Ramallah, 28/01/2008. “The one-off relaxation of
the blockade of the Gaza Strip this week to allow
the delivery of fuel and some other humanitarian
supplies cannot meet the needs of the Palestinians
in Gaza, and the Israeli government is well aware
of this fact” declared Dr. Mustafa Barghouthi MP,
Secretary General of the Palestinian National
Initiative today. “The siege of Gaza must be
lifted immediately,” he added.
Despite the opening of the border between Gaza
and Egypt, the Gaza Strip remains almost
completely dependent on Israel for fuel,
electricity, medicine, food, and other essential
commodities. Dr. Barghouthi explained that
“Israel continues to enforce a lockdown on the
territory, pursuing its illegal policy of collective
punishment against Gaza’s 1.5 million inhabitants.”
Moreover, patients continue to die because
Israel prevents them from accessing life-saving
treatment outside of the Gaza Strip. “86 people
have already died in this way since last June,”
said Dr. Barghouthi. “They were diagnosed with
a critical condition, were denied exit from the
Strip and died while life-saving treatment existed.
This is simply premeditated murder,” he underlined.
He also explained that since the way from Al Arish to
the rest of Egypt is currently blocked, it is as yet
unclear whether any patients have succeeded in
accessing medical care in Cairo as a result. Therefore,
it is still extremely urgent to let these patients exit
the Strip through the Israeli-controlled crossings.
Israel cannot evade its
responsibilities towards Gaza
Lastly, Dr. Barghouthi addressed Israeli claims that
with the border opening at Rafah, Israel has
relinquished all its responsibilities towards Gaza.
He called the statement “preposterous and misleading”
and explained that any end to Israel’s legal
responsibilities as an occupying power for the
welfare of Gaza’s inhabitants would require an
end to its effective control over the Gaza Strip,
including its territorial waters and airspace. He
added that the Israel military re-enters Gaza at
will and frequently bombs the Strip and that it
also controls Gaza’s telecommunications network,
its population registry, and its customs and tax revenues.
“The dependency of Gazan infrastructure on
Israel is the product of Israel’s 40-year-old
occupation. Israel cannot escape either the
consequences of its occupation policies, nor
its obligations under international law,”
concluded Dr. Barghouthi.
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