Israel counted Gaza calorie needs during blockade
gimmesometruth27
St. Fuckin Louis Posts: 23,303
in the blockade of gaza, isreal calculated how many calories were necessary per person specifically to avoid being accused of causing a humanitarian crisis. calorie limits.... why does that sound familiar??? because nazi germany used calorie limits as well. i would think that if anyone would be above that sort of thing it would be the israeli government. this article just shows how terrible the blockade was, and still is.
mitt romney once said that israel's economy bested that of palestine "because of their culture". he failed to mention how a blockade will destroy an entire economy....
Israel counted Gaza calorie needs during blockade
http://news.yahoo.com/israel-counted-ga ... 32958.html
..
JERUSALEM (AP) — Israeli authorities blockading the Gaza Strip in 2008 went so far as to calculate how many calories would be needed to avert a humanitarian disaster in the impoverished Palestinian territory, according to a newly declassified military document.
The military said Wednesday the guidelines were never implemented. However critics rejected the claim, saying the document was new evidence that Israel used food as a pressure tactic to try to force Gaza's Hamas rulers from power — a strategy that ultimately failed.
Israel maintained a strict blockade over Gaza from 2007-2010. During that time, Israel limited food supplies entering Gaza and maintained a baffling list of items that were banned or permitted as part of a broader effort to topple the violently anti-Israel Hamas by squeezing the economy.
In the January 2008 document, Israel determined how to ensure that Gazans eat 2,279 calories of food each day, a figure in line with World Health Organization guidelines.
It broke down the calorie allocation by various food groups, and in minute details. It said that males aged 11 to 50 required 316.05 grams of meat per day, and women in the same age group needed 190.47 grams of flour. The analysis also included adjustments for locally grown farm products as well as an assessment of the kinds of food imports that would be needed to sustain the population.
Israeli military spokesman Maj. Guy Inbar said these calculations were not meant to punish the people of Gaza. Instead, he described them as safeguards that helped to identify when goods were in short supply and a humanitarian crisis might be nearing.
"A mathematical formula was devised to identify food needs and avert a humanitarian crisis in Gaza," he said. Israel never used the calculation to restrict the flow of food to Gaza, he added.
Israel's Defense Ministry resisted years of attempts to release the guidelines, and consented only after an Israeli advocacy group, Gisha, won a Supreme Court order.
Gisha contends that Israel calculated the calorie needs for Gaza's population in order to restrict the quantities of goods and basic products it allowed in during the first three years after Hamas violently overran the territory.
The Israeli government imposed the blockade on Gaza after identifying it as a "hostile territory" in September 2007, three months after the takeover by Hamas, an armed, Iranian-backed group committed to Israel's destruction. Hamas has killed hundreds of Israelis in suicide bombings and other attacks and both Israel and the U.S. consider it a terrorist group.
In a government resolution on the blockade, Israel called for restrictions on the movement of civilians and goods in and out of the territory and to reduce the supply of fuel and electricity. The resolution, which noted repeated rocket attacks launched from Gaza, said Israel would strive "to avoid a humanitarian crisis."
Critics say the policy amounted to collective punishment of Gaza's already impoverished population of more than 1.5 million.
"The official goal of the policy was to wage 'economic warfare' which would paralyze Gaza's economy and, according to the Defense Ministry, create pressure on the Hamas government," Gisha said in a release Wednesday.
Israel controls the only official cargo crossings into Gaza, and greatly limited the flow of goods into the territory following the Hamas takeover. Israeli officials have said the flow of goods was often limited because of frequent Palestinian attacks on the crossings.
As part of its policy, Israel used odd, secret guidelines to differentiate between humanitarian necessities and nonessential luxuries. The result was that military bureaucrats enforcing the blockade allowed frozen salmon and low-fat yogurt into the Hamas-ruled territory, but not cilantro or instant coffee.
Gisha's director, Sari Bashi, said official military documents from that period indicate that the Israeli guidelines on calorie intake were in fact the basis of policy.
For example, the guidelines recommend allowing 300 calves into Gaza each week to fulfill the territory's meat needs. In a September 2008 court case, the government rejected a request by an importer to bring more calves into Gaza, saying 300 animals were sufficient, using an identical figure from the guidelines.
