Showing posts with label Gaza Siege. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Gaza Siege. Show all posts

The Hell with Israel; End the siege of Gaza

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by Sami Jamil Jadallah




President Obama should muster the courage and shows his good will toward Israel and the Palestinians, end the siege of Gaza, and put an end to the cycle of violence by allowing America and NATO to manage and operate the port making sure people in and out of Gaza, constructions materials, food suppliers and consumers goods comes through the port, with a staging area in Cyprus under a joint US/NATO and with a secure sea corridor between Gaza and Cyprus. As long as the people of Gaza are held hostage, imprisoned, under siege, Israel will not have the safety and security is wants and seek.
Israel’s criminal and ongoing war on the people of Gaza is met with muted response in Western capitals with ministers and heads of states justifying the killings in Gaza while denying the right of the people of Gaza to defend themselves. It seems even the least intelligent persons in power in the West forget the cycle of violence is rooted in the illegal and criminal siege of Gaza by Israel.
Do not understand why Washington, London, Paris, Berlin always defend Israel and its right to self defense when denying the same to the people of Gaza and Hamas. If Hamas kills civilians so does Israel, what is the difference unless the difference is one of being an Arab and the other a Jew. With all of its technology Israel always managed to to target and hit civilians and always blaming Hamas for targeting Israeli civilians. Perhaps Israel can lend Hamas some help to improve its rocket technology so its rockets can hit with deadly accuracy. Too bad Hamas and Gaza do not have the weapon system available to Israel then the fight will be a fair fight. If the US and the West do not want Hamas to be a “terrorist” organization then it is their duty to give the same arms and weapons Israel have then it will be two armies fighting each other and every one in Washington, Paris, Berlin, London and Tel-Aviv will be very happy.
It has been 4 years since Israel ended its Operation Cast Lead on Gaza, cheered on by Israelis and American Jews in major US cities and cheered on by George Bush and Condi Rice. It has been 3 years since the Gaza Donor Conference concluded in the City of Sharm El-Sheik. The conference attended by more than 70 countries, pledging more than $5 Billions exceeding any and all expectation. Of course this sum of money and the US pledge of $300 millions is dwarfed by the $30 Billions George Bush pledge to Israel in arms and weapons. Since that time, Israel made sure nothing happens and that Gaza and the more than 1.5 million Palestinians remain hostage and prisoner of Israel arrogance and defiance. Not even the US is able to do any thing about it.
Then and now, and as expected very few head of states or government officials dare to criticize Israel as it continues to wage war on the people of Gaza. Every one cares about Israeli lives bit no one gives a damn about Palestinian lives.
The Gaza Reconstruction Conference in its closing statement called on Israel to open with immediate effect all crossing for all humanitarian aids and for construction materials needed for the massive work ahead. Somehow every one forgot the geography of Gaza and that Gaza has some 50 km of shoreline and has a seaport, and no Gazans want to purchase materials from Israel.
However Israel, given the angry, unhappy nation it is, full of hate and contempt for the world and human value, (I presumed Judeo-Zionist values) is a country that will not even consider world opinion because it does not give a damn about the world public opinion to begin with. It has refused to open the border crossings and has refused to allow the opening of the seaport of Gaza for normal operation, allowing the tunnels to continue with business as usual with no proper control.
Israeli and international newspapers carried accounts of the secret list of forbidden or restricted items Israel concluded as threats to its own security including “pasta, pasta sauce, lentil and hearing aids”. Senator John Kerry, the Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relation Committee had to inquire with Ehud Barak, Israel’s Defense Minister why “pasta” is a restricted item?
This should tell us and the world how pity this nation is, “the only killing democracy in the Middle East” and I will not be surprised if Israel added Humus, Favabeans, falafel and kinafeh (pastry) to the list of forbidden items. One has to imagine if the Palestinians wants to import heavy construction material or cement. Perhaps Israel has new building technology made up of bagels, motzaball or corn beef as construction material. Israel needs serious mental help.
What I am most surprised about is the call by almost every one attending the conference, from Mahmoud Abbas, to Hillary Clinton, to Nicolas Sarkozy, to Hosni Mubarak, almost begging calls for Israel to open the border crossing. I say hell with Israel and its border crossing with Gaza, Let Israel builds its own 1000 meter high Apartheid Wall between it and Gaza. Who needs Israel and who needs its product and services?
Israel is giving the impression to the world it is doing the Palestinians a big favor when it allows fuels and food supplies to come into Gaza, For God sake Israel and Jewish suppliers get paid for every thing that comes through to Gaza, at much higher prices, nothing is for free, so why bother with Israel when Gaza has access to the sea and has a port much older than any Israeli ports?
Let Israel go to hell, and let Israel keep its borders crossing closed and let the people of Gaza open their port and import every thing they need and wants through the Port of Gaza. No need to reward Israeli suppliers with billions of supply contracts.
I know the world is concerned about Hamas smuggling weapons, and all I can say is that Hamas is simply too stupid to smuggle any thing of significant threat to Israel such at RPJs and other serious weapons of significant risk to Israel.
In more than 6 years under siege Hamas has managed to smuggle enough material to produce useless, and militarily insignificant Qassam rockets that are at best useless and are of no significant threat to Israel’s security. The so-called rockets have more psychological impact on Israeli citizens than any thing else. I will even go further and suggest that many of those within Hamas militias are also on the payroll of Israel’s Shin Bet. The answer lies in the deadly accuracy in which Israel is able to target and kill key Hamas military officers.
Though I believe the issue of weapon smuggling is more political and a powerful propaganda tool than strategic issue for Israel, nevertheless I concede that something has to be done to make sure that Hamas or any one else does not use the opening of the Port of Gaza for weapon smuggling. Beside, I am not convinced Hamas way of resistance is the answer to liberation. Hamas political leadership should take complete and absolute charge of all military operation and not leave the safety and security of the people of Gaza in the hands of the militias.
I am sure the Americans and the Europeans will be very pleased if Hamas political leadership, the president of Egypt and the Arab League announced to the world their willingness to entrust the management and operation including security operation of the Port of Gaza to the Americans and perhaps some European partners, with a staging point in Cyprus under total control of the US and NATO.
Let American and the Europeans break the siege of Gaza and end once and for all the Israeli Occupation of Gaza that has lasted some 42 years. Let America and Europe operate all of the security measures, not to Israel’s satisfaction but to the American and European satisfaction.
With Hosni Mubarak in military jail, and with Mahmoud Abbas chasing rainbows at the UN, let us close all of the smuggling tunnels and put the mafia that operates the tunnels out of business and let Egypt new government open the Rafah Crossing presently.
Let the US and Europe open and operate both the Sea Port and Airport of Gaza. Let the world this time end the siege of Gaza. Israel must not hold the people of Gaza hostage to criminal policies and its funding raising activities (when the blood flow, the money flows). Hamas too must not hold the people hostage to its own agenda. And yes, let the US Navy, NATO and US Coast Guard patrol the coastlines off Gaza for good measure.
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Gaza’s Ark In defiance of Israel’s illegal blockade the Gaza Siege

