a brain that if Hamas, which has the full backing of its parent organization the powerful Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood, wanted the Gaza border open to goods import/export, Hamas could simply request this of the Egyptian military government and the Egyptian military government, scared to death as it is of the Muslim Brotherhood would probably open the border to Gaza up in like 5 minutes flat.
If the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt wanted that border to Gaza opened it would have happened already, believe me. The Egyptian military government right now is so scared of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood they practically pee their pants every time they think about them.
You know a big part of the reason why the border with Egypt is still closed to commercial goods import and export, and it has nothing what so ever to do with Israel.
You said it yourself above.
A lot of different groups, especially Hamas and the corrupt Egyptian authorities in Sinai as well are making way way too much revenue from the tunnels and smuggling trade and to keep this gift that keeps on giving alive, well, if that means a closed border and the people of Gaza suffering under a poor economy, then so be it.
The Israelis keep trying to frame this issue as defense against smuggled weapons, but there were no weapons on last year's flotilla nor this year's, and the ships were made available for compete inspections. Meanwhile, McClatchy news published official Israeli government documents confirming that the blockade has nothing to do with nuclear-armed Israel afraid of bottle rockets fired from Gaza, but is in fact an attempt to starve the people of Gaza into abandoning their elected government and accepting Israeli rule through Israel's proxy FATAH. Thus, the blockade is a repeat of what the USSR tried to do to West Berlin back in 1949; starve the people of West Berlin into abandoning their own government and accepting Soviet rule through the Soviet proxy East Germany. The world did not tolerate such behavior then and they should not tolerate it now.
what is zionist agenda?no more a secret.Hitler has been condemned fr genocide of jews.though nos are exaggerated but infact he did it.thats why he declared tyrant all over the world.what is doing israel with arabs and how many arabs has been killed,tortured and massacred by israel.Above israel has destabilised whole world.Rock feller,kissenger,Bush and company all are leading world to ward 3rd ww.jews are not sacred cows . All is happening around the world ,by these conspirators finaly lead the world to destruction.
Who guarantees the sovereignty of Israel? Not Hamas, not Greece, not the UN.
If Israel is to accede to the wish of millions (who btw, have never expereinced the sustained terror of bloody civilian body parts spread across their city streets) she must be assured that those with whom she negotiates will guarantee her right to exist. This is the basis of Israeli fear-mongering; belief that the world is indifferent to the survival of Jews living in Israel. It's sad, it's tragic, but it is true. Palpable assurance must be given to Israel; Is that so much to ask? The "Zionist agenda" is to secure a place where Jewish families can live freely. There aren't many examples where this has been given pro-actively to Jewish people, but there are plenty examples of the opposite kind of treatment. Israel is still too insecure to compromise on anything less than a strict interpretation of her sovereignty. (BTW, the US interprets its sovereignty with similar strictness). Those who call for Israel's demise or dismantling, citing "Zionist agendas" will only strengthen Israeli resolve to remain fiercely unyielding.
You know, it is a fact that when you invade someone else's lands and bulldoze their homes, they will not be entirely cheerful about it. A glance at the maps of Israel for the last 60 years shows Israel constantly expanding and taking other people's lands, then crying "feel sorry for us" when the occupants of those lands fight back.
You want peace? All Israel has to do is accept that the Palestinians have as much right to exist as the Israelis, draw the borders, and live within the. Palestine's leadership has already stated many times that they will recognize Israel's right to exist as soon as Israel recognizes Palestine's right to exist and draw some borders so that everyone knows exactly what is being agreed to. But Israel continues a policy of demanding a right to exist while denying it to others, and has never drawn a set of permanent borders. That is not the path to peace.
And to repeat, McClatchy news published official Israeli government documents confirming that the blockade has nothing to do with nuclear-armed Israel afraid of bottle rockets fired from Gaza, but is in fact an attempt to starve the people of Gaza into abandoning their elected government and accepting Israeli rule through Israel’s proxy FATAH. Thus, the blockade is a repeat of what the USSR tried to do to West Berlin back in 1949; starve the people of West Berlin into abandoning their own government and accepting Soviet rule through the Soviet proxy East Germany. The world did not tolerate such behavior then and they should not tolerate it now.
The Aid Flotillas are the modern version of the heroic Berlin Airlift.
The Israelis keep trying to frame this issue as defense against smuggled weapons, but there were no weapons on last year’s flotilla nor this year’s, and the ships were made available for compete inspections. Meanwhile, McClatchy news published official Israeli government documents confirming that the blockade has nothing to do with nuclear-armed Israel afraid of bottle rockets fired from Gaza, but is in fact an attempt to starve the people of Gaza into abandoning their elected government and accepting Israeli rule through Israel’s proxy FATAH. Thus, the blockade is a repeat of what the USSR tried to do to West Berlin back in 1949; starve the people of West Berlin into abandoning their own government and accepting Soviet rule through the Soviet proxy East Germany. The world did not tolerate such behavior then and they should not tolerate it now.
what is zionist agenda?no more a secret.Hitler has been condemned fr genocide of jews.though nos are exaggerated but infact he did it.thats why he declared tyrant all over the world.what is doing israel with arabs and how many arabs has been killed,tortured and massacred by israel.Above israel has destabilised whole world.Rock feller,kissenger,Bush and company all are leading world to ward 3rd ww.jews are not sacred cows . All is happening around the world ,by these conspirators finaly lead the world to destruction.
Who guarantees the sovereignty of Israel? Not Hamas, not Greece, not the UN.
If Israel is to accede to the wish of millions (who btw, have never expereinced the sustained terror of bloody civilian body parts spread across their city streets) she must be assured that those with whom she negotiates will guarantee her right to exist. This is the basis of Israeli fear-mongering; belief that the world is indifferent to the survival of Jews living in Israel. It’s sad, it’s tragic, but it is true. Palpable assurance must be given to Israel; Is that so much to ask? The “Zionist agenda” is to secure a place where Jewish families can live freely. There aren’t many examples where this has been given pro-actively to Jewish people, but there are plenty examples of the opposite kind of treatment. Israel is still too insecure to compromise on anything less than a strict interpretation of her sovereignty. (BTW, the US interprets its sovereignty with similar strictness). Those who call for Israel’s demise or dismantling, citing “Zionist agendas” will only strengthen Israeli resolve to remain fiercely unyielding.
Heeellllloooo
Earth to brainwashed fanatics, earth to brainwashed fanatics calling, do you read ?
Why are the flotillas trying to bring in medicine when the International Committee of the Red Cross has repeatedly stated medical shortages in Gaza are 100% entirely due as a result of Palestinian bureaucratic mismanagement of the medical system and according to the ICRC Israel has nothing to do with this problem?
Why is Israel blamed for electric and fuel shortages in Gaza when it is the Palestinian Authority that has decided to cut off diesel fuel deliveries to the poor of Gaza until Hamas pays previous unpaid fuel bills, whereas Israel has never cut the 80% of the electricity needs of Gaza that has always flowed directly into Gaza from direct connection to the Israeli power grid.
Why are the flotillas trying to IMPORT any goods at all into Gaza, i.e. trying to force the Gazans to remain as stereotype helpless dependents on aid imports, when the Gazans themselves say they actually have no problems growing their own food surpluses and what they really need the Israelis and Egyptians to agree to is to allow Gaza to start food EXPORTS from Gaza so they can earn money and restart their economy?
Why is the border between Gaza and Egypt still kept closed to commercial import/export by joint decision of the Egyptian military and Hamas? El Arish Egpyt, 30 km south of Gaza, connected to Gaza by a paved multi lane highway has an international airport and a modern deep water port able to load/unload the largest freighters. why has the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood that is Hamas's parent organization and the most powerful group inside Egypt demand the border be opened after the old dictator was overthrown in the spring?
Why does Hamas prefer the border with Egypt remain closed to commercial import/export?
Why is Hamas treated as some sort of heroic liberation organization by its naive fanatical brainwashed supporters even though Human Rights Watch has accused Hamas of cruelly crushing all internal political opposition with violence and oppression, Hamas's headquarters and leadership are based in and fully support the government of Syria which is killing its own people by the bus load every day, and in Gaza Hamas holds thousands of Palestinian political opponents prisoners in Gazan prisons in horrific terrible conditions and the Palestinian Center for Human Rights published evidence implicating the Hamas police in torture and murder of Palestinian political prisoners as recently as last week?
Why ?
You know, it is a fact that when you invade someone else’s lands and bulldoze their homes, they will not be entirely cheerful about it. A glance at the maps of Israel for the last 60 years shows Israel constantly expanding and taking other people’s lands, then crying “feel sorry for us” when the occupants of those lands fight back.
You want peace? All Israel has to do is accept that the Palestinians have as much right to exist as the Israelis, draw the borders, and live within the. Palestine’s leadership has already stated many times that they will recognize Israel’s right to exist as soon as Israel recognizes Palestine’s right to exist and draw some borders so that everyone knows exactly what is being agreed to. But Israel continues a policy of demanding a right to exist while denying it to others, and has never drawn a set of permanent borders. That is not the path to peace.
And to repeat, McClatchy news published official Israeli government documents confirming that the blockade has nothing to do with nuclear-armed Israel afraid of bottle rockets fired from Gaza, but is in fact an attempt to starve the people of Gaza into abandoning their elected government and accepting Israeli rule through Israel’s proxy FATAH. Thus, the blockade is a repeat of what the USSR tried to do to West Berlin back in 1949; starve the people of West Berlin into abandoning their own government and accepting Soviet rule through the Soviet proxy East Germany. The world did not tolerate such behavior then and they should not tolerate it now.
The Aid Flotillas are the modern version of the heroic Berlin Airlift.
Response to comments above:
Michael Rivero:
You say a couple of things which are not accurate.
** Partition Plan: “Israel” or more accurately, the leaders of the Jewish immigrant community in Palestine, DID accept the UN-proposed Partition Plan in November 1947. The indigenous Palestinian population and other Arab leaders DID NOT.
Contrary to Judo’s (and others’) assertions that this was due to anti-semitism at the time, it has historically been put down to the fact that although the new Jewish immigrants only made up 1/3 of the population and owned less than 7% of the land at the time (based on census and UN documents), the plan gave them over 55% of the land, including Haifa, the main port for goods and people at the time (an economic lifeline). The indigenous Palestinian population who owned the vast majority of land (approx. 93%) and made up 2/3 of the population was being given only 45%. The indigenous folks as well as their Arab neighbors saw this as manifestly unfair.
** Palestinians will recognize Israel when Israel … : This also is not accurate.
The PLO endorsed a two-state solution (which implicitly recognized Israel) in 1988 and then explicitly recognized Israel’s right to exist in peace and security and accepted UN resolutions 242 and 338 in 1993 during the Oslo Accords proceedings. This was seen as a significant concession in that the PLO was officially and permanently relinquishing claims to 78% of historic Palestine and settling for the remaining 22% of E. Jerusalem, West Bank and Gaza Strip.
Perhaps you meant 'Hamas'? Hamas has put forth conditional recognition saying they would recognize Israel within the 1967 borders when Israel recognizes the State of Palestine, etc … This is not accepted by Israel though as there are sometimes mixed messages coming from Hamas: one from Syria (Khaled Meshaal) and one from Gaza (Isma’il Haniyeh).
Judo Nimh:
** Quotes are lies: I don’t have the time to verify that all the quotes are true, but for the blog readers who may not know – many of these quotes are included in non-fictional historic accounts on the creation of the State of Israel/ethnic cleansing of Palestinians; the 1967 war, etc … They have been annotated as coming directly from Ben Gurion’s diary, IDF archives, BBC records, etc … But, the list also includes quotes I have not seen either credibly documented or disproved so ‘reader beware’ basically. I suggest if reader is interested, they do some research, but the quotes should not be immediately believed or completely written off without more background.
** Interpretation that the blog post says, “Helping Hamas get heavy weapons = fighting Slavery of African Americans”: I honestly cannot follow your logic, if there is any. You appear to misinterpret what you read, then put it together to then come out with an even more outlandish conclusion.
My only question is this: Is this intentional so you can make the argument you want to make or do you really not understand?
** Rafah crossing and Gaza/Egyptian relationship: Actually, I HAVE answered you in previous posts. Perhaps you missed it.
East Jerusalem, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip constitute ‘single territorial entity’ – the Occupied Palestinian Territories – and are legally recognized as such by the international community. Israel and the Palestinians, specifically, stated that they both view the West Bank and the Gaza Strip as a single territorial unit in the “Declaration of Principles on Palestinian Self-Rule”. So – the Palestinians in Gaza do/should have a relationship with Egypt as a separate, sovereign country, but it is not a practical, political or permanent solution to the issues.
You also say, “goods not being allowed through Rafah has nothing to do with Israel” which is not accurate, as I’ve explained before. Perhaps you missed that post as well.
The Rafah crossing was not designed for the import of any significant amount of humanitarian aid and is in no way capable of relieve the suffering of the 1.6 million (latest population figure given by the CIA) people in Gaza. The crossing is not designed to handle exports which would be the first step in trying to rebuild the destroyed economy there and ameliorating the dependency on outside aid. Israel was actually the party that insisted that all goods/aid go thru the crossings between Israel and Gaza and no where else for security reasons.
The Nahal Oz crossing was designed for fuel delivery; the Karni crossing/grain; Kerem Shalom/humanitarian aid, Erez/people and some aid, etc … Matter of fact, any humanitarian aid coming from Egypt had to enter through the Kerem Shalom crossing per agreement with Israel. Rafah was designed as a people crossing – and not all people – only those included in the Israeli controlled population registry. Even with the new ‘opening’ of Rafah by Egypt, there are layers of restrictions that still apply.
** “Why are the flotillas trying to IMPORT any goods at all into Gaza”: You call others “brain-washed fanatics” and then spout this comment on a blog post that specifically addresses this issue as well as other talking points that have been addressed in previous blogs.
Man in the mirror Judo, take a look at the man in the mirror.
And again, although you refuse to believe it maybe others will actually look into it, the majority of those who sympathize with the Palestinians in Gaza or are participating in or organizing the flotillas do not necessarily like, let alone support, Hamas. They are supporting the people in need and challenging an illegal blockade.
Shoshanna:
** You stated that other countries “have never experienced the sustained terror of bloody civilian body parts spread across their city streets”: I think if you think about this a minute you’ll realize just how untrue this statement is. There are countries on every continent who have experienced this tragedy and several in the Middle East alone that I can name, including the Gaza Strip – multiple times over. I have seen streets literally running with blood in the Gaza Strip.
This is not to belittle or diminish the pain Israelis have experienced after senseless attacks when civilians are killed, but it will not benefit anyone to deny the pain of others.
Heeellllloooo
Earth to brainwashed fanatics, earth to brainwashed fanatics calling, do you read ?
Why are the flotillas trying to bring in medicine when the International Committee of the Red Cross has repeatedly stated medical shortages in Gaza are 100% entirely due as a result of Palestinian bureaucratic mismanagement of the medical system and according to the ICRC Israel has nothing to do with this problem?
Why is Israel blamed for electric and fuel shortages in Gaza when it is the Palestinian Authority that has decided to cut off diesel fuel deliveries to the poor of Gaza until Hamas pays previous unpaid fuel bills, whereas Israel has never cut the 80% of the electricity needs of Gaza that has always flowed directly into Gaza from direct connection to the Israeli power grid.
Why are the flotillas trying to IMPORT any goods at all into Gaza, i.e. trying to force the Gazans to remain as stereotype helpless dependents on aid imports, when the Gazans themselves say they actually have no problems growing their own food surpluses and what they really need the Israelis and Egyptians to agree to is to allow Gaza to start food EXPORTS from Gaza so they can earn money and restart their economy?
Why is the border between Gaza and Egypt still kept closed to commercial import/export by joint decision of the Egyptian military and Hamas? El Arish Egpyt, 30 km south of Gaza, connected to Gaza by a paved multi lane highway has an international airport and a modern deep water port able to load/unload the largest freighters. why has the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood that is Hamas’s parent organization and the most powerful group inside Egypt demand the border be opened after the old dictator was overthrown in the spring?
Why does Hamas prefer the border with Egypt remain closed to commercial import/export?
Why is Hamas treated as some sort of heroic liberation organization by its naive fanatical brainwashed supporters even though Human Rights Watch has accused Hamas of cruelly crushing all internal political opposition with violence and oppression, Hamas’s headquarters and leadership are based in and fully support the government of Syria which is killing its own people by the bus load every day, and in Gaza Hamas holds thousands of Palestinian political opponents prisoners in Gazan prisons in horrific terrible conditions and the Palestinian Center for Human Rights published evidence implicating the Hamas police in torture and murder of Palestinian political prisoners as recently as last week?
Why ?
Response to comments above:
Michael Rivero:
You say a couple of things which are not accurate.
** Partition Plan: “Israel” or more accurately, the leaders of the Jewish immigrant community in Palestine, DID accept the UN-proposed Partition Plan in November 1947. The indigenous Palestinian population and other Arab leaders DID NOT.
Contrary to Judo’s (and others’) assertions that this was due to anti-semitism at the time, it has historically been put down to the fact that although the new Jewish immigrants only made up 1/3 of the population and owned less than 7% of the land at the time (based on census and UN documents), the plan gave them over 55% of the land, including Haifa, the main port for goods and people at the time (an economic lifeline). The indigenous Palestinian population who owned the vast majority of land (approx. 93%) and made up 2/3 of the population was being given only 45%. The indigenous folks as well as their Arab neighbors saw this as manifestly unfair.
** Palestinians will recognize Israel when Israel … : This also is not accurate.
The PLO endorsed a two-state solution (which implicitly recognized Israel) in 1988 and then explicitly recognized Israel’s right to exist in peace and security and accepted UN resolutions 242 and 338 in 1993 during the Oslo Accords proceedings. This was seen as a significant concession in that the PLO was officially and permanently relinquishing claims to 78% of historic Palestine and settling for the remaining 22% of E. Jerusalem, West Bank and Gaza Strip.
Perhaps you meant ‘Hamas’? Hamas has put forth conditional recognition saying they would recognize Israel within the 1967 borders when Israel recognizes the State of Palestine, etc … This is not accepted by Israel though as there are sometimes mixed messages coming from Hamas: one from Syria (Khaled Meshaal) and one from Gaza (Isma’il Haniyeh).
