Israel Chokes Gaza Despite Announced Easing
Pepe Silvia
Posts: 3,758
http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2010/07/15-6
Israel Chokes Gaza Despite Announced Easing
RAMALLAH - Israel has received international praise for its decision to ease its crippling blockade on Gaza following the country's deadly assault on a humanitarian flotilla trying to bring desperately needed humanitarian aid to the coastal territory. But according to the UN and human rights organizations, the easing of the blockade is insufficient in meeting Gaza's needs.
Palestinian women paint ships on a wall to show support for attempts to break the Israeli naval blockade on Gaza, at the sea port in Gaza City, Thursday, July 15, 2010.
(AP Photo/Khalil Hamra)
"Even if the blockade is eased it remains illegal under international law as it is a collective form of punishment on a civilian population," Chris Gunness from the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) told IPS.
"Eighty percent of Gaza's population is aid-dependent. Allowing more aid in is perpetuating this dependency and not addressing the issue of self- sufficiency or the root causes of the crisis," added Gunness.
Israeli commandos shot dead nine activists aboard the Mavi Marmara, one of the flotilla boats, when they raided it in international waters at the end of May. The killings sparked international outrage but also drew global attention to the dire humanitarian situation in Gaza as a result of Israel's, and to a lesser degree Egypt's, hermetic sealing of the territory.
Following international pressure Israel decided to ease the closure. Towards the end of June the government of Israeli premier Benjamin Netanyahu issued a six-point plan to facilitate increased access for civilian goods entering Gaza and to expand economic activity, reports the Israeli human rights organization Gisha.
The plan stated that all commercial products -- other than a list of banned dual-purpose goods -- would be permitted entry to the strip; 250 daily truckloads of goods would enter; the entrance of construction materials would be better facilitated; and the movement of humanitarian cases and international NGOs would be streamlined.
Gisha reports that there has been a moderate rise in the volume of trucks entering Gaza and an increase in imports of consumer goods, but that this volume still falls way below pre-embargo days, and isn't sufficient to meet the daily needs of Gaza's 1.5 million civilians.
During the week after Jun. 20, 695 trucks of goods entered Gaza. This compares with 2,400 per week prior to the closure, and meets only 30 percent of Palestinian needs. Over the past three years 2,328 trucks entered Gaza on a monthly basis compared with 10,400 trucks monthly prior to the blockade.
Additionally, items which could be used for industry and manufacturing and which present no security threat are still being restricted. There appears to be "no change in the policy of inflicting economic warfare or by preventing entry of goods necessary for production," says the Gisha report. "Textiles, industrial-sized buckets of margarine, glucose, packaging boxes and other raw materials are still banned.
"Permitting mayonnaise and potato chips into Gaza is really irrelevant in dealing with the underlying issues," says Maxwell Gaylard, UN Deputy Special and Humanitarian Coordinator for the Middle East.
"What we need to see is an improvement in Gaza's water, sanitation, power grid, educational and health sectors. Gaza's economy is shot to pieces and its infrastructure is extremely fragile," Gaylard told IPS.
"What have not been addressed by the easing of the closure are the issues of exports as well as the limited number of crossings open to facilitate the flow of goods," said Gunness.
A major step towards helping to rehabilitate Gaza's economy would be permitting exports on which Gaza's economy is heavily reliant. A 2005 Agreement on Movement and Access, signed by Israel and the Palestinian Authority (PA) in 2005, agreed to 400 daily truckloads of exports. In the last three years 295 export trucks have exited Gaza.
Gisha reports that "critical manufacturing sectors such as furniture, clothing and textile, and food production are dependent upon revenues acquired by selling their goods outside the strip."
The near collapse of these industries has been aggravated by restrictions on Gaza's banking ties with the outside world, making the legal transfer of money almost impossible.
These industries have been further decimated by the ban on the entrance of raw materials and spare parts.
"Operation Cast Lead destroyed at least 60,000 homes and structures which need to be urgently repaired and rebuilt. The easing of the blockade is not addressing this adequately," Gunness told IPS.
One of the biggest humanitarian issues remains the continued restrictions on movement, including Gazans trying to leave for medical treatment, to continue their studies, or to visit family in the West Bank.
In 2000, 26,000 Palestinian laborers traveled to Israel on a daily basis to earn a living and support large families. Revenue from Israel provided a major boost to Gaza's economy. In the last few weeks a daily average of 95 people have been permitted to pass through Gaza's Erez crossing into Israel. Students wishing to pursue their studies in the West Bank have been repeatedly turned back.
Twenty-nine-year-old Fatma Sharif, a lawyer with the Gaza human rights organization Al-Mezan which is strongly critical of Hamas, had her application to enter the West Bank to study for her masters degree at Birzeit University near Ramallah turned down by Israel's High Court of Justice.
The decision of the judges was not based on Sharif being a security threat but rather that her application did not meet Israel's guidelines on travel restrictions imposed on Gaza's residents under the blockades.
Israel Chokes Gaza Despite Announced Easing
RAMALLAH - Israel has received international praise for its decision to ease its crippling blockade on Gaza following the country's deadly assault on a humanitarian flotilla trying to bring desperately needed humanitarian aid to the coastal territory. But according to the UN and human rights organizations, the easing of the blockade is insufficient in meeting Gaza's needs.
Palestinian women paint ships on a wall to show support for attempts to break the Israeli naval blockade on Gaza, at the sea port in Gaza City, Thursday, July 15, 2010.
(AP Photo/Khalil Hamra)
"Even if the blockade is eased it remains illegal under international law as it is a collective form of punishment on a civilian population," Chris Gunness from the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) told IPS.
"Eighty percent of Gaza's population is aid-dependent. Allowing more aid in is perpetuating this dependency and not addressing the issue of self- sufficiency or the root causes of the crisis," added Gunness.