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FAQ

What is Gaza’s Ark?
Gaza’s Ark is a joint initiative by Palestinians in Gaza, including the Palestine Sailing Federation and the Fishermen’s Solidarity Campaign, and international solidarity activists and organizations. In this initiative, a boat will be refurbished by Palestinian shipbuilders in Gaza and stocked with Palestinian goods and products, then sail through international waters with both Palestinians and internationals on board. The goal is to challenge the ongoing, illegal Israeli blockade and focus worldwide attention on the situation in Gaza and the complicity of the governments that support it or look the other way.
Why is Gaza’s Ark needed?
Restrictions by the Israeli government on the freedom of movement for Palestinians in Gaza have been increasing for decades; trade restrictions have been imposed by Israel upon Gaza since 2001, with a near total ban on exports since 2007. Goods are only allowed in and out of Gaza through one, severely limited gate on its border with Israel; its airport is no longer functioning and cannot be rebuilt; and ships – including fishing boats – are banned beyond three nautical miles from the Gaza shore (the only Mediterranean port closed to shipping). Together, these restrictions have converted a once-productive economy into a dependent society in which 80% of the population relies on UN handouts to live.
What do you hope Gaza Ark will actually accomplish, given that Israel has used violence to stop other boats from leaving or entering the port of Gaza?
National governments and international organizations have refused to hold Israel accountable. It is up to civil society to take action on its own. Every step of the way as a boat is purchased in Gaza, refurbished and stocked, we will reach out to international media, human rights organizations, businesses, trade unions and other key civil society stakeholders to raise awareness, educate and mobilize them to action through public endorsements, letters to the editor, social media campaigns, etc. It will take massive, sustained public pressure to push international bodies and governments around the world to force an end to the Israeli blockade. Gaza’s Ark will help create that pressure.
How is Gaza’s Ark different from the flotillas that tried to sail to Gaza?
This new initiative is quite different in many ways:
  • Gaza’s Ark will attempt to break the “other side” of the Israeli blockade, which prevents the Palestinians of Gaza from sailing from their shores to fish or export — both needed to support a productive economy. In contrast, the emphasis of the flotillas was on bringing internationals and emergency aid into Gaza.
  • Gaza’s Ark will be built in Gaza by Palestinian hands and expertise (with international assistance when requested), and will carry Palestinian products for buyers who sign contracts in advance. The entire initiative is focused on building hope by showcasing skills within Gaza and bringing visibility to the restrictions that prevent the population from sustaining a viable economy.
  • Gaza’s Ark also will contribute to revitalizing the dwindling shipbuilding industry in Gaza and help ensure the transmission of this disappearing expertise (another effect of the blockade) to younger generations.
  • Although the initiative will help in a very limited manner to alleviate Gaza’s unemployment crisis by paying wages to the boat builders, Gaza’s Ark is not an aid project. It is a peaceful action to challenge the blockade, which Israel unilaterally and unreasonably enforces on Gaza.
What organizations are involved in Gaza’s Ark? Are the organizers of Gaza’s Ark the same as those who were behind the Freedom Flotillas?
In addition to the Palestine Sailing Federation and the Fishermen’s Solidarity Campaign, some of the organizations and individuals working on Gaza’s Ark, such as Free Gaza Australia, Canadian Boat to Gaza and Americans from the organizing committees for the US Boat to Gaza, have a successful track record in fundraising and mobilizing public support to challenge the blockade of Gaza. The international coalition that spearheaded the Freedom Flotillas is still alive and operational as a support organization for Palestine. After the most recent (Freedom Waves) sailing to Gaza in November 2011 by the Canadian boatTahrir and the Irish boat, Saoirse – both captured at sea by the Israeli navy – coalition members are developing other projects that also will challenge the Israeli blockade of Gaza, including Gaza’s Ark.
At this time, the most active Gaza Ark teams engaged in fundraising, public education and organizing are located in Canada, the United States, Australia and Palestine. See contact information for each of these teams here. If there is no team in your country, contact us about getting involved!
Why is the initiative called Gaza’s ‘Ark’? Is this a Biblical or Qur’anic reference?
We do not intend to make any associations with any faith in particular. An ark is literally defined as a large floating vessel designed to keep its passengers and cargo safe. For us, the name is appropriate because through this initiative, we hope to build a revitalized feeling of hope for a better future among Gaza’s people, as well as do our small part to assure that their future is a safe one as well. This is a vessel that embodies hope that: The Palestinians of the Gaza Strip can soon live in peace without the threat of the Israeli blockade; Their children will not have to live in fear anymore; All Palestinians can live in dignity; The international community will awake to the plight of the1.6 million people in Gaza; No more flotillas will be necessary because the Israeli blockade of Gaza will end and the economy of Gaza can once again flourish.