Judo Nimh:
** Quotes are lies: I don’t have the time to verify that all the quotes are true, but for the blog readers who may not know – many of these quotes are included in non-fictional historic accounts on the creation of the State of Israel/ethnic cleansing of Palestinians; the 1967 war, etc … They have been annotated as coming directly from Ben Gurion’s diary, IDF archives, BBC records, etc … But, the list also includes quotes I have not seen either credibly documented or disproved so ‘reader beware’ basically. I suggest if reader is interested, they do some research, but the quotes should not be immediately believed or completely written off without more background.
** Interpretation that the blog post says, “Helping Hamas get heavy weapons = fighting Slavery of African Americans”: I honestly cannot follow your logic, if there is any. You appear to misinterpret what you read, then put it together to then come out with an even more outlandish conclusion.
My only question is this: Is this intentional so you can make the argument you want to make or do you really not understand?
** Rafah crossing and Gaza/Egyptian relationship: Actually, I HAVE answered you in previous posts. Perhaps you missed it.
East Jerusalem, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip constitute ‘single territorial entity’ – the Occupied Palestinian Territories – and are legally recognized as such by the international community. Israel and the Palestinians, specifically, stated that they both view the West Bank and the Gaza Strip as a single territorial unit in the “Declaration of Principles on Palestinian Self-Rule”. So – the Palestinians in Gaza do/should have a relationship with Egypt as a separate, sovereign country, but it is not a practical, political or permanent solution to the issues.
You also say, “goods not being allowed through Rafah has nothing to do with Israel” which is not accurate, as I’ve explained before. Perhaps you missed that post as well.
The Rafah crossing was not designed for the import of any significant amount of humanitarian aid and is in no way capable of relieve the suffering of the 1.6 million (latest population figure given by the CIA) people in Gaza. The crossing is not designed to handle exports which would be the first step in trying to rebuild the destroyed economy there and ameliorating the dependency on outside aid. Israel was actually the party that insisted that all goods/aid go thru the crossings between Israel and Gaza and no where else for security reasons.
The Nahal Oz crossing was designed for fuel delivery; the Karni crossing/grain; Kerem Shalom/humanitarian aid, Erez/people and some aid, etc … Matter of fact, any humanitarian aid coming from Egypt had to enter through the Kerem Shalom crossing per agreement with Israel. Rafah was designed as a people crossing – and not all people – only those included in the Israeli controlled population registry. Even with the new ‘opening’ of Rafah by Egypt, there are layers of restrictions that still apply.
** “Why are the flotillas trying to IMPORT any goods at all into Gaza”: You call others “brain-washed fanatics” and then spout this comment on a blog post that specifically addresses this issue as well as other talking points that have been addressed in previous blogs.
Man in the mirror Judo, take a look at the man in the mirror.
And again, although you refuse to believe it maybe others will actually look into it, the majority of those who sympathize with the Palestinians in Gaza or are participating in or organizing the flotillas do not necessarily like, let alone support, Hamas. They are supporting the people in need and challenging an illegal blockade.
Shoshanna:
** You stated that other countries “have never experienced the sustained terror of bloody civilian body parts spread across their city streets”: I think if you think about this a minute you’ll realize just how untrue this statement is. There are countries on every continent who have experienced this tragedy and several in the Middle East alone that I can name, including the Gaza Strip – multiple times over. I have seen streets literally running with blood in the Gaza Strip.
This is not to belittle or diminish the pain Israelis have experienced after senseless attacks when civilians are killed, but it will not benefit anyone to deny the pain of others.
Michael Rivero,
Your quotes are DEVASTATING.
They pull the ground from UNDER the Israel lobby's feet of clay.
No wonder Judonimh sweepingly dismisses them all as "phony".
Many of these quotes are actually VERY familiar to scholars of Zionism's history of colonization in Palestine.
Read the Israeli historian, Avi Schlaim's "The Iron Wall", a history of Israel's wars against the Arabs.
Read the books of the Israeli historian Ilan Pappe.
Read the Jewish writer Noam Chomsky.
You'll find many of these, as well as many such, quotes in Schlaim & others — perhaps more than you bargain for.
You'll find Ben Gurion..
You'll find Jabotinsky.
You'll find Golda Meir.
You'll find less familiar names.
Does Judonimh mean to tell us, so late in the day, he isn't familiar with these universally familiar quotes from Ben Gurion, Jabotinsky or Meir ?
His hasty sweeping of the quotes under the rug is surprising …. & then again, not.
My own heart tells me some of the quotes Rivero gives that i may not have read before, still ring true to me.
True to the spirit of their times.
True to their settler – imperialist enterprise.
True to the prevailing Zionist hubris.
True to the racism towards all goyim.
ESPECIALLY those quotes dealing with the Zionist speakers' own attitudes toward the Palestinians & toward the land & the greater region.
i myself can provide more such quotes.
Equally devastating, some even MORE so, if such were possible.
Only those quotes about a Zionist attempt at world domination are unfamiliar to me.
Those quotes sound so contemporary … as if uttered by a Cheney or Netanyahu or some USreali generals in "private".
i wouldn't dismiss their authenticity.
i must study more to speak about them.
i confess Judonimh's accusation about Ms Garwood's alleged equation of "heavy guns for Gaza = fighting Afroamerican slavery"had me mystified.
The WHAT ??!!
i'd to look LONG through her piece til i found the "connection".
While looking for it i thought of … Harriet Tubman.
Then i thought of … Tubman's Underground Railroad.
Then….. i saw Ms Garwood speaking of the same !!
Good God, Ms. Garwood, what have we DONE ??
Have you forgotten the famous picture of Harriet Tubman standing tall, grim & unflinching with her rifle in her hand, the butt resting on the ground ?
A RIFLE .
Plus an UNDERGROUND RAILROAD !!
Combine the two in Gaza's context !!
An old, white haired Black slave lady from out of history, with gun + underground "train" MUST = a frightening international terrorist conspiracy to smuggle BIG weaponry via the underground to Gaza !!
The connection's unmissable !!
It's enough to send alarm bells a – ringing in Tel Aviv & all the Jewish settlements !!!
Even quoting from Thoreau won't save us now !!
Michael Rivero,
Your quotes are DEVASTATING.
They pull the ground from UNDER the Israel lobby’s feet of clay.
No wonder Judonimh sweepingly dismisses them all as “phony”.
Many of these quotes are actually VERY familiar to scholars of Zionism’s history of colonization in Palestine.
Read the Israeli historian, Avi Schlaim’s “The Iron Wall”, a history of Israel’s wars against the Arabs.
Read the books of the Israeli historian Ilan Pappe.
Read the Jewish writer Noam Chomsky.
You’ll find many of these, as well as many such, quotes in Schlaim & others — perhaps more than you bargain for.
You’ll find Ben Gurion..
You’ll find Jabotinsky.
You’ll find Golda Meir.
You’ll find less familiar names.
Does Judonimh mean to tell us, so late in the day, he isn’t familiar with these universally familiar quotes from Ben Gurion, Jabotinsky or Meir ?
His hasty sweeping of the quotes under the rug is surprising …. & then again, not.
My own heart tells me some of the quotes Rivero gives that i may not have read before, still ring true to me.
True to the spirit of their times.
True to their settler – imperialist enterprise.
True to the prevailing Zionist hubris.
True to the racism towards all goyim.
ESPECIALLY those quotes dealing with the Zionist speakers’ own attitudes toward the Palestinians & toward the land & the greater region.
i myself can provide more such quotes.
Equally devastating, some even MORE so, if such were possible.
Only those quotes about a Zionist attempt at world domination are unfamiliar to me.
Those quotes sound so contemporary … as if uttered by a Cheney or Netanyahu or some USreali generals in “private”.
i wouldn’t dismiss their authenticity.
i must study more to speak about them.
Edith
With regards to the Partition Plan of 1947, you only told a small carefully selected part of the story of the 1947 Partition the Jews accepted in a way you intended to make it seem obvious that it was justified for the Arabs to reject the plan and to subsequently attempt to commit the genocide of the Jewish population in Palestine.
What you did not mention was that 75% of the land the Jews were to receive under the 1947 Plan that the Jews agreed to was the Negev Desert. The Negev Desert has less rainfall than the Sahara. The Arabs were to receive under the Partition all the rich agricultural highlands where almost all of the rain falls and all the main water aquifers are located and most of the agricultural land of Palestine was situated, and as well under the Partition the Arabs were to receive approximately 50% of the coastline of Palestine including the ports of Ashkelon and Ashdod and all the coast line north of Haifa.
So when you just say the Jews were to get 55% of Palestine without also mentioning 75% of the Jewish land under the Partition was to be one of the driest deserts on the face of the earth with less rainfall than the Sahara, for all practical purposes unable to support large scale human habitation, that is really deliberately misleading of you.
It is true of course that the Jews eventually did find a way to make the Negev Desert bloom by giving the world the Israeli invention of drip irrigation that is now responsible for feeding maybe a billion people around the world these days, just as Israelis have also built one of the leading high tech economies on earth starting with absolutely no natural resources, the 7 million Israelis having created an economy that has a larger GDP and is objectively more productive in every area of scientific and human achievement than the entire 280 million person Arab League combined when you do not include Arab oil export revenue the corrupt Arab dictators have mostly stolen in any event.
What a sad sad shame for the Arabs that they chose to attempt a genocidal war against the Jews instead of the peace the Jews agreed to those 60 long blood-soaked years ago. How different the world would have been. The Arabs would have been much better off obviously, including no refugees, not a single one, no bloodshed, and the natural Arab genius and creativity would have been released and benefiting not just the Arabs but all mankind these last 60 years just as the Jews have been doing. Instead the Arab people stagnated in poverty and ignorance and oppressed by dictators.
But lets hope finally, eventually, the Arabs will choose peace even 60 years after they threw their first chance into the garbage. It is never too late to choose peace because the Jews stand ready to make peace even still to this very day.
This is a fact Edie.
I will ask it again and again since you refuse to answer.
Why are the flotillas trying to IMPORT any goods at all into Gaza when Gaza has a food surplus and desperately wants to EXPORT food to Europe to earn the money needed to revive its economy ?
The answer, by the way, is that you flotilla supporters need to force the Gazans to conform to your view of them as stereotype helpless food aid recipients in order for your bogus propaganda campaigns to have any effect.
source: Gisha Legal Center for Palestinians
Statement released Wednesday, June 29, 2011 –
"As the flotilla approaches, Gisha warns that the focus on humanitarian aid by flotilla organizers is infuriating and misleading. There is no shortage of food in Gaza, but economic recovery is blocked by restrictions on the import of construction materials to Gaza and export of goods from Gaza.
Sari Bashi, Executive Director of Gisha, says it is infuriating that residents of Gaza are being deliberately reduced to recipients of humanitarian aid. “The problem in Gaza is not a shortage of food.”
There is just one solution that will respect the rights of Gaza residents to livelihood while also protecting Israel’s legitimate security interests: Israel must lift the ban on import of construction materials into Gaza, and export of goods to outside Gaza”
i confess Judonimh’s accusation about Ms Garwood’s alleged equation of “heavy guns for Gaza = fighting Afroamerican slavery”had me mystified.
The WHAT ??!!
i’d to look LONG through her piece til i found the “connection”.
While looking for it i thought of … Harriet Tubman.
Then i thought of … Tubman’s Underground Railroad.
Then….. i saw Ms Garwood speaking of the same !!
Good God, Ms. Garwood, what have we DONE ??
Have you forgotten the famous picture of Harriet Tubman standing tall, grim & unflinching with her rifle in her hand, the butt resting on the ground ?
A RIFLE .
Plus an UNDERGROUND RAILROAD !!
Combine the two in Gaza’s context !!
An old, white haired Black slave lady from out of history, with gun + underground “train” MUST = a frightening international terrorist conspiracy to smuggle BIG weaponry via the underground to Gaza !!
The connection’s unmissable !!
It’s enough to send alarm bells a – ringing in Tel Aviv & all the Jewish settlements !!!
Even quoting from Thoreau won’t save us now !!
Edie:
You keep talking about the Gaza Egypt border, i.e. the Egyptian Apartheid Wall like it is some kind of impassible narrow goat track winding its way through the Hindu Kush mountains at 5000 meter elevation or something.
Here is an interesting video from Al Jezeera showing the Rafa Egyptian Apartheid Wall border crossing is now wide open to any Palestinian who wants to exit and it would be no problem at all to open it up to commercial goods import and export.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KrtCqHLXoZU
( interesting side note here. notice the first Palestinian women interviewed in this video from Al Jezeera is Black African by race while the rest of the Palestinians are clearly as Caucasian as any Greek or Italian ? There are 10s of thousands of racially Black African Palestinians because they are the descendents of Palestinian owned Black African slaves. Many wealthy Palestinian households owned Black African slaves right up until 1948, it was a very common practice among Palestinians to own Black slaves, and believe it or not, there are still known to be Black African slaves still owned by Arabs even today in 2011 on the Arabian peninsula. )
Edie
You keep repeating over and over this curious mantra of yours that the Rafah Egyptian Apartheid Wall border crossing is not designed as a commercial border crossing. I just cannot understand any sense from this meaningless content-free talking point you repeat over and over each time your propaganda is held up to the light of examination.
Please explain in detail what exactly do you mean by "Rafah not designed as a border crossing". Trucks can arrive from El Arish, Egypt, be inspected by the customs officials and roll across the Rafah Egyptian Apartheid Wall border crossing just exactly as occurs with millions of trucks a day at thousands of different border crossings between European states and between North American countries.
What is the problem exactly?
If there is some minor deficiency in the Rafah Egyptian Apartheid Wall border crossing why, why by Jupiter, can not any problem with the Rafah Egyptian Apartheid Wall border crossing not be fixed in a matter of a few hours or days?
Recall that On January 23, 2008, at 2 am, the Rafah Egyptian Apartheid Wall border crossing was breached after gunmen set off an explosion nearby, destroying part of the Egyptian Apartheid Wall. Over the next four days, approximately 700,000 Palestinians crossed into Egypt, most buying supplies and returning to Gaza. Egyptian soldiers resealed the Apartheid Wall 5 days later.
This alone surely proves conclusively that it is no problem to make some small alteration to the Egyptian Apartheid Wall at Rafah in a very short while to allow massive movement of goods and people.
I will ask it again and again since you refuse to answer.
Why are the flotillas trying to IMPORT any goods at all into Gaza when Gaza has a food surplus and desperately needs to EXPORT agricultural produce to Europe to earn the money needed to revive its economy ?
Why does Hamas as well as the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood as well as the flotilla organizers and their supporter all prefer the Gaza border with Egypt remain sealed off to commercial goods import and export when the simple act of opening it would greatly improve the economy of Gaza?
Why ?
========================================================
New York Times – Published: June 28, 2011
A Bountiful Harvest
"GAZA — Hundreds of acres of watermelons, orange saplings and grapevines stretch in orderly rows out to the horizon. Irrigation hoses run along the sand, dripping quietly. Apple trees are starting to blossom nearby. Avocados and mangoes are on their way.
Gaza, cut off by Israel and Egypt for the past four years, is expanding an enormous state-run farm aimed at gaining food independence. Most striking is that the project sits in the center of the coastal strip on the sites of the former Israeli settlements whose looted greenhouses and ruined fields became a symbol of all that had turned sour in the Israeli withdrawal six years ago.
Israel pulled out its 9,000 settlers and all of its soldiers from Gaza in 2005. The settlers’ high-tech greenhouses, which were bought for the Palestinians with $14 million in donations, were left unguarded and within days were stripped of computer equipment, irrigation pipes, water pumps and plastic sheeting. Fresh produce was left baking in the sun, rendering it worthless. The greenhouse areas were abandoned and lay fallow, a symbol of hopelessness and hostility.
But in the past couple of years, as Gaza has struggled with its isolation and economic decline, the settlement areas have been reborn. They make up 30 percent of the coastal strip’s land area. The farms on part of them, which are expanding every year, provide fruits and vegetables for large segments of Gaza’s 1.6 million inhabitants.
In food shops and market stalls across Gaza today, most of the onions, melons and grapes come from here. Last month alone, 100 tons of grapes and 23,000 tons of watermelons were produced. The greenhouses remain mostly stripped and unused, but the land under them is productive.
“We are making ourselves free of Israel economically and are on our way to food security,” Abdel Qader al-Astal, the director of the project, said in his office in what used to be the Israeli settlement of Gadid. In place of the usual spiced coffee served at meetings in the Arab world, slices of crisp apple and cucumber were passed around.
James Wolfensohn, a former president of the World Bank who served as international representative to the conflict at the time of the handover, was the one who raised the $14 million for the greenhouses. He called friends like Bill Gates. Mortimer B. Zuckerman, the publisher of The Daily News, threw in a bit of his own, and in a few weeks he had the money.
“There was nothing but hope then,” Mr. Wolfensohn said when reached by telephone in London. “We thought about tourism and hotels and turning Gaza into the Arab Riviera.”
Told of the newly revived farmlands, he was delighted.
“It saddened me that something I thought was a really good contribution had gone sour,” he said. “I thought if people were vested in the economics of their activities and there was interdependence between Israelis and Palestinians, the risk of violence would be greatly reduced. The area would flourish. But the problem with the Middle East is that it is not always rational.”
=========================================================
Edie
I just watched the video interview posted to your blog with
Francesca Burke, Israel/OPT researcher for Amnesty International was conducted?
Can you please explain how Francesca Burke can make the claim in the interview that Israel is restricting medicine into Gaza ?
Is Francesca Burke a bald faced liar or is she simply an ignoramus?
Which is it ?
source:
International Committee Of the Red Cross,
Israel and the occupied territories: 18-03-2011 Operational Update
http://www.icrc.org/eng/resources/documents/updat…
” The ICRC monitored the supply and stocks of essential drugs and disposables with the aim of ensuring that hospitals could provide an acceptable level of patient care. However, insufficient cooperation between the health ministries in Ramallah and Gaza brought patient care to the brink of crisis on several occasions."
Edie:
You keep talking about the Gaza Egypt border, i.e. the Egyptian Apartheid Wall like it is some kind of impassible narrow goat track winding its way through the Hindu Kush mountains at 5000 meter elevation or something.