Israeli commandos shot dead nine activists aboard the Mavi Marmara, one of the flotilla boats, when they raided it in international waters at the end of May. The killings sparked international outrage but also drew global attention to the dire humanitarian situation in Gaza as a result of Israel's, and to a lesser degree Egypt's, hermetic sealing of the territory.
Following international pressure Israel decided to ease the closure. Towards the end of June the government of Israeli premier Benjamin Netanyahu issued a six-point plan to facilitate increased access for civilian goods entering Gaza and to expand economic activity, reports the Israeli human rights organization Gisha.
The plan stated that all commercial products -- other than a list of banned dual-purpose goods -- would be permitted entry to the strip; 250 daily truckloads of goods would enter; the entrance of construction materials would be better facilitated; and the movement of humanitarian cases and international NGOs would be streamlined.
Gisha reports that there has been a moderate rise in the volume of trucks entering Gaza and an increase in imports of consumer goods, but that this volume still falls way below pre-embargo days, and isn't sufficient to meet the daily needs of Gaza's 1.5 million civilians.
During the week after Jun. 20, 695 trucks of goods entered Gaza. This compares with 2,400 per week prior to the closure, and meets only 30 percent of Palestinian needs. Over the past three years 2,328 trucks entered Gaza on a monthly basis compared with 10,400 trucks monthly prior to the blockade.
Additionally, items which could be used for industry and manufacturing and which present no security threat are still being restricted. There appears to be "no change in the policy of inflicting economic warfare or by preventing entry of goods necessary for production," says the Gisha report. "Textiles, industrial-sized buckets of margarine, glucose, packaging boxes and other raw materials are still banned.
"Permitting mayonnaise and potato chips into Gaza is really irrelevant in dealing with the underlying issues," says Maxwell Gaylard, UN Deputy Special and Humanitarian Coordinator for the Middle East.
"What we need to see is an improvement in Gaza's water, sanitation, power grid, educational and health sectors. Gaza's economy is shot to pieces and its infrastructure is extremely fragile," Gaylard told IPS.
"What have not been addressed by the easing of the closure are the issues of exports as well as the limited number of crossings open to facilitate the flow of goods," said Gunness.
A major step towards helping to rehabilitate Gaza's economy would be permitting exports on which Gaza's economy is heavily reliant. A 2005 Agreement on Movement and Access, signed by Israel and the Palestinian Authority (PA) in 2005, agreed to 400 daily truckloads of exports. In the last three years 295 export trucks have exited Gaza.
Gisha reports that "critical manufacturing sectors such as furniture, clothing and textile, and food production are dependent upon revenues acquired by selling their goods outside the strip."
The near collapse of these industries has been aggravated by restrictions on Gaza's banking ties with the outside world, making the legal transfer of money almost impossible.
These industries have been further decimated by the ban on the entrance of raw materials and spare parts.
"Operation Cast Lead destroyed at least 60,000 homes and structures which need to be urgently repaired and rebuilt. The easing of the blockade is not addressing this adequately," Gunness told IPS.
One of the biggest humanitarian issues remains the continued restrictions on movement, including Gazans trying to leave for medical treatment, to continue their studies, or to visit family in the West Bank.
In 2000, 26,000 Palestinian laborers traveled to Israel on a daily basis to earn a living and support large families. Revenue from Israel provided a major boost to Gaza's economy. In the last few weeks a daily average of 95 people have been permitted to pass through Gaza's Erez crossing into Israel. Students wishing to pursue their studies in the West Bank have been repeatedly turned back.
Twenty-nine-year-old Fatma Sharif, a lawyer with the Gaza human rights organization Al-Mezan which is strongly critical of Hamas, had her application to enter the West Bank to study for her masters degree at Birzeit University near Ramallah turned down by Israel's High Court of Justice.
The decision of the judges was not based on Sharif being a security threat but rather that her application did not meet Israel's guidelines on travel restrictions imposed on Gaza's residents under the blockades.
don't compete; coexist
what are you but my reflection? who am i to judge or strike you down?
"I will promise you this, that if we have not gotten our troops out by the time I am president, it is the first thing I will do. I will get our troops home. We will bring an end to this war. You can take that to the bank." - Barack Obama
when you told me 'if you can't beat 'em, join 'em'
i was thinkin 'death before dishonor'
what are you but my reflection? who am i to judge or strike you down?
"I will promise you this, that if we have not gotten our troops out by the time I am president, it is the first thing I will do. I will get our troops home. We will bring an end to this war. You can take that to the bank." - Barack Obama
when you told me 'if you can't beat 'em, join 'em'
i was thinkin 'death before dishonor'
Post edited by Unknown User on
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Comments
2010: 9/7/10 - Bilbao
2012: 26-27/6/12 - Amsterdam ~~ 29/6/12 - Werchter ~~ 4-5/7/12 - Berlin
2014: 25/6/14 - Vienna ~~ 26/6/14 - Berlin
let it sink in
Gisha reports that there has been a moderate rise in the volume of trucks entering Gaza and an increase in imports of consumer goods, but that this volume still falls way below pre-embargo days, and isn't sufficient to meet the daily needs of Gaza's 1.5 million civilians.
During the week after Jun. 20, 695 trucks of goods entered Gaza. This compares with 2,400 per week prior to the closure, and meets only 30 percent of Palestinian needs. Over the past three years 2,328 trucks entered Gaza on a monthly basis compared with 10,400 trucks monthly prior to the blockade.
Additionally, items which could be used for industry and manufacturing and which present no security threat are still being restricted. There appears to be "no change in the policy of inflicting economic warfare or by preventing entry of goods necessary for production," says the Gisha report. "Textiles, industrial-sized buckets of margarine, glucose, packaging boxes and other raw materials are still banned.
"Permitting mayonnaise and potato chips into Gaza is really irrelevant in dealing with the underlying issues," says Maxwell Gaylard, UN Deputy Special and Humanitarian Coordinator for the Middle East.