When do you expect Gaza’s Ark to be ready to leave Gaza?
Our initial goal is to raise $400,000 US dollars to purchase and renovate a used boat that can be refurbished to meet the needs of Gaza’s Ark, and then pay for the renovations. The funds will provide materials and parts — which are in short supply due to the blockade. Support of international donors is urgently needed. Once the boat is purchased, we will get it ready to sail and arrange for contracts to purchase products to ship. We estimate that the boat will sail in the Spring of 2013.
What goods are you trying to export from Gaza, who do you expect will buy them and what happens if the boat is confiscated?
We are consulting with producers and manufacturers in Gaza to compile a catalog of a diverse range of products that are representative of Palestinian items available for export. Prior to the imposition of the Israeli blockade, Gaza had a healthy export market, including garments, furniture and agricultural products. In addition, the Palestinians of Gaza are renowned for craft items such as embroidery.
At the same time, we will be working with businesses, organizations and individuals around the world who want to facilitate and encourage free and fair trade with the Palestinians of Gaza, and who would gladly purchase from them, if given the opportunity. Before the Ark sets sail, we will secure concrete trade deals between Palestinian producers in Gaza and international businesses and individual buyers. All Palestinian producers will be paid in full for their goods before we sail.
All purchasers buying goods to be carried on Gaza’s Ark will do so knowing that there is real risk that they will be confiscated by the Israeli military, and thus perhaps will not reach their markets. However, the risk will be worth the relationships they will build and the visibility the project will generate.
Where will the Ark sail if it is allowed to leave Gaza?
That has not yet been determined. We are keeping all of our options open at this point.
Will the Hamas government be involved in the project?
This is a citizen-to-citizen initiative. We are working through Palestinian civil society groups in Gaza. The citizens groups in Gaza will negotiate and liaise as necessary with the locally elected government to comply with government regulations to facilitate the project’s success. The local coordinating committee is independent of any political movement.
Who is on the Steering Committee for the Gaza’s Ark project?
A complete list of steering committee members, by country, is posted on this website.
Since there is a chance that the Ark will not be able to sail to its destination, would the money spent for Gaza’s Ark be better used to send in aid?
No. Aid is only a palliative remedy and does not address the root cause of why the Palestinians of Gaza are in need: the Israeli blockade. Even more, we believe that aid provides a “cover” for the actions of the Israeli government against the people of Gaza, alleviating the consciences of international powers while leaving the blockade in place.
Most importantly, the Palestinians of Gaza themselves have told us they don’t want handouts. Rather, they want the right to be self-sufficient. We have chosen non-violent direct action that will capture the imagination of the greater public and create support for lifting the blockade. We have chosen to undertake non-violent action to draw the attention of public opinion and civil society to the great injustice that is the blockade.
How can I get involved in Gaza’s Ark?
What we need most right now is funds in order to purchase the boat in Gaza so it can be renovated. Please consider making an online donation now, via the links on this website, either as an individual or from your organization. You can donate in Australia, Canada, and the U.S. or via an international link (click here). If you pay taxes in the United States, your donation will be tax-exempt, through the fiscal sponsorship of Nonviolence International. A confirmation letter of your donation will be sent to the email address you list.
In addition, we are looking for individuals willing to organize a fundraiser, develop relationships with businesses and other organizations interested to purchasing Palestinian products via Gaza’s Ark, or have other skills to donate. Please contact us through the email address listed on this website for your country. We also are looking for individuals who would like to establish a Gaza’s Ark team in countries not yet represented– please contact us at info@GazaArk.org .
You will find answers to many questions about past boats to Gaza, humanitarian law and the blockade of Gaza here .
Will you be accepting volunteers who would like to be on the Gaza Ark?
That has not yet been decided, but those who have worked on the project will be given priority. Watch this website for updates.
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This post is also available in: French, Spanish, Arabic
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A baby that died in Gaza is Israel's latest victim