Here is an interesting video from Al Jezeera showing the Rafa Egyptian Apartheid Wall border crossing is now wide open to any Palestinian who wants to exit and it would be no problem at all to open it up to commercial goods import and export.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KrtCqHLXoZU
( interesting side note here. notice the first Palestinian women interviewed in this video from Al Jezeera is Black African by race while the rest of the Palestinians are clearly as Caucasian as any Greek or Italian ? There are 10s of thousands of racially Black African Palestinians because they are the descendents of Palestinian owned Black African slaves. Many wealthy Palestinian households owned Black African slaves right up until 1948, it was a very common practice among Palestinians to own Black slaves, and believe it or not, there are still known to be Black African slaves still owned by Arabs even today in 2011 on the Arabian peninsula. )
Edie
You keep repeating over and over this curious mantra of yours that the Rafah Egyptian Apartheid Wall border crossing is not designed as a commercial border crossing. I just cannot understand any sense from this meaningless content-free talking point you repeat over and over each time your propaganda is held up to the light of examination.
Please explain in detail what exactly do you mean by "Rafah not designed as a border crossing". Trucks can arrive from El Arish, Egypt, be inspected by the customs officials and roll across the Rafah Egyptian Apartheid Wall border crossing just exactly as occurs with millions of trucks a day at thousands of different border crossings between European states and between North American countries.
What is the problem exactly?
If there is some minor deficiency in the Rafah Egyptian Apartheid Wall border crossing why, why by Jupiter, can not any problem with the Rafah Egyptian Apartheid Wall border crossing not be fixed in a matter of a few hours or days?
Recall that On January 23, 2008, at 2 am, the Rafah Egyptian Apartheid Wall border crossing was breached after gunmen set off an explosion nearby, destroying part of the Egyptian Apartheid Wall. Over the next four days, approximately 700,000 Palestinians crossed into Egypt, most buying supplies and returning to Gaza. Egyptian soldiers resealed the Apartheid Wall 5 days later.
This alone surely proves conclusively that it is no problem to make some small alteration to the Egyptian Apartheid Wall at Rafah in a very short while to allow massive movement of goods and people.
Edie:
You keep talking about the Gaza Egypt border, i.e. the Egyptian Apartheid Wall like it is some kind of impassible narrow goat track winding its way through the Hindu Kush mountains at 5000 meter elevation or something.
Here is an interesting video from Al Jezeera showing the Rafa Egyptian Apartheid Wall border crossing is now wide open to any Palestinian who wants to exit and it would be no problem at all to open it up to commercial goods import and export.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KrtCqHLXoZU
( interesting side note here. notice the first Palestinian women interviewed in this video from Al Jezeera is Black African by race while the rest of the Palestinians are clearly as Caucasian as any Greek or Italian ? There are 10s of thousands of racially Black African Palestinians because they are the descendents of Palestinian owned Black African slaves. Many wealthy Palestinian households owned Black African slaves right up until 1948, it was a very common practice among Palestinians to own Black slaves, and believe it or not, there are still known to be Black African slaves still owned by Arabs even today in 2011 on the Arabian peninsula. )
Edie
You keep repeating over and over this curious mantra of yours that the Rafah Egyptian Apartheid Wall border crossing is not designed as a commercial border crossing. I just cannot understand any sense from this meaningless content-free talking point you repeat over and over each time your propaganda is held up to the light of examination.
Please explain in detail what exactly do you mean by "Rafah not designed as a border crossing". Trucks can arrive from El Arish, Egypt, be inspected by the customs officials and roll across the Rafah Egyptian Apartheid Wall border crossing just exactly as occurs with millions of trucks a day at thousands of different border crossings between European states and between North American countries.
What is the problem exactly?
If there is some minor deficiency in the Rafah Egyptian Apartheid Wall border crossing why, why by Jupiter, can not any problem with the Rafah Egyptian Apartheid Wall border crossing not be fixed in a matter of a few hours or days?
Recall that On January 23, 2008, at 2 am, the Rafah Egyptian Apartheid Wall border crossing was breached after gunmen set off an explosion nearby, destroying part of the Egyptian Apartheid Wall. Over the next four days, approximately 700,000 Palestinians crossed into Egypt, most buying supplies and returning to Gaza. Egyptian soldiers resealed the Apartheid Wall 5 days later.
This alone surely proves conclusively that it is no problem to make some small alteration to the Egyptian Apartheid Wall at Rafah in a very short while to allow massive movement of goods and people.
Edie
I just watched the video interview posted to your blog with
Francesca Burke, Israel/OPT researcher for Amnesty International was conducted?
Can you please explain how Francesca Burke can make the claim in the interview that Israel is restricting medicine into Gaza ?
Is Francesca Burke a bald faced liar or is she simply an ignoramus?
Which is it ?
source:
International Committee Of the Red Cross,
Israel and the occupied territories: 18-03-2011 Operational Update
http://www.icrc.org/eng/resources/documents/updat…
” The ICRC monitored the supply and stocks of essential drugs and disposables with the aim of ensuring that hospitals could provide an acceptable level of patient care. However, insufficient cooperation between the health ministries in Ramallah and Gaza brought patient care to the brink of crisis on several occasions."
Edie
I just watched the video interview posted to your blog with
Francesca Burke, Israel/OPT researcher for Amnesty International was conducted?
Can you please explain how Francesca Burke can make the claim in the interview that Israel is restricting medicine into Gaza ?
Is Francesca Burke a bald faced liar or is she simply an ignoramus?
Which is it ?
source:
International Committee Of the Red Cross,
Israel and the occupied territories: 18-03-2011 Operational Update
http://www.icrc.org/eng/resources/documents/updat…
” The ICRC monitored the supply and stocks of essential drugs and disposables with the aim of ensuring that hospitals could provide an acceptable level of patient care. However, insufficient cooperation between the health ministries in Ramallah and Gaza brought patient care to the brink of crisis on several occasions."
Edith
With regards to the Partition Plan of 1947, you only told a small carefully selected part of the story of the 1947 Partition the Jews accepted in a way you intended to make it seem obvious that it was justified for the Arabs to reject the plan and to subsequently attempt to commit the genocide of the Jewish population in Palestine.
What you did not mention was that 75% of the land the Jews were to receive under the 1947 Plan that the Jews agreed to was the Negev Desert. The Negev Desert has less rainfall than the Sahara. The Arabs were to receive under the Partition all the rich agricultural highlands where almost all of the rain falls and all the main water aquifers are located and most of the agricultural land of Palestine was situated, and as well under the Partition the Arabs were to receive approximately 50% of the coastline of Palestine including the ports of Ashkelon and Ashdod and all the coast line north of Haifa.
So when you just say the Jews were to get 55% of Palestine without also mentioning 75% of the Jewish land under the Partition was to be one of the driest deserts on the face of the earth with less rainfall than the Sahara, for all practical purposes unable to support large scale human habitation, that is really deliberately misleading of you.
It is true of course that the Jews eventually did find a way to make the Negev Desert bloom by giving the world the Israeli invention of drip irrigation that is now responsible for feeding maybe a billion people around the world these days, just as Israelis have also built one of the leading high tech economies on earth starting with absolutely no natural resources, the 7 million Israelis having created an economy that has a larger GDP and is objectively more productive in every area of scientific and human achievement than the entire 280 million person Arab League combined when you do not include Arab oil export revenue the corrupt Arab dictators have mostly stolen in any event.
What a sad sad shame for the Arabs that they chose to attempt a genocidal war against the Jews instead of the peace the Jews agreed to those 60 long blood-soaked years ago. How different the world would have been. The Arabs would have been much better off obviously, including no refugees, not a single one, no bloodshed, and the natural Arab genius and creativity would have been released and benefiting not just the Arabs but all mankind these last 60 years just as the Jews have been doing. Instead the Arab people stagnated in poverty and ignorance and oppressed by dictators.
But lets hope finally, eventually, the Arabs will choose peace even 60 years after they threw their first chance into the garbage. It is never too late to choose peace because the Jews stand ready to make peace even still to this very day.
This is a fact Edie.
I will ask it again and again since you refuse to answer.
Why are the flotillas trying to IMPORT any goods at all into Gaza when Gaza has a food surplus and desperately wants to EXPORT food to Europe to earn the money needed to revive its economy ?
The answer, by the way, is that you flotilla supporters need to force the Gazans to conform to your view of them as stereotype helpless food aid recipients in order for your bogus propaganda campaigns to have any effect.
source: Gisha Legal Center for Palestinians
Statement released Wednesday, June 29, 2011 –
“As the flotilla approaches, Gisha warns that the focus on humanitarian aid by flotilla organizers is infuriating and misleading. There is no shortage of food in Gaza, but economic recovery is blocked by restrictions on the import of construction materials to Gaza and export of goods from Gaza.
Sari Bashi, Executive Director of Gisha, says it is infuriating that residents of Gaza are being deliberately reduced to recipients of humanitarian aid. “The problem in Gaza is not a shortage of food.”
There is just one solution that will respect the rights of Gaza residents to livelihood while also protecting Israel’s legitimate security interests: Israel must lift the ban on import of construction materials into Gaza, and export of goods to outside Gaza”
I will ask it again and again since you refuse to answer.
Why are the flotillas trying to IMPORT any goods at all into Gaza when Gaza has a food surplus and desperately needs to EXPORT agricultural produce to Europe to earn the money needed to revive its economy ?
Why does Hamas as well as the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood as well as the flotilla organizers and their supporter all prefer the Gaza border with Egypt remain sealed off to commercial goods import and export when the simple act of opening it would greatly improve the economy of Gaza?
Why ?
========================================================
New York Times – Published: June 28, 2011
A Bountiful Harvest
“GAZA — Hundreds of acres of watermelons, orange saplings and grapevines stretch in orderly rows out to the horizon. Irrigation hoses run along the sand, dripping quietly. Apple trees are starting to blossom nearby. Avocados and mangoes are on their way.
Gaza, cut off by Israel and Egypt for the past four years, is expanding an enormous state-run farm aimed at gaining food independence. Most striking is that the project sits in the center of the coastal strip on the sites of the former Israeli settlements whose looted greenhouses and ruined fields became a symbol of all that had turned sour in the Israeli withdrawal six years ago.
Israel pulled out its 9,000 settlers and all of its soldiers from Gaza in 2005. The settlers’ high-tech greenhouses, which were bought for the Palestinians with $14 million in donations, were left unguarded and within days were stripped of computer equipment, irrigation pipes, water pumps and plastic sheeting. Fresh produce was left baking in the sun, rendering it worthless. The greenhouse areas were abandoned and lay fallow, a symbol of hopelessness and hostility.
But in the past couple of years, as Gaza has struggled with its isolation and economic decline, the settlement areas have been reborn. They make up 30 percent of the coastal strip’s land area. The farms on part of them, which are expanding every year, provide fruits and vegetables for large segments of Gaza’s 1.6 million inhabitants.
In food shops and market stalls across Gaza today, most of the onions, melons and grapes come from here. Last month alone, 100 tons of grapes and 23,000 tons of watermelons were produced. The greenhouses remain mostly stripped and unused, but the land under them is productive.
“We are making ourselves free of Israel economically and are on our way to food security,” Abdel Qader al-Astal, the director of the project, said in his office in what used to be the Israeli settlement of Gadid. In place of the usual spiced coffee served at meetings in the Arab world, slices of crisp apple and cucumber were passed around.
James Wolfensohn, a former president of the World Bank who served as international representative to the conflict at the time of the handover, was the one who raised the $14 million for the greenhouses. He called friends like Bill Gates. Mortimer B. Zuckerman, the publisher of The Daily News, threw in a bit of his own, and in a few weeks he had the money.
“There was nothing but hope then,” Mr. Wolfensohn said when reached by telephone in London. “We thought about tourism and hotels and turning Gaza into the Arab Riviera.”
Told of the newly revived farmlands, he was delighted.
“It saddened me that something I thought was a really good contribution had gone sour,” he said. “I thought if people were vested in the economics of their activities and there was interdependence between Israelis and Palestinians, the risk of violence would be greatly reduced. The area would flourish. But the problem with the Middle East is that it is not always rational.”
=========================================================
Edie:
You keep talking about the Gaza Egypt border, i.e. the Egyptian Apartheid Wall like it is some kind of impassible narrow goat track winding its way through the Hindu Kush mountains at 5000 meter elevation or something.
Here is an interesting video from Al Jezeera showing the Rafa Egyptian Apartheid Wall border crossing is now wide open to any Palestinian who wants to exit and it would be no problem at all to open it up to commercial goods import and export.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KrtCqHLXoZU
( interesting side note here. notice the first Palestinian women interviewed in this video from Al Jezeera is Black African by race while the rest of the Palestinians are clearly as Caucasian as any Greek or Italian ? There are 10s of thousands of racially Black African Palestinians because they are the descendents of Palestinian owned Black African slaves. Many wealthy Palestinian households owned Black African slaves right up until 1948, it was a very common practice among Palestinians to own Black slaves, and believe it or not, there are still known to be Black African slaves still owned by Arabs even today in 2011 on the Arabian peninsula. )
Edie
You keep repeating over and over this curious mantra of yours that the Rafah Egyptian Apartheid Wall border crossing is not designed as a commercial border crossing. I just cannot understand any sense from this meaningless content-free talking point you repeat over and over each time your propaganda is held up to the light of examination.
Please explain in detail what exactly do you mean by “Rafah not designed as a border crossing”. Trucks can arrive from El Arish, Egypt, be inspected by the customs officials and roll across the Rafah Egyptian Apartheid Wall border crossing just exactly as occurs with millions of trucks a day at thousands of different border crossings between European states and between North American countries.
What is the problem exactly?
If there is some minor deficiency in the Rafah Egyptian Apartheid Wall border crossing why, why by Jupiter, can not any problem with the Rafah Egyptian Apartheid Wall border crossing not be fixed in a matter of a few hours or days?
Recall that On January 23, 2008, at 2 am, the Rafah Egyptian Apartheid Wall border crossing was breached after gunmen set off an explosion nearby, destroying part of the Egyptian Apartheid Wall. Over the next four days, approximately 700,000 Palestinians crossed into Egypt, most buying supplies and returning to Gaza. Egyptian soldiers resealed the Apartheid Wall 5 days later.
This alone surely proves conclusively that it is no problem to make some small alteration to the Egyptian Apartheid Wall at Rafah in a very short while to allow massive movement of goods and people.
Edie
I just watched the video interview posted to your blog with
Francesca Burke, Israel/OPT researcher for Amnesty International was conducted?
Can you please explain how Francesca Burke can make the claim in the interview that Israel is restricting medicine into Gaza ?
Is Francesca Burke a bald faced liar or is she simply an ignoramus?
Which is it ?
source:
International Committee Of the Red Cross,
Israel and the occupied territories: 18-03-2011 Operational Update
http://www.icrc.org/eng/resources/documents/update/2011/palestine-israel-update-2011-03-18.htm
” The ICRC monitored the supply and stocks of essential drugs and disposables with the aim of ensuring that hospitals could provide an acceptable level of patient care. However, insufficient cooperation between the health ministries in Ramallah and Gaza brought patient care to the brink of crisis on several occasions.”
Judo,
Video: Thanks for noting that – I had tried to put a caption under the video, but I see it’s not there. I’ll see if I can get it put in to clarify the clip. The caption read, “Although this video was produced one year after operation ‘Cast Lead’ ended, former AI researcher, Francesca Burke, speaks about the difficulties in getting in materials to rebuild and recover from the devastation of the military conflict as well as the blockade which still holds true.”
Partition Plan: You’re correct that the Negev was mainly desert at the time. I chose not to mention this because the same could be said of the Judean desert (east of Jerusalem/west of the Dead Sea) which was included in the portion allotted to the Palestinians.
You didn’t mention, but the portion allotted the indigenous Palestinians also rested over good portions of the underground aquifers which serve as the main source of water to the area, but the Jewish immigrants were then also given the Galilee which contained rich, agricultural producing areas, Jaffa’s world famous orange orchards, and as I had mentioned, the Haifa port, while the Palestinians were land locked. Although the Gaza Strip area is on the Mediterranean, there was no capable port there at the time or land corridor connecting the area that would become known as the ‘West Bank’ and Gaza.
I know the ‘quality’ argument likes to be used to counter the ‘quantity’ point, but I didn’t get into that since arguments could be made about the ‘quality’ of both portions and my point was only to explain why the usual painting of ‘the Arabs’ as unreasonable to reject the Partition Plan is not accurate when looking at what the plan actually proposed.
As far as the Arab “genocidal war” against the newly declared State of Israel, I would suggest that you read Ben Gurion’s diary. There are hundreds of other documents included in archives that have been made public, but just reading Ben Gurion’s diary should clear up that falsehood by itself.
Ben Gurion notes in his diary multiple times how military and political leaders at the time were under no real military threat from the Arab Liberation Army. His public speeches did not reflect this as he seemed to like to stress the existential threat against the Jewish population to keep the civilians in fear. Arab rhetoric at the time only reinforced this impression.
I know that it is a commonly held belief in Israel and with many pro-Israel supporters that the small, vulnerable Jewish population was under extreme threat, but archives opened up decades after the events of 1948 (early 80's/90's) just don’t support this narrative. And this includes IDF documents as well as those from the private sector such as Ben Gurion’s diary and correspondence among the Jewish and British leaders at the time.
Rafah Crossing “wide open to any Palestinian who wants to exit and it would be no problem at all to open it up to commercial goods”:
The video clip itself contradicts itself and what you assert apparently based on this clip. The clip starts with saying anyone who wants to leave can do so, but then just one minute into the clip says ‘there are still restrictions’.
Yes, there was great hope when this clip was produced (May 28th), but the reality soon was realized in how the opening of this crossing just could not alleviate the situation in the Gaza Strip. It is simply too small, was not designed for the vast amount of aid or volume of people that would be needed to meet the needs of 1.6 million people who have suffered under years of occupation and deprivation under the more recent blockade.
I am not belittling the opening. For those who have been allowed to exit, it’s been a gift and it gives scores of Gazans hope that they will be able to travel for work or study or medical care, but the opening should not be misunderstood. Although it gives hope to many, it in no way is capable of serving the needs of the Gaza population.
You also misquote me again. I did not say Rafah wasn’t designed as a border crossing, I said, “The Rafah crossing was not designed for the import of any significant amount of humanitarian aid and is in no way capable of relieve the suffering of the 1.6 million (latest population figure given by the CIA) people in Gaza.”
