UN Condemns Collective Punishment of Gaza
World's Silence Is Deafening | 19.01.2008 22:15 | Anti-racism | World
ALERT: Annapolis a Charade: Israel Plots Massive Aggression
It's interesting to note that, while the Plant Spammed the site again, pretending to be someone else reposting old articles, he glaringly eliminates certain stories.
The timing is interesting, given the upcoming "Annapolis Conference", which serves to be about PR alone, as Olmert has already ruled out any Negotiations or Compromise in the name of peace.
If you follow the events surrounding Israel's "Disengagement" from Gaza, you will quickly understand that this was the plan all along. While Israel was making a public spectacle of "forcing Jews to leave their homes", it was quietly surrounding the Strip with artillery emplacements, in an operation ominously named "First Rain".
Under this operation, Gaza basically became a "Free-Fire Zone", and several artillery and gunship strikes killed a high number of civilians. Finally, when one of these batteries fired upon and murdered a Palestinian family - picnicking on a beach that had been Segregated "Jews Only" only weeks before, Hamas finally decided to call an end to its unilateral, two-year cease-fire.
(In essence, they took Israel's bait. After all, you can't excuse your Aggression and label it "defense" if you're not being intermittently attacked. Never mind the hypocrisy underlying the entire media's framing of that whole debate ...)
When the Palestinians responded by electing Hamas to power (yes, elected), Israeli Extremists and their Ideological, bought foreign co-conspirators imposed unilateral sanctions on Gaza, a bit of Collective Punishment which increased the hardship of those stuck in the world's largest Concentration Camp.
When they felt Gaza had been substantially weakened, the US and Israel undertook a Coup attempt, using corrupt elements within the Fatah Party, provoking a violent response by Hamas, which expelled the group. Most of the world's media ignored the events leading to this "crisis", and instead only repeated the Propaganda emanating from the US and Israel, which used this to further increase sanctions against Gaza.
Most recently, Israel stepped up its Collective Punishment, except that human rights groups and legal advisors to the Government halted some of its approved measures, because they run contrary to International Humanitarian Law.
This was sold as another "response to rocket attacks" (again highlighting the hypocrisy of the debate's Framing - are the Palestinians allowed to defend themselves from strikes which actually KILL people ... ?), even though high-ranking officials said that this was NOT, in fact, a response to these attacks, but a way to "distance Israel from Gaza's infrastructure".
The real reason for this whole episode, of course, has been to "soften up" the Gaza Strip for a long-planned military attack, a way to undermine the resolve, and hopefully rid this territory of Palestinians altogether.
http://www.winnipeg.indymedia.org/item.php?8076S
It's interesting to note that, while the Plant Spammed the site again, pretending to be someone else reposting old articles, he glaringly eliminates certain stories.
The timing is interesting, given the upcoming "Annapolis Conference", which serves to be about PR alone, as Olmert has already ruled out any Negotiations or Compromise in the name of peace.
If you follow the events surrounding Israel's "Disengagement" from Gaza, you will quickly understand that this was the plan all along. While Israel was making a public spectacle of "forcing Jews to leave their homes", it was quietly surrounding the Strip with artillery emplacements, in an operation ominously named "First Rain".
Under this operation, Gaza basically became a "Free-Fire Zone", and several artillery and gunship strikes killed a high number of civilians. Finally, when one of these batteries fired upon and murdered a Palestinian family - picnicking on a beach that had been Segregated "Jews Only" only weeks before, Hamas finally decided to call an end to its unilateral, two-year cease-fire.
(In essence, they took Israel's bait. After all, you can't excuse your Aggression and label it "defense" if you're not being intermittently attacked. Never mind the hypocrisy underlying the entire media's framing of that whole debate ...)
When the Palestinians responded by electing Hamas to power (yes, elected), Israeli Extremists and their Ideological, bought foreign co-conspirators imposed unilateral sanctions on Gaza, a bit of Collective Punishment which increased the hardship of those stuck in the world's largest Concentration Camp.
When they felt Gaza had been substantially weakened, the US and Israel undertook a Coup attempt, using corrupt elements within the Fatah Party, provoking a violent response by Hamas, which expelled the group. Most of the world's media ignored the events leading to this "crisis", and instead only repeated the Propaganda emanating from the US and Israel, which used this to further increase sanctions against Gaza.