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A nurse tends to a baby inside an incubator in a hospital in Khan Younis in
the southern Gaza Strip March 24, 2012.(REUTERS/ Ibraheem Abu Mustafa)
Gaza baby dies as power cut shuts breathing aid 

GAZA CITY (Ma'an) -- A seven-month-old baby in Gaza died on Friday evening after medical equipment he was connected to switched off as a result of a power cut, a Hamas-affiliated TV channel said.

Gaza medical spokesman Adham Abu Salmiya confirmed the incident, adding that the infant was born with respiratory problems and doctors had recommended the use of mechanical breathing apparatus to be used at home.

The father of the child had turned on the apparatus before going to sleep but during the night a power cut caused it to switch off, resulting in the infant's death, Hamas' Al-Aqsa TV reported.

The child was the "first victim of the current power crisis in Gaza," Abu Salmiya said, warning that the medical sector in the coastal enclave is in jeopardy.

Recent fuel shortages have had a catastrophic effect on daily life in the Gaza Strip, with people facing daily power cuts of up to 18 hours a day.
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Remembering Gaza

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PSC Update: remembering Gaza
Gaza letters: event
Ahmed Masoud
Selma Dabbagh
Andy Slaughter
Andy Slaughter MP
The Palestinian Centre for Human Rights are running a series of interviews with Palestinian families who experienced loss during ‘Operation Cast Lead’
Gaza Gateway provides information about the Gaza strip - read their recent article
which has been repaired following bombing and now is
providing new skills and hope
You might like to read Conservative MEP, Robert Atkin’s report of his recent visit to Gaza and a report about Labour MPs’ visit to Lebanon Refugee camps
News items on Jerusalem and West Bank online>>
image of flags
Join PSC Chair Hugh Lanning and patrons Jeremy Corbyn MP (left) and Baroness Jenny Tonge for a commemoration three years since the end of the Israeli assault on Gaza in December 2008/January 2009.
This is also a chance to reflect on the ongoing violence and siege against Palestinians living in Gaza.
With contributions from:
Ahmed Masoud, author from Gaza (pictured left), Selma Dabbagh, Palestinian author of ‘Out of it’ (pictured left) - read rave review in the Guardian
Andy Slaughter, MP for Hammersmith
Michael Deas, Palestinian BDS National Committee;
Maryam Abu Daya, from Gaza - representative of the Palestinian Forum in Britain
Readings from Love letter to Gaza (v4): from UK residents to the people of Gaza
Details: Gaza letters,7pm, 18th January, Conway Hall #gaza18jan
Melissa Melodee singer songwriter/rapper/poet will perform
Kika
Kika Markham, actor and PSC Patron, will read an extract from a role as acclaimed journalist, Amira Hass
Car protest!
Palestinians, building on the widely publicised freedom riders, organised a car protest – where they attempted to drive on Israeli-only roads. The Israeli Army blocked the way. Enjoy this youtube video which was widely enjoyed on twitter and facebook of a Palestinian man bravely berating Israeli soldiers
 Palestinian flag
Alexei's special message for PSC
Plus, if you missed the demonstration in December to mark the anniversary of the
start of Israel’s assault of Gaza, you
 End the Siege on Gaza
PSC events all round the UK ...
We love to hear about and share local events. Here are details of a recent successful event held in East Kent.
Let us know about what your branch is doing and send us a link to an event update on your website.
Join PSC Donate to PSC
Facebook Twitter
If you wish to subscribe or unsubcribe click here>>
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC) aims to raise public awareness about the occupation of the occupied Palestinian territories and the struggle of the Palestinian people. PSC seeks to apply pressure on both the British and Israeli governments into bring their policies in line with international law. PSC is an independent, non-governmental and non-party political organisation with members from communities across the UK. Join PSC today!
Palestine Solidarity Campaign
Box BM PSA
London
WC1N 3XX
Tel: 020 7700 6192
Fax: 020 7609 7779
The Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC) aims to raise public awareness about the Israeli occupation and the struggle of the Palestinian people. PSC seeks to apply pressure on both the British and Israeli governments into bring their policies in line with international law. PSC is an independent, non-governmental and non-party political organisation with members from communities across the UK. Join PSC today!