See Gisha’s Fact Sheet about the Gaza crossings at http://www.gisha.org/UserFiles/File/publications/….
Regarding the import of goods/aid, it says, “Kerem Shalom, connecting Gaza to Israel, is the only crossing open for the transfer of goods into and out of the Strip (apart from the tunnels) ● Israel allows all goods into the Gaza Strip except for items it defines as dual use and basic construction materials (cement, steel and gravel) ● A limited amount of construction materials have been allowed in for international organizations: each month since January 2011, approximately 7% of what entered monthly in the years prior to June 2007 has entered for specific projects.”
Regarding people, it says, “The only crossings through which people are allowed to travel to and from the Gaza Strip are Erez (to Israel) and Rafah (to Egypt) ● Israel allows passage through Erez only "in exceptional humanitarian cases, with an emphasis on urgent medical cases" ● In practice, over the past few months Israel has issued approximately 3,000 permits to Palestinians per month to travel via Erez to Israel and the West Bank ● Most of these were patients and their companions, and nearly half were merchants. “
Travel to the outside world, “… takes place mostly through Egypt ● Starting May 28, 2011, Rafah was expected to remain open six days a week for the free passage of Palestinians ● In practice, an average of approximately 450 people have been able to leave the Strip each day, and the waiting list for those seeking to travel includes close to 12,000 people ● Through its control of the Palestinian population registry, Israel has indirect control over the issuance of Palestinian passports, which are required for travel through Rafah.”
Judo,
Video: Thanks for noting that – I had tried to put a caption under the video, but I see it’s not there. I’ll see if I can get it put in to clarify the clip. The caption read, “Although this video was produced one year after operation ‘Cast Lead’ ended, former AI researcher, Francesca Burke, speaks about the difficulties in getting in materials to rebuild and recover from the devastation of the military conflict as well as the blockade which still holds true.”
Partition Plan: You’re correct that the Negev was mainly desert at the time. I chose not to mention this because the same could be said of the Judean desert (east of Jerusalem/west of the Dead Sea) which was included in the portion allotted to the Palestinians.
You didn’t mention, but the portion allotted the indigenous Palestinians also rested over good portions of the underground aquifers which serve as the main source of water to the area, but the Jewish immigrants were then also given the Galilee which contained rich, agricultural producing areas, Jaffa’s world famous orange orchards, and as I had mentioned, the Haifa port, while the Palestinians were land locked. Although the Gaza Strip area is on the Mediterranean, there was no capable port there at the time or land corridor connecting the area that would become known as the ‘West Bank’ and Gaza.
I know the ‘quality’ argument likes to be used to counter the ‘quantity’ point, but I didn’t get into that since arguments could be made about the ‘quality’ of both portions and my point was only to explain why the usual painting of ‘the Arabs’ as unreasonable to reject the Partition Plan is not accurate when looking at what the plan actually proposed.
As far as the Arab “genocidal war” against the newly declared State of Israel, I would suggest that you read Ben Gurion’s diary. There are hundreds of other documents included in archives that have been made public, but just reading Ben Gurion’s diary should clear up that falsehood by itself.
Ben Gurion notes in his diary multiple times how military and political leaders at the time were under no real military threat from the Arab Liberation Army. His public speeches did not reflect this as he seemed to like to stress the existential threat against the Jewish population to keep the civilians in fear. Arab rhetoric at the time only reinforced this impression.
I know that it is a commonly held belief in Israel and with many pro-Israel supporters that the small, vulnerable Jewish population was under extreme threat, but archives opened up decades after the events of 1948 (early 80's/90's) just don’t support this narrative. And this includes IDF documents as well as those from the private sector such as Ben Gurion’s diary and correspondence among the Jewish and British leaders at the time.
Rafah Crossing “wide open to any Palestinian who wants to exit and it would be no problem at all to open it up to commercial goods”:
The video clip itself contradicts itself and what you assert apparently based on this clip. The clip starts with saying anyone who wants to leave can do so, but then just one minute into the clip says ‘there are still restrictions’.
Yes, there was great hope when this clip was produced (May 28th), but the reality soon was realized in how the opening of this crossing just could not alleviate the situation in the Gaza Strip. It is simply too small, was not designed for the vast amount of aid or volume of people that would be needed to meet the needs of 1.6 million people who have suffered under years of occupation and deprivation under the more recent blockade.
I am not belittling the opening. For those who have been allowed to exit, it’s been a gift and it gives scores of Gazans hope that they will be able to travel for work or study or medical care, but the opening should not be misunderstood. Although it gives hope to many, it in no way is capable of serving the needs of the Gaza population.
You also misquote me again. I did not say Rafah wasn’t designed as a border crossing, I said, “The Rafah crossing was not designed for the import of any significant amount of humanitarian aid and is in no way capable of relieve the suffering of the 1.6 million (latest population figure given by the CIA) people in Gaza.”
See Gisha’s Fact Sheet about the Gaza crossings at http://www.gisha.org/UserFiles/File/publications/….
Regarding the import of goods/aid, it says, “Kerem Shalom, connecting Gaza to Israel, is the only crossing open for the transfer of goods into and out of the Strip (apart from the tunnels) ● Israel allows all goods into the Gaza Strip except for items it defines as dual use and basic construction materials (cement, steel and gravel) ● A limited amount of construction materials have been allowed in for international organizations: each month since January 2011, approximately 7% of what entered monthly in the years prior to June 2007 has entered for specific projects.”
Regarding people, it says, “The only crossings through which people are allowed to travel to and from the Gaza Strip are Erez (to Israel) and Rafah (to Egypt) ● Israel allows passage through Erez only "in exceptional humanitarian cases, with an emphasis on urgent medical cases" ● In practice, over the past few months Israel has issued approximately 3,000 permits to Palestinians per month to travel via Erez to Israel and the West Bank ● Most of these were patients and their companions, and nearly half were merchants. “
Travel to the outside world, “… takes place mostly through Egypt ● Starting May 28, 2011, Rafah was expected to remain open six days a week for the free passage of Palestinians ● In practice, an average of approximately 450 people have been able to leave the Strip each day, and the waiting list for those seeking to travel includes close to 12,000 people ● Through its control of the Palestinian population registry, Israel has indirect control over the issuance of Palestinian passports, which are required for travel through Rafah.”
Judo,
Video: Thanks for noting that – I had tried to put a caption under the video, but I see it’s not there. I’ll see if I can get it put in to clarify the clip. The caption read, “Although this video was produced one year after operation ‘Cast Lead’ ended, former AI researcher, Francesca Burke, speaks about the difficulties in getting in materials to rebuild and recover from the devastation of the military conflict as well as the blockade which still holds true.”
Partition Plan: You’re correct that the Negev was mainly desert at the time. I chose not to mention this because the same could be said of the Judean desert (east of Jerusalem/west of the Dead Sea) which was included in the portion allotted to the Palestinians.
You didn’t mention, but the portion allotted the indigenous Palestinians also rested over good portions of the underground aquifers which serve as the main source of water to the area, but the Jewish immigrants were then also given the Galilee which contained rich, agricultural producing areas, Jaffa’s world famous orange orchards, and as I had mentioned, the Haifa port, while the Palestinians were land locked. Although the Gaza Strip area is on the Mediterranean, there was no capable port there at the time or land corridor connecting the area that would become known as the ‘West Bank’ and Gaza.
I know the ‘quality’ argument likes to be used to counter the ‘quantity’ point, but I didn’t get into that since arguments could be made about the ‘quality’ of both portions and my point was only to explain why the usual painting of ‘the Arabs’ as unreasonable to reject the Partition Plan is not accurate when looking at what the plan actually proposed.
As far as the Arab “genocidal war” against the newly declared State of Israel, I would suggest that you read Ben Gurion’s diary. There are hundreds of other documents included in archives that have been made public, but just reading Ben Gurion’s diary should clear up that falsehood by itself.
Ben Gurion notes in his diary multiple times how military and political leaders at the time were under no real military threat from the Arab Liberation Army. His public speeches did not reflect this as he seemed to like to stress the existential threat against the Jewish population to keep the civilians in fear. Arab rhetoric at the time only reinforced this impression.
I know that it is a commonly held belief in Israel and with many pro-Israel supporters that the small, vulnerable Jewish population was under extreme threat, but archives opened up decades after the events of 1948 (early 80's/90's) just don’t support this narrative. And this includes IDF documents as well as those from the private sector such as Ben Gurion’s diary and correspondence among the Jewish and British leaders at the time.
Rafah Crossing “wide open to any Palestinian who wants to exit and it would be no problem at all to open it up to commercial goods”:
The video clip itself contradicts itself and what you assert apparently based on this clip. The clip starts with saying anyone who wants to leave can do so, but then just one minute into the clip says ‘there are still restrictions’.
Yes, there was great hope when this clip was produced (May 28th), but the reality soon was realized in how the opening of this crossing just could not alleviate the situation in the Gaza Strip. It is simply too small, was not designed for the vast amount of aid or volume of people that would be needed to meet the needs of 1.6 million people who have suffered under years of occupation and deprivation under the more recent blockade.
I am not belittling the opening. For those who have been allowed to exit, it’s been a gift and it gives scores of Gazans hope that they will be able to travel for work or study or medical care, but the opening should not be misunderstood. Although it gives hope to many, it in no way is capable of serving the needs of the Gaza population.
You also misquote me again. I did not say Rafah wasn’t designed as a border crossing, I said, “The Rafah crossing was not designed for the import of any significant amount of humanitarian aid and is in no way capable of relieve the suffering of the 1.6 million (latest population figure given by the CIA) people in Gaza.”
See Gisha’s Fact Sheet about the Gaza crossings at http://www.gisha.org/UserFiles/File/publications/….
Regarding the import of goods/aid, it says, “Kerem Shalom, connecting Gaza to Israel, is the only crossing open for the transfer of goods into and out of the Strip (apart from the tunnels) ● Israel allows all goods into the Gaza Strip except for items it defines as dual use and basic construction materials (cement, steel and gravel) ● A limited amount of construction materials have been allowed in for international organizations: each month since January 2011, approximately 7% of what entered monthly in the years prior to June 2007 has entered for specific projects.”
Regarding people, it says, “The only crossings through which people are allowed to travel to and from the Gaza Strip are Erez (to Israel) and Rafah (to Egypt) ● Israel allows passage through Erez only "in exceptional humanitarian cases, with an emphasis on urgent medical cases" ● In practice, over the past few months Israel has issued approximately 3,000 permits to Palestinians per month to travel via Erez to Israel and the West Bank ● Most of these were patients and their companions, and nearly half were merchants. “
Travel to the outside world, “… takes place mostly through Egypt ● Starting May 28, 2011, Rafah was expected to remain open six days a week for the free passage of Palestinians ● In practice, an average of approximately 450 people have been able to leave the Strip each day, and the waiting list for those seeking to travel includes close to 12,000 people ● Through its control of the Palestinian population registry, Israel has indirect control over the issuance of Palestinian passports, which are required for travel through Rafah.”
The Israeli crossings are complex affairs because the Israel trucks arriving at the Gaza border with Israel need to be unloaded, the goods on them destined for Gaza need to be moved by hand across a dangerous border that has been struck by Palestinian suicide attacks numerous times, and then reloaded by hand onto Palestinian trucks on the other side. Obviously Israeli trucks can not simply drive the goods into Gaza directly as the Israeli drivers would be of course murdered on the spot seconds after entering Gaza, so thus the need for this complex machinery, conveyance belts, pipelines, etc. needed to transfer large quantities by hand from Israeli truck to Palestinian truck over a lethal border where fighting can break out at any second.
Yes I know it makes not a heck of a lot of sense why the Palestinians would possibly want to attack their own border crossings where their own international aid is transfered just for the off chance of killing an Israeli, but hey, people do the strangest things, don't they.
Anyways, in the case of the Egypt Gaza border this unloading would not need to take place at all. Just as millions upon millions of trucks each day, 365 days a year simply cross the US Mexico border, and the US Canada border, and the European borders and many other borders around the world all without the need to ever unload and transfer by hand all goods from truck to truck, the Gaza Egypt border can function in exactly the same way, with Egyptian and Palestinian trucks simply crossing back and forth to deliver and pick up goods directly like borders and trucking functions all over the world. This necessitates a small simple border crossing through the Egyptian Apartheid Wall at Rafah.
In fact there are numerous border crossings between the US and Mexico not much bigger than the Rafah crossing that with no problem at all are able to pass freight equivalent to many months of total Gazan imports all in a single day.
Nope, it all comes down to money, and lots of it, millions of dollars a day going into lots of different hands of corruption, mostly Hamas owned Swiss bank accounts, since smuggling is extremely profitable and that means this Egyptian Apartheid Wall must remain closed so the bribery honey money train will keep arriving at the station straight into the deep Hamas wallets.
Thus the need for these kooky fruity tuney loony flotilla patsies to step in to distract the world from this ongoing travesty at the Gaza Egypt border, the real true source of the suffering in Gaza.
========================================================
Getting rich off the siege against Gaza
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MLHzL3mRP7g
Uploaded by AlJazeera English on Jul 5, 2011
It's been five years since Israel imposed a total blockade on Gaza – a siege that was aimed at weakening Hamas, which controls the Strip.
But an underground world of smuggling tunnels, and the subsequent taxes imposed by Hamas, has actually helped strengthen the group.
While Israel's blockade has generally hurt the economy in Gaza, the tunnels have made their owners and Hamas a lot of money.
Al Jazeera's Nicole Johnston reports from Gaza.
========================================================
Edie:
Sorry but it is simply incorrect to claim that the 1947 partition Plan left the proposed Palestinian state land locked.
Here is the detailed map from the UN of the Partition Plan which the Arabs rejected but the Jews accepted.
http://domino.un.org/unispal.nsf/0/3cbe4ee1ef3016…
As you can see, the Palestinian State was to get approximately 50% of the coastline, including in the north the ancient port city of Acre that served as the main port for the holy land for over a thousand years, as well as in the south the deep water port of Ashdod which serves as the major Israeli port today.
The Israeli crossings are complex affairs because the Israel trucks arriving at the Gaza border with Israel need to be unloaded, the goods on them destined for Gaza need to be moved by hand across a dangerous border that has been struck by Palestinian suicide attacks numerous times, and then reloaded by hand onto Palestinian trucks on the other side. Obviously Israeli trucks can not simply drive the goods into Gaza directly as the Israeli drivers would be of course murdered on the spot seconds after entering Gaza, so thus the need for this complex machinery, conveyance belts, pipelines, etc. needed to transfer large quantities by hand from Israeli truck to Palestinian truck over a lethal border where fighting can break out at any second.
Yes I know it makes not a heck of a lot of sense why the Palestinians would possibly want to attack their own border crossings where their own international aid is transfered just for the off chance of killing an Israeli, but hey, people do the strangest things, don't they.
Anyways, in the case of the Egypt Gaza border this unloading would not need to take place at all. Just as millions upon millions of trucks each day, 365 days a year simply cross the US Mexico border, and the US Canada border, and the European borders and many other borders around the world all without the need to ever unload and transfer by hand all goods from truck to truck, the Gaza Egypt border can function in exactly the same way, with Egyptian and Palestinian trucks simply crossing back and forth to deliver and pick up goods directly like borders and trucking functions all over the world. This necessitates a small simple border crossing through the Egyptian Apartheid Wall at Rafah.
In fact there are numerous border crossings between the US and Mexico not much bigger than the Rafah crossing that with no problem at all are able to pass freight equivalent to many months of total Gazan imports all in a single day.
Nope, it all comes down to money, and lots of it, millions of dollars a day going into lots of different hands of corruption, mostly Hamas owned Swiss bank accounts, since smuggling is extremely profitable and that means this Egyptian Apartheid Wall must remain closed so the bribery honey money train will keep arriving at the station straight into the deep Hamas wallets.
Thus the need for these kooky fruity tuney loony flotilla patsies to step in to distract the world from this ongoing travesty at the Gaza Egypt border, the real true source of the suffering in Gaza.
========================================================
Getting rich off the siege against Gaza
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MLHzL3mRP7g
Uploaded by AlJazeera English on Jul 5, 2011
It's been five years since Israel imposed a total blockade on Gaza – a siege that was aimed at weakening Hamas, which controls the Strip.
But an underground world of smuggling tunnels, and the subsequent taxes imposed by Hamas, has actually helped strengthen the group.
While Israel's blockade has generally hurt the economy in Gaza, the tunnels have made their owners and Hamas a lot of money.
Al Jazeera's Nicole Johnston reports from Gaza.
========================================================
The Israeli crossings are complex affairs because the Israel trucks arriving at the Gaza border with Israel need to be unloaded, the goods on them destined for Gaza need to be moved by hand across a dangerous border that has been struck by Palestinian suicide attacks numerous times, and then reloaded by hand onto Palestinian trucks on the other side. Obviously Israeli trucks can not simply drive the goods into Gaza directly as the Israeli drivers would be of course murdered on the spot seconds after entering Gaza, so thus the need for this complex machinery, conveyance belts, pipelines, etc. needed to transfer large quantities by hand from Israeli truck to Palestinian truck over a lethal border where fighting can break out at any second.
Yes I know it makes not a heck of a lot of sense why the Palestinians would possibly want to attack their own border crossings where their own international aid is transfered just for the off chance of killing an Israeli, but hey, people do the strangest things, don't they.
Anyways, in the case of the Egypt Gaza border this unloading would not need to take place at all. Just as millions upon millions of trucks each day, 365 days a year simply cross the US Mexico border, and the US Canada border, and the European borders and many other borders around the world all without the need to ever unload and transfer by hand all goods from truck to truck, the Gaza Egypt border can function in exactly the same way, with Egyptian and Palestinian trucks simply crossing back and forth to deliver and pick up goods directly like borders and trucking functions all over the world. This necessitates a small simple border crossing through the Egyptian Apartheid Wall at Rafah.
In fact there are numerous border crossings between the US and Mexico not much bigger than the Rafah crossing that with no problem at all are able to pass freight equivalent to many months of total Gazan imports all in a single day.
Nope, it all comes down to money, and lots of it, millions of dollars a day going into lots of different hands of corruption, mostly Hamas owned Swiss bank accounts, since smuggling is extremely profitable and that means this Egyptian Apartheid Wall must remain closed so the bribery honey money train will keep arriving at the station straight into the deep Hamas wallets.