"Whether or not the document was a draft, it reflects the calculations that were used to set the policy," Bashi said. "The policy clearly restricted food."
In a U.S. diplomatic cable released by Wikileaks last year, American diplomats quoted their Israeli colleagues as saying the blockade was meant to push the area's economy "to the brink of collapse."
The embargo crippled Gaza's economy and wiped out tens of thousands of jobs by banning raw materials and suffocating trade. Gaza also frequently suffered from shortages of basic consumer goods.
Hamas mitigated ithe blockade's effect by building a network of underground tunnels to bring in food, weapons and other contraband from Egypt, at inflated prices.
Despite the shortages and hardship, at no point did observers identify a nutritional crisis developing in the territory, whose residents rely overwhelmingly on international food aid. Hamas remains firmly in control of Gaza.
In Gaza, Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhoum said the document was "evidence that the Gaza blockade was planned and the target was not Hamas or the government as the occupation always claimed. This blockade targeted all human beings. ... This document should be used to try the occupation for their crimes against the humanity in Gaza."
Israel's blockade was suddenly forced into the international spotlight after Israeli naval commandoes carried out a deadly raid on a Gaza-bound international flotilla that sought to breach the embargo in May 2010.
Under heavy international pressure, Israel significantly eased the land blockade, allowing consumer goods to move into Gaza freely.
Construction materials are still largely barred from entering, on the ground that Gaza militants could use items such as pipes and concrete to attack Israel. A naval blockade also remains in effect, which Israel says is necessary to prevent weapons smuggling at sea. Exports remain heavily restricted.
"Israel never saw the people of Gaza as our enemy," said Israeli government spokesman Mark Regev. "On the contrary, we saw them as victims of the extremist Hamas regime, a regime that places its very radical agenda above and beyond the interest of the people of Gaza."
..
mitt romney once said that israel's economy bested that of palestine "because of their culture". he failed to mention how a blockade will destroy an entire economy....
Israel counted Gaza calorie needs during blockade
http://news.yahoo.com/israel-counted-ga ... 32958.html
..
JERUSALEM (AP) — Israeli authorities blockading the Gaza Strip in 2008 went so far as to calculate how many calories would be needed to avert a humanitarian disaster in the impoverished Palestinian territory, according to a newly declassified military document.
The military said Wednesday the guidelines were never implemented. However critics rejected the claim, saying the document was new evidence that Israel used food as a pressure tactic to try to force Gaza's Hamas rulers from power — a strategy that ultimately failed.
Israel maintained a strict blockade over Gaza from 2007-2010. During that time, Israel limited food supplies entering Gaza and maintained a baffling list of items that were banned or permitted as part of a broader effort to topple the violently anti-Israel Hamas by squeezing the economy.
In the January 2008 document, Israel determined how to ensure that Gazans eat 2,279 calories of food each day, a figure in line with World Health Organization guidelines.
It broke down the calorie allocation by various food groups, and in minute details. It said that males aged 11 to 50 required 316.05 grams of meat per day, and women in the same age group needed 190.47 grams of flour. The analysis also included adjustments for locally grown farm products as well as an assessment of the kinds of food imports that would be needed to sustain the population.
Israeli military spokesman Maj. Guy Inbar said these calculations were not meant to punish the people of Gaza. Instead, he described them as safeguards that helped to identify when goods were in short supply and a humanitarian crisis might be nearing.
"A mathematical formula was devised to identify food needs and avert a humanitarian crisis in Gaza," he said. Israel never used the calculation to restrict the flow of food to Gaza, he added.
Israel's Defense Ministry resisted years of attempts to release the guidelines, and consented only after an Israeli advocacy group, Gisha, won a Supreme Court order.
Gisha contends that Israel calculated the calorie needs for Gaza's population in order to restrict the quantities of goods and basic products it allowed in during the first three years after Hamas violently overran the territory.
The Israeli government imposed the blockade on Gaza after identifying it as a "hostile territory" in September 2007, three months after the takeover by Hamas, an armed, Iranian-backed group committed to Israel's destruction. Hamas has killed hundreds of Israelis in suicide bombings and other attacks and both Israel and the U.S. consider it a terrorist group.