"What we need to see is an improvement in Gaza's water, sanitation, power grid, educational and health sectors. Gaza's economy is shot to pieces and its infrastructure is extremely fragile," Gaylard told IPS.
"What have not been addressed by the easing of the closure are the issues of exports as well as the limited number of crossings open to facilitate the flow of goods," said Gunness.
A major step towards helping to rehabilitate Gaza's economy would be permitting exports on which Gaza's economy is heavily reliant. A 2005 Agreement on Movement and Access, signed by Israel and the Palestinian Authority (PA) in 2005, agreed to 400 daily truckloads of exports. In the last three years 295 export trucks have exited Gaza.
Gisha reports that "critical manufacturing sectors such as furniture, clothing and textile, and food production are dependent upon revenues acquired by selling their goods outside the strip."
The near collapse of these industries has been aggravated by restrictions on Gaza's banking ties with the outside world, making the legal transfer of money almost impossible.
These industries have been further decimated by the ban on the entrance of raw materials and spare parts.
"Operation Cast Lead destroyed at least 60,000 homes and structures which need to be urgently repaired and rebuilt. The easing of the blockade is not addressing this adequately," Gunness told IPS.
One of the biggest humanitarian issues remains the continued restrictions on movement, including Gazans trying to leave for medical treatment, to continue their studies, or to visit family in the West Bank.
In 2000, 26,000 Palestinian laborers traveled to Israel on a daily basis to earn a living and support large families. Revenue from Israel provided a major boost to Gaza's economy. In the last few weeks a daily average of 95 people have been permitted to pass through Gaza's Erez crossing into Israel. Students wishing to pursue their studies in the West Bank have been repeatedly turned back.
Twenty-nine-year-old Fatma Sharif, a lawyer with the Gaza human rights organization Al-Mezan which is strongly critical of Hamas, had her application to enter the West Bank to study for her masters degree at Birzeit University near Ramallah turned down by Israel's High Court of Justice.
The decision of the judges was not based on Sharif being a security threat but rather that her application did not meet Israel's guidelines on travel restrictions imposed on Gaza's residents under the blockades.
yeah, i'd say chokes fits
what are you but my reflection? who am i to judge or strike you down?
"I will promise you this, that if we have not gotten our troops out by the time I am president, it is the first thing I will do. I will get our troops home. We will bring an end to this war. You can take that to the bank." - Barack Obama
when you told me 'if you can't beat 'em, join 'em'
i was thinkin 'death before dishonor'
2010: 9/7/10 - Bilbao
2012: 26-27/6/12 - Amsterdam ~~ 29/6/12 - Werchter ~~ 4-5/7/12 - Berlin
2014: 25/6/14 - Vienna ~~ 26/6/14 - Berlin
this is just not true, at least according to israel....
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2006/apr/16/israel
"Israel's policy was summed up by Dov Weisglass, an adviser to Ehud Olmert, the Israeli Prime Minister, earlier this year. 'The idea is to put the Palestinians on a diet, but not to make them die of hunger,' he said. The hunger pangs are supposed to encourage the Palestinians to force Hamas to change its attitude towards Israel or force Hamas out of government."
collective punishment, pure and simple, which the geneva conventions prohibits
oh? because the blockade started in 2007 when hamas won the election...
according to israel from may 2006- february of 2008 there was only a single suicide bombing killing 3, in that same time frame only 4 israeli civilians died from rocket attacks. a total of 7 israeli civilians died in in over 20 months.
in fact according to israel attacks had been going down dramatically before the blockade
the argument that the blockade is because of security is laughable and a lie
in fact, israeli's need to be more worried about their own driving than palestinians:
http://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/news.aspx/129092
As of Dec. 28, the number of road accident victims in Israel for 2008 stood at 444 – an increase of 4% over the year before. So reports the National Road Safety Authority. This is the first time in four years that the annual traffic casualty count has not dropped.
no, it suggest they are choking the residents of gaza, which they ARE doing. so they allow a small increase in the amount of items allowed in and yet that still isn't enough to meet their daily needs not to mention israel's actions only cause more palestinians to rely on aid instead of supporting themselves
what are you but my reflection? who am i to judge or strike you down?
"I will promise you this, that if we have not gotten our troops out by the time I am president, it is the first thing I will do. I will get our troops home. We will bring an end to this war. You can take that to the bank." - Barack Obama
when you told me 'if you can't beat 'em, join 'em'
i was thinkin 'death before dishonor'
As for the Dov Weisglas quote, I've seen it before. I agree with you that it is in very bad taste. I would like to hear the original quote in hebrew (if in fact it was origionally said in hebrew) to be sure that nothing was lost in translation. Despite saying that, I do believe that Hamas is the main obstacle for peace between Israel and the Palestinians, but they were elected by the citizens of Gaza (a fact that I am sure many regret today).
It is very easy to figure out how to make peace while sitting at home in front of the computer. In reality it is a bit more difficult. as the saying goes: "It takes two to tango". In order to achieve a lasting peace, both sides need to make sacrafices on thier beliefs. Israel has shown in the past that she is willing to do this, Hamas not so much.
Finally, as for the thread title, different strokes for different folks...
2010: 9/7/10 - Bilbao
2012: 26-27/6/12 - Amsterdam ~~ 29/6/12 - Werchter ~~ 4-5/7/12 - Berlin
2014: 25/6/14 - Vienna ~~ 26/6/14 - Berlin
http://atlasshrugs2000.typepad.com/atlas_shrugs/2010/07/embarrassment-of-riches-in-poor-starving-chubby-gaza.html
— Socrates
i guess i shouldn't be surprised the entire basis of this argument is semantics over if 'despite' is the proper preposition to use :roll:
too bad encarta says it is fitting
http://encarta.msn.com/dictionary_/despite.html
preposition
Definition:
1. regardless of: although it might have been prevented by something
The mission blasted off today despite bad weather.
