Gaza in Crisis -copied post from eisoj
I copied the post below from
eisoj
She is in Palestine/ Israel at the moment doing activist work with Palestinians in a group called ISM.
This situation saddens and angers me greatly! GRRRRRR!!!!!!
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GAZA IN CRISIS
The situation in Gaza is really a crisis now. Israel is strangling the place and due to severe movement restrictions (few Palestinians allowed out and few internationals or Israelis allowed in) information from there is really limited in its ability to reach the world. ppl here in W. Bank are really worried, with daily demos to 'end the siege on Gaza'. Israel says it wont stop until the qassam rockets stop falling on the Israeli city of Sderot nr Gaza (2 Israelis dead in last few months). But with no electricity or petrol, shortages of food and medication and frequent breaks in water supply, how can the people of Gaza be expected to stop trying to fight back? And how can it be justified to hold 1.5 million people under siege for the actions of those who use the rockets?
SOmething like 38 died there in the last week. Israel says they estimate there are 10,0000 'terrorists' there and uses this to justify both the seige and continued incursions and air attacks. Anyone with a passing familiarity with the discourse of 'security' we have developed since Sept 11 2001 can see what is operating here. Here are 2 articles about Gaza.
Ma’an: Gaza Strip’s water, sewage systems to shut down ‘within hours’
January 21st, 2008 | Posted in Press clippings, Gaza Region
The Gaza Strip’s water and sewage systems are hours away from shutting down as supplies of fuel used to run critical pumps run out, the international aid agency Oxfam said on Monday evening.
As of 5pm local time on Monday, only 37 of the 122 water supply pumps have fuel and most will run out of fuel within hours.
Oxfam fears the risks of an outbreak of water borne diseases if the water and sanitation system shuts down. According to Gaza’s water authority 40% of the population, 600,000 people, is now without running water.
Running water will be shut off completely on Tuesday, the water authority says.
“The risk to public health of a breakdown of the water and sanitation system is real and a massive case for concern. Israel must immediately allow fuel into Gaza to avoid any further civilian suffering. Cutting off water to civilians is both immoral and illegal, no matter what the provocation maybe,” said Barbara Stocking, Oxfam’s Director.
“The international community has allowed this chronic emergency to deteriorate and has the responsibility to help solve this crisis. Israel must allow these urgently needed supplies into Gaza today,” added Stocking.
The water and sewage system was already in danger of breakdown due to on going restrictions of goods into the Gaza Strip. There are severe shortages of spare parts, and other materials necessary for repairs and preventive maintenance. The importation of these has been repeatedly denied access since June 2007.
Gaza and the recognition of Israel
January 21st, 2008 | Posted in Journals, Gaza Region
By: Bobby Noe
As has been covered in the news extensively, Gaza’s only power plant has shut down as there is no longer any fuel left to run it. 1.5 million people are in darkness and according to a health ministry official the hospitals ” have the choice to either cut electricity on babies in the maternity ward or heart surgery patients or stop operating rooms,”. The UN is almost out of bags with which to distribute the pitiful amount of humanitarian aid Israel allows into the strip. Gaza is a humanitarian disaster on epic proportions.
Most western news outlets are talking incessantly about the rocket attacks, stating that they are the reason for the siege of Gaza, this couldn’t be further from the truth.
Hamas have actually offered numerous ceasefires and the level of rocket attacks have decreased of late (ref 1). As the level of rocket attacks has decreased, Israeli military operations have intensified to include regular air strikes, and the level of supplies reaching the strip has been further reduced.
At the same time, Israel is offering tax breaks for Sderot residents (ref 2) and is offering free land for anyone wanting to build a home near the strip (ref 3). The only conclusion it is possible to reach from these actions is that Israel wants more of its citizens to die.
In the last year only two people died from the rocket attacks (ref 4). As tragic as these deaths are they do not come anywhere near close enough to justify one of the biggest man made humanitarian crisises of all time. Israel knows at some point people will realise this, and is hoping more of its citizens will die so it can continue justifying its murderous siege of the strip as a security measure.
So what does Israel want from Hamas if it not to stop the rocket attacks? The answer is recognition for free. Hamas currently does not recognise the state of Israel, this was the reason given for the economic sanctions imposed on the PA when Hamas won the elections in 2006 (#1), and this is the real reason for the siege of Gaza.
Under UN resolution 242, Israel is supposed to get recognition in exchange for its retreat to 1967 borders, the green line. 10 years after the 6 day war Egypt recognised Israel and got the Sinai back, as per 242. Syria will recognise Israel if exchange for the return of the Golan Heights (ref 5).
Hamas have actually stated they will recognise Israel if UN resolutions 242 and 194 (#2) are implemented (ref 6). The PLO recognised Israel in the late 80s in exchange for a peace process that has done nothing but further entrench the apartheid in Palestine (#3), and is leading to the creation of a Palestinian state cut into non-contiguous bantustans, completely surrounded by Israel, with no water or access to Jerusalem. Israel wants to bomb Hamas into submitting to the same process.
What sort of world do we live in where the ‘extremists’ call for is the implementation of international law and ‘moderates’ such as Olmert and Barak, order the starvation of 1.5 million people?
#1 Incidentally the first time in history sanctions were imposed on a people under occupation
#2 UN resolution 194 calls for the Palestinian right of return. A little known fact is that UN resolution 273, Israels admission to the UN, was supposed to be dependent on the implementation of 194. 194 has yet to be implemented but Israel is now a well established member of the UN.
#3 the creation of areas A, B and C have allowed Israel to construct Israeli only roads connecting C areas, cutting the West Bank into isolated enclaves. The Israeli Army can invade area A whenever it wants, but Palestinians for the most part cannot get anywhere near area C. Israels main obligation under the process, the halting of settlement expansion, has been ignored. The settler population of the West Bank has more than doubled since Oslo, and settlement construction continues today at a frightening rate.
Ref 1) www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/946028.html
Ref 2) www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/946770.html
Ref 3) www.imemc.org/article/52068
Ref 4) A good report to read as well:
www.btselem.org/english/Press_Releases/20071231.as
Ref 5)
ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5iJDTD6nB0vQE_e7Oosu3WO4QOPNAD8TS1TQ8
Ref 6) www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3223438,00.html