In a government resolution on the blockade, Israel called for restrictions on the movement of civilians and goods in and out of the territory and to reduce the supply of fuel and electricity. The resolution, which noted repeated rocket attacks launched from Gaza, said Israel would strive "to avoid a humanitarian crisis."
Critics say the policy amounted to collective punishment of Gaza's already impoverished population of more than 1.5 million.
"The official goal of the policy was to wage 'economic warfare' which would paralyze Gaza's economy and, according to the Defense Ministry, create pressure on the Hamas government," Gisha said in a release Wednesday.
Israel controls the only official cargo crossings into Gaza, and greatly limited the flow of goods into the territory following the Hamas takeover. Israeli officials have said the flow of goods was often limited because of frequent Palestinian attacks on the crossings.
As part of its policy, Israel used odd, secret guidelines to differentiate between humanitarian necessities and nonessential luxuries. The result was that military bureaucrats enforcing the blockade allowed frozen salmon and low-fat yogurt into the Hamas-ruled territory, but not cilantro or instant coffee.
Gisha's director, Sari Bashi, said official military documents from that period indicate that the Israeli guidelines on calorie intake were in fact the basis of policy.
For example, the guidelines recommend allowing 300 calves into Gaza each week to fulfill the territory's meat needs. In a September 2008 court case, the government rejected a request by an importer to bring more calves into Gaza, saying 300 animals were sufficient, using an identical figure from the guidelines.
"Whether or not the document was a draft, it reflects the calculations that were used to set the policy," Bashi said. "The policy clearly restricted food."
In a U.S. diplomatic cable released by Wikileaks last year, American diplomats quoted their Israeli colleagues as saying the blockade was meant to push the area's economy "to the brink of collapse."
The embargo crippled Gaza's economy and wiped out tens of thousands of jobs by banning raw materials and suffocating trade. Gaza also frequently suffered from shortages of basic consumer goods.
Hamas mitigated ithe blockade's effect by building a network of underground tunnels to bring in food, weapons and other contraband from Egypt, at inflated prices.
Despite the shortages and hardship, at no point did observers identify a nutritional crisis developing in the territory, whose residents rely overwhelmingly on international food aid. Hamas remains firmly in control of Gaza.
In Gaza, Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhoum said the document was "evidence that the Gaza blockade was planned and the target was not Hamas or the government as the occupation always claimed. This blockade targeted all human beings. ... This document should be used to try the occupation for their crimes against the humanity in Gaza."
Israel's blockade was suddenly forced into the international spotlight after Israeli naval commandoes carried out a deadly raid on a Gaza-bound international flotilla that sought to breach the embargo in May 2010.
Under heavy international pressure, Israel significantly eased the land blockade, allowing consumer goods to move into Gaza freely.
Construction materials are still largely barred from entering, on the ground that Gaza militants could use items such as pipes and concrete to attack Israel. A naval blockade also remains in effect, which Israel says is necessary to prevent weapons smuggling at sea. Exports remain heavily restricted.
"Israel never saw the people of Gaza as our enemy," said Israeli government spokesman Mark Regev. "On the contrary, we saw them as victims of the extremist Hamas regime, a regime that places its very radical agenda above and beyond the interest of the people of Gaza."
..
"You can tell the greatness of a man by what makes him angry." - Lincoln
"Well, you tell him that I don't talk to suckas."
"Well, you tell him that I don't talk to suckas."
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Chomsky makes first-ever visit to Gaza, issues broadside against Israel
Renowned American academic, Noam Chomsky has reportedly called for an end to the Israeli-imposed siege on the Gaza Strip during his first-ever visit to the besieged coastal enclave.
On Thursday, Chomsky arrived in the territory where he was scheduled to attend a conference, called, “To End the Israeli Siege on Gaza," at Gaza Islamic University later in the day, Israeli paper The Jerusalem Post reported.
"The Palestinian people have a right to live peacefully and in freedom," said the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) professor, according to Jamal al-Khudari, a member of the Palestinian Legislative Council and the head of the university’s administrative board.
Chomsky, a prominent critic of the American foreign policy, reportedly entered Gaza through the territory’s Rafah crossing with Egypt.
In an interview with Press TV in June, Chomsky said Israel gets away with numerous violations of international law since it is a client of the US and therefore enjoys “total impunity.”
