I do what I want - You do what you're told

21 November 2008


Over the past two weeks, Palestinians in the Gaza Strip have faced a sharply deteriorating humanitarian situation as Israel further tightened its closure of the border crossings. Virtually no food, medicine or other vital supplies have been allowed in to the territory that is home to 1.5 million people. The impact of the siege is most directly observed in Gaza's health sector. Despite desperately needed medication, equipment, supplies, and spare parts, doctors continue to try to save lives and look after their patients at the European Gaza Hospital, one of territory's largest medical centers.

Dr. Zaki Azzaq Zouq, an oncologist, explained, "There is a widespread shortage of essential medicines which we used to give to patients prior to the blockade. Currently, there are no tools for physicians to treat patients who suffer from lung, stomach, colon or brain cancers."

The situation is just as dire in Gaza's other hospitals. Unable to get life-saving treatments close to home, Israel also prevents patients from Gaza leaving the tiny coastal territory to receive medical care. Nael Alfaqawi, 28, has kidney problems, but was denied entry to Israel so he could seek treatment abroad. Instead, he is now being treated at the Nasser Hospital in southern Gaza.

Mr. Alfaqawi said, "When I wanted to travel out of Gaza for treatment, the [Israeli] intelligence personnel asked me to collaborate with them, but I refused. They said, either you collaborate with us or you go back to Gaza. Of course, I refused to comply with them, saying I'm going to die sooner or later, so I returned home."

An estimated 70 percent of the Gaza Strip has experienced lengthy power outages for the last two weeks as Israel has cut off fuel supplies to Gaza's only power plant. Hospitals must rely on generators to keep life-saving equipment running.

"We are unable to ensure that we have needed spare parts to provide heating for patients," said Nihad Swaty, head of the European Gaza Hospital's maintenance department. "We also have our own sewage processing plant to provide water. The current lack of equipment will lead to the plant's total collapse and consequently to an environmental crisis at the hospital itself," he warned.

International agencies and officials, including UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon have condemned the closure as a violation of international humanitarian law and called on Israel to lift the blockade. But there is no sign of relief. Israel has even blocked foreign journalists, who are usually based in Tel Aviv or Jerusalem, from entering the Gaza Strip.

Dr. Abdellatif Alhaj, director of the European Gaza Hospital, said "We continually send our appeals to international organizations such as the International Committee of the Red Cross, the World Health Organization and the United Nations. But unfortunately, it appears that the United Nations is facing a crisis itself, as it has started to warn that it will cut off services to residents. We are calling on the United Nations to help us, but it seems that this international organization is no longer able to bring in essential needs such as flour and rice."

Dr. Alhaj said that spare parts for the hospital's CT scanner -- one of only two such vital devices in the entire Gaza Strip -- had been held up by the Israelis for over five months.

Earlier this month John Ging, the Gaza director of UNRWA, the UN relief agency for Palestinian refugees, warned that "UNRWA is unable to deliver food in Gaza due to the strict Israeli blockade."

Israel says the borders will remain closed until Palestinian resistance militias stop firing rockets at nearby Israeli towns. A ceasefire negotiated between Israel and Hamas, the ruling party in Gaza, has generally held since last June. It was broken on 4 November, according to the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights, when Israeli occupation forces invaded the central Gaza Strip and then killed six Palestinians in air attacks. Palestinian resistance groups retaliated for the killings by firing rockets into Israel.

In June 2007, Israel imposed a crippling blockade on Gaza after Hamas took over the interior of the territory amid violent clashes with US-backed militias loyal to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas. Under the terms of the ceasefire, Israel was supposed to lift the Gaza blockade gradually, but it has never done so.

Rami Almeghari is contributor to The Electronic Intifada, IMEMC.org and Free Speech Radio News. Rami is also a former senior English translator at and editor-in-chief of the international press center of the Gaza-based Palestinian Information Service. He can be contacted at rami_almeghari A T hotmail D O T com.

Friday 21st November, 2008

In what the UN has described as collective punishment, the Israeli blockade of the Gaza Strip continues.

Notwithstanding 56% of the 1.5 million Gazan population consists of children, Israel has shut down access to the region refusing to allow desperately needed food trucks to reach their destination.

UN food agencies in Gaza that have had their food supply cut by the Israeli blockade say they are facing a "humanitarian catastrophe."

World media continues to ignore the desperate situation, Israel however has contributed to that by barring journalists from entering Gaza, a move condemned earlier this week by the Foreign Press Association. The UN appears to be a lone voice in trying to engineer some relief.

