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<a href="http://www.zcommunications.org/znet/viewArticle/18348" eudora="autourl">
http://www.zcommunications.org/znet/viewArticle/18348<br><br>
</a><b>Gaza Under Siege<br>
</b>August 05, 2008 By <b>Stephen Lendman</b> <br><br>
After Hamas' January 25, 2006 electoral victory, Israel targeted
Gaza oppressively. All outside aid was cut off. Sanctions and an economic
embargo were imposed, and the democratically elected government was
falsely called a terrorist organization and isolated. Stepped up
repression followed along with repeated IDF incursions, attacks,
killings, targeted assassinations, arrests, destruction of property and
more in a pattern all too familiar to Palestinians for over six decades.
Gazans are imprisoned in their own land and have been traumatized for
months. In June 2007, things got worse after Israel placed the Territory
under siege - described by some as medieval because of its extreme
harshness.<br>
<br>
On June 14, 2007, collaboratively with Israel and the US, Palestinian
Authority (PA) president Mahmoud Abbas declared a "state of
emergency," illegally dismissed Hamas prime minister Ismail Haniyeh
and his national unity government, and appointed his own prime minister
and new "emergency" cabinet. Authority is now split. Abbas runs
the West Bank. Hamas governs Gaza while Israel controls everything -
land, sea, air, movement inside and between the Territories, the
population registry, family unification, and all goods and services in
and from Occupied Palestine. Especially Gaza under siege for nearly 14
months and solely dependent on Israel for its fuel, electricity and gas.
Other essentials as well.<br>
<br>
Hamas remains isolated. It's called a "hostile entity," and
after last September 19 was squeezed by tightened sanctions. Electricity,
fuel and gas were reduced and intermittently cut off. So were supplies of
food, medicines, water and other essentials. Its industrial production
dropped 95%, and its agricultural output is about half its pre-2007
level. Nearly all construction also stopped, and according to a new UN
Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA)
report, poverty tops 50% and unemployment is nearly as high. Other
unofficial estimates say 80% for both is more accurate. Things are bad
and worsening.<br>
<br>
Shops are short of everything because Israel allows in only nine basic
materials. Their availability is spotty, and some essentials are banned
like:<br>
<br>
-- certain medicines; <br>
<br>
-- restricted food items like fruit, milk and other dairy products, wheat
flour, rice, sugar, salt, cooking oil, and frozen foods;<br>
<br>
-- cleaning materials;<br>
<br>
-- agricultural samplings; <br>
<br>
-- herbicides and pesticides; <br>
<br>
-- footwear; <br>
<br>
-- clothing; <br>
<br>
-- fabrics, threads, and buttons; <br>
<br>
-- construction materials: cement, tin, iron, plastic pipes, asbestos,
wood, nails, screws, wires, paint, etc.;<br>
<br>
-- spare parts and supplies for manufacturing goods;<br>
<br>
-- electrical appliances;<br>
<br>
-- office equipment and supplies;<br>
<br>
-- livestock and fodder;<br>
<br>
-- books;<br>
<br>
-- computers;<br>
<br>
-- telephones and mobiles;<br>
<br>
-- spare parts for communication devices;<br>
<br>
-- tobacco and cigarettes;<br>
<br>
-- beverages;<br>
<br>
-- all types of motor vehicles, including spare parts (batteries, tires,
engine oil, etc.);<br>
<br>
-- elevators and their spare parts; <br>
<br>
-- water pumps and their spare parts; and<br>
<br>
-- the import or export of raw materials for industry, construction and
agriculture - virtually everything a modern society needs to function and
survive.<br>
<br>
Compared to 9000 commodities imported before June 2007, now it's only 20.
People don't get enough to eat, and conditions keep getting worse. Even
fishing is restricted, idling thousands of local fishermen because anyone
in open waters risks detention and harassment.<br>
<br>
Power is in short supply - affecting hospitals, fresh water availability,
sanitation, and the functioning of daily life under conditions of extreme
duress. Families (including spouses) are also cut off. Some live in Gaza,
others in the West Bank and Israel, and all endure prolonged separation
after authorities prohibited travel from one area to the other and
imposed sweeping restrictions on Egyptian and Jordanian crossings. <br>
<br>
Earlier, family unification was denied after the Knesset passed the
Nationality and Entry into Israel Law (July 2003). It bars Palestinians
in the Territories with an Israeli spouse from getting citizenship or
residency status in Israel so families can live together. <br>
<br>
Thousands of married couples and their children are affected - forced to
remain apart or leave Israel. The new law solely targets Palestinians.