2. contrary to: indicates that something is done unexpectedly or unintentionally
She blushed deeply despite herself.
so, is this better?
Israel Chokes Gaza Regardless of Announced Easing
stop using these bullshit arguments that you have issue with a single word so the whole argument is invalid. it isn't saying it's not doing it, it is saying even with the easing they are still being choked
what are you but my reflection? who am i to judge or strike you down?
"I will promise you this, that if we have not gotten our troops out by the time I am president, it is the first thing I will do. I will get our troops home. We will bring an end to this war. You can take that to the bank." - Barack Obama
when you told me 'if you can't beat 'em, join 'em'
i was thinkin 'death before dishonor'
Pepe, I have no problem with your argument or your beliefs. My original problem was the title of the thread. I addressed all of your arguments since then in what I believe to be a direct fashion.
Changing the word despite to regardless in the thread title actually does sound better to me and in my opinion better relays what this thread is about.
2010: 9/7/10 - Bilbao
2012: 26-27/6/12 - Amsterdam ~~ 29/6/12 - Werchter ~~ 4-5/7/12 - Berlin
2014: 25/6/14 - Vienna ~~ 26/6/14 - Berlin
What world do we live in where a people can be so mistreated that most of them need help to survive? We are talking about millions of people.
Its criminal.
eh not to nitpick but can you source this?
Because the reverse is actually true...in the past Hamas has shown its desire for peace, Israel not so much.
http://articles.sfgate.com/2002-04-28/n ... -gaza-city
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arab_Peace_Initiative
That was in 2002.
Considering Israel broke the latest ceasefire and have rejected the offer of peace, it would appear Israel's desire for land is stronger than its desire for peace.
1) Peace with Egypt
2) Peace with Jordan
3) The Oslo accords
4) 10 years ago, then prime minister and current minister of defence, Ehud Barak offered Yaasir Arafat over 90% of the west bank and parts of Jerusalem striving for a two state solution. Arafat declined.
5) Current prime minister Netanyahu has repeatedly stated that he is interested in starting direct peace talks with no pre-conditions. Palestinian leadership has refused.
These are the ones that immediately come to mind. There are plenty more, but I do not have the energy at the moment to look them up.
2010: 9/7/10 - Bilbao
2012: 26-27/6/12 - Amsterdam ~~ 29/6/12 - Werchter ~~ 4-5/7/12 - Berlin
2014: 25/6/14 - Vienna ~~ 26/6/14 - Berlin
Have you even read this? You should educate yourself on the subject before quoting random internet sources that actually hurt your argument.
In the first link the spokeman pretty much says if Israel gives us everything we want, then we will stop military actions against Israel. Where is the compromise in that?
As for the second link (which directly adresses the remarks in the first link In the second paragraph), I quote:
Hamas
From its inception in 2002, the Initiative deeply divided the organization.[7] Hamas' official covenant advocates the destruction of the state of Israel and its replacement by a theocracy run under Islamist principles with Jerusalem as the capital.[45] As stated before, members of the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, Hamas' military wing, committed the Passover Massacre on same day as the peace Initiative's adoption.[3] At that time, Hamas rejected not only peace with Israel but even negotiations with it.[17] The official administration of Hamas never recognized the Initiative, which alienated it from members of the Arab League, especially Jordan and Egypt.[46] One of Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas' conditions of forming a national coalition government with Hamas after the 2006 election was that Hamas had to recognize the Initiative, but he was unsuccessful.[46]
Hamas' spokesman Ismail Abu Shanab told The San Francisco Chronicle in April 2002 that the organization would accept it, saying "That would be satisfactory for all Palestinian military groups to stop and build our state, to be busy in our own affairs, and have good neighborhood with Israelis."[45] The newspaper reporters who interviewed Shanab questioned whether or not he truly spoke for the administration and could not corroborate his story.[45] Hamas' foreign minister Mahmoud al-Zahar said in June 2006 that the organization rejects the initiative.[7] Prime Minister Ismail Haneya said on October 2006 that the "problem with the Arab peace initiative is that it includes recognition of the state of Israel, the thing that the Palestinian government rejects" and dismissed it.[47] That month, Mahmoud al-Zahar declared unequivocally: "Hamas will never change its position regardless of the pressure's intensity" and "We will never recognize the Arab initiative."[48]
After the revival of the initiative in March 2007, Hamas continued a policy of ambiguity with many officials giving negative responses while some gave neutral or hopeful responses.[24] Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhum told Haaretz that "the issue is not a 'yes' or 'no' by Hamas regarding the initiative. We respect the Arab efforts to attain Palestinian rights and we will act within the Arab consensus. Nonetheless, the Zionist enemy continues to reject the initiative and we will not determine our position in reference to it before it has been accepted."[24] Haaretz sources in Palestine state that Hamas wanted to oppose the initiative outright but did not do so because it did not want to break with the Saudi Arabian government.[24] Hamas figure Khaled Meshaal ridiculed the PLO pro-initiative ad campaign, saying “The rights of Palestinians can be achieved only through resistance, not advertisements”.[16]
Time stated in January 2009 that "In the Arab world, only Hamas and Hizballah, with the backing of Tehran, reject the Arab peace initiative."[1] Left-wing Israeli commentator and former Minister of Justice Yossi Beilin also said in January 2009 that "Hamas considers its adherence to the three "nos" of Khartoum from 1967, which the entire Arab world abandoned in adopting the Arab peace initiative, to be its primary distinctive feature Fateh. Even a prolonged battering by the IDF will not bring Hamas to make this change."[49] The Khaleej Times editorialized in December 2008 that "The Arab peace plan remains the best and most pragmatic solution to Palestine-Israel conflict.... Even though Hamas and Islamic Jihad are not prepared to accept anything short of the entire Palestine occupied in 1940s, if the plan is accepted by Israel and US, the Arabs could possibly persuade Islamists to embrace it too."[50]
2010: 9/7/10 - Bilbao
2012: 26-27/6/12 - Amsterdam ~~ 29/6/12 - Werchter ~~ 4-5/7/12 - Berlin
2014: 25/6/14 - Vienna ~~ 26/6/14 - Berlin
pretty much the whole of the rest of the world is calling for a two state solution. Hamas has accepted that. the problem is that Israel refuses to abide by international law and cease expansion of settlements, which i am sure you are aware of but for some reason are chosing to ignore that FACT. they just keep on doing whatever they want regardless of the consequences. they refuse to acknowledge that the Palestinians have legal rights to a state.