“…the United States has total impunity and that is inherited by its allies and clients,” said the American philosopher and linguist.
In May 2010, the Israeli regime barred Chomsky from entering Tel Aviv-occupied West Bank where he was to deliver a lecture. He finally had to broadcast his speech via video link from neighboring Jordan.
The American professor is scheduled to tour refugee camps during his visit.
Gaza has been suffering from a crippling Israel-imposed blockade since 2007, a situation which has faced the densely-populated territory with a decline in the standard of living, unprecedented levels of unemployment, and unrelenting poverty.
The Tel Aviv regime denies about 1.7 million people in Gaza their basic rights such as freedom of movement, jobs that pay proper wages, and adequate healthcare and education.
The Israeli military frequently bombs the coastal strip, saying the actions are being conducted for defensive purposes. However, disproportionate force is always used in violation of international law and civilians are often killed or injured.
"Well, you tell him that I don't talk to suckas."
I suppose it just boils down to the fact that most Americans don't give a shit, or are simply ignorant of what's going on over there. In much the same way as most Americans don't give a shit, or are ignorant about the fact that 75 million Iranians are suffering due to U.S imposed sanctions.
And it's also not surprising when you consider that even certain people here on this message board support Israeli terrorism, which involves daily verbal abuse, spitting, beatings, shootings, home demolitions, destruction of agricultural land, military incursions, and the bombing of residential areas.
And when the next 9/11 comes they'll blink and say "Why do they hate us?" And some idiot will blink back and say "Duh, It's because they're jealous of our freedoms!"
It's not exactly main stream news. But what is any more? :?
"Well, you tell him that I don't talk to suckas."
but, but......
http://www.foxnews.com/on-air/hannity/2 ... red-israel
http://dailycaller.com/2011/05/19/limba ... oy-itself/
http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2012/09/ ... don-obama/
"Well, you tell him that I don't talk to suckas."
Romney and Bibi are boys; it's amazing that Israel has an ounce of influence in our elections.
so the jewish culture is superior to the arab culture??? is that what mittens is saying??? i think someones magic underwear is a little too tight. can someone please give that man a history book... and maybe some silky boxers.
take a good look
this could be the day
hold my hand
lie beside me
i just need to say
Gaza-bound ship Estelle intercepted by Israeli forces
Israeli marines board the Estelle and direct it to port of Ashdod as 30 activists on board attempt to break Gaza blockade
David Batty and agencies
guardian.co.uk, Saturday 20 October 2012
Israeli forces have intercepted a boat carrying pro-Palestinian activists seeking to breach the naval blockade on Gaza.
A military spokeswoman said no one was hurt when marines boarded the Estelle, which was rerouted to Israel's southern Mediterranean port of Ashdod.
A campaigner said the boat had "come under attack" after being pursued by Israeli naval vessels.
Activists said they lost contact with the Swedish-owned, Finnish-flagged boat early on Saturday.
"The Estelle is now under attack. I have just had a message from them by phone. Some time ago, they said that they had military ships following them," Victoria Strand, a Stockholm-based spokeswoman for the Ship to Gaza Sweden campaign, told Agence France Presse (AFP).
She added that it was unclear what the activists onboard meant when they said they had been attacked.
The Estelle is carrying 30 activists from Europe, Canada and Israel, humanitarian cargo such as cement, and goodwill items such as children's books.
Israeli army radio reported that its naval forces had ordered the Estelle to halt its course.
The Estelle is the latest in a series of vessels manned by activist that have tried to challenged Israel's blockade on Gaza, imposed after Hamas seized power in 2007.
It left the Italian port of Naples on 7 October with about 20 people from eight countries on board.
Israel maintains a tight naval blockade of Gaza, which it maintains is necessary to prevent arms smuggling to Hamas and other Palestinian militants.
Palestinians describe the blockade as a collective punishment on Gaza's 1.6 million residents, and supporters abroad have mounted several attempts to break it by sea.
Nine Turkish activists were killed in May 2010 when Israeli naval commandos boarded their flotilla of six ships.
An inquiry into that incident commissioned by UN secretary-general, Ban Ki-moon, found that Israel's Gaza blockade was legal but criticised the navy for using excessive force.