It's discriminatory, illegal, racist, unrelated to security, and one of
many collective punishment acts. Besides the law, Israeli Arabs married
to Gazans are barred from entering the Territory to visit families.<br>
<br>
Here's a brief snapshot of Gaza. It measures 360 square kilometers in
area or about half the size of Chicago for its 1.5 million residents - in
the world's largest and most congested open-air prison. Over 40% of them
live in eight densely overcrowded refugee camps, and in the best of
times, their conditions are inadequate, adverse and sometimes grim. Under
siege, they're intolerable.<br>
<br>
International law (including the 1949 Fourth Geneva Convention) obligates
occupying powers to protect civilian populations. Its Article 3(1)
specifically states: <br>
<br>
"Persons taking no active part in the hostilities, including members
of armed forces who have laid down their arms and those placed hors de
combat (out of action) by sickness, wounds, detention, or any other
cause, shall in all circumstances be treated humanely, without any
adverse distinction founded on race, colour, religion or faith, sex,
birth or wealth, or any other similar criteria."<br>
<br>
Israel disdains the law and disagrees. After its 2005
"disengagement," it denied all "responsibility for
Palestinians in the Gaza Strip" even though the argument is baseless
under international humanitarian and human rights laws. Their language
and interpretation are clear and require occupiers to ensure the safety
and welfare of people they "effective(ly) control" - even if
their forces have no fixed presence in their territory. Israeli security
forces have total control over Gaza and the West Bank and operate freely
in both Territories. They invade and maraud, secure their borders, key
points of entry, air space, and for Gaza its coastline and open
waters.<br>
<br>
Under Fourth Geneva law, Israel is obligated to protect all Palestinians
- especially the sick, wounded, children under 15, pregnant women, the
elderly, infirm and disabled. It must also allow free passage of food,
medicines and other essentials, let medical teams provide help, and
refrain from imposing collective punishment and de facto martial law. The
(1948) Universal Declaration of Human Rights goes further, and Israel is
a signatory. It recognizes the right of every person to freedom of
movement, work, an adequate standard of living, education, proper health
care, and a normal family life. Its Article 1 states that "All human
beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights" - including
ones under occupation or "effective(ly) control(led)" by
another state.<br>
<br>
Israeli Human Rights Violations<br>
<br>
In January 2008, John Dugard, the UN Human Rights Council's Special
Rapporteur on Palestine prepared a scathing indictment of Israel's human
rights violations. Leading human and civil rights organizations have
their own like the Association for Civil Rights in Israel (ACRI),
B'Tselem, the Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR), and the
Alternative Information Center (AIC). It's an "internationally
oriented, progressive, joint Palestinian - Israeli activist
organization" (disseminating) information, political advocacy,
grassroots activism and critical analysis of" Palestinian - Israeli
societies and the conflict.<br>
<br>
Its March 9, 2008 report is called: "The Gaza Strip: A Humanitarian
Implosion." Here are some highlights:<br>
<br>
-- Gaza conditions are the worst ever under occupation; they're entirely
"manmade," avoidable, and with political will reversible;<br>
<br>
-- Gazans are effectively imprisoned; movement in and out of the
Territory is "impossible;" food, water, health care, sewage
treatment, sanitation and other essentials "can no longer be taken
for granted;"<br>
<br>
-- because of the siege and economic collapse, there's "little money
to buy food and limited food to buy;" rising prices exacerbate the
problem;<br>
<br>
-- trucks carrying commercial and humanitarian supplies into Gaza have
"plummeted" - from around 250 a day pre-crisis to a maximum of
45 a day or less;<br>
<br>
-- extreme poverty levels have "increased sharply" making 80%
of Gazans dependent on humanitarian aid when it's available - a 10-fold
increase in the last decade; in 2007, households (on average) spent about
62% of their income on food;<br>
<br>
-- 95% of Gaza's industrial operations shut down because production
inputs aren't available and border closures prevent exports; construction
is "paralysed;" agriculture "badly hit;" unemployment
and poverty skyrocketed; in September 2000, 24,000 Gazans worked in
Israel; today none do;<br>
<br>
-- the siege destroyed public service infrastructure; Israel prevents
repairs and maintenance; spare parts imports are prohibited; electricity
and fuel are severely restricted; hospitals and public institutions can't
function properly; power cuts last 8 - 12 hours daily; 40 - 50 or more
million liters of partially and untreated sewage are daily dumped in the
sea; <br>
<br>
-- The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) says
its higher - up to 60 million liters daily; in addition, raw sewage is
being pumped into heavily populated areas, including three million liters
recently into the Jabaliya camp storm water lagoon; <br>
<br>
-- since Israel bombed Gaza's power plant (in June 2006), it functions at
one-third of capacity but needs fuel to operate;<br>
<br>
-- the Coastal Municipalities Water Utility (CMWU) provides drinking
water and treats sewage; with limited electricity, fuel, maintenance and