Palestine Solidarity Campaign
Box BM PSALondonWC1N 3XX
Tel: 020 7700 6192Fax: 020 7609 7779


The views expressed in this article are the sole responsibility of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of this Blog!
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Q&A: Why Israel's siege is illegal

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Israel denies that it occupies Gaza, but it still maintains "effective control" over the territory [AFP]

The International Committee of the Red Cross has described Israel's blockade of Gaza as a violation of the Fourth Geneva Convention.

That conclusion rests on the Israeli government' status as an occupying power in Gaza, which assigns it certain obligations to the people of Gaza.

Those obligations are spelt out in detail by the Fourth Geneva Convention. At their most basic, though, they require Israel to provide for the basic needs of the people, particularly food and medical care.

To the fullest extent of the means available to it, the Occupying Power has the duty of ensuring the food and medical supplies of the population; it should, in particular, bring in the necessary foodstuffs, medical stores and other articles if the resources of the occupied territory are inadequate.

The convention also requires the occupying power to allow sufficient shipments of aid - food, clothing, medical supplies and other essentials - and to take steps to preserve the health care system in the occupied territory.

Many Gazans rely on generators for power; their improper use has killed more than 100 people

Israel does not meet those basic requirements, according to many observers. Eighty per cent of people living in Gaza rely on food aid to survive; 14 per cent of children suffer from stunted growth due to malnutrition.

Power cuts are routine: 98 per cent of the population copes with routine blackouts. Fuel supplies are heavily restricted.

More than 100 basic medicines are unavailable in Gaza, and the territory’s few remaining hospitals - several were damaged during the 2008-2009 Israeli war in Gaza - lack basic supplies and equipment.

But didn't Israel withdraw from Gaza? How is it still an occupying power?

It’s true that the Israeli government no longer has a presence inside the Gaza Strip. Former Israeli prime minister Ariel Sharon ordered the withdrawal of all Israelis (including both soldiers and settlers) from the territory in his 2005 "unilateral disengagement plan".

But the Fourth Geneva Convention applies whenever a state has "effective control" over a territory. The Israeli government still controls Gaza’s airspace, and its land and sea borders. The only goods and people allowed into Gaza are those approved by the Israeli government.

Last month’s raid on the aid flotilla bound for Gaza is an instructive example. The organisers of the flotilla say their boats were on course to travel through Gazan waters, not Israeli waters. But the Israeli army still attacked the flotilla to prevent it from entering Gaza - showing that Israel maintains control over Gaza.

If there was no occupation, would the blockade still be illegal?

The principle of “proportionality” is central to international law: The military advantage gained by an action must outweigh the harm caused to the civilian population.

Douglas Guilfoyle, a maritime legal expert, says the blockade does not meet the proportionality test

The blockade does not meet this test. It imposes hardships on the entire population of Gaza - 1.5 million people - purportedly in order to achieve a limited military aim: preventing Hamas from firing rockets at Israel.

What’s more, documents revealed last week by the Israeli human rights organisation Gisha show that the blockade actually has a political aim, not a military one. A written statement from the Israeli government described the blockade as "economic warfare" and said it was intended to break Hamas’s control over the government in Gaza.

What about the Egyptian government?

The Egyptian border crossing with Gaza, at Rafah, has been mostly sealed since Hamas took power in June of 2007. (The Egyptian government reopened the crossing earlier this month following Israel’s raid on the aid flotilla.)

But Egypt is not an occupying power in Gaza - it does not exercise "effective control" over the territory - so, whatever the moral and political arguments against its blockade, it is not required to apply the same legal standard as Israel.

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Obama tries to clean his hands of the blood from the Siege of Gaza

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Obama 400-million-dollar aid package for Gaza will not stop resistance and the cry for justice, freedom of Gaza and a end to the occupation of Palestine.The Palestinian resistance movement Hamas has described US President Barrack Obama's offer of a 400-million-dollar aid package to Gaza as "cheap publicity."

Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri said Thursday that the aid package that Obama has offered is just a number.

The comments come a day after Obama pledged a 400-million-dollar aid package for the Gaza Strip during his meeting with the acting Palestinian Authority Chief Mahmoud Abbas in Washington.

Abu Zuhri said such US offers are only meant to "prettify" the image of Israel and allow it to proceed with its criminal activities, including the siege of Gaza.