Most recently, Israel stepped up its Collective Punishment, except that human rights groups and legal advisors to the Government halted some of its approved measures, because they run contrary to International Humanitarian Law.
This was sold as another "response to rocket attacks" (again highlighting the hypocrisy of the debate's Framing - are the Palestinians allowed to defend themselves from strikes which actually KILL people ... ?), even though high-ranking officials said that this was NOT, in fact, a response to these attacks, but a way to "distance Israel from Gaza's infrastructure".
The real reason for this whole episode, of course, has been to "soften up" the Gaza Strip for a long-planned military attack, a way to undermine the resolve, and hopefully rid this territory of Palestinians altogether.
http://www.winnipeg.indymedia.org/item.php?8076S
Collective punishment for Gaza is wrong -U.N.
Fri Jan 18, 2008 6:30pm EST
By Louis Charbonneau
UNITED NATIONS, Jan 18 (Reuters) - Israel has a right to respond to security threats but should not collectively punish the Gaza population for rocket attacks from the Palestinian territory, the U.N. humanitarian affairs chief said on Friday.
The United Nations also criticized Israel's decision to close all border crossings with Gaza, preventing delivery of a U.N. aid shipment to the territory's 1.5 million people, most of whom depend on foreign aid.
"We all understand the security problems and the need to respond to that but collective punishment of the people of Gaza is not, we believe, the appropriate way to do that," said John Holmes, undersecretary-general for Humanitarian Affairs.
The deputy head of Israel's mission to the United Nations, Daniel Carmon, told Reuters Israel's actions were "what any responsible government would do when it is confronted as we are with this surge of violence and terrorism."
He gave no indication of when the closure would end.
U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called "for an immediate cessation of Palestinian sniper and rocket attacks into Israel, and for maximum restraint on the part of the Israel Defence Forces," spokeswoman Michel Montas said in a statement.
Israel has killed at least 33 Palestinians in Gaza this week as part of what it describes as a stepped-up campaign to force Hamas to rein in militants who have fired more than 110 rockets into the Jewish state in the last three days alone.
It bombed the Hamas-run Interior Ministry in Gaza on Friday, killing one woman and injuring at least 30 others who were nearby, medical officials said.
Holmes said he was worried about the sealing of the border crossings because "they are the lifeline for the delivery of humanitarian assistance and other goods to Gaza."
U.N. PRESSURE ON ISRAEL AND HAMAS
Ban joined Holmes in urging Israel to end the closure, saying it cut off the population from fuel supplies needed to pump water and generate electricity for homes and hospitals.
"The closure will also cause further shortages of food, medical and relief items in the Gaza Strip," he said.
Holmes said the Israeli response was unwarranted.
"This kind of action against the people in Gaza cannot be justified, even by those rocket attacks," he said.
Carmon said Israel was "very much aware of the humanitarian situation in Gaza." The Israeli government has said that humanitarian goods would be allowed into the territory.
Holmes also urged the Palestinian militant group Hamas, which seized control of Gaza last June, to use its authority to put an end to the attacks against Israel.
"I'm calling on the Hamas leaders ... to do whatever they can to stop these attacks because they claim to be in control of Gaza there," Holmes said. "Therefore they have a responsibility to stop the attacks."
Israel has imposed strict curbs on non-humanitarian supplies to Gaza since Hamas's takeover.
But many essentials have been getting in, either with Israeli approval or through smuggling, though supplies are limited and prices have risen steeply.
Holmes said he worried the violence in Gaza could spin out of control, making a dire humanitarian situation even worse.