Karen AbuZayd, commissioner-general of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency, said the human toll of this month's sealing of Gaza's goods crossings was the gravest in eight years.

"It's been closed for so much longer than ever before and we have nothing in our warehouses. It will be a catastrophe if this persists, a disaster," said AbuZayd, whose agency is the largest aid body providing services to Palestinian refugees.

"They are not just under occupation, they are under siege, it's a word I don't usually use, they are completely closed off," she added.

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, who issued a statement saying he supported statements by the Gazan office, telephoned Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert on Tuesday urging him to provide access for UN food trucks. Olmert said he would look into the situation on an urgent basis.

By Friday Ban had received no word back from Olmert, so he bypassed him and telephoned Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni to stress the urgency of the situation. Livni however rebuffed the UN Secretary-General's plea saying the world should be condemning Palestinian rocket attacks.

"Whoever thinks that a situation of them firing at us, while everything continues as usual, can exist is mistaken," her office said in a statement. "The international community must be more decisive in making itself heard, and in using its influence, in the face of these attacks."

Israeli human rights organization Gisha in a letter to the Israeli army on Thursday from its attorney Yadin Elam said the closure of crossings, "is done with the illegal intention of inflicting pressure on the civilian population in an attempt to affect the behavior of militants and political elements. The closure of the crossings is therefore in violation of the absolute prohibition in International Law against collective punishment." THe UN also this week described the Israeli crackdown as collective punishment.

The blockade is now putting Gaza at breaking point which many believe is the objective of the Jewish nation. A ceasefire, between Hamas and Israel, which had largely held until November 4, was broken when the Israeli army entered Gaza and carried out a raid which killed five militants. Rocket fire into Israel followed, and since then the Israeli army has stepped up activities and closed off more access points. A further 12 Palestinian militants have died. There have been no casualties on the Israeli side as most of the 140 rockets fired into the country have failed to hit any tangible targets.

In addition to preventing access for food supplies Israel has refused to allow European Union-funded fuel supplies into Gaza, starving the power generation plant of fuel which has caused widespread blackouts up to 16 hours a day. Water facilities, including access to clean drinking water, and the treatment of raw sewage continue is also being severely disrupted by fuel shortages. Fifty to sixty million liters of untreated and partially treated sewage are being dumped into the Gaza Strip Mediterranean Sea daily, posing a public health risk.

On Thursday the Associated Press, Reuters, CNN, the BBC and other major news organizations wrote a joint letter to Olmert, protesting the ban on journalists entering Gaza to cover events there. "We are gravely concerned about the prolonged and unprecedented denial of access to the Gaza Strip for the international media," the letter said.

"We would welcome an assurance that access to Gaza for international journalists will be restored immediately in the spirit of Israel's long-standing commitment to a free press."

The letter has been ignored.

November 18, 2008

18 November 2008 – The top United Nations human rights official called today for an immediate end to the Israeli blockade of the Gaza Strip, which she said contravened international law and had deprived those living there of their most basic human rights for months.

"By function of this blockade, 1.5 million Palestinian men, women and children have been forcibly deprived of their most basic human rights for months," said Navi Pillay, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights. "This is in direct contravention of international human rights and humanitarian law. It must end now," she said.

Ms. Pillay called on the Israeli authorities to facilitate the urgent passage of essential humanitarian goods into Gaza, including food, medical supplies and fuel, to allow the immediate restoration of electricity, water and other essential services, and to lift restrictions on the movement of civilians for medical, educational and religious purposes.

"Decisive steps must be taken to preserve the dignity and basic welfare of the civilian population, more than half of which are children," she said.

Ms. Pillay welcomed the decision by Israel to allow a limited number of trucks to enter Gaza on 17 November, but recalled its obligation to refrain from all measures that contravene international law.

"Only a full lifting of the blockade followed by a strong humanitarian response will be adequate to relieve the massive humanitarian suffering evident in Gaza today," she said.

The High Commissioner also appealed for a complete cessation of Israeli air strikes and incursions, and of rocket fire by Palestinian groups.

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon telephoned Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert today to express his deep concern over the consequences of the deteriorating humanitarian situation inside Gaza.

Mr. Ban strongly urged Mr. Olmert to facilitate the freer movement of humanitarian supplies and needed UN personnel into Gaza.

The Israeli leader denounced the continuing rocket fire into Israeli from Gaza, but agreed to look seriously into the matter raised by Mr. Ban, according to a read-out of the telephone call.