Obama's offer was "problematic and empty of meaning because they are part of a US policy to prettify the siege of Gaza," he said.

"This is what prettifies the image of the occupation and allows it to continue its criminal policies," Abu Zuhri added.

The Israeli blockade has deprived some 1.5 million people in Gaza of food, fuel and other necessities since 2007.

The Hamas official also criticized the Palestinian Authority for agreeing to negotiations with Israel after Tel Aviv's deadly attack on the Gaza-bound Freedom Flotilla.

"Abbas' statements that he will stick to negotiations with the Israeli occupation is a treacherous stab in the back of the Palestinian people in light of the massacre of the Freedom Flotilla," AFP quoted Abu Zuhri as saying.

At least eight Turkish nationals were killed during the assault, which left at least 20 activists dead and injured dozens more on May 31.

The deadly attack on the Freedom Flotilla convoy, which was carrying humanitarian aid to the besieged Gaza Strip, has provoked an international outcry.
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The Gaza Siege is a testament to the Israeli regime's disregard of law, decency and morality!

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Palestine/Gaza: The Siege From The neverbeforecampaign



The three year old siege on the Gaza Strip and its 1.5 million inhabitants is a testament to the Israeli regime's disregard of law, decency and morality. This siege amounts to collective punishment, an action outlawed by various conventions and humanitarian laws. This is not to mention the suffering and humanitarian crisis caused by this law. This siege has been disgracefully condoned by the "international community" and justified by the "free world" as a measure that safegurads the security of the Israeli regime.

The same position was applied to the various humanitarian aid ships that were attacked and abuducted in international waters, and the aid carried by those ships confiscated. The killing of 9 Turkish activists on the the Freedom Flotilla on 1 June brought an abrupt end to international silence regarding the siege. It is unfortunate that the world needed to see the blood of those brave men to realize the brutality of the siege and of the besieger.

Nevertheless, it is our duty to finish what the brave men and women of the Freedom Flotilla and the campaigns that preceded it. It is time to brieak the siege.
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More ships head to Gaza from Iran

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The Iranian Red Crescent said on Monday that it will send three aid ships to Gaza in the latest bid to break the blockade imposed on the Palestinian territory by Iran's archfoe Israel.

It will also send a plane carrying 30 tonnes of medical equipment to Egypt for onward delivery to Gaza.

Red Crescent director for international affairs Abdolrauf Adibzadeh told Iranian media that two ships would leave for Gaza this week, followed at a later date by a third vessel.

The first two ships will head to Gaza in coordination with the Turkish government.

Of the two ships, "one will carry 70 aid workers such as nurses and medics and the other will have foodstuffs and medicines," Adibzadeh was quoted as saying on the state television website.

"The (two) ships will be sent to Gaza by end of this week," Adibzadeh told the state IRNA news agency.

The news agency said the third vessel would be equipped with an onboard operating theatre and would head for the Palestinian territory at a later date.

Adibzadeh said the Red Crescent has called for Iranian volunteers to act as relief workers and accompany the first two vessels.

"Volunteers who want to go to Gaza and help the oppressed people of occupied Palestine can refer to the Red Crescent website and register," he said.

He said an aid plane would "leave in a short time for Egypt in coordination with the Egyptian Red Crescent."

The Iranian Red Crescent had previously sent an aid ship carrying food and medicines to Gaza in December 2008 but it was prevented from reaching the territory by the Israeli navy.

'Protest movement against the blockade'

Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson Ramin Mehmanparast said such aid ships were symbols of the "protest movement against the blockade."

"If this symbolic campaign continues, it will result in the surrender of the Zionist regime, which will certainly be one of its biggest defeats," the state television website quoted him as saying.

The decision to send new aid to Gaza comes hot on the heels of a report that Iran's elite Revolutionary Guards had expressed readiness to escort aid flotillas to Gaza.

"If the respected leader of the revolution (supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei) gives an order in this regard, the Revolutionary Guards' naval forces will take a practical step using their capability and equipment to escort flotillas to Gaza," Khamenei's aide in the Guards' naval wing, Ali Shirazi, told the Mehr news agency on Sunday.

It was unclear, however, how the Guards would escort the flotillas as their naval wing is largely made up of speed boats and light vessels.

Last week's Israeli commando raid on an aid flotilla headed for Gaza, in which nine pro-Palestinian activitists died, has sparked outrage across the political spectrum in Iran.

Blaming the United States, Britain and France for the deadly raid, Khamenei called for the prosecution of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Ehud Barak.

In a message issued on Tuesday, Iran's supreme leader called on the international community to end the Israeli blocakde.

President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad too lashed out at Israel, demanding that it face "political sanctions" for the raid.

The animosity between Iran and its regional archfoe has only worsened under Ahmadinejad, with top Guards commanders repeatedly boasting that the elite force has missiles capable of reaching any target in Israel.