spare parts, the network can't function adequately; as a result, nearly
one-third of Gazans have no running water; pre-siege, they all did;<br>
<br>
-- education is so undermined that classes are cancelled; dropout rates
are high because families can't afford to send their children to school;
for those attending, school days are shortened; textbooks and other
resources are in short supply; and failure rates are nearly 80%; 90% in
math;<br>
<br>
-- healthcare has deteriorated markedly - inside Gaza and in access to
outside treatment; Gazans needing special treatment are denied exit
permits; patients are dying for lack of care, including children;<br>
<br>
-- Israel's siege "effectively dismantled the economy and
impoverished" its people; "ordinary men, women and
children" are collectively punished in violation of international
and humanitarian law; these measures also hamper the "broader peace
process itself;"<br>
<br>
-- Israel effectively controls Gaza; it's obligated to protect its people
but instead punishes them by its: military presence, attacks,
extra-judicial assassinations, land and infrastructure destruction,
restrictions on movement, lack of drinking water, food, medical care and
other essentials, unemployment, impoverishment, and barriers to
education; <br>
<br>
-- isolating Hamas has been counterproductive; it's failed "at all
levels;" a new strategy of engagement is needed: condemn the siege;
go public on the humanitarian crisis; pressure Israel to end it; provide
adequate emergency help; reactivate Gaza's economy; enforce international
law; and work towards "an inclusive (productive) political
process."<br>
<br>
The Al Mezan Center for Human Rights also monitors Gaza's siege. It calls
itself "a (non-partisan) Palestinian (NGO) based in" Gaza's
Jabalia refugee camp with a mandate "to promote, protect and prevent
violations of human rights in general and economic, social and cultural
(ECS) rights in particular; to provide effective aid to those victims of
such violations; and to enhance the quality of (community) life in
marginalized (Gaza) sectors." It also provides legal aid and
advocacy and raises awareness of the continued state of violence,
repression and desperate conditions in Occupied Palestine, particularly
in Gaza under siege.<br>
<br>
On April 8, it produced a scathing report called "Worst Year under
Occupation: 2008 1st Quarter Report on (Israeli) Violations of Human
Rights in the Gaza Strip." Below are its highlights:<br>
<br>
-- during the first quarter of 2008, Gaza experienced an
"unprecedented escalation" of human rights violations -
principally caused by a "serious increase" in IDF international
law breaches;<br>
<br>
-- the level of 247 killings exceeded the combined totals reached for the
2005 through 2007 first quarter periods; they nearly equal all of them
for 2007;<br>
<br>
-- public and private property destruction greatly increased; dunums of
agricultural land destroyed as well;<br>
<br>
-- Gaza's economy was crushed; the number of poor and unemployed doubled
reaching "unprecedented levels" - the worst ever under
occupation;<br>
<br>
-- the international community remains silent in the face of systematic,
"strangulating" collective punishment on an unprecedented
scale; the lives and well-being of Gazans are affected in all ways
imaginable; <br>
<br>
-- the number of Gazans victimized and their material losses show the
extent of violations under international law; the international
community's failure to intervene made current conditions possible;<br>
<br>
-- Al Mezan condems Israel's "aggression" and "gross human
rights violations;" they're willful crimes of war and against
humanity and one of the most extreme examples ever of collective
punishment against a civilian population; Al Mazen calls on the
international community to intervene - to "investigate, pursue and
prosecute those who ordered and/or perpetrated (these) crimes."<br>
<br>
US Special Middle East Envoy Criticizes Administration Policy<br>
<br>
Last November, former NATO commander, (retired) General James Jones, was
named the administration's special Middle East envoy with this
endorsement: he's the "person we need to take up this vital
mission....an experienced leader who can address the regional security
challenges comprehensively and at the highest levels...." His
assignment: draft a strategic security stabilization plan to complement
Israeli-Palestinian peace talks.<br>
<br>
Word is now out about a report Jones is preparing that his superiors
won't like. Nor will Israelis. According to Haaretz (on July 22), it's
"extremely critical....of Israel's policies in the territories and
its attitude toward the Palestinian Authority's (PA) security
services" - President Mahmoud Abbas' repressive shock troops
doing Israel's dirty work and targeting Hamas in Gaza and its supporters
in the West Bank.<br>
<br>
Administration officials have a draft summary, and it's "arousing
considerable discomfort. (It's) conclusions about Israel are scathing
(and those who've seen it say it) make(s) Israel look very bad" in
at least two respects:<br>
<br>
-- it's "fairly broad definition" of West Bank security
"under any final-status agreement," and<br>
<br>
-- "its attitude toward the PA security services."<br>
<br>
That's not all. Jones criticizes Washington as well. He blames
administration figures for failing "to reform PA security
services," not coordinating them, and not preparing them to
"enforc(e) the law in the West Bank." Hamas controls Gaza.