Also today, the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) drew attention to what it called "unprecedented levels of hardship" in Gaza. It said mothers were being turned away from UNRWA food centres without powdered milk for their babies, while the agency had been unable to get supplies in, even for blind children.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Date : November 18, 2008

Fifteen Palestinian fishermen along with three internationals have been kidnapped in Palestinian waters by the Israeli Navy. They were fishing seven miles off the coast of Deir Al Balah, clearly in Gaza fishing waters and well within the fishing limit detailed in the Oslo Accords of 1994.

The fishermen and the human right's observers were transferred from 3 separate boats to the Israeli warships. Other Palestinian fishermen reported that the 3 boats were seen being taken north by the Israeli Navy.

The three internationals are Andrew Muncie from Scotland, Darlene Wallach from the United States and Victor Arrigoni from Italy. The U.K., U.S. and Italian embassies in Tel Aviv have been contacted and know about the abductions.

Please call the Israeli Ministry of Justice at +972 26 46 66 66 and register your outrage over these illegal actions by the Israeli Navy. Then call the Embassies in Jerusalem and make sure they know that many of us are appalled by Israel's illegal search and seizure.

Stephen Brown, UK Consulate +972 25 41 41 00
U.S. Consulate General + 972-2-6227230
Luigi MATTIOLO, Italian Ambassador +972 3 5104004

CONTACT:
Caoimhe (Gaza) + 972 598 273 960
Donna (Gaza) + 972 598 836 420
Fida (Gaza - Arabic) – + 972 599 681 669
ISM Media Office - + 972 2-2971824

Tuesday November 18, 2008

Israeli military bulldozers, backed by armored vehicles, swept early on Tuesday morning into the eastern borders of Rafah city in southern Gaza Strip.

Witnesses said that the Israeli bulldozers began razing farm lands just 50 to 100 meters depth into Palestinian areas, mainly in the Alnahda neighborhood.

Witnesses added that the Israeli armored vehicles moved towards the Gaza international airport, and that they also razed farm lands in the area.

Meanwhile, the Alqassam brigades, the armed wing of the ruling Hamas party, fired a Qassam homemade shell at the invading force, witnesses confirmed.

Such a development comes as Israel continues to close the Gaza border crossings today, and Gaza-based resistance factions continue to respond with homemade shells fire onto nearby Israeli towns.

Some Israeli officials were reported as warning of carrying out a large military offensive against the Gaza Strip.

November 11, 2008


Gaza/Bethlehem – Ma’an – Israel has limited food and fuel shipments into Gaza, and now appears to be preventing journalists from entering and even leaving the area.

Several journalists have speculated that Israel hopes to limit press coverage of the effects of its latest blockade.

On Tuesday Dirk Jan Visser, a photographer with a foreign news service, was denied entry into the Gaza Strip, on Monday BBC journalist Aleem Maqbool and his colleague were denied entry into Gaza, and a French journalist, "V" was denied permission to leave.

Security officer for UNRWA Andrew Pollock said that there had indeed been some fluxuation in the number of journalists allowed in and out of Gaza, and added that this had been the case since the security situation in the area became after 4 November.

Spokesperson for the UN Media office in Gaza (OCHA) Hamada Al-Bayari confirmed that restrictions had been placed on internationals wishing to enter and exit Gaza, and added that the case is even worse for Gazans. "Since the Israeli invasion that saw the killing of the six Hamas activists," he said, "crossing activity has been limited." Al-Bayari noted that only severe humanitarian cases are being allowed to leave Gaza.

Given the fluxuation of Israeli security procedures as of Tuesday, Al-Bayari said, we will have to "wait and see" if reports of the barring of journalists from the area represent a strict Israeli policy.

The Israeli army offices in charge of the Erez crossing, the only point of entry or exit for human traffic, refused to comment on the situation.

Israeli journalists have been barred from Gaza for over two years.

November 10, 2008

Thousands of Gazans have been left without electricity following Israel's suspension of fuel shipments to the Hamas-controlled territory's only power plant.

The power station was shut down on Monday evening after Israel refused to restart deliveries, despite warnings that fuel supplies were almost exhausted.

Al Jazeera's Sherine Tadros, reporting from Gaza City, said there was an almost complete blackout across the territory, with ordinary Gazans likely to exhaust personal supplies of fuel very quickly.

The Israeli defence ministry closed the crossings last week after Palestinian fighters fired rockets into southern Israel.

Ehud Barak, the Israeli defence minister, decided to keep the crossing closed "after consultations with security officials and in view of the continued rocket fire", a ministry statement said on Monday.

Hospital fuel fears

Aside from general supply problems, Tadros highlighted two areas of serious concern following the cut in power.

"The electricity supply affects the water pumps that deal with the sewage system here, and electricity is needed for hospitals," she said.