In turn, Israel, which has the Middle East's sole if undeclared nuclear arsenal, has refused to rule out a resort to military action against Iran to prevent it aquiring a nuclear weapons capability.

Iran denies any such ambition.
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George Galloway announces new convoys to break the siege of Gaza

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Five hundred vehicles and 60 ships to break the criminal siege of Gaza

Viva Palestina founder George Galloway, speaking to a crowd of around 20,000 protesting outside the Israeli embassy in London, revealed the latest plan to bring about the end of the siege on Gaza.

Two simultaneous convoys – one by land the other by sea – will set forth on SUNDAY 12 SEPTEMBER bound for Gaza. Viva Palestina, the International Committee to break the Siege on Gaza and any allies who will join us will organize the two convoys.

The land convoy will leave from London and travel across Europe to Turkey, Syria and ultimately through the Rafah Gate into Gaza. Cooperation will be offered and sought with all relevant governments and agencies. It is expected the convoy will pick up vehicles and volunteers in each country through which it passes. The target is to enter Gaza with 500 vehicles.

The sea convoy will travel around the Mediterranean gathering ships, cargo, volunteers from each country. The target is to enter Gaza with 60 ships.

The aim will be to arrive on Gaza's frontiers at the same time. And to enter with the world's largest ever aid convoys. And to thereby render the siege null and void.

Please get in touch if you need further information. Please also sign up to the Viva Palestina mailing list - http://vivapalestina.org/alert.htm

Please pass this on to everyone you think might be interested in supporting the new convoy.
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The Sea blockade of Gaza was temporary 15 years ago

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Stuart Littlewood views a little-mentioned blockade of Gaza: an
interim, five-year agreement signed by the Palestinian Authority in 1995 –
probably under duress – but still in force, allowing the Israelis “to
weave a tangled web of security zoning in Gaza's coastal waters” and leaving
them in charge offshore, where there is a massive gas field.I must have got it all wrong.

I thought the first duty of a government was to protect its citizens from assault while going about their lawful business.

"There is no greater priority, no more important responsibility than the safety of all our citizens..." Didn't our previous prime minister, Gordon Brown, say so?

To my way of thinking, that means protecting from armed thugs any British subjects sailing peacefully and lawfully on the high seas. The Israelis advertised their threats. The government had plenty of warning. So where was the Royal Navy?

“The Israelis advertised their threats. The government had plenty of warning. So where was the Royal Navy?”


Probably horsing around in the Gulf protecting foreigners who would rather be left alone. Or chasing pirates along the Somali coast. Or cruising the Caribbean showing the flag. Brown had also promised Royal Navy ships to thwart arms smuggling into Gaza, so if the flotilla was suspected of carrying arms you’d think jolly Jack Tar would be have been on hand in a flash.

It seems our ships were just too busy on other chores like protecting Iraqis and Afghans to bother defending our own people from being murdered or abducted on their way through the Mediterranean on a noble humanitarian mission.

So the new prime minister, David Cameron, fails his first test.

His foreign secretary, William Hague, told the House of Commons that he would stress to the Israeli government the need for restraint, “given that their actions appear to have gone beyond what was warranted or proportionate. We need to know whether more could have been done to minimize the risks, or to reduce the number of deaths and injuries."

Meaning that the assault would have been OK if less blood on the decks?

He also wanted the Israelis to observe UN Resolution 1860, which calls for “sustained delivery of humanitarian aid” and calls on states “to alleviate the humanitarian and economic situation”. The fact that it has not happened, he said, was "a tragedy".

More than a tragedy – it’s a dereliction of duty on the part of Britain and the rest of the international community. Their cowardice and moral bankruptcy has allowed Israel to defy dozens of other UN Resolutions.

"We will therefore continue to press the Israeli government to lift the closure of Gaza,” said Hague, “and plan early discussions with Israel as well as with our other international partners about what more can be done to ensure an unfettered flow of aid while also ensuring that aid reaches those who need it and is not abused".

Press away! There is only one way to “alleviate” the situation and that’s for the world’s navies to land supplies on Gaza’s beach.
Hague ducks and weaves

Sir Gerald Kaufman, the forthright Jewish MP, pointed out that any one of the 37 UK citizens might have been killed when the Israelis “committed a war crime of piracy in international waters, kidnapping and murder – and all in pursuit of upholding an illegal blockade on Gaza that amounts to collective punishment...” He asked Mr Hague for his assurance that further steps would be taken if the Israelis failed to comply with the modest request that had been made.

But Hague sidestepped, saying: "It is our strong advice to British nationals, as it has been in the past and will be in the future, not to travel to Gaza – let me make that absolutely clear – as they would be going into a dangerous situation, but it is absolutely wrong to maintain the blockade."

“Mr Hague has been a Friend of Israel since his school days. Prime Minister David Cameron reminded MPs that he too counted himself a Friend of Israel. Why on earth do they and so many others in government champion a racist, rogue state?"