this is what Norman Finklestein has to say on resolution 242. now you can love him or hate him, that's irrelevant. what has he said here that's not the truth? nothing.
'The broad consensus on the "final status" issues of borders, East Jerusalem, settlements, and refugees forms the bedrock of the two-state settlement to resolve the Israel-Palestine conflict. As understood by the whole of the International community, apart from Israel and the United States (and this or that Pacific atoll), such a settlement calls for full Israeli withdrawal from Palestinian territories captured in the June 1967 war, the formation of an independent Palestinian state in these territories in exchange for recognition of Israel's right to live in peace and security with it's neighbours, and a resolution of the refugee question that acknowledges the Palestinian right of return. A December 2005 U.N General Assembly resolution listed these principles and components for a "peaceful settlement" of the conflict: "inadmissability of the aquisition of territory by war"; "illegality of the Israeli settlements in the territory occupied since 1967 and of Israeli actions aimed at changing the status of Jerusalem"; "right of all states in the region to live in peace within secure and internationally recognized borders"; "two-State solution of Israel and Palestine, living side by side in peace and security within recognized borders, based on the pre-1967 borders"; "withdrawal of Israel from the Palestinian territory occupied since 1967"; "realization of the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people, primarily the right to self-determination and the right to their independent state"; "resolving the problem of Palestine refugees in conformity with...resolution 194 (III) of 11 December 1948." The resolution passed 156-6 (Australia, Israel, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Palau, United States), with 9 abstentions. According to U.S Ambassador to the U.N John Bolton, the General Assembly's overwhelming approval of this and related resolutions on the Israel-Palestine conflict showed "why many people say the U.N is not really useful in solving actual problems." Truly it is cause for perplexity why the world won't follow the useful lead of the United States and Palau.
bottom line Rafie, is that Israel is the only one with the power to bring about the two state solution. all the bullshit semantics that you are trying to pull is really, at the end of the day, just another ploy that is used to divert attention from Israel's crimes, and to try to distract people from the real issue.
Israel has chosen war and occupation.
How exactly has Hamas accepted the two state solution if since it's founding they have refused to recognize Israels right to exist?
As for the settlements in the west bank, most of the building done there are for natural population increase. For example, someone who has lived in one of these settlements his whole life and recently got married. This person wants to keep living in the town he has lived in his whole life but can not build a home for his family? Or the building of day care centers for the increasing number of children in these settlements. The building in these settlements is very rarely for new residents that are moving there from out side of the west bank.
As for the bottom line you stated, you do realize that in order for a two state solution to happen, both sides need to sit down at a table together, discuss the issues and make sarafices. As I wrote above, the Palestinians have recently refused several Israeli invitations to start direct peace talks with no pre-conditions.
2010: 9/7/10 - Bilbao
2012: 26-27/6/12 - Amsterdam ~~ 29/6/12 - Werchter ~~ 4-5/7/12 - Berlin
2014: 25/6/14 - Vienna ~~ 26/6/14 - Berlin
Haven't the continued efforts for peace since the oslo accords, giving them full control over extensive areas in the west bank and the such, been a recognition for the Palestinians right to exist?
Or are you implying that this has just been some kind of stall tactic?
You really need to start backing up your statements with facts and not just illusions.
2010: 9/7/10 - Bilbao
2012: 26-27/6/12 - Amsterdam ~~ 29/6/12 - Werchter ~~ 4-5/7/12 - Berlin
2014: 25/6/14 - Vienna ~~ 26/6/14 - Berlin
Yeah, heaven forbid Israeli's ever have their human rights stripped away like the Palestinians' have been.
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jmgphotos/4731512142/" title="PJ Banner2 by Mister J Photography, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1135/4731512142_258f2d6ab4_b.jpg" width="630" height="112" alt="PJ Banner2" /></a>
oh? are you sure about that??
http://www.btselem.org/english/Settleme ... ration.asp
Encouragement of migration to the settlements
The Israeli governments have implemented a consistent and systematic policy intended to encourage Jewish citizens to migrate to the West Bank. One of the tools used to this end is to grant financial benefits and incentives to citizens - both directly and through the Jewish local authorities. The purpose of this support is to raise the standard of living of these citizens and to encourage migration to the West Bank.
Most of the settlements in the West Bank are defined as national priority areas (A class or B class). Accordingly, the settlers and other Israeli citizens working or investing in the settlements are entitled to significant financial benefits. These benefits are provided by six government ministries: the Ministry of Construction and Housing (generous loans for the purchase of apartments, part of which is converted to a grant); the Israel Lands Administration (significant price reductions in leasing land); the Ministry of Education (incentives for teachers, exemption from tuition fees in kindergartens, and free transportation to school); the Ministry of Industry and Trade (grants for investors, infrastructure for industrial zones, etc.); the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs (incentives for social workers); and the Ministry of Finance (reductions in income tax for individuals and companies). In 2003, the Ministry of Finance cancelled the income tax reduction that residents of settlements previously received.
