Israel’s blockade of Gaza has long been known for it’s cruel results in strangling the population. But two recent happenings – namely Egypt’s destruction of Gaza’s smuggling tunnels and Israel’s decision ratchet up the blockade by blocking construction materials – have made Gaza virtually “uninhabitable,” according to the UN.
Gaza is facing a power crisis as a result of a shortage of fuel, with blackouts lasting 12-16 hours a day, according to Oxfam. Raw sewage has flooded streets in some areas of Gaza City following the closure of Gaza’s only power plant on 1 November, which made pump stations inoperative. Factories have been forced to cut production, leading to layoffs, and hospitals are running on emergency reserves.
Oxfam said only 40% of Gaza’s fuel needs were being met and consumer prices for petrol and diesel had doubled. Less than 400,000 litres of fuel a day enter Gaza through official crossings, compared with 1m litres a day that were smuggled through the tunnels.
This sadistic economic strangulation of 1.6 million people is not just cruel, it’s illegal. A UN panel in September 2011 found that Israel’s blockade subjected Gazans to collective punishment in “flagrant contravention of international human rights and humanitarian law.”
As one UN special rapporteur explained, about one third of Gaza’s arable land and 85 percent of its fishing waters are totally or partially inaccessible due to Israeli military measures, while at least two-thirds of Gazan households lack reliable access to food as a result of the blockade.
According to internal documents released by a court order last year, the Israeli military meticulously and callously calculated the number of calories Gaza residents would need to consume in order not to starve, and used those calculations to inform their blockade policies. As Dov Weisglass, an adviser to former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, said in 2006, “The idea is to put the Palestinians on a diet, but not to make them die of hunger.”
“[S]ince Israel continue[s] to exercise control over Gaza’s airspace and sea—and to a very large extent over its land borders—Israel is still responsible for this territory and its inhabitants, according to a widely accepted interpretation of international law,” writes Israeli journalist Akiva Eldar.
Israel has ignored repeated international pleas to lift the blockade. “I urge Israel to lift its harsh restrictions in order to ease the plight of civilians and bring an end to the closure,” United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said last year.
“Keeping a large and dense population in unremitting poverty is in nobody’s interest except that of the most extreme radicals in the region,” he added.
Nevertheless, the siege continues. If international law is in broad agreement that the blockade is illegal, then the role of the United States cannot be trivialized. The Israeli-imposed humanitarian crisis in Gaza persists because the United States continues to support Israel and virtually everything it does. That means American politicians in Washington bear some responsibility for the totally unnecessary suffering of an entire population of civilians.
When u steal $10, they cut your hand(job)..when U steal $10T, they change their names to (citi)Zayed++… When they steal yr child, u r called the Dajjal(Almasih)
Hamas have threatened Israelis with genocide. During victory speeches to commemorate their so-called 'victory' last year, Hamas leaders have pledged to carry out genocide of "Zionists" once they control the region. "we shall expel you from our land and will fight against you on it. We will kill you or expel from it when you are submissive … the jihad and the martyrdom in the way of Allah are our road "
So who is the sadist here? Hamas's charter is explicitly anti-semitic, and as IslamoNazis, they deserve to rot behind their wall.
If you take a look back in history, you will find that Hamas was created by Israel. Israel needed to have controlled opposition in the Palestinian ranks to ensure that any attempts at peace or a 2 state solution would never succeed. http://globalresearch.ca/articles/ZER403A.html
Arafat and the PLO were serious about a peaceful solution so Hamas was created to thwart their attempts.
The Hasbala is on the march again. Gaza is no different than the 1943 Warsaw Ghetto . The worst part is that the US is complicit in these atrocities thru it's military aid to Israel and Egypt.
Correction I meant Hasbara,
So who is the sadist? The people who talk big about committing genocide, or the people who quietly actually carry it out?
Liar.