Thus the need for these kooky fruity tuney loony flotilla patsies to step in to distract the world from this ongoing travesty at the Gaza Egypt border, the real true source of the suffering in Gaza.
========================================================
Getting rich off the siege against Gaza
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MLHzL3mRP7g
Uploaded by AlJazeera English on Jul 5, 2011
It's been five years since Israel imposed a total blockade on Gaza – a siege that was aimed at weakening Hamas, which controls the Strip.
But an underground world of smuggling tunnels, and the subsequent taxes imposed by Hamas, has actually helped strengthen the group.
While Israel's blockade has generally hurt the economy in Gaza, the tunnels have made their owners and Hamas a lot of money.
Al Jazeera's Nicole Johnston reports from Gaza.
========================================================
Edie:
Sorry but it is simply incorrect to claim that the 1947 partition Plan left the proposed Palestinian state land locked.
Here is the detailed map from the UN of the Partition Plan which the Arabs rejected but the Jews accepted.
http://domino.un.org/unispal.nsf/0/3cbe4ee1ef3016…
As you can see, the Palestinian State was to get approximately 50% of the coastline, including in the north the ancient port city of Acre that served as the main port for the holy land for over a thousand years, as well as in the south the deep water port of Ashdod which serves as the major Israeli port today.
Edie:
Sorry but it is simply incorrect to claim that the 1947 partition Plan left the proposed Palestinian state land locked.
Here is the detailed map from the UN of the Partition Plan which the Arabs rejected but the Jews accepted.
http://domino.un.org/unispal.nsf/0/3cbe4ee1ef3016…
As you can see, the Palestinian State was to get approximately 50% of the coastline, including in the north the ancient port city of Acre that served as the main port for the holy land for over a thousand years, as well as in the south the deep water port of Ashdod which serves as the major Israeli port today.
"The Israeli crossings are complex affairs because the Israel trucks arriving at the Gaza border with Israel need to be unloaded, the goods on them destined for Gaza need to be moved by hand across a dangerous border that has been struck by Palestinian suicide attacks numerous times…"
And if you believe that Palestinians are bombing the gates through which supplies enter Gaza, then I have some of Saddam's nuclear weapons to sell you!
"By way of deception, though shalt do war." — Motto of the Mossad.
The Israelis are, after all, the people who tried to sink the USS Liberty and blame it on Egypt.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/20/world/middleeas…
Palestinian Suicide Bombers Attack Gaza Crossing
New York Times, Published: April 20, 2008
JERUSALEM — Palestinian suicide bombers from Gaza drove three explosives-laden vehicles into the Kerem Shalom goods crossing on the border with Israel early on Saturday, detonating two of them, the Israeli military said.
Three bombers were killed in the blasts and 13 Israeli soldiers were wounded, three moderately and the rest lightly, the military said.
Hamas, the Islamic group that controls the Gaza Strip, claimed responsibility for the attack. It came on the eve of the weeklong Passover holiday in Israel and hours before former President Jimmy Carter held a second meeting in Damascus with exiled leaders of Hamas, reportedly to explore the possibility of a cease-fire and a prisoner exchange between the group and Israel.
Hamas is holding an Israeli soldier, Cpl. Gilad Shalit, who was captured in a border raid on an army position not far from Kerem Shalom and taken into Gaza in June 2006. "
Judo,
You are absolutely right on your point on the Partition Plan. My mistake. I had Haifa as the main maritime gateway at the time on the brain. I do apologize. I also appreciate you not saying it was some conspiracy on my part. I confess, I made a careless mistake and appreciate you pointing it out.
Edie
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/20/world/middleeas…
Palestinian Suicide Bombers Attack Gaza Crossing
New York Times, Published: April 20, 2008
JERUSALEM — Palestinian suicide bombers from Gaza drove three explosives-laden vehicles into the Kerem Shalom goods crossing on the border with Israel early on Saturday, detonating two of them, the Israeli military said.
Three bombers were killed in the blasts and 13 Israeli soldiers were wounded, three moderately and the rest lightly, the military said.
Hamas, the Islamic group that controls the Gaza Strip, claimed responsibility for the attack. It came on the eve of the weeklong Passover holiday in Israel and hours before former President Jimmy Carter held a second meeting in Damascus with exiled leaders of Hamas, reportedly to explore the possibility of a cease-fire and a prisoner exchange between the group and Israel.
Hamas is holding an Israeli soldier, Cpl. Gilad Shalit, who was captured in a border raid on an army position not far from Kerem Shalom and taken into Gaza in June 2006. "
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/20/world/middleeas…
Palestinian Suicide Bombers Attack Gaza Crossing
New York Times, Published: April 20, 2008
JERUSALEM — Palestinian suicide bombers from Gaza drove three explosives-laden vehicles into the Kerem Shalom goods crossing on the border with Israel early on Saturday, detonating two of them, the Israeli military said.
Three bombers were killed in the blasts and 13 Israeli soldiers were wounded, three moderately and the rest lightly, the military said.
Hamas, the Islamic group that controls the Gaza Strip, claimed responsibility for the attack. It came on the eve of the weeklong Passover holiday in Israel and hours before former President Jimmy Carter held a second meeting in Damascus with exiled leaders of Hamas, reportedly to explore the possibility of a cease-fire and a prisoner exchange between the group and Israel.
Hamas is holding an Israeli soldier, Cpl. Gilad Shalit, who was captured in a border raid on an army position not far from Kerem Shalom and taken into Gaza in June 2006. "
Judo,
Video: Thanks for noting that – I had tried to put a caption under the video, but I see it’s not there. I’ll see if I can get it put in to clarify the clip. The caption read, “Although this video was produced one year after operation ‘Cast Lead’ ended, former AI researcher, Francesca Burke, speaks about the difficulties in getting in materials to rebuild and recover from the devastation of the military conflict as well as the blockade which still holds true.”
Partition Plan: You’re correct that the Negev was mainly desert at the time. I chose not to mention this because the same could be said of the Judean desert (east of Jerusalem/west of the Dead Sea) which was included in the portion allotted to the Palestinians.
You didn’t mention, but the portion allotted the indigenous Palestinians also rested over good portions of the underground aquifers which serve as the main source of water to the area, but the Jewish immigrants were then also given the Galilee which contained rich, agricultural producing areas, Jaffa’s world famous orange orchards, and as I had mentioned, the Haifa port, while the Palestinians were land locked. Although the Gaza Strip area is on the Mediterranean, there was no capable port there at the time or land corridor connecting the area that would become known as the ‘West Bank’ and Gaza.
I know the ‘quality’ argument likes to be used to counter the ‘quantity’ point, but I didn’t get into that since arguments could be made about the ‘quality’ of both portions and my point was only to explain why the usual painting of ‘the Arabs’ as unreasonable to reject the Partition Plan is not accurate when looking at what the plan actually proposed.
As far as the Arab “genocidal war” against the newly declared State of Israel, I would suggest that you read Ben Gurion’s diary. There are hundreds of other documents included in archives that have been made public, but just reading Ben Gurion’s diary should clear up that falsehood by itself.
Ben Gurion notes in his diary multiple times how military and political leaders at the time were under no real military threat from the Arab Liberation Army. His public speeches did not reflect this as he seemed to like to stress the existential threat against the Jewish population to keep the civilians in fear. Arab rhetoric at the time only reinforced this impression.
I know that it is a commonly held belief in Israel and with many pro-Israel supporters that the small, vulnerable Jewish population was under extreme threat, but archives opened up decades after the events of 1948 (early 80’s/90’s) just don’t support this narrative. And this includes IDF documents as well as those from the private sector such as Ben Gurion’s diary and correspondence among the Jewish and British leaders at the time.
Rafah Crossing “wide open to any Palestinian who wants to exit and it would be no problem at all to open it up to commercial goods”:
The video clip itself contradicts itself and what you assert apparently based on this clip. The clip starts with saying anyone who wants to leave can do so, but then just one minute into the clip says ‘there are still restrictions’.
Yes, there was great hope when this clip was produced (May 28th), but the reality soon was realized in how the opening of this crossing just could not alleviate the situation in the Gaza Strip. It is simply too small, was not designed for the vast amount of aid or volume of people that would be needed to meet the needs of 1.6 million people who have suffered under years of occupation and deprivation under the more recent blockade.
I am not belittling the opening. For those who have been allowed to exit, it’s been a gift and it gives scores of Gazans hope that they will be able to travel for work or study or medical care, but the opening should not be misunderstood. Although it gives hope to many, it in no way is capable of serving the needs of the Gaza population.
You also misquote me again. I did not say Rafah wasn’t designed as a border crossing, I said, “The Rafah crossing was not designed for the import of any significant amount of humanitarian aid and is in no way capable of relieve the suffering of the 1.6 million (latest population figure given by the CIA) people in Gaza.”
See Gisha’s Fact Sheet about the Gaza crossings at http://www.gisha.org/UserFiles/File/publications/Info_Gaza_Eng.pdf.
Regarding the import of goods/aid, it says, “Kerem Shalom, connecting Gaza to Israel, is the only crossing open for the transfer of goods into and out of the Strip (apart from the tunnels) ● Israel allows all goods into the Gaza Strip except for items it defines as dual use and basic construction materials (cement, steel and gravel) ● A limited amount of construction materials have been allowed in for international organizations: each month since January 2011, approximately 7% of what entered monthly in the years prior to June 2007 has entered for specific projects.”
Regarding people, it says, “The only crossings through which people are allowed to travel to and from the Gaza Strip are Erez (to Israel) and Rafah (to Egypt) ● Israel allows passage through Erez only “in exceptional humanitarian cases, with an emphasis on urgent medical cases” ● In practice, over the past few months Israel has issued approximately 3,000 permits to Palestinians per month to travel via Erez to Israel and the West Bank ● Most of these were patients and their companions, and nearly half were merchants. “
Travel to the outside world, “… takes place mostly through Egypt ● Starting May 28, 2011, Rafah was expected to remain open six days a week for the free passage of Palestinians ● In practice, an average of approximately 450 people have been able to leave the Strip each day, and the waiting list for those seeking to travel includes close to 12,000 people ● Through its control of the Palestinian population registry, Israel has indirect control over the issuance of Palestinian passports, which are required for travel through Rafah.”
Like I said above, if you are dumb enough to believe that Palestinians are bombing the gates through which supplies enter P)alestine, then I have some of Saddam’s nuclear weapons to sell you!
“By way of deception, though shalt do war.” — Motto of the Mossad.
The Israeli crossings are complex affairs because the Israel trucks arriving at the Gaza border with Israel need to be unloaded, the goods on them destined for Gaza need to be moved by hand across a dangerous border that has been struck by Palestinian suicide attacks numerous times, and then reloaded by hand onto Palestinian trucks on the other side. Obviously Israeli trucks can not simply drive the goods into Gaza directly as the Israeli drivers would be of course murdered on the spot seconds after entering Gaza, so thus the need for this complex machinery, conveyance belts, pipelines, etc. needed to transfer large quantities by hand from Israeli truck to Palestinian truck over a lethal border where fighting can break out at any second.
Yes I know it makes not a heck of a lot of sense why the Palestinians would possibly want to attack their own border crossings where their own international aid is transfered just for the off chance of killing an Israeli, but hey, people do the strangest things, don’t they.
Anyways, in the case of the Egypt Gaza border this unloading would not need to take place at all. Just as millions upon millions of trucks each day, 365 days a year simply cross the US Mexico border, and the US Canada border, and the European borders and many other borders around the world all without the need to ever unload and transfer by hand all goods from truck to truck, the Gaza Egypt border can function in exactly the same way, with Egyptian and Palestinian trucks simply crossing back and forth to deliver and pick up goods directly like borders and trucking functions all over the world. This necessitates a small simple border crossing through the Egyptian Apartheid Wall at Rafah.
In fact there are numerous border crossings between the US and Mexico not much bigger than the Rafah crossing that with no problem at all are able to pass freight equivalent to many months of total Gazan imports all in a single day.
Nope, it all comes down to money, and lots of it, millions of dollars a day going into lots of different hands of corruption, mostly Hamas owned Swiss bank accounts, since smuggling is extremely profitable and that means this Egyptian Apartheid Wall must remain closed so the bribery honey money train will keep arriving at the station straight into the deep Hamas wallets.
Thus the need for these kooky fruity tuney loony flotilla patsies to step in to distract the world from this ongoing travesty at the Gaza Egypt border, the real true source of the suffering in Gaza.
========================================================
Getting rich off the siege against Gaza
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MLHzL3mRP7g
Uploaded by AlJazeera English on Jul 5, 2011
It’s been five years since Israel imposed a total blockade on Gaza – a siege that was aimed at weakening Hamas, which controls the Strip.
But an underground world of smuggling tunnels, and the subsequent taxes imposed by Hamas, has actually helped strengthen the group.
While Israel’s blockade has generally hurt the economy in Gaza, the tunnels have made their owners and Hamas a lot of money.
Al Jazeera’s Nicole Johnston reports from Gaza.
========================================================
Edie:
Sorry but it is simply incorrect to claim that the 1947 partition Plan left the proposed Palestinian state land locked.
Here is the detailed map from the UN of the Partition Plan which the Arabs rejected but the Jews accepted.
http://domino.un.org/unispal.nsf/0/3cbe4ee1ef30169085256b98006f540d?OpenDocument
As you can see, the Palestinian State was to get approximately 50% of the coastline, including in the north the ancient port city of Acre that served as the main port for the holy land for over a thousand years, as well as in the south the deep water port of Ashdod which serves as the major Israeli port today.
“The Israeli crossings are complex affairs because the Israel trucks arriving at the Gaza border with Israel need to be unloaded, the goods on them destined for Gaza need to be moved by hand across a dangerous border that has been struck by Palestinian suicide attacks numerous times…”
And if you believe that Palestinians are bombing the gates through which supplies enter Gaza, then I have some of Saddam’s nuclear weapons to sell you!
“By way of deception, though shalt do war.” — Motto of the Mossad.
The Israelis are, after all, the people who tried to sink the USS Liberty and blame it on Egypt.
Okay, Mr. 9/11 conspiracy theorist, thank you, thank you, thank you.
Thank you so very much for illuminating us with your wisdom that we should not believe Hamas attacked the Kerem shalom humanitarian goods entry point with suicide bombers not once but multiple times even though Hamas publicly claimed responsibility for doing so.
After who should we believe anyways, your trustworthy fantasy based on nothing but what you imagine up inside your own brain, or our own lying ears and eyes.
Probably the dirty Jews faked this attack just like they faked 9/11, right, Mr. Coo Coo Bird ?
HAMAS did not publicly claim credit for the bombing. Somebody on a telephone said, "I'm HAMAS and I did it, schmucks!" And useful idiots simply repeat it without realizing the absurdity of blaming bombings that obviously benefit Israel on Israel's enemies.
Judo,
You are absolutely right on your point on the Partition Plan. My mistake. I had Haifa as the main maritime gateway at the time on the brain. I do apologize. I also appreciate you not saying it was some conspiracy on my part. I confess, I made a careless mistake and appreciate you pointing it out.
Edie
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/20/world/middleeast/20mideast.html
Palestinian Suicide Bombers Attack Gaza Crossing
New York Times, Published: April 20, 2008
JERUSALEM — Palestinian suicide bombers from Gaza drove three explosives-laden vehicles into the Kerem Shalom goods crossing on the border with Israel early on Saturday, detonating two of them, the Israeli military said.
Three bombers were killed in the blasts and 13 Israeli soldiers were wounded, three moderately and the rest lightly, the military said.
Hamas, the Islamic group that controls the Gaza Strip, claimed responsibility for the attack. It came on the eve of the weeklong Passover holiday in Israel and hours before former President Jimmy Carter held a second meeting in Damascus with exiled leaders of Hamas, reportedly to explore the possibility of a cease-fire and a prisoner exchange between the group and Israel.
Hamas is holding an Israeli soldier, Cpl. Gilad Shalit, who was captured in a border raid on an army position not far from Kerem Shalom and taken into Gaza in June 2006. “
Like I said above, if you are dumb enough to believe that Palestinians are bombing the gates through which supplies enter P)alestine, then I have some of Saddam’s nuclear weapons to sell you!
“By way of deception, though shalt do war.” — Motto of the Mossad.
if israel had any sense they would have run all the palestinians into syria ages ago. Go israel, dont give in to terrorism and the lackeys of terrorists.
Dear Michael Rivero,
i note you never respond to Judonimh's ridiculing you on a purely personal level & calling you names.
That's part of his way of scoring points.
No other speaker here does this except for the racist Sinhalese of sri lanka.
Others receive the same treatment from this representative of Zionism.
Your tradition shows in your restraint.
i agree with you Palestinians won't attack drivers bringing them supplies.
Numerous Israeli supporters & sympathizers, including Zionists, go to Palestinian communities which are under israeli state or settler attack.
They are struck by the universal warmth & acceptance they receive from the Palestinians.
The Palestinians even laugh & tell them, When can we stop this conflict & get along ?
The indigenous peoples …. same everywhere.
Patient.
Humorous.
Enduring.
Dear Ms Garwood,
Excellent expositions & points from you.
Especially on the Rafah crossing & the socalled threat of genocide ( Ben Gurion's diaries ).
Please correct me whenever i'm in error.
i welcome that.
ps. No indigenous people EVER agreed to divide their land in favor of alien settlers.
Share ?
Often.
Divide ?
NEVER.
Okay, Mr. 9/11 conspiracy theorist, thank you, thank you, thank you.
Thank you so very much for illuminating us with your wisdom that we should not believe Hamas attacked the Kerem shalom humanitarian goods entry point with suicide bombers not once but multiple times even though Hamas publicly claimed responsibility for doing so.
After who should we believe anyways, your trustworthy fantasy based on nothing but what you imagine up inside your own brain, or our own lying ears and eyes.
Probably the dirty Jews faked this attack just like they faked 9/11, right, Mr. Coo Coo Bird ?
HAMAS did not publicly claim credit for the bombing. Somebody on a telephone said, “I’m HAMAS and I did it, schmucks!” And useful idiots simply repeat it without realizing the absurdity of blaming bombings that obviously benefit Israel on Israel’s enemies.
Smart talk never floated a flotilla.