By advising us not to travel – now and in the future – and failing to take action to break the illegal blockade, he chickens out and hands the Israelis an amazing victory. They of course don't want witnesses crawling all over their major crime scene.

Jeremy Corbyn asked if it wasn’t time for sanctions such as revoking the EU-Israel trade agreement. Hague replied that he did not think imposing sanctions was the right policy. So no consequences.

Frank Dobson suggested that Britain and the other European members of NATO should give naval protection if another flotilla sets off for Gaza, with the Royal Navy reverting to its traditional role of protecting the freedom of the seas. Hague dismissed this too.

Does this mean that, after all that’s happened, we’re going to abandon the Rachel Corrie to her fate? She was too late to join the main flotilla and is steaming towards Gaza independently and due to reach Israel’s killing zone any day.

Mr Hague has been a Friend of Israel since his school days. Prime Minister David Cameron reminded MPs that he too counted himself a Friend of Israel. Why on earth do they and so many others in government champion a racist, rogue state? Why are they friends of Israel and not Palestine, not Lebanon, not Syria, not Iran? Why are they supportive of the Israeli government, who are proven terrorists, but hateful towards the democratically elected government of Gaza?

Should such people have their hands on the levers of power in Britain? In this new era of sleaze-free politics they owe us an explanation.
A very bad smell

Which brings us to the issue that few people seem to have questioned – Israel’s sea blockade and its legality. I've heard Israel's apologists say the answer is to allow humanitarian supplies in by road through Israeli-controlled crossings while maintaining the blockade, and the US would probably agree to that.

Like everything else Israel does, and America supports, you have to look for the ulterior motive. Why did the belligerent party set up the blockade in the first place?

One reason is Gaza's marine gas field, which lies 25 to 30 km offshore. It is estimated to hold 1 trillion cubic feet of gas worth around 4 billion US dollars in revenue. It would last 15 years and Israel wants it, so nobody talks about it.

In 2005, at the time of Israel's “disengagement” from the Gaza Strip, the Palestinians decided to drop plans to sell their gas to Israel and talked with Egypt instead. The position changed again when Tony Blair, Israel's faithful dogsbody and special envoy of the Quartet, personally intervened on Israel's behalf.

“Their [the Israelis’] plan ... is to get their hands on Palestine’s precious energy resource in much the same way as they stole Palestine's water.”


How laughable. This is the same Israel that's starving Gazans into submission, blitzing them in their prison-home and trashing their economy. The same Israel that continues to murder and imprison whomsoever it wishes and steal whatever it wants. The same Israel that has no regard for international law or human rights. The same Israel that has blocked the flow of Palestinian tax and customs revenues, humanitarian aid and hospital supplies. The same Israel that will not recognize Palestine or its right of democratic self-determination.

Nobody in the Middle East believes that an assurance or guarantee by Israel is worth the paper it's written on, especially in this case where it mounted a challenge to Palestine's right to own and control the gas field, and lost. Their plan, apparently, is to get their hands on Palestine’s precious energy resource in much the same way as they stole Palestine's water. Israel would siphon off the gas in ever-increasing quantities while keeping the Palestinians in a state of bankruptcy and unable to use their share. Alternatively they'll provoke endless “security” alerts, as is their style, and block the pipeline anytime they choose as a collective punishment.

If Gaza's gas is brought ashore in Israel, how can Palestinians benefit in terms of business contracts and job opportunities?

Would they ever get a whiff of their own gas?

Unfortunately, an interim agreement signed in 1995 allowed the Israelis to weave a tangled web of security zoning in Gaza's coastal waters, leaving Israel in charge and dictating what happens offshore and who comes and goes.”


Unfortunately, an interim agreement signed in 1995 allowed the Israelis to weave a tangled web of security zoning in Gaza's coastal waters, leaving Israel in charge and dictating what happens offshore and who comes and goes. It’s the sort of agreement no Palestinian would have signed unless under extreme duress.

It allowed fishing boats from Gaza to go 20 nautical miles from the coastline, but after Israel’s so-called “disengagement” and the capture of Corporal Shalit, Israel unilaterally reduced the fishing area to three miles.

Being “interim”, these restrictions were not expected to last beyond 1999. But they are still in force. Why?

The nasty whiff is not just gas. So here’s an immediate and urgent task for the international community. It must untangle this sea blockade and restore to Palestine free unfettered use of its territorial waters.

As for the land blockade, if it is “wrong”, as Mr Hague says, and illegal as everyone else believes, it has been wrong and illegal for four years. It is not enough to say it must end. Action must be taken to bring it to an end.

Hague was no help in opposition. Now he’s in power, he is off to a poor start. The message to him and his fellow dining room loafers in the EU is clear: Cut the cackle and ACTUALLY DO SOMETHING – NOW!
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