The Ministry of the Interior provides increased grants for the local authorities in the territories relative to those provided for communities within Israel. In the year 2000, the average per capita grant in the Jewish local councils in the West Bank was approximately sixty-five percent higher than the average per capita grant in local councils inside Israel. The discrepancy in the grants for the regional councils is even greater: the average per capita grant in 2000 in the regional councils in the West Bank was 165 percent of that for a resident of a regional council inside Israel.
One of the mechanisms used by the government to favor the Jewish local authorities in the West Bank, in comparison with local authorities inside Israel, is to channel funding through the Settlement Division of the World Zionist Organization. Although the entire budget of the Settlement Division comes from state funds, as a non-governmental body it is not subject to the rules applying to government ministries in Israel.
http://www.peacenow.org.il/site/en/peac ... docid=2175
The general package of incentives provided to settlers is described in detail in a report by Israel’s premier human rights organization, B’tselem, entitled “Land Grab” (chapter 5, pp.57-67). B’tselem notes:
“…all Israeli governments have implemented a vigorous and systematic policy to encourage Israeli citizens to move from Israel to the West Bank. As shown in this chapter, one of the main tools used to realize this policy is the provision of significant financial benefits and incentives. For the purpose of this discussion, a distinction will be made between two types of benefits and incentives granted by the government: support granted directly to citizens by defining settlements as ‘national priority areas,’ and support granted to local authorities in the West Bank (i.e., to the settlements) in a manner that favors these settlements in comparison to local authorities inside Israel.”
With respect to the settlements’ designation as “national priority areas,” B’tselem notes that “national priority areas” are, at least in theory, supposed to be principally places where “the scope of opportunities of citizens residing in the peripheral areas is in many respects limited by comparison to that in the center [e.g., near Tel Aviv].” However, many settlements located in decidedly non-peripheral areas – i.e., near Jerusalem, close to the Green Line, or in close proximity to Tel Aviv or other Israeli population/employment centers – are designated as “national priority areas.” B’tselem concludes that “it would seem that the factor determining the inclusion of most of the settlements on the map is not the ‘limited opportunities’ available to the settlers due to the distance from the center of Israel, but rather the desire to encourage Israeli citizens to move to the West Bank for political reasons.”
B’tselem provides a detailed description of how, under this designation, settlers are granted benefits and incentives from various government ministries, including:
• the Ministry of Housing and Construction (providing, among other things, financial assistance to help people purchase or build in settlements, including in some cases loans which convert partly into grants after a set number of years);
• the Israel Lands Administration (providing discounts on land);
• the Ministry of Education (providing incentives to teachers and subsidizing education costs);
• the Ministry of Trade and Industry (providing substantial grants and tax benefits (corporate and individual) to “approved enterprises” as well as underwriting the costs to establish and maintain industrial zones);
• the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs (providing benefits to social workers similar to those provided to teachers by the Ministry of Education); and
• the Ministry of Finance (providing, until 2003, substantial income tax breaks to settlers, with most settlers getting a 7% income tax break).
In addition, benefits and incentives are provided through local authorities – municipalities, and local/regional settlement councils. Looking at this basket of benefits, B’tselem concludes, “The research shows that throughout the 1990s, the Israeli government favored the local authorities in the Occupied Territories (and in the Golan Heights) in comparison to local authorities in Israel. Per capita financial transfers were 150 percent higher… As a result of the considerable government contribution, the residents of local authorities in the Occupied Territories were required to independently fund (through self-generated income) twenty-five percent less than the national average, and ten percent less than the average for development towns. In total, the per capita budget available to the local authorities in the Occupied Territories was more than forty percent higher than the national average throughout the 1990s, and approximately thirty percent higher than the average for the development towns.”
Tax breaks for settlers were further detailed in an article in Ha’aretz entitled “Decades of tax breaks for the settler population,” published September 25, 2003. That article noted:
“The annual report on state revenues for 2001 is the first - and so far the only - publicly accessible document…to provide a detailed description of the income tax benefits granted over the years to the settlers (and also to residents of northern Israel and the Negev). The document also notes that these benefits are granted for ideological reasons…Israeli governments have justified providing tax breaks to certain communities that are located in outlying areas or lack a solid socioeconomic foundation. This is not always the case with the settlements. Many of the Jewish communities in the territories are located close to the center of Israel (‘Five minutes from Kfar Sava,’ ‘Five minutes from Jerusalem’) and their economic situation is sometimes much better than the national average. The report for 2001 states that the total income tax benefits for settlers that year was NIS 130 million. The number of taxpayers in the territories was 36,320, including 34,430 in the West Bank and 1,980 in the Gaza Strip. The average benefit per taxpayer in the West Bank was NIS 6,456 a year (or about NIS 540 per month), compared to NIS 8,834 a year (about NIS 750 per month) in the Gaza Strip.”
For the most part these incentives have not changed, other than the cancellation in 2003 of the 7% income tax break that most settlers have traditionally enjoyed. This 7% income tax break is still relevant to the discussion of quality-of-life settlers, since most of quality-of-life settlers moved to the settlements when the tax break was still in effect (and was expected to remain in effect).
n addition to these traditional benefits and incentives, a new subsidy was recently announced. On January 1, 2007, the Israeli mass circulation newspaper Ma’ariv reported that the government of Israel has allocated special funding in the 2007 budget to compensate Israeli industry and agriculture in the West Bank (including East Jerusalem) and the Golan Heights. The funding is intended to compensate settlers for commercial losses that may result from a European Union policy that excludes goods produced in settlements from the tariff-free status that Israeli products enjoy under commercial treaties Israel has signed with the EU. The EU had threatened to impose a tariff on all exports from Israel if the government of Israel did not agree to clearly mark products coming from settlements as such. With these new Israeli government subsidies, the government of Israel (and Israeli taxpayers) is making sure that the settlers do not suffer from this European “discrimination.” This funding totals 26 million New Israeli Shekels (NIS) [around $6 million], of which NIS 20 million will be allocated by the Ministry of Industry, Trade, and Labor (to compensate factories and industrialists), NIS 1 million will be allocated by the Agriculture Ministry, reportedly mainly for farmers in the Jordan Valley and Golan Heights, and the remaining NIS 5 million will be allocated by the Finance Ministry.