Judonimh ridicules the people sailing to Gaza.
But history's tide's running high & rolling in to the blockaded Strip.
Judonimh invents funny names to put down the simple hearted, bravehearted old & young Internationalists bound for Gaza.
He jeers at people who are way ahead of us in writing & knowledge & professions.
He jeers at the Nobel Laureates.
He invents funny names for the Holocaust survivors !!!
But as Internationalists once went to Spain to break the Fascist / Nazi blockade, these people are coming now to Gaza.
Yes, they are bringing the essential medicines Gaza's run out of because of the blockade.
Because they know health care is abysmal in blockaded Gaza.
They know thr number of patients who used to go from Gaza to Jerusalem has fallen by FIFTY PER CENT because of TWO GIANT OBSTACLES standing in their way : the BLOCKADE AROUND GAZA, & the APARTHEID SEPARATION WALL AROUND JERUSALEM.
The people from 22 lands sailing to Gaza know Gazans are waiting interminably long hours in rain, in cold, in sweltering heat.
& as they wait, every drop of humanity & dignity drains out of them completely.
Doctors from Gaza can't go to medical seminars in Ireland because of the blockade.
Heart patients die of heart attacks in the crowded cauldrons of immobilized humanity at the crossings.
Judonimh & Israelis scoff today at the sufferings of the "Jews" they have thermselves created — the Gazans, the Palestinians.
The unemployed thousands, the eighty per cent of Gaza made jobless by the blockade, the students who can't get out to universities … these people are all sitting at home stuffing themselves on bountiful foods, Judonimh tells us, so why sail all this way for nothing ?
The harvests that find no external markets because of the blockade, thus pauperizing their producers, are pointed out to the world by Judonimh as the proof of Gaza's standing wealth, not of her strangulated economy.
Jews used to be at the forefront of all progresive movements at one time !!
They used to be the advocates of the oppressed, their empowerers, they used to be the people who put ideas into their heads & speech into their mouths.
Where has Zionism exiled such Jews as those ??
Instead we have the Jewish State of israel —- der Judenstaat, as Zionism's founding father called it — polluting the memory of those glorious Jews by raising up their children as today's bullies & jeering crowds, today's oppressors & tormentors & expropriators of the expropriated !!!
Judonimh says Gaza's power crisis is BECAUSE she doesn't pay her bills to an electricity corporation.
The real truth is told by an annversary that fell last week, on Tuesday.
June 28.
Last week was the 5 th anniversary of Summer Rains, Israel's military operation against Gaza.
June 28 was the day the Israeli air force bomberd & destroyed Gaza's only power plant.
A civilian target.
It's destruction a clear war crime.
The bombing of the power plant devastated Gaza's refrigeration, water supply, sewage treatment, & medical services.
Butchers, already running short, coudn't keep fresh stock.
Bakeries couldn't provide fresh bread.
Hospitals & clinics coudn't run essential services.
Sewage leaked.
Diarrhoea jumped by a HUNDRED & SIXTY THREE PER CENT .
The people lived in the intolerable heat & darkness.
As with American aid, Israel rode the skies & the waves & churned the earth of Gaza.
if israel had any sense they would have run all the palestinians into syria ages ago. Go israel, dont give in to terrorism and the lackeys of terrorists.
Yes, WJ.
At last someone to speak for Judonimh & Israel.
Calling for the expulsion of all Palestinians.
Thr old frontier, speaking to the new.
America, to Israel.
The indigenous people …are the terorists.
Drive them all out.
Race war.
Frontier America.
To the real Israel.
Dear Michael Rivero,
i note you never respond to Judonimh’s ridiculing you on a purely personal level & calling you names.
That’s part of his way of scoring points.
No other speaker here does this except for the racist Sinhalese of sri lanka.
Others receive the same treatment from this representative of Zionism.
Your tradition shows in your restraint.
i agree with you Palestinians won’t attack drivers bringing them supplies.
Numerous Israeli supporters & sympathizers, including Zionists, go to Palestinian communities which are under israeli state or settler attack.
They are struck by the universal warmth & acceptance they receive from the Palestinians.
The Palestinians even laugh & tell them, When can we stop this conflict & get along ?
The indigenous peoples …. same everywhere.
Patient.
Humorous.
Enduring.
Dear Ms Garwood,
Excellent expositions & points from you.
Especially on the Rafah crossing & the socalled threat of genocide ( Ben Gurion’s diaries ).
Please correct me whenever i’m in error.
i welcome that.
ps. No indigenous people EVER agreed to divide their land in favor of alien settlers.
Share ?
Often.
Divide ?
NEVER.
Source:
Official web site of the “Ezzedeen Al-Qassam Brigades” the armed branch of the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) Information Office.
http://www.qassam.ps/statement-1069-Warning_of_Ex…
( Hamas claim of responsibility for the deliberate targeting of the Kerem Shalom humanitarian aid border crossing with suicide bombers , April 17, 2008)
========================================================
Military Communiqué
"Warning of Explosion" an operation compound of car bombs, carried out by Al Qassam Brigades in Karm Abu Salim site
Despite the illegal siege and conspiracies which are executed against the Palestinian people in Gaza, Al Qassam Brigades and the resistance men don't hesitate to defend the Palestinian people in Gaza. Al Qassam Brigades defeated the elite Zionist forces. Today ,Al Qassam Brigades announced the following operation:-
At 06:00, on Saturday morning 19th of April,2008, four bombed cars advanced towards Karm Abu Salim military site, which is considered as one of the most powerful Zionist military sites in Gaza Strip.
The cars succeeded to reach behind the enemy lines, carrying large quantities of explosive materials with a group of Mujahideen, under the cover of heavy mortar shells. The Zionist garrison of military site came under heavy fire from heavy machine unit attribution which participated in this process.
When the cars had arrived the military position, the Mujahideen detonated two cars inside the site, they left a car bomb at the gate of the site. The fourth car withdrew and the third car exploded in front of the site later. The Mujahid who withdrew after the operation and our private sources confirmed that it left a number of dead and wounded, while the Zionist enemy claimed that 13 Zionist soldiers were wounded, one of the Zionist soldiers is in a clinical death.
The martyrs of the martyrdom operation:
Martyr: Khasan Medhat Irhaim Al-Zaytoun neighborhood / Gaza
Martyr: Ahmad Abu Seliman Tal Al-Sultan neighborhood/ Rafah
Martyr: Mahmoud Ahmad Abu Samra Dair Al-Balah / central Gaza
Al Qassam Brigades is responsible for the operation, affirmed the following:
This process will go to the besieged Palestinian people and in particular to the martyrs of siege , the martyrs of the Zionist holocaust , the prisoners in the Zionist jails and the lives of our leaders in memory of martyrdom.
This process is such a warning for the beginning of ending the siege by Al Qassam Brigades in its own way and the Zionist enemy who commits a Holocaust in Gaza Strip.
Al Qassam Brigades will do unmatched operations against the Zionist forces, and today's operation with it's quality and procedures confirms that Al Qassam Brigades has dozens of military potions.
Al Qassam message to the Palestinian people ,"we are you Army and soldiers , we are fighting the Zionist forces to get back your rights and to avenge our martyrs" . Al Qassam Brigades will not be hesitated a moment to do its best.
These operations are part of the response campaign against the occupation assault on the Gaza Strip, and the continued targeting of innocent Palestinian civilians and their installations in the West Bank.
Ezzedeen Al-Qassam Brigades
Information Office
April 19th, 2008
=======================================================
Source:
Official web site of the “Ezzedeen Al-Qassam Brigades” the armed branch of the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) Information Office.
http://www.qassam.ps/statement-1069-Warning_of_Ex…
( Hamas claim of responsibility for the deliberate targeting of the Kerem Shalom humanitarian aid border crossing with suicide bombers , April 17, 2008)
========================================================
Military Communiqué
"Warning of Explosion" an operation compound of car bombs, carried out by Al Qassam Brigades in Karm Abu Salim site
Despite the illegal siege and conspiracies which are executed against the Palestinian people in Gaza, Al Qassam Brigades and the resistance men don't hesitate to defend the Palestinian people in Gaza. Al Qassam Brigades defeated the elite Zionist forces. Today ,Al Qassam Brigades announced the following operation:-
At 06:00, on Saturday morning 19th of April,2008, four bombed cars advanced towards Karm Abu Salim military site, which is considered as one of the most powerful Zionist military sites in Gaza Strip.
The cars succeeded to reach behind the enemy lines, carrying large quantities of explosive materials with a group of Mujahideen, under the cover of heavy mortar shells. The Zionist garrison of military site came under heavy fire from heavy machine unit attribution which participated in this process.
When the cars had arrived the military position, the Mujahideen detonated two cars inside the site, they left a car bomb at the gate of the site. The fourth car withdrew and the third car exploded in front of the site later. The Mujahid who withdrew after the operation and our private sources confirmed that it left a number of dead and wounded, while the Zionist enemy claimed that 13 Zionist soldiers were wounded, one of the Zionist soldiers is in a clinical death.
The martyrs of the martyrdom operation:
Martyr: Khasan Medhat Irhaim Al-Zaytoun neighborhood / Gaza
Martyr: Ahmad Abu Seliman Tal Al-Sultan neighborhood/ Rafah
Martyr: Mahmoud Ahmad Abu Samra Dair Al-Balah / central Gaza
Al Qassam Brigades is responsible for the operation, affirmed the following:
This process will go to the besieged Palestinian people and in particular to the martyrs of siege , the martyrs of the Zionist holocaust , the prisoners in the Zionist jails and the lives of our leaders in memory of martyrdom.
This process is such a warning for the beginning of ending the siege by Al Qassam Brigades in its own way and the Zionist enemy who commits a Holocaust in Gaza Strip.
Al Qassam Brigades will do unmatched operations against the Zionist forces, and today's operation with it's quality and procedures confirms that Al Qassam Brigades has dozens of military potions.
Al Qassam message to the Palestinian people ,"we are you Army and soldiers , we are fighting the Zionist forces to get back your rights and to avenge our martyrs" . Al Qassam Brigades will not be hesitated a moment to do its best.
These operations are part of the response campaign against the occupation assault on the Gaza Strip, and the continued targeting of innocent Palestinian civilians and their installations in the West Bank.
Ezzedeen Al-Qassam Brigades
Information Office
April 19th, 2008
=======================================================
Source:
Official web site of the “Ezzedeen Al-Qassam Brigades” the armed branch of the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) Information Office.
http://www.qassam.ps/statement-1069-Warning_of_Ex…
( Hamas claim of responsibility for the deliberate targeting of the Kerem Shalom humanitarian aid border crossing with suicide bombers , April 17, 2008)
========================================================
Military Communiqué
"Warning of Explosion" an operation compound of car bombs, carried out by Al Qassam Brigades in Karm Abu Salim site
Despite the illegal siege and conspiracies which are executed against the Palestinian people in Gaza, Al Qassam Brigades and the resistance men don't hesitate to defend the Palestinian people in Gaza. Al Qassam Brigades defeated the elite Zionist forces. Today ,Al Qassam Brigades announced the following operation:-
At 06:00, on Saturday morning 19th of April,2008, four bombed cars advanced towards Karm Abu Salim military site, which is considered as one of the most powerful Zionist military sites in Gaza Strip.
The cars succeeded to reach behind the enemy lines, carrying large quantities of explosive materials with a group of Mujahideen, under the cover of heavy mortar shells. The Zionist garrison of military site came under heavy fire from heavy machine unit attribution which participated in this process.
When the cars had arrived the military position, the Mujahideen detonated two cars inside the site, they left a car bomb at the gate of the site. The fourth car withdrew and the third car exploded in front of the site later. The Mujahid who withdrew after the operation and our private sources confirmed that it left a number of dead and wounded, while the Zionist enemy claimed that 13 Zionist soldiers were wounded, one of the Zionist soldiers is in a clinical death.
The martyrs of the martyrdom operation:
Martyr: Khasan Medhat Irhaim Al-Zaytoun neighborhood / Gaza
Martyr: Ahmad Abu Seliman Tal Al-Sultan neighborhood/ Rafah
Martyr: Mahmoud Ahmad Abu Samra Dair Al-Balah / central Gaza
Al Qassam Brigades is responsible for the operation, affirmed the following:
This process will go to the besieged Palestinian people and in particular to the martyrs of siege , the martyrs of the Zionist holocaust , the prisoners in the Zionist jails and the lives of our leaders in memory of martyrdom.
This process is such a warning for the beginning of ending the siege by Al Qassam Brigades in its own way and the Zionist enemy who commits a Holocaust in Gaza Strip.
Al Qassam Brigades will do unmatched operations against the Zionist forces, and today's operation with it's quality and procedures confirms that Al Qassam Brigades has dozens of military potions.
Al Qassam message to the Palestinian people ,"we are you Army and soldiers , we are fighting the Zionist forces to get back your rights and to avenge our martyrs" . Al Qassam Brigades will not be hesitated a moment to do its best.
These operations are part of the response campaign against the occupation assault on the Gaza Strip, and the continued targeting of innocent Palestinian civilians and their installations in the West Bank.
Ezzedeen Al-Qassam Brigades
Information Office
April 19th, 2008
=======================================================
Smart talk never floated a flotilla.
Judonimh ridicules the people sailing to Gaza.
But history’s tide’s running high & rolling in to the blockaded Strip.
Judonimh invents funny names to put down the simple hearted, bravehearted old & young Internationalists bound for Gaza.
He jeers at people who are way ahead of us in writing & knowledge & professions.
He jeers at the Nobel Laureates.
He invents funny names for the Holocaust survivors !!!
But as Internationalists once went to Spain to break the Fascist / Nazi blockade, these people are coming now to Gaza.
Yes, they are bringing the essential medicines Gaza’s run out of because of the blockade.
Because they know health care is abysmal in blockaded Gaza.
They know thr number of patients who used to go from Gaza to Jerusalem has fallen by FIFTY PER CENT because of TWO GIANT OBSTACLES standing in their way : the BLOCKADE AROUND GAZA, & the APARTHEID SEPARATION WALL AROUND JERUSALEM.
The people from 22 lands sailing to Gaza know Gazans are waiting interminably long hours in rain, in cold, in sweltering heat.
& as they wait, every drop of humanity & dignity drains out of them completely.
Doctors from Gaza can’t go to medical seminars in Ireland because of the blockade.
Heart patients die of heart attacks in the crowded cauldrons of immobilized humanity at the crossings.
Judonimh & Israelis scoff today at the sufferings of the “Jews” they have thermselves created — the Gazans, the Palestinians.
The unemployed thousands, the eighty per cent of Gaza made jobless by the blockade, the students who can’t get out to universities … these people are all sitting at home stuffing themselves on bountiful foods, Judonimh tells us, so why sail all this way for nothing ?
The harvests that find no external markets because of the blockade, thus pauperizing their producers, are pointed out to the world by Judonimh as the proof of Gaza’s standing wealth, not of her strangulated economy.
Jews used to be at the forefront of all progresive movements at one time !!
They used to be the advocates of the oppressed, their empowerers, they used to be the people who put ideas into their heads & speech into their mouths.
Where has Zionism exiled such Jews as those ??
Instead we have the Jewish State of israel —- der Judenstaat, as Zionism’s founding father called it — polluting the memory of those glorious Jews by raising up their children as today’s bullies & jeering crowds, today’s oppressors & tormentors & expropriators of the expropriated !!!
Judonimh says Gaza’s power crisis is BECAUSE she doesn’t pay her bills to an electricity corporation.
The real truth is told by an annversary that fell last week, on Tuesday.
June 28.
Last week was the 5 th anniversary of Summer Rains, Israel’s military operation against Gaza.
June 28 was the day the Israeli air force bomberd & destroyed Gaza’s only power plant.
A civilian target.
It’s destruction a clear war crime.
The bombing of the power plant devastated Gaza’s refrigeration, water supply, sewage treatment, & medical services.
Butchers, already running short, coudn’t keep fresh stock.
Bakeries couldn’t provide fresh bread.
Hospitals & clinics coudn’t run essential services.
Sewage leaked.
Diarrhoea jumped by a HUNDRED & SIXTY THREE PER CENT .
The people lived in the intolerable heat & darkness.
As with American aid, Israel rode the skies & the waves & churned the earth of Gaza.
Yes, WJ.
At last someone to speak for Judonimh & Israel.
Calling for the expulsion of all Palestinians.
Thr old frontier, speaking to the new.
America, to Israel.
The indigenous people …are the terorists.
Drive them all out.
Race war.
Frontier America.
To the real Israel.
Source:
Official web site of the “Ezzedeen Al-Qassam Brigades” the armed branch of the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) Information Office.
http://www.qassam.ps/statement-1069-Warning_of_Explosion_an_operation_compound_of_car_bombs_carried_out_by_Al_Qassam_Brigades_in_Karm_Abu_Salim_site.html
( Hamas claim of responsibility for the deliberate targeting of the Kerem Shalom humanitarian aid border crossing with suicide bombers , April 17, 2008)
========================================================
Military Communiqué
“Warning of Explosion” an operation compound of car bombs, carried out by Al Qassam Brigades in Karm Abu Salim site
Despite the illegal siege and conspiracies which are executed against the Palestinian people in Gaza, Al Qassam Brigades and the resistance men don’t hesitate to defend the Palestinian people in Gaza. Al Qassam Brigades defeated the elite Zionist forces. Today ,Al Qassam Brigades announced the following operation:-
At 06:00, on Saturday morning 19th of April,2008, four bombed cars advanced towards Karm Abu Salim military site, which is considered as one of the most powerful Zionist military sites in Gaza Strip.
The cars succeeded to reach behind the enemy lines, carrying large quantities of explosive materials with a group of Mujahideen, under the cover of heavy mortar shells. The Zionist garrison of military site came under heavy fire from heavy machine unit attribution which participated in this process.
When the cars had arrived the military position, the Mujahideen detonated two cars inside the site, they left a car bomb at the gate of the site. The fourth car withdrew and the third car exploded in front of the site later. The Mujahid who withdrew after the operation and our private sources confirmed that it left a number of dead and wounded, while the Zionist enemy claimed that 13 Zionist soldiers were wounded, one of the Zionist soldiers is in a clinical death.