Hamas only mouths empty, futile words; it's Israel who commits the atrocities, 800,000 Palestinians driven from their homes in 1948, not allowed to return, and no compensation for their losses. Israel's 1.5M Palestinian prisoners in Gulag Gaza are subjected to slow starvation and regular assaults by he Israeli military, including the use of white phosphorous and the hideous DIME weapons, all supplied by the U.S., who also provides diplomatic cover for the Israeli terrorists.
I just cannot stand ignorant people. Either they are not able to read or listen or read from selective sources! They don't change no matter how much one tries to explain them. These are the people who really are extremely biased, racist, and hate Islam without ever reading it!
You are an indoctrinated zealot willing to believe anything that Israel says, which means that you are uneducated, immoral, and cruel. Do you kill puppies or drown kittens for fun? You are also a coward.
Gazans have only auto rifles and worthless unguided home made rockets to combat an Israeli military armed by the U.S. with the most modern and deadly weapons available. The U.S. has supplied hundreds of F-15's and F-16's, two of the most modern airplanes available. The U.S. has also supplied 175 mm self-propelled artillery, along with thousands of other artillery pieces. Gaza is completely blockaded by Israel and Egypt, allowing just enough food — calculated to the calory — to keep the Gazan people from starving to death. This is not because Israel has any qualms about seeing Gazans starve but because genocide on such a scale would turn the entire world — with the exception of the U.S. — against Israel. And even the U.S. might strongly criticize Israel by repeating that "Israeli actions are not helpful." There are no two ways about it. With the exception of the traitorous U.S. congress and the ignorant American people, the whole world knows are just as brutal as nazis, but can't yet show it because Israel is entirely dependent on the U.S. whereas Germany was free to act as they pleased.
OR MOVE!
Ah, but point these obviously despicable policies and you're an anti-semite.
Outstanding defense of the Hamas policy. Perhaps you should live under the constant threat of rocket attack for a few years and then see if you have any change in attitude. Amazing how the poor Palestinians have serious financial issues, but ready access to an unlimited supply of rockets and bullets.
And yet Israel created Hamas with their colonisation of the West Bank and treatment of Palestinians in Gaza. As for the 'constant threat of rocket attack' around 100 Palestinians are killed for every 1 Israeli so it's obvious who's under 'constant threat'. The 'Rest of the World' knows this too with voting at UN Resolutions – the last was 170 countries condemning Israel for their continued illegal settlement building.
The so-called monarchs in Saudi Arabia who are nothing more than lackeys of the West could end all of this. But they are nothing more than toadies and unwilling to help there brethren in Gaza.
Funny how the arab spring by-passed the Saudi's. The medieval Saudi regime need to be over thrown.
It is inevitable that the Arab spring will come to the Saudis and the Gulf Monarchies.. Give it 10 years.
And how exactly would KSA end this? I suppose you don't read the news much. KSA and Israel have been in bed with each other for years under the sheets. These days however they have come out to the world on the issue of Syria.
KSA cares nothing for their own peoples, why in sam hill would they care for the peoples of Palestine?
No Israel created Hamas, by giving them money and arms and training, they did this so that Hamas would fight with Arafat and the PLO! Hamas is a creature of Mossad . The CIA call it blowback!
The only reason why no more Israelis die every year is because of the state of the art technology that is Israelis defense systems. Hamas has said it before, if they could kill every israeli including women and children they would do it. So that is why a wall and an extremely strict blockade is necessary its the best of both evils. It was proven before when egypt loosened the blockade, supplies for weapons flowed into gaza immediately, now the EU has sent officials to overlook the crossing in egypt to prevent any unofficial exits or entrees.
So its either Israel protects the country and its citizens by using drastic measures, or they engage in a full on war.
Nova,
The Hamas rockets cost about $800 dollars apiece, and are essentially made of found scrap metal. About 200 Israelis have been killed by the rockets, ever.
Guess how much an Israeli bomber costs. Guess who pays for it.
Guess how much a white phosphorus bomb costs. Guess who makes and supplies it.