:roll: :roll: :roll: :roll: :roll: :roll: :roll: :roll: :roll: :roll: :roll: :roll: :roll: :roll:
oh and hamas has said they will recognize israel if they move back to the '67 borders but we all know israel will never do that
what are you but my reflection? who am i to judge or strike you down?
"I will promise you this, that if we have not gotten our troops out by the time I am president, it is the first thing I will do. I will get our troops home. We will bring an end to this war. You can take that to the bank." - Barack Obama
when you told me 'if you can't beat 'em, join 'em'
i was thinkin 'death before dishonor'
As for the withdrawing to the 1967 borders, I personally do not believe Israel should do this. As I stated numerous times above, A lasting peace is achieved by both sides making concessions. Withdrawing to the 1967 borders is Israel making all the concessions while the Palestinians make none (as far as land goes).
2010: 9/7/10 - Bilbao
2012: 26-27/6/12 - Amsterdam ~~ 29/6/12 - Werchter ~~ 4-5/7/12 - Berlin
2014: 25/6/14 - Vienna ~~ 26/6/14 - Berlin
especially considering the land belonged to the Palestinians pre 1967.
Israel wouldn't be making all the concessions....its land they have stolen. People want their homes back, that's all.
It's actually land that belonged to the Jordanians pre 1967 and they did not want it back when Jordan and Israel signed their peace treaty. As for the "stealing land", one of the main outcomes of almost every war ever fought has been border changes, What makes this one so special?
2010: 9/7/10 - Bilbao
2012: 26-27/6/12 - Amsterdam ~~ 29/6/12 - Werchter ~~ 4-5/7/12 - Berlin
2014: 25/6/14 - Vienna ~~ 26/6/14 - Berlin
When your goal is peace (and according to Israel peace is the goal yeah?) and when the only thing preventing you from attaining that goal is to withdraw from recently conquered territory...logic (fucking gradeschool logic) tells us Israel should withdraw from said territory.
Israels' hysteric reaction to nonexistent threat is telling, should we be giving this country $3 billion a year in weaponry? Should we have given them nukes? Israeli s clearly unstable.
i assume you understand who B'stelem are? but for the benefit of anyone else who may be reading this thread, and doesn't know, here you go.
B'TSELEM - The Israeli Information Center for Human Rights in the Occupied Territories was established in 1989 by a group of prominent academics, attorneys, journalists, and Knesset members. It endeavors to document and educate the Israeli public and policymakers about human rights violations in the Occupied Territories, combat the phenomenon of denial prevalent among the Israeli public, and help create a human rights culture in Israel.
As an Israeli human rights organization, B'Tselem acts primarily to change Israeli policy in the Occupied Territories and ensure that its government, which rules the Occupied Territories, protects the human rights of residents there and complies with its obligations under international law.
B'Tselem is independent and is funded by contributions from foundations in Europe and North America that support human rights activity worldwide, and by private individuals in Israel and abroad.
B'Tselem has attained a prominent place among human rights organizations. In December, 1989 it received the Carter-Menil Award for Human Rights. Its reports have gained B'Tselem a reputation for accuracy, and the Israeli authorities relate to them seriously. B'Tselem ensures the reliability of information it publishes by conducting its own fieldwork and research, the results of which are thoroughly cross-checked with relevant documents, official government sources, and information from other sources, among them Israeli, Palestinian, and other human rights organizations
Triumphant angel, where exactly did I say Bezelem were lying? Re-read the article pepe posted. It talk about the incentives, but does not state if these incentives actually succeed in bringing new residents to the area.
2010: 9/7/10 - Bilbao
2012: 26-27/6/12 - Amsterdam ~~ 29/6/12 - Werchter ~~ 4-5/7/12 - Berlin
2014: 25/6/14 - Vienna ~~ 26/6/14 - Berlin
unless of course you are suggesting the settlers are saying no to the incentives :roll: .
B’Tselem also reports that the settler population has tripled since 1993, from 110,000 to 301,200.
“Israel was supposed to begin implementing its road map obligations in May 2003,” the report says. “Since 2004, however, due to extensive construction in the settlements and the generous incentives Israel offers settlers, the settler population (not including those in east Jerusalem) grew by 28%, from 235,263 to 301,200 persons by the end of 2009.
In 2008, the annual growth of the settler population was three times greater than the natural growth of the population inside Israel – 5% as opposed to 1.8% respectively.”
http://www.jpost.com/International/Arti ... ?id=180563
Published 06/07/2010 13:14
Bethlehem - Ma'an -
Forty-two percent of the West Bank is governed by the illegal Israeli settlement councils, Israeli rights organization B'Tselem revealed in a new study about illegal Israeli settlements in the Palestinian territory of the West Bank, published Tuesday.
Released as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu prepares to meet with US President Barack Obama in Washington, the report By Hook and by Crook: Israel's Settlement Policy in the West Bank, uses government reports, Civil Administration maps and military documents to compile a picture of "the mechanisms used to gain Israeli control of land in the West Bank."
The publication came out one day after the Israeli newspaper Haaretz ran a report saying settlers were poised to build some 2,700 settlement units as soon as the 10-month partial settlement freeze on some West Bank settlements comes to an end at the close of September.
By cross-referencing Civil Administration data with 2009 aerial photos of settlements, B'Tselem said it found that a full 21% of the built-up areas of settlements are built on private Palestinian lands, recognized by the state as such.