The martyrs of the martyrdom operation:
Martyr: Khasan Medhat Irhaim Al-Zaytoun neighborhood / Gaza
Martyr: Ahmad Abu Seliman Tal Al-Sultan neighborhood/ Rafah
Martyr: Mahmoud Ahmad Abu Samra Dair Al-Balah / central Gaza
Al Qassam Brigades is responsible for the operation, affirmed the following:
This process will go to the besieged Palestinian people and in particular to the martyrs of siege , the martyrs of the Zionist holocaust , the prisoners in the Zionist jails and the lives of our leaders in memory of martyrdom.
This process is such a warning for the beginning of ending the siege by Al Qassam Brigades in its own way and the Zionist enemy who commits a Holocaust in Gaza Strip.
Al Qassam Brigades will do unmatched operations against the Zionist forces, and today’s operation with it’s quality and procedures confirms that Al Qassam Brigades has dozens of military potions.
Al Qassam message to the Palestinian people ,”we are you Army and soldiers , we are fighting the Zionist forces to get back your rights and to avenge our martyrs” . Al Qassam Brigades will not be hesitated a moment to do its best.
These operations are part of the response campaign against the occupation assault on the Gaza Strip, and the continued targeting of innocent Palestinian civilians and their installations in the West Bank.
Ezzedeen Al-Qassam Brigades
Information Office
April 19th, 2008
=======================================================
A. Savage –
I appreciate that fact the many lives have been lost and millions continue to suffer concerning the issue of Israel and the Palestinians, so it's not unusual that people become passionate when they speak, and although you don't make specific allegations concerning "the Jews", broad statements about "Jews" that you used in a prior comment, such as "Jews used to be at the forefront of all progresive movements at one time !! They used to be the advocates of the oppressed, their empowerers, they used to be the people who put ideas into their heads & speech into their mouths." etc …
just makes me uneasy.
First of all, broad statements like this are usually untrue and are based on stereotypes, which is the foundation on which racism is built.
I understand you're trying to say that Israel's current policies are tarnishing the great accomplishments of Jewish, progressive leaders in the past (right?), but while saying that, it appears you are also saying that there are no great Jewish, progressive leaders now which is simply not true.
I apologize if I'm misunderstanding you and your comment is not something I would ask the editors to delete, but just wanted to explain to you why I find these arguments not only unhelpful and mostly untrue, but dangerous.
A. Savage –
I appreciate that fact the many lives have been lost and millions continue to suffer concerning the issue of Israel and the Palestinians, so it’s not unusual that people become passionate when they speak, and although you don’t make specific allegations concerning “the Jews”, broad statements about “Jews” that you used in a prior comment, such as “Jews used to be at the forefront of all progresive movements at one time !! They used to be the advocates of the oppressed, their empowerers, they used to be the people who put ideas into their heads & speech into their mouths.” etc …
just makes me uneasy.
First of all, broad statements like this are usually untrue and are based on stereotypes, which is the foundation on which racism is built.
I understand you’re trying to say that Israel’s current policies are tarnishing the great accomplishments of Jewish, progressive leaders in the past (right?), but while saying that, it appears you are also saying that there are no great Jewish, progressive leaders now which is simply not true.
I apologize if I’m misunderstanding you and your comment is not something I would ask the editors to delete, but just wanted to explain to you why I find these arguments not only unhelpful and mostly untrue, but dangerous.
Edie:
Note that I consider myself a progressive and I actually consider it the most true and best test of if one really is a progressive or not is if they back on one hand the no exit cause of war and death, primarily promoted by the cruelest dictator scum to ever crawl upon the earth, to wipe the Jewish state out and throw the Jews into the sea, or on the other hand if they support the cause of Shalom, Salam, Peace, the living side by side in non-violence and prosperity and reconciliation, a democratic Jewish homeland of Israel and a Palestinian homeland.
Edie:
Could you please explain why you see it as at all laudable that the flotilla organizers would cooperate with Hamas to bring goods into Gaza when:
1) it is Hamas which has on numerous occasions attacked with suicide bombers the Israeli border crossings used by the UN and Red Cross for the importation of humanitarian aid for Gaza thus vastly complicating and slowing down aid transferences across this border
and
2) it is Hamas which appears to be in no hurry at all to get Egypt to open its border with Gaza to commercial import/export almost certainly motivated, as has been recently documented by Al Jazeera, due to Hamas currently earning 250 million dollars plus annual revenue as the Hamas cut from the Egypt-Gaza smuggling industry and Hamas's well placed fear that an open border with Egypt would dry this dirty money oasis up .
Clearly Hamas is the problem, not the solution to Gaza's economic woes and those who cooperate with Hamas such as the Faux Flotilla Follies are just acting as its enablers, and helping perpetuate Gaza's misery not lessen it.
Is this not a fair assessment?
Edie:
Note that I consider myself a progressive and I actually consider it the most true and best test of if one really is a progressive or not is if they back on one hand the no exit cause of war and death, primarily promoted by the cruelest dictator scum to ever crawl upon the earth, to wipe the Jewish state out and throw the Jews into the sea, or on the other hand if they support the cause of Shalom, Salam, Peace, the living side by side in non-violence and prosperity and reconciliation, a democratic Jewish homeland of Israel and a Palestinian homeland.
Edie:
Could you please explain why you see it as at all laudable that the flotilla organizers would cooperate with Hamas to bring goods into Gaza when:
1) it is Hamas which has on numerous occasions attacked with suicide bombers the Israeli border crossings used by the UN and Red Cross for the importation of humanitarian aid for Gaza thus vastly complicating and slowing down aid transferences across this border
and
2) it is Hamas which appears to be in no hurry at all to get Egypt to open its border with Gaza to commercial import/export almost certainly motivated, as has been recently documented by Al Jazeera, due to Hamas currently earning 250 million dollars plus annual revenue as the Hamas cut from the Egypt-Gaza smuggling industry and Hamas’s well placed fear that an open border with Egypt would dry this dirty money oasis up .
Clearly Hamas is the problem, not the solution to Gaza’s economic woes and those who cooperate with Hamas such as the Faux Flotilla Follies are just acting as its enablers, and helping perpetuate Gaza’s misery not lessen it.
Is this not a fair assessment?
Edie
regarding the false accusation, lies and distortions contained in the video by AI researcher, Francesca Burke that you includes in your blog above:
Not one year ago, not 2 years ago, not 5 years ago not EVER, did Israel ever ever restrict the entry of Red Cross shipments of medicine into Gaza. this is a complete bald faced lie of the most crude propaganda kind.
Anyone, you, Francesca Burke, Amnesty, anyone who says at any point in the past or present Israel ever once blocked a red cross shipment is LIAR.
The Red Cross published a situation update 2 months after the end of Cast Lead which contained the exact same statements as the recent Red Cross update: namely that Israel places absolutely no restrictions on the importation of medicine into Gaza and any medicine shortage in Gaza is due Palestinian disorganization and mainly lack of cooperation ( read vicious infighting ) between the Hamas Ministry of Health and the rival Palestinian Authority Ministry of Health.
Further, while Israel continues to supply 80% of Gaza's electric needs uninterrupted and unrestricted 24 hours a day, 7 days a week from direct connections to the Israeli power grid as it has always done, even in the middle of the war two years ago, giving most Gazans better electric service than about 750 million Africans get for one example, it is the rival Palestinian Authority that has for over a year cut off fuel deliveries to the Hamas run Gaza Power Station, causing daily blackouts for the 20% of Gazans that rely on electric power from the Gaza Power Station.
Francesca Burke, you above categorized as a AI "researcher".
Wow, some researcher you got there, you must be so proud of her.
I sure hope you never paid her for her so-called research because she is at best a lazy and uninformed, gullible patsy who swallows and repeats for all the world to hear the most patently false, easily disproved through directly contradictions contained in Red Cross Updates or UN Official statements, shoddily concocted Palestinian propaganda claims without doing the slightest due diligence or actual "research" of her own.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ http://www.icrc.org/eng/resources/documents/updat…
” Insufficient cooperation between the Palestinian health ministries in Ramallah and Gaza brought patient care to the brink of crisis on several occasions.”
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
source: United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in the Occupied Palestinian Territories , SPECIAL FOCUS
August 2009 UN OCHA oPt.
“The provision of adequate medical services has also been challenged by recurrent shortages of pharmaceuticals and consumables. While the Israeli clearance procedures at the crossings have occasionally caused delays in their supply, these shortages occur mainly due to poor management and distribution of available supplies, unreliability of estimated needs, inefficiencies in the procurement process and funding shortfalls.
The large influx of drug donations during the “Cast Lead” offensive has had only a moderate impact in the current stock levels, mainly due to a lack of coordination which resulted in the delivery of massive amounts of nonessential items, much of them with short expiry dates.
As a result these items have not been able to be utilized and have caused a significant problem relating to storage and disposal of unused drugs and medical equipment and has resulted in increased storage costs and disposal costs.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Palestinians must ease Gaza electricity crisis: UN
(Agency France Press) – June 27, 2010
GAZA CITY, Palestinian Territories — The UN agency for Palestinian refugees on Sunday called on bickering Palestinian factions to resolve a deepening electricity “crisis” in the Hamas-run Gaza Strip.
“It is such a tragedy that, on top of all the other crises that we have in the Gaza Strip, we now have a crisis of electricity,” said John Ging, director of the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) in Gaza.
“It’s an unbearable situation here at the moment, and it needs to be solved very quickly. It’s a Palestinian problem, made by Palestinians, and causing Palestinian suffering. So let’s have a Palestinian solution,” he told reporters.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Edie
regarding the false accusation, lies and distortions contained in the video by AI researcher, Francesca Burke that you includes in your blog above:
Not one year ago, not 2 years ago, not 5 years ago not EVER, did Israel ever ever restrict the entry of Red Cross shipments of medicine into Gaza. this is a complete bald faced lie of the most crude propaganda kind.
Anyone, you, Francesca Burke, Amnesty, anyone who says at any point in the past or present Israel ever once blocked a red cross shipment is LIAR.
The Red Cross published a situation update 2 months after the end of Cast Lead which contained the exact same statements as the recent Red Cross update: namely that Israel places absolutely no restrictions on the importation of medicine into Gaza and any medicine shortage in Gaza is due Palestinian disorganization and mainly lack of cooperation ( read vicious infighting ) between the Hamas Ministry of Health and the rival Palestinian Authority Ministry of Health.
Further, while Israel continues to supply 80% of Gaza's electric needs uninterrupted and unrestricted 24 hours a day, 7 days a week from direct connections to the Israeli power grid as it has always done, even in the middle of the war two years ago, giving most Gazans better electric service than about 750 million Africans get for one example, it is the rival Palestinian Authority that has for over a year cut off fuel deliveries to the Hamas run Gaza Power Station, causing daily blackouts for the 20% of Gazans that rely on electric power from the Gaza Power Station.
Francesca Burke, you above categorized as a AI "researcher".
Wow, some researcher you got there, you must be so proud of her.
I sure hope you never paid her for her so-called research because she is at best a lazy and uninformed, gullible patsy who swallows and repeats for all the world to hear the most patently false, easily disproved through directly contradictions contained in Red Cross Updates or UN Official statements, shoddily concocted Palestinian propaganda claims without doing the slightest due diligence or actual "research" of her own.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ http://www.icrc.org/eng/resources/documents/updat…
” Insufficient cooperation between the Palestinian health ministries in Ramallah and Gaza brought patient care to the brink of crisis on several occasions.”
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
source: United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in the Occupied Palestinian Territories , SPECIAL FOCUS
August 2009 UN OCHA oPt.
“The provision of adequate medical services has also been challenged by recurrent shortages of pharmaceuticals and consumables. While the Israeli clearance procedures at the crossings have occasionally caused delays in their supply, these shortages occur mainly due to poor management and distribution of available supplies, unreliability of estimated needs, inefficiencies in the procurement process and funding shortfalls.
The large influx of drug donations during the “Cast Lead” offensive has had only a moderate impact in the current stock levels, mainly due to a lack of coordination which resulted in the delivery of massive amounts of nonessential items, much of them with short expiry dates.
As a result these items have not been able to be utilized and have caused a significant problem relating to storage and disposal of unused drugs and medical equipment and has resulted in increased storage costs and disposal costs.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Palestinians must ease Gaza electricity crisis: UN
(Agency France Press) – June 27, 2010
GAZA CITY, Palestinian Territories — The UN agency for Palestinian refugees on Sunday called on bickering Palestinian factions to resolve a deepening electricity “crisis” in the Hamas-run Gaza Strip.
“It is such a tragedy that, on top of all the other crises that we have in the Gaza Strip, we now have a crisis of electricity,” said John Ging, director of the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) in Gaza.
“It’s an unbearable situation here at the moment, and it needs to be solved very quickly. It’s a Palestinian problem, made by Palestinians, and causing Palestinian suffering. So let’s have a Palestinian solution,” he told reporters.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Edie
regarding the false accusation, lies and distortions contained in the video by AI researcher, Francesca Burke that you includes in your blog above:
Not one year ago, not 2 years ago, not 5 years ago not EVER, did Israel ever ever restrict the entry of Red Cross shipments of medicine into Gaza. this is a complete bald faced lie of the most crude propaganda kind.
Anyone, you, Francesca Burke, Amnesty, anyone who says at any point in the past or present Israel ever once blocked a red cross shipment is LIAR.
The Red Cross published a situation update 2 months after the end of Cast Lead which contained the exact same statements as the recent Red Cross update: namely that Israel places absolutely no restrictions on the importation of medicine into Gaza and any medicine shortage in Gaza is due Palestinian disorganization and mainly lack of cooperation ( read vicious infighting ) between the Hamas Ministry of Health and the rival Palestinian Authority Ministry of Health.
Further, while Israel continues to supply 80% of Gaza's electric needs uninterrupted and unrestricted 24 hours a day, 7 days a week from direct connections to the Israeli power grid as it has always done, even in the middle of the war two years ago, giving most Gazans better electric service than about 750 million Africans get for one example, it is the rival Palestinian Authority that has for over a year cut off fuel deliveries to the Hamas run Gaza Power Station, causing daily blackouts for the 20% of Gazans that rely on electric power from the Gaza Power Station.
Francesca Burke, you above categorized as a AI "researcher".
Wow, some researcher you got there, you must be so proud of her.
I sure hope you never paid her for her so-called research because she is at best a lazy and uninformed, gullible patsy who swallows and repeats for all the world to hear the most patently false, easily disproved through directly contradictions contained in Red Cross Updates or UN Official statements, shoddily concocted Palestinian propaganda claims without doing the slightest due diligence or actual "research" of her own.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ http://www.icrc.org/eng/resources/documents/updat…
” Insufficient cooperation between the Palestinian health ministries in Ramallah and Gaza brought patient care to the brink of crisis on several occasions.”
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
source: United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in the Occupied Palestinian Territories , SPECIAL FOCUS
August 2009 UN OCHA oPt.
“The provision of adequate medical services has also been challenged by recurrent shortages of pharmaceuticals and consumables. While the Israeli clearance procedures at the crossings have occasionally caused delays in their supply, these shortages occur mainly due to poor management and distribution of available supplies, unreliability of estimated needs, inefficiencies in the procurement process and funding shortfalls.
The large influx of drug donations during the “Cast Lead” offensive has had only a moderate impact in the current stock levels, mainly due to a lack of coordination which resulted in the delivery of massive amounts of nonessential items, much of them with short expiry dates.
As a result these items have not been able to be utilized and have caused a significant problem relating to storage and disposal of unused drugs and medical equipment and has resulted in increased storage costs and disposal costs.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Palestinians must ease Gaza electricity crisis: UN
(Agency France Press) – June 27, 2010
GAZA CITY, Palestinian Territories — The UN agency for Palestinian refugees on Sunday called on bickering Palestinian factions to resolve a deepening electricity “crisis” in the Hamas-run Gaza Strip.
“It is such a tragedy that, on top of all the other crises that we have in the Gaza Strip, we now have a crisis of electricity,” said John Ging, director of the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) in Gaza.
“It’s an unbearable situation here at the moment, and it needs to be solved very quickly. It’s a Palestinian problem, made by Palestinians, and causing Palestinian suffering. So let’s have a Palestinian solution,” he told reporters.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Edie
regarding the false accusation, lies and distortions contained in the video by AI researcher, Francesca Burke that you includes in your blog above:
Not one year ago, not 2 years ago, not 5 years ago not EVER, did Israel ever ever restrict the entry of Red Cross shipments of medicine into Gaza. this is a complete bald faced lie of the most crude propaganda kind.
Anyone, you, Francesca Burke, Amnesty, anyone who says at any point in the past or present Israel ever once blocked a red cross shipment is LIAR.
The Red Cross published a situation update 2 months after the end of Cast Lead which contained the exact same statements as the recent Red Cross update: namely that Israel places absolutely no restrictions on the importation of medicine into Gaza and any medicine shortage in Gaza is due Palestinian disorganization and mainly lack of cooperation ( read vicious infighting ) between the Hamas Ministry of Health and the rival Palestinian Authority Ministry of Health.
Further, while Israel continues to supply 80% of Gaza’s electric needs uninterrupted and unrestricted 24 hours a day, 7 days a week from direct connections to the Israeli power grid as it has always done, even in the middle of the war two years ago, giving most Gazans better electric service than about 750 million Africans get for one example, it is the rival Palestinian Authority that has for over a year cut off fuel deliveries to the Hamas run Gaza Power Station, causing daily blackouts for the 20% of Gazans that rely on electric power from the Gaza Power Station.
Francesca Burke, you above categorized as a AI “researcher”.
Wow, some researcher you got there, you must be so proud of her.
I sure hope you never paid her for her so-called research because she is at best a lazy and uninformed, gullible patsy who swallows and repeats for all the world to hear the most patently false, easily disproved through directly contradictions contained in Red Cross Updates or UN Official statements, shoddily concocted Palestinian propaganda claims without doing the slightest due diligence or actual “research” of her own.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
http://www.icrc.org/eng/resources/documents/update/2011/palestine-israel-update-2011-03-18.htm
” Insufficient cooperation between the Palestinian health ministries in Ramallah and Gaza brought patient care to the brink of crisis on several occasions.”
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
source: United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in the Occupied Palestinian Territories , SPECIAL FOCUS
August 2009 UN OCHA oPt.