PorsleyThe good old U S of A
These rockets are of very limited range – maybe 1 or 2 kilometers, and are, of course, totally without accuracy. Why does Israel put civilians so close to this minor threat? Back off a little and there is no threat. But that is the rub – gone also would be an excuse to "retaliate" with massive bombing throughout Palestine. Nova, no-one is buying the Zionist bs anymore – except those who want to exterminate all of the Palestinians.
Nova lets see how you would react if you woke up one morning and there is a Russian tank outside your door, "this is the constant threat and fear you will be living under,"……Terrorist anyone.?
And proud of it…
You are close but a little bit off. The US is essentially a colony of Israel now with AIPAC's stranglehold on Washington DC. The majority of congress takes their marching orders from AIPAC, not the citizens that voted for them.
The usual bait and switch hysteria mode with a criticism made of Israel's apartheid policy is suddently equated to 'defence of Hamas policy'. Just as protesting against the Iraq war was 'supporting terrorism'. Surprised that you didn't mention Hitlers 'final solution' as justification for Israel's colonisation too lol! They're not the victims anymore – they're the abusers.
I would also like things to be different and better in Israel. This policy is a small part of the overall problem , but I see no path forward with people who are honest enough to admit that their goal is to eliminate Israel. Period. So, since you are so sympathetic to rocketeers and bombers, then let us know how we move forward. I am sure that Hamas will stop acts of terrorism soon. We see how peaceful the surrounding nations are today. Israel is clearly the epicenter of every problem in the Middle East.
You are wrong there, Israel apartheid government is not the only problem people of Middle East have, the Saudis and UAE tyrant regimes are the other, USG and Europeans supports for apartheid regime and tyrants is another. If you have the right to vote in Israel and want to change anything and if there is any political party for a functioning democracy then stop voting for the core of apartheid regime Zionism, things will change. That a is to say if these candidates are not assassinated by those who have no interests in a functioning democracy in Israel, they rather cooperate with Saudis and UAE then democratizing the Zionism system.
Responsibility for the ethnic cleansing of the Palestinians is on the US and Israel. Israel is not really a separate country. It's a US nuclear military base in the Middle East.
Under Obama, the US has increased funding of Israel through its recent massive settlement expansions and demolitions, and through the Gaza massacre, in which the US provided Israel white phosphorus bombs, which it exploded onto, among other places, two hospitals where thousands of civilians were taking shelter: http://www.hrw.org/reports/2009/03/25/rain-fire
Israel massacred 1,400 Palestinians in the 2009 slaughter, like shooting fish in a barrel: http://www.amnesty.org/en/library/info/MDE15/015/…
Dammed fool.IT is their land always will be this yankee on Palestinian lands bastion will be long gone
So l agree my brother will you venture a possible outcome of this travesty in our lifetime .
I hope Norman Finkelstein's idea gets implemented, that the Palestinians will come out in huge numbers and destruct Israel's illegal wall, bringing so much international attention that the US is forced to tell Israel that if it doesn't respect the internationally recognized borders, it will cut off funding to Israel. That would make Israel listen.
You are close but a little bit off. The US is essentially a colony of Israel now with AIPAC's stranglehold on Washington DC. The majority of congress takes their marching orders from AIPAC, not the citizens that voted for them.
The US has no say over Israel's nukes even though much of the technology was stolen from us. The last US president that attempted to keep Israel's nuclear weapons in check was Kennedy. Israel is the ultimate hypocrite for refusing international inspectors into Dimona and not signing the NNPT but demanding that Iran halt their totally legal and compliant uranium enrichment.
"The US is essentially a colony of Israel now with AIPAC's stranglehold on Washington DC."
Ehhh, I can't agree with that. Someone as shrewd as Dick Cheney, controlling the most powerful gang in world history, isn't a subordinate colonial bauble of Israel.