"Some of the smaller hospitals will start to running out of fuel in the next 36 hours - that's going to be the immediate concern."

However, Israel insisted the Strip was getting enough electricity from the Israeli and Egyptian grids to meet 75 per cent of demand. The foreign ministry accused Hamas of exploiting the situation for political gain.

"The cynical Hamas exploitation of the civilian population in Gaza is contemptible," a ministry statement said.

The European Commission, which funds fuel deliveries to Gaza's sole power plant, said it had been informed that the Israelis may authorise fuel shipments on Tuesday.

"The Israel liaison office with the Palestininan territories told us that the deliveries to the power station could resume tomorrow," an European Union spokeswoman said.

Israeli sources said, on condition of anonymity, that shipments would resume if no more rockets are fired into southern Israel.

'Collective punishment'

Kanan Obeid, a Gazan energy official, criticised the move as an example of "Israel's policy of collective punishment".

The Gaza City plant provides about a quarter of Gaza's electricity, while most of the rest comes over lines from Israel. Egypt also provides a small amount.

A network of tunnels linking Gaza to Egypt is known to be used by Gazans to bypass Israel's blockade of the territory and bring products - including some fuel - into the Strip.

Ayman Mohyeldin, reporting for Al Jazeera from Gaza, said while the trickle of unofficial supplies has enabled individuals to get by, it cannot be used to power "the critical infrastructure of Gaza".

"There's two reasons for that - the Egyptian quality of petrol isn't high enough to power the generator, but at the same time the generator is monitored by EU observers and they will not allow any blackmarket fuel to be used to generate electricity for Gazans," he said.

Peter Lerner, the co-ordinator of Israeli activities in the Palestinian territories, said: "We received a request [from the Palestinians] for deliveries of fuel to resume and we forwarded the request to the defence ministry in Tel Aviv."

Most of the fuel and gas supplies needed by the Gaza Strip usually goes through the Nahal Oz terminal between Israel and the Palestinian territory.

Press freedom 'violated'

The crossing closure has also prevented journalists from entering the strip for five days, something that has drawn protests from the Tel Aviv-based Foreign Press Association (FPA).

The FPA, which represents foreign reporters in Israel and the Palestinian territories, branded the Israeli-imposed restriction as "a serious violation of press freedom".

Israel repeatedly closes the crossings into Gaza, derailing the Gazan economy and putting the territory's citizens under pressure, in response to rockets fired from the Strip by Palestinian fighters.

Even as the crossings were closed, there were fresh calls for the largely stagnant peace process between the Israelis and the Palestinians to be revived.

The Middle East Quartet - which groups the EU, Russia, the UN and the US - held a meeting in Egypt on Sunday and called for peace talks to be carried forward.

November 7, 2008

Palestinian prisoner Mohannad Odeh from the town of Aroorah north of Ramallah in the West bank, filed a complaint to the lawyer of the Mandela Organization. His complaint might seem strange in the civilized world. He never knew why the Israeli prison administration transferred him to a hospital and why he was subjected to a surgery he knew nothing about since he is healthy.

He made it quite clear that he never suffered any health problems. But still he found himself being transferred to Soroka Hospital in Beir Elsabba (Beer Sheba).

He was requested to sign papers that should he died they can transfer and use his organs. He refused to sign and requested to see his family or get in contact with them before he was taken to the operating theatre. But the prison Administration denied him this request.

He was sedated, taken to the operating room, operated on without his consent. When he woke up, he found himself surrounded by Israeli doctors and medical instruments and pipes. What organs were taken? Or what kind of experimenting was done on such helpless prisoners?

Israel is breaching the International law inside and outside prisons. Palestinians are treated as if they have no human rights or dignity, and the international community is still debating should they interfere or not? Is it OK to allow hearing aids reach the Palestinian children who lost their hearing because of the Israeli bombings or not? Is it ok to make a man strip naked and dance for the soldiers’ sick pleasure? Is it ok to beat and torture a human
being? Is it ok to perform surgery on healthy, NON consenting adults or children? These and other questions must be answered by not only the Israeli government, the USA who funds Israel, but the whole world as well.

What is happening is outrageous. I hereby do request that the human rights groups and establishments conduct formal investigations and hold whoever is guilty- accountable for crimes against humanity.

Under no law it is accepted to breach human rights, occupied or not occupied, imprisoned or free. Should such outrageous breaches happen to a USA or UK citizen, the story would be on all the international front page news.
However because it is Palestinians who are being tortured and their organs are being taken away and their bodies are experimented on illegally, no one cares to report that. The world turns a blind eye.

Iqbal Tamimi / journalist - UK