"In taking over all of these lands, the settlement enterprise has, since its inception, treated international law, local legislation, Israeli military orders, and Israeli law in an instrumental, cynical, and even criminal manner," a statement from the report writers said, adding that the report proved false claims that Israel was only building on "state land" in the West Bank.
The report counted 300,000 setters living in 121 settlements and about one hundred outposts in the West Bank, and another 200,000 living in Jerusalem settlements, illegally annexed to Israel in the 1970s.
Dispelling myths about settlements
The B'Tselem report addressed several arguments made by the state of Israel and settlement supporters, using data to debunk the idea that settlements grew only to accommodate natural growth - citing a 20% increase of settler population despite a negative growth rate for Israel over the year - and illustrating several "benefits and incentives Israel provides to encourage Israelis to move to the settlements," the report said.
Underscoring an earlier problematic declaration of a settlement construction freeze, the report found that between 2004, when Israel said a freeze would be undertaken as part of the Road Map implementation, to 2009, the settler population grew by 28% not including growth in East Jerusalem.
The report further questioned the placement of settlements, saying allocation of 66% of settlements as "state land" was "only possible through a manipulative interpretation of all relevant laws in force in the West Bank."
B'Tselem numbers showed 900,000 dunams of land - 16% of the West Bank - was declared state land for the purpose of settlement construction, and explained that Israeli government interpretations of Ottoman Land Law, used to declare the area under the jurisdiction of the state, "contradicted explicit statutory provisions and judgments of the Mandatory Supreme Court."
According to the rights group, "[w]ithout this distorted interpretation, Israel would not have been able to allocate such extensive areas of land for the settlements."
Call for evacuation
Based on the findings of its latest report, lawyers and rights workers with B'Tselem called for the "Israeli government evacuate all the settlements, in a manner that respects the settlers’ human rights, including the payment of compensation."
The group said the settlements were an infringement of Palestinians’ human rights and a violation of international law, and suggested that until settlements can be evacuated, interim measures should be taken, including a "real freeze on new and planned construction," an end to land seizures, and cancellation of the benefits and incentives to encourage migration to the settlements.
http://www.aljazeerah.info/News/2010/Ju ... %20Law.htm
An End to Gaza's (Literally) Underground Economy
Jul 20 2010, 12:20 PM ET | Comment
RAFAH CITY, Gaza -- After a three-year absence from the store shelves of Gaza, a popular Israeli juice called Tibuzina reappeared recently, only to disappear again in less than an hour. Eager residents, it turned out, had called each other excitedly and rushed to the supermarket. Some got the word but showed up too late. The juice was gone.
Tibuzina is one among many Hebrew brand names that returned to Gaza's stores after Israel eased its economic siege of the territory in June, following its deadly raid on the Turkish flotilla. Gazans have flocked to buy the new goods, which they say are higher-quality and cheaper than what was previously available--contraband ferried through tunnels from Egypt.
But at the Egyptian border, in the heart of Gaza's tunnel industry, there's little if any rejoicing at the blockade's dismantlement. As Israeli consumer goods saturate Gaza's markets, the tunnels have lost their clientele. Smugglers understand that their days are numbered, but there's nothing to replace the jobs the industry provided.
"Work has run dry. Every day is getting worse and worse. It's the end of the tunnel period," says Abu Mohammad, a tunnel owner who has made millions from the industry. "It's not just me suffering. It's everyone in this business. ... No one knows what will happen to us."
Once the lifeline of the coastal enclave's economy, tunnels were set up as a workaround to the embargo Israel imposed after the Islamist group Hamas seized control of Gaza in 2007. At the industry's zenith in 2008 and 2009, approximately a thousand subterranean passageways snaked beneath the border to Egypt, transporting everything from potato chips to cars to weapons.
The resilient industry survived Israeli bombings, Egyptian gassing, and flooding. Days after the end of Israel's 22-day offensive in January 2009, activity in the tunnel zone was frenzied--generators hummed, pulleys screeched and loading trucks banged. Most recently, smugglers drilled through the steel subterranean wall Egypt began to construct last December.
Today, though, the tunnel district is eerily silent. Market traders have either bought Israeli or stalled orders in anticipation of new goods from the Jewish state. An estimated 10 percent of the tunnels are still operating, but even those work sporadically.
Most tunnels are concentrated about half a mile from the Egyptian border, in an area five miles long and less than two miles wide. They open up in neat rows, shaded by white and black plastic tents.
Abu Saber's tunnel is at the front line, closest to the Egyptian border. Rolls of smuggled iron sheet are stacked neatly at the passageway's entrance. The haul is Saber's first shipment in 10 days.
The sandy floor of his tunnel slopes downward, easing into the ground. Buttressed inside by iron walls, the tunnel is about five feet wide and high enough to walk only slightly hunched. Inside, it's muggy and dank, pungent with the smell of earth and human sweat.
Before the blockade was eased, Saber's tunnel, like many others, operated 24 hours a day, seven days a week and employed 10-12 people for each 12-hour shift, carting everything from chocolate to refrigerators. Now, Saber says, he's barely making enough hauling iron, steel, and ceramics--products that remain embargoed. And even profits on those have dropped dramatically.
"Before one ton of iron sold for $400 [U.S.], now it goes for between $150 and $200. These prices are not good enough for labor and expenses," Abu Saber laments.
Tunnel proprietorship costs. Owners say they spent between $150,000 and $500,000 to construct a tunnel and then another $2,600 to the local municipality for a license. Each month, $300 goes to electricity and water. They pay labor about $25 per shift. Maintenance adds up to between $2,000 and $3,000 a month. There are tunnel courts where laborers can take their employers if they don't pay salaries.
"The municipality treats the tunnels as a priority," says Issa El Nashar, mayor of Rafah City. "Like any other industry, it needs services and it needs facilities." The municipality provides power and water to the tunnels. Meanwhile, Hamas taxes cigarettes and fuel.