The US has plenty of control over Israel. Israel receives 13 million dollars per day of our taxed money. All aid to Israel is illegal. The US could easily stop this, and stop blocking world democracy from being applied to Israel. But the US WANTS Israel as its nuclear military base in the mid east, because the US is trying to dominate the entire middle east, and Israel is part of that, as well as a tool that helps with that. So the US allows Israel to continue its ethnic cleansing campaign, because the US doesn't care about it (or any human rights situation) as long as Israel is an ally. Israel is responsible for the deaths of about 24 million people. That's US-funded. US doesn't care about human rights.
But if Israel totally switched sides and came out as a complete obstacle to US mid east hegemony, you would mysteriously start hearing in the US, from the government and media, about how Israel has violated more UN resolutions than any other country, including Iraq, and needs to be sanctioned and invaded until it is back on the side of the US, at which point it could go back to doing anything and the US government wouldn't care.
I hope and pray someone can help me obtain answers to the following questions.
1. I understand that we should pray for peace in Israel. Oh, how I yearn for that peace. But, I must ask about the Gaza Strip and the Israeli settlements within. To me, it appears that Israel is issuing the Palestianians an ultimatium. That is, get out or die. I can with a clear consciousness support Israel with prayers for peace as well as pray that they find Jesus. However, I find it very difficult to “support” them with material things (as the Apostle Paul directed) such as money or guns or anything that could be sold and thus turned into funds for the purchase of weapons. I fully support self defense. However, I can’t believe that Jesus would have me “support” Israel right now in a materialistic way with money or anything that could be converted to money that would be used to kill Islamic Palestinians, Christian Palestinians or innocent children. So, should I send them funds or objects that can be turned into funds?
2. If the answer to the above question is yes, should we send our sons and daughters over there to help Israel conquer and move out the Palestinians? My heart says that Jesus would say no.
3. If it is true, that “Blessed are the peacekeepers for they shall be called sons of God,” how in the world can I answer yes to the previous questions?
4. I don’t want to think that God would ever contradict himself, but I have to ask how I can be a son of God as a peacemaker and on the other hand support Israel with funds that I know are going to be used to kill in an effort to obtain a piece of land whether it is God’s command that Israel have it or not?
5. One can say that God works in mysterious ways. I totally agree. But He can’t contradict Himself. Right?
I’m sorry if these are difficult questions. They sure are confusing to me. I just can’t wrap my mind or heart around them. If someone can help me understand them, I would really appreciate it.
any chance of a blockade of Israel while member of their government, particularly Naftali Bennett and Danny Danon, repeatedly deny Palestine's right to exist and while Israel violates the Quartet Road Map by expansion of Jewish only settlements over the remaining shreds of Palestinian land
It is very tragic for every sensible person
I'll bet the US State Dept DIDN'T put the US on their list of governments who support and sponsor terrorism…just guessin'.
But on the other hand USA announced that he would always been against terrorism, what is reality?
All the world should force the Israel to seas fire against Labenon.
Where is are the Muslim countries, why they do not support Lebanon and oppose Israel, It is not fare.
…..Small children in the Warsaw ghetto sometimes helped smuggle food to their families and friends by crawling through narrow openings in the ghetto wall…
For the one who called me a “damned fool”. “It is their land” you say. Does that give them the right to starve out children?
Why am I a “damned fool”. Because I can’t be forced to see the way you see?
I ask you again, “would Jesus” kill children over a piece of land? Answer that question.
Israeli policy with respect to Gaza gets clearer as time passes. The question has always been, what does Israel expect to happen in the long term? The answer is that Israel expects to make Gaza such a miserable place that the population decides to leave. That was the point of "Cast Lead"; Mubarak revealed a few months ago that during the attack on Gaza Netanyahu asked if Egypt would kindly allow the population of Gaza to migrate to Egypt.
It's harder to see what Egypt's military dictatorship has in mind for the people of Gaza. Where Israel wants them to leave, it seems that Egypt's military wants them to die.
Egypt's military dictatorship is just another Israeli (via the US) puppet government. The Muslim Brotherhood has been co-opted by the CIA and Mossad since at least the 1950's but Morsi wasn't following directions good enough. He was also allowing to much humanitarian into Gaza so he had to go.