“The provision of adequate medical services has also been challenged by recurrent shortages of pharmaceuticals and consumables. While the Israeli clearance procedures at the crossings have occasionally caused delays in their supply, these shortages occur mainly due to poor management and distribution of available supplies, unreliability of estimated needs, inefficiencies in the procurement process and funding shortfalls.
The large influx of drug donations during the “Cast Lead” offensive has had only a moderate impact in the current stock levels, mainly due to a lack of coordination which resulted in the delivery of massive amounts of nonessential items, much of them with short expiry dates.
As a result these items have not been able to be utilized and have caused a significant problem relating to storage and disposal of unused drugs and medical equipment and has resulted in increased storage costs and disposal costs.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Palestinians must ease Gaza electricity crisis: UN
(Agency France Press) – June 27, 2010
GAZA CITY, Palestinian Territories — The UN agency for Palestinian refugees on Sunday called on bickering Palestinian factions to resolve a deepening electricity “crisis” in the Hamas-run Gaza Strip.
“It is such a tragedy that, on top of all the other crises that we have in the Gaza Strip, we now have a crisis of electricity,” said John Ging, director of the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) in Gaza.
“It’s an unbearable situation here at the moment, and it needs to be solved very quickly. It’s a Palestinian problem, made by Palestinians, and causing Palestinian suffering. So let’s have a Palestinian solution,” he told reporters.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Judo,
I hate to see you get so upset (re: “Anyone, you, Francesca Burke, Amnesty, anyone who says at any point in the past or present Israel ever once blocked a red cross shipment is LIAR.”) because invariably, it’s over a statement that was never made – like in this instance. Nowhere in the video does Ms. Burke say that Israel has “blocked a Red Cross shipment”. Perhaps it’s a language barrier, but I have noticed that you get quite upset over statements you attribute to me or Amnesty that we never made. I would much prefer you get upset over something we've actually said or did.
You also misinterpret the point of the blog post by saying I am "lauding" the flotilla initiative. I’m asking some legitimate questions that all of us as human rights activists should ask; one being – if there is an illegal and immoral policy or law that is harming a vulnerable population and the government or governments are not only NOT doing anything about the injustice, but are in fact protecting the injustice, is civil society not obligated to then stand up where our government(s) is failing?
And, if civil society is not allowed to challenge unjust policies and laws through non-violent direct actions, then what else is left? Governments do not want grassroots movements picking up weapons, but if you cut off non-violent avenues of protest, then there will be repercussions. It is not human nature to roll over in acquiescence.
You also again link the flotilla with bringing goods into Gaza when the organizers made clear, and in one of my responses above, I made clear that although some of the boats in the flotilla are carrying aid, many aren’t – aid is not the main point of the flotilla. The U.S. boat to Gaza, the ‘Audacity of Hope’ is carrying thousands of letters of hope and solidarity from average Americans for average Gazans. That’ it.
And although participants in the past who have made it through on Free Gaza boats may have met with officials from the Hamas administration while in the Gaza Strip, flotilla organizers have made public statements saying that the Free Gaza initiative is for the people of Gaza and is not a symbol of support of the current administration there (Hamas) or any administration. Given this public position by flotilla organizers, I'm not sure it's accurate to say the "flotilla organizers cooperated with Hamas". This link is not clear at all, but the statement insinuates that it's a collaborative effort. Because Hamas chooses to allow the boats to port if they make it, does not make it a collaborative effort either.
Thank you for your response.
Edie, unless you are mocking me or being deliberately obtuse you know darn tootin' well that the above video you included in your blog implied Israel was blocking medicine and fuel for electricity for hospitals into Gaza.
These false accusations, if they were true, would be crimes similar to what the Nazis did to Jews in the Warsaw ghetto.
Jews are hyper sensitive to Israel, our homeland, being falsely accused of doing Nazi like crimes to innocent poverty stricken people.
Edie: Can you admit at least that my supplied statements by the ICRC, the UN OCHA oPt, and John Ging, director of the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) in Gaza are on the level ?
These statements make it clear that Israel is NOT guilty of these terrible crimes, don't they ?
Judo,
I hate to see you get so upset (re: “Anyone, you, Francesca Burke, Amnesty, anyone who says at any point in the past or present Israel ever once blocked a red cross shipment is LIAR.”) because invariably, it’s over a statement that was never made – like in this instance. Nowhere in the video does Ms. Burke say that Israel has “blocked a Red Cross shipment”. Perhaps it’s a language barrier, but I have noticed that you get quite upset over statements you attribute to me or Amnesty that we never made. I would much prefer you get upset over something we’ve actually said or did.
You also misinterpret the point of the blog post by saying I am “lauding” the flotilla initiative. I’m asking some legitimate questions that all of us as human rights activists should ask; one being – if there is an illegal and immoral policy or law that is harming a vulnerable population and the government or governments are not only NOT doing anything about the injustice, but are in fact protecting the injustice, is civil society not obligated to then stand up where our government(s) is failing?
And, if civil society is not allowed to challenge unjust policies and laws through non-violent direct actions, then what else is left? Governments do not want grassroots movements picking up weapons, but if you cut off non-violent avenues of protest, then there will be repercussions. It is not human nature to roll over in acquiescence.
You also again link the flotilla with bringing goods into Gaza when the organizers made clear, and in one of my responses above, I made clear that although some of the boats in the flotilla are carrying aid, many aren’t – aid is not the main point of the flotilla. The U.S. boat to Gaza, the ‘Audacity of Hope’ is carrying thousands of letters of hope and solidarity from average Americans for average Gazans. That’ it.
And although participants in the past who have made it through on Free Gaza boats may have met with officials from the Hamas administration while in the Gaza Strip, flotilla organizers have made public statements saying that the Free Gaza initiative is for the people of Gaza and is not a symbol of support of the current administration there (Hamas) or any administration. Given this public position by flotilla organizers, I’m not sure it’s accurate to say the “flotilla organizers cooperated with Hamas”. This link is not clear at all, but the statement insinuates that it’s a collaborative effort. Because Hamas chooses to allow the boats to port if they make it, does not make it a collaborative effort either.
Thank you for your response.
Edie, unless you are mocking me or being deliberately obtuse you know darn tootin’ well that the above video you included in your blog implied Israel was blocking medicine and fuel for electricity for hospitals into Gaza.
These false accusations, if they were true, would be crimes similar to what the Nazis did to Jews in the Warsaw ghetto.
Jews are hyper sensitive to Israel, our homeland, being falsely accused of doing Nazi like crimes to innocent poverty stricken people.
Edie: Can you admit at least that my supplied statements by the ICRC, the UN OCHA oPt, and John Ging, director of the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) in Gaza are on the level ?
These statements make it clear that Israel is NOT guilty of these terrible crimes, don’t they ?
It is called being deliberately disengenous. It is subtle, it is slight – but it has an impact on the less educated and informed people on this issue. Politicians are experts – some activists are pretty good at it as well.
I enjoy following these posts. More people need to be honest and telling it like it is – and backing everything up with facts. Not a big fan of foxnews – but I'll borrow one of it's motto's "The spin stops here".
"Aid is not the main point of the flotilla?" Really? That doesn't seem to be what is fed to the sheeple? Letters of hope and solidarity from average Americans? Really? There isn't a more efficient way to deliver a letter to GAZA that doesn't include challenging and/or breaching the LEGAL (according to the U.N.) and necessary blockade.
I'm 100% convinced if the ship's pull into ASHAD for inspection – those letters will reach the intended recipients.
It is called being deliberately disengenous. It is subtle, it is slight – but it has an impact on the less educated and informed people on this issue. Politicians are experts – some activists are pretty good at it as well.
I enjoy following these posts. More people need to be honest and telling it like it is – and backing everything up with facts. Not a big fan of foxnews – but I’ll borrow one of it’s motto’s “The spin stops here”.
“Aid is not the main point of the flotilla?” Really? That doesn’t seem to be what is fed to the sheeple? Letters of hope and solidarity from average Americans? Really? There isn’t a more efficient way to deliver a letter to GAZA that doesn’t include challenging and/or breaching the LEGAL (according to the U.N.) and necessary blockade.
I’m 100% convinced if the ship’s pull into ASHAD for inspection – those letters will reach the intended recipients.
In discussing Israel and Palestine, one should decide if they want to advocate for peace or merely just one side of the conflict. Those who are solution-oriented, and want to advocate for actual peace, must acknowledged fundamental truths of the situation:
1) Human rights violations committed by Israel are unjustifiable. Denying basic living conditions, among many other violations, are not justified by self defense.
2)That being said, it is also important to recognize the fact that Hamas, the democratically elected ruling party in Gaza, has a stated goal to destroy Israel. It is also relevant to note that many Israelis have been killed by terrorists and rocket attacks.
I'm not saying that these factors are proportionate, but they are true, and must be acknowledged by anyone advocating for an actual solution. It is not black and white – as hard as people try to make it seem. Failing to acknowledge these truths undermines credibility and facilitates the speaker "preaching to the choir" only.
In terms of the floatilla, Israel should be allowing more goods, services, resources, etc… to be flowing into the territories. Yet, they have also found boats headed for Gaza containing weapons. Again, not to judge, but these factors must be acknowledged if we want to talk about "truth" let alone "resolutions."
In discussing Israel and Palestine, one should decide if they want to advocate for peace or merely just one side of the conflict. Those who are solution-oriented, and want to advocate for actual peace, must acknowledged fundamental truths of the situation:
1) Human rights violations committed by Israel are unjustifiable. Denying basic living conditions, among many other violations, are not justified by self defense.
2)That being said, it is also important to recognize the fact that Hamas, the democratically elected ruling party in Gaza, has a stated goal to destroy Israel. It is also relevant to note that many Israelis have been killed by terrorists and rocket attacks.
I’m not saying that these factors are proportionate, but they are true, and must be acknowledged by anyone advocating for an actual solution. It is not black and white – as hard as people try to make it seem. Failing to acknowledge these truths undermines credibility and facilitates the speaker “preaching to the choir” only.
In terms of the floatilla, Israel should be allowing more goods, services, resources, etc… to be flowing into the territories. Yet, they have also found boats headed for Gaza containing weapons. Again, not to judge, but these factors must be acknowledged if we want to talk about “truth” let alone “resolutions.”
Thanks Michael, you seem very sensible.
I would not disagree with anything you said. HOWEVER, There is a disproportionate amount of attention, exaggeration and at time LIES concerning your #1. Many claims for what Israel is responsible for can be easily debunked with the smallest amount of honest un-biased research.
Bottom line up front – No one wants and benefits more from peace than Israel. It boils down to the simple FACT – should HAMAS and Radical Islamic and well Funded Terrorists drop weapons there will be peace. Should Israel drop its guard and it's weapons – Israel by her neighbors that want to kill her.
If you were in charge and your mission was to protect Israel what would you be doing differently?
I meant "Israel is destroyed by her neighbors that want to kill her."
simple solution of this conflict would be that Israel has to recognise an independent palestinian state on Gaza and jeruslem would be handed over to UN'S jurisdiction.But israel seems not ready and willing to accept proposal bcoz she is comitted to regain her historical territories of greater israel including fertile land of egypt between red sea and river nile. Some one might be perplexed that how a tiny state be capable of regaining territory?My answer is simple and factual that Israel is now dictating major powers of world how to devise the monetary and strategic policies through big global corporates,basicaly belong to zionist movement.After the recent financial meltdown in the world,it would be easier for globalists to quickly impose upon us their agenda.Besides some pockets of eaurope,US itself facing severest financial crises in the history of world.aftereffects of recesion could be resulted in disintegration of US AS WE HAD SEFN USSR DEMOLITION .but in near future it might not happen bcoz israel is now in its best position to dictate US AS she needs.For time being existence of US SUITS ISRAEL TO DIS INTEGRATE MID EASTERN ARAB STATES AND PAKISTAN ,AFGHANISTAN.so itz rational and logical that we are living in the ending era of world.before this happened US must be crumbled at the hands of Israel
Re: I meant "Israel is destroyed by her neighbors that want to kill her."
Actually, if you look at the maps of the region since Israel's creation, it is Israel that is always expanding, taking other people's lands, and trying to wipe Palestine off of the map.
You have to stop listening to propaganda that tells you what you want to hear and use your own eyes and brain for a change. It's like this constant whining that Iran is a threat to world peace. History shows the reality. Since becoming an Islamic Republic in 1979 Iran has not invaded any other country. The same can hardly be said for either Israel of the United States. Constant attacks, constant invasions, constant bombings.
Israel is the reason there is no peace in the region, because they want a bigger piece of the region!
Thanks Michael, you seem very sensible.
I would not disagree with anything you said. HOWEVER, There is a disproportionate amount of attention, exaggeration and at time LIES concerning your #1. Many claims for what Israel is responsible for can be easily debunked with the smallest amount of honest un-biased research.
Bottom line up front – No one wants and benefits more from peace than Israel. It boils down to the simple FACT – should HAMAS and Radical Islamic and well Funded Terrorists drop weapons there will be peace. Should Israel drop its guard and it’s weapons – Israel by her neighbors that want to kill her.
If you were in charge and your mission was to protect Israel what would you be doing differently?
I meant “Israel is destroyed by her neighbors that want to kill her.”
simple solution of this conflict would be that Israel has to recognise an independent palestinian state on Gaza and jeruslem would be handed over to UN’S jurisdiction.But israel seems not ready and willing to accept proposal bcoz she is comitted to regain her historical territories of greater israel including fertile land of egypt between red sea and river nile. Some one might be perplexed that how a tiny state be capable of regaining territory?My answer is simple and factual that Israel is now dictating major powers of world how to devise the monetary and strategic policies through big global corporates,basicaly belong to zionist movement.After the recent financial meltdown in the world,it would be easier for globalists to quickly impose upon us their agenda.Besides some pockets of eaurope,US itself facing severest financial crises in the history of world.aftereffects of recesion could be resulted in disintegration of US AS WE HAD SEFN USSR DEMOLITION .but in near future it might not happen bcoz israel is now in its best position to dictate US AS she needs.For time being existence of US SUITS ISRAEL TO DIS INTEGRATE MID EASTERN ARAB STATES AND PAKISTAN ,AFGHANISTAN.so itz rational and logical that we are living in the ending era of world.before this happened US must be crumbled at the hands of Israel
Re: I meant “Israel is destroyed by her neighbors that want to kill her.”
Actually, if you look at the maps of the region since Israel’s creation, it is Israel that is always expanding, taking other people’s lands, and trying to wipe Palestine off of the map.
You have to stop listening to propaganda that tells you what you want to hear and use your own eyes and brain for a change. It’s like this constant whining that Iran is a threat to world peace. History shows the reality. Since becoming an Islamic Republic in 1979 Iran has not invaded any other country. The same can hardly be said for either Israel of the United States. Constant attacks, constant invasions, constant bombings.
Israel is the reason there is no peace in the region, because they want a bigger piece of the region!
"Actually, if you look at the maps of the region since Israel’s creation, it is Israel that is always expanding,"
ROLFL
Do you mean from 1948 to 1967 when Jordan militarily occupied and tried to legally annex the entire West Bank and tried to get international recognition of this territory as sovereign Jordanian territory, something Israel has never done?
Or do you mean like in 1978, in return for a piece of paper with a dictator's signature (Sadat's Peace Treaty) Israel pulled out of Sinai, a land area twice the size of Israel itself, right down to the 1922 border, to the last centimeter?
Or do you mean in 1994 when Israel, in return for another piece of paper with a dictator's signature (Jordan King Hussein's Peace Treaty) agreed to every centimeter of the 1923 border.
Or do you mean in 2000 when Israel, in return for nothing, pulled out to the internationally recognized 1922 border with Lebanon to the last centimeter as officially certified by the UN land survey.
Or do you mean in 2005 when Israel, in return for nothing, pulled out to the internationally recognized border with Gaza to the last centimeter, with not a single solider or settler left in Gaza.
So please help me understand which of these examples helps prove your statement that "Israel is always expanding?"
Irshad:
Don't you think your amazing theory that Israel supposedly wants to occupy "historical territories of greater israel including fertile land of egypt between red sea and river nile" is contradicted by the fact that in 1978, in return for the Peace Treaty Israel pulled out of Sinai to the 1922 border with Egypt ?
Isn't objective reality actually more consistent with the theory that Israel prefers if possible to simply live in peace and quiet and economic prosperity with all its Arab neighbors, Egypt, Lebanon , Jordan and Palestine ?
Michael-
Take some of your own advice… "Propaganda". Right now you are caught hook line and sinker. Hope you break free.
And yeah – that little tiny piece of land surrounded in the middle east – trying to take over? Perhaps you need to study the map closer.
“Actually, if you look at the maps of the region since Israel’s creation, it is Israel that is always expanding,”
ROLFL
Do you mean from 1948 to 1967 when Jordan militarily occupied and tried to legally annex the entire West Bank and tried to get international recognition of this territory as sovereign Jordanian territory, something Israel has never done?
Or do you mean like in 1978, in return for a piece of paper with a dictator’s signature (Sadat’s Peace Treaty) Israel pulled out of Sinai, a land area twice the size of Israel itself, right down to the 1922 border, to the last centimeter?
Or do you mean in 1994 when Israel, in return for another piece of paper with a dictator’s signature (Jordan King Hussein’s Peace Treaty) agreed to every centimeter of the 1923 border.
Or do you mean in 2000 when Israel, in return for nothing, pulled out to the internationally recognized 1922 border with Lebanon to the last centimeter as officially certified by the UN land survey.
Or do you mean in 2005 when Israel, in return for nothing, pulled out to the internationally recognized border with Gaza to the last centimeter, with not a single solider or settler left in Gaza.
So please help me understand which of these examples helps prove your statement that “Israel is always expanding?”
Irshad:
Don’t you think your amazing theory that Israel supposedly wants to occupy “historical territories of greater israel including fertile land of egypt between red sea and river nile” is contradicted by the fact that in 1978, in return for the Peace Treaty Israel pulled out of Sinai to the 1922 border with Egypt ?
Isn’t objective reality actually more consistent with the theory that Israel prefers if possible to simply live in peace and quiet and economic prosperity with all its Arab neighbors, Egypt, Lebanon , Jordan and Palestine ?
Michael-
Take some of your own advice… “Propaganda”. Right now you are caught hook line and sinker. Hope you break free.
And yeah – that little tiny piece of land surrounded in the middle east – trying to take over? Perhaps you need to study the map closer.