"I believe it is a (humanitarian) crisis already," he said. (Editing by Bill Trott)
http://www.reuters.com/article/latestCrisis/idUSN18343083
As Predicted: Gaza Reoccupation Planned
http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2008/01/388658.html
As Predicted: Israel Attacks Gaza
http://alaanasnews.blogspot.com/2007/12/as-predicted-israel-attacks-gaza.html
Gaza Food Supplies 'Getting Worse by the Day'
http://winnipeg.indymedia.org/item.php?10015S
Israel Destroys Gaza Interior Ministry, Blocks UN Aid
http://today.reuters.com/news/articlenews.aspx?type=topNews&storyid=2008-01-18T144241Z_01_L17306267_RTRUKOC_0_US-PALESTINIANS-ISRAEL.xml
Probe: At Least Half of Palestinians Killed by IDF Were Civilians
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/944276.html
Israeli Attacks on Palestinians, Killings, Doubled Since Annapolis
http://www.uruknet.de/?p=m40008&hd=&size=1&l=e
Fri Jan 18, 2008 6:30pm EST
By Louis Charbonneau
UNITED NATIONS, Jan 18 (Reuters) - Israel has a right to respond to security threats but should not collectively punish the Gaza population for rocket attacks from the Palestinian territory, the U.N. humanitarian affairs chief said on Friday.
The United Nations also criticized Israel's decision to close all border crossings with Gaza, preventing delivery of a U.N. aid shipment to the territory's 1.5 million people, most of whom depend on foreign aid.
"We all understand the security problems and the need to respond to that but collective punishment of the people of Gaza is not, we believe, the appropriate way to do that," said John Holmes, undersecretary-general for Humanitarian Affairs.
The deputy head of Israel's mission to the United Nations, Daniel Carmon, told Reuters Israel's actions were "what any responsible government would do when it is confronted as we are with this surge of violence and terrorism."
He gave no indication of when the closure would end.
U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called "for an immediate cessation of Palestinian sniper and rocket attacks into Israel, and for maximum restraint on the part of the Israel Defence Forces," spokeswoman Michel Montas said in a statement.
Israel has killed at least 33 Palestinians in Gaza this week as part of what it describes as a stepped-up campaign to force Hamas to rein in militants who have fired more than 110 rockets into the Jewish state in the last three days alone.
It bombed the Hamas-run Interior Ministry in Gaza on Friday, killing one woman and injuring at least 30 others who were nearby, medical officials said.
Holmes said he was worried about the sealing of the border crossings because "they are the lifeline for the delivery of humanitarian assistance and other goods to Gaza."
U.N. PRESSURE ON ISRAEL AND HAMAS
Ban joined Holmes in urging Israel to end the closure, saying it cut off the population from fuel supplies needed to pump water and generate electricity for homes and hospitals.
"The closure will also cause further shortages of food, medical and relief items in the Gaza Strip," he said.
Holmes said the Israeli response was unwarranted.
"This kind of action against the people in Gaza cannot be justified, even by those rocket attacks," he said.
Carmon said Israel was "very much aware of the humanitarian situation in Gaza." The Israeli government has said that humanitarian goods would be allowed into the territory.
Holmes also urged the Palestinian militant group Hamas, which seized control of Gaza last June, to use its authority to put an end to the attacks against Israel.
"I'm calling on the Hamas leaders ... to do whatever they can to stop these attacks because they claim to be in control of Gaza there," Holmes said. "Therefore they have a responsibility to stop the attacks."
Israel has imposed strict curbs on non-humanitarian supplies to Gaza since Hamas's takeover.
But many essentials have been getting in, either with Israeli approval or through smuggling, though supplies are limited and prices have risen steeply.
Holmes said he worried the violence in Gaza could spin out of control, making a dire humanitarian situation even worse.
"I believe it is a (humanitarian) crisis already," he said. (Editing by Bill Trott)
http://www.reuters.com/article/latestCrisis/idUSN18343083 As Predicted: Gaza Reoccupation Planned
http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2008/01/388658.html As Predicted: Israel Attacks Gaza
http://alaanasnews.blogspot.com/2007/12/as-predicted-israel-attacks-gaza.html Gaza Food Supplies 'Getting Worse by the Day'
http://winnipeg.indymedia.org/item.php?10015S Israel Destroys Gaza Interior Ministry, Blocks UN Aid
http://today.reuters.com/news/articlenews.aspx?type=topNews&storyid=2008-01-18T144241Z_01_L17306267_RTRUKOC_0_US-PALESTINIANS-ISRAEL.xml Probe: At Least Half of Palestinians Killed by IDF Were Civilians
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/944276.html Israeli Attacks on Palestinians, Killings, Doubled Since Annapolis
http://www.uruknet.de/?p=m40008&hd=&size=1&l=e
World's Silence Is Deafening
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