If you don't believe this, then why would Israel insist that we continue our "foreign aid" to Egypt after the military coup?
In fact unless or untill Muslims will not think collectively this problem can't be solved
I agreed with Mr. Brown. This is the last solution
Why is the last question I had under “moderation” now. I insulted no one.
Let's just say it and repeat it. Fuck Godwin's law. The leadership in Israel are a bunch of fucking Nazis and should be treated as such.
Where are the moderate Jews?
Well, as a famous European statesman predicted, Palestine/Israel has become the headquarters for their international world swindle and a university for budding crooks.
How can it be an Israeli blockade if Egypt's doing more than half the blockading?
I can still be an all Israeli blockade if Israel's stooges are running the Egyptian deep state government in Egypt. Or, hadn't you thought of that?
Its not just Israel, but it is easier to blame a state with such a reputation, and by blaming Israel they blame the US indirectly. no one is going to blame the militaristic nation of egypt. They have to blame the Israelis who protect themselves, as if egypt was static about having to blockade the border, but there will never be blame on egypt, it a poor country. and israel is a new military based country surrounded by enemies and established by the UN. so its easier to blame israel, however it is both and israeli and egyptian blockade.
Well, it would be an easy matter for the United States (deep state) to repudiate Israel for its treatment of the Palestinians if it weren't for that little conspiracy to create the pretext for the so-called "war on Terror": 9/11 (inside job), the basis for the never ending pillage of the nation-states of the world by the globalist occult oligarchy, the pretext for the massive police state surveillance grid now enslaving us all (still no acknowledgement about 9/11 from the agents at "anti-war"), and perfect the smoke-screen by which Israel has almost now completely reduce Palestine into the Rothschild concoction called Israel. Co-conspirators can't, for obvious reasons, blow the whistle on their partners in crime.
While America guides the Israeli cock that is fu**ing the Palestinians up the arse, the Egyptians look on like the guilty peeping Toms that they are.
Poor Gaza. If you idiots would lay down your arms against Israel, there would be PEACE. Something you apparently do not want. If Isreal laid down their arms, you idiots would try to wipe them out. Gaza can be free anytime it wants. All they have to do is get rid of the idiots Hamas.
So how about Israel keeps its arms and keeps a massive wall? This would provide great security for Israel.
All Israel would have to do is build that wall on the June 1967 borders, and then instead of being in defiance of the whole world and being an occupying aggressor, Israel would be following international law. That would get Israel a lot of sympathy if it was then attacked.
But as the whole world knows, security is not Israel's top priority. Illegal expansion is. That's why they bulldoze homes and build settlements in the areas reserved for Palestinians, as well as in Syria. And that's why Israel has no sympathy from the world. Because it's an ethnic cleansing, occupying, aggressor nation for going on 50 years, taking the starting point as June 1967.
And that's why the whole world condemns Israel, except the US, which uses its worldwide fascist dictatorship to block international democracy from being implemented because it wants to use Israel as a tool to help it control the whole middle east.
Gaza’s arable land and 85 percent of its fishing waters are totally or partially inaccessible due to Israeli military measures
Thats a huge success for the only supposed democracy in the Middle East and its backers who stand aloof watching this flagrant contravention of human rights. Its sad. Earnestly hoping for a change, a hand, an individual, a nation that will bring an end and stomp out this wicked acts and the body carrying it out.
Whoa….such a helpful website.
The US Military Industrial complex and Israeli Zionists are nothing short of mentally ill. Normal people don't revel in constant chaos.
Our bought and paid for congress enabled this mess to happen. They are the one who followed the commands of Netanyahu.
Great to see one of your projects on national news. Does not get better than that for a company.
When u steal $10, they cut your hand(job)..when U steal $10T, they change their names to (citi)Zayed++… When they steal yr child, u r called the Dajjal(Almasih)