Administration officials and Israelis want the report buried, but Jones
will apparently publish it in full. So far, its contents aren't public,
and only hints about it are being discussed.<br>
<br>
Gaza Under Siege: "an atrocity, a crime, an abomination" -
Jimmy Carter<br>
<br>
That was Carter's assessment in an April 17 speech at the American
University in Cairo. Palestinians are being "starved to death,"
and US efforts to undermine Hamas are counterproductive. In late May, he
went further on a visit to the Welsh town of Hay by calling on EU nations
to break with Washington over the siege - "one of the greatest human
rights crimes on earth (and) to see Europeans going along with this is
embarrassing." He called on EU leaders to reassess their position if
Hamas agrees to a ceasefire - and that's what's likely behind his trip
and comments, although Carter knows Hamas unilaterally observed months of
ceasefire in the past and again declared one on June 19. What then is
Carter up to?<br>
<br>
Last April, he met with Khaled Meshaal (Hamas' exiled leader) in Damascus
at the behest of Israel and the Bush administration - not on his own or
as the media said was despite fierce opposition to his trip. High-level
envoys never diverge from state policy or act independently. Where they
go, who they see, and what they say have a purpose, but it's not always
apparent. Carter in part explained it in a comment to the London Guardian
that "The top opinion pollster in Ramallah (said) that opinion on
the West Bank is shifting to Hamas, because people believe Fatah sold out
to Israel and the US." <br>
<br>
For Washington and Israel, avoiding that possibility is crucial, but more
importantly, the nightmarish scenario of a united Arab front (or a
unified Muslim one) against the West should the Bush administration
and/or Israel attack Iran, Syria and/or Hezbollah in Lebanon. A wider war
is very possible, but planners know the risk - inciting the whole region
or worse yet letting it become WW III. <br>
<br>
Washington's and Israeli strategy may be shifting, but not for any
humanitarian concerns. Keeping Gaza under siege and letting Hamas'
support grow isn't benefitting their imperial project. But it hasn't
helped Gazans either, and nothing hints it will any time soon.<br>
<br>
A Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR) Narrative Under Siege -
"Swimming in Sewage"<br>
<br>
It's one of many PCHR accounts to show how Gazans' lives have
deteriorated under siege. It begins as follows: "I think the sea
probably is polluted. Sometimes I get strange white marks on my skin; but
we come down to the beach each day because we have nowhere else to
go." That's Salim's voice speaking for himself and his friends. They
go to Gaza City beach, and one of the boys today holds a plastic bottle
with small fish and a crab inside. The fish are dead, and here's why.
Close by, a "sewage pipe pours mucky water into streams of dark
waste that flow towards the sea" where the boys swim.<br>
<br>
People flock to beaches in summer because it's hot, but some of them are
"swimming in sewage." According to the UN Office for the
Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), around 60 million liters of
untreated and partially treated sewage pour into the sea around Gaza City
daily - because fuel and electricity supplies are spotty, and conditions
months ago became desperate. According to an OCHA worker, "the sea
is (getting) dirtier and more contaminated because of chronic (fuel and
spare parts) shortages. (We) need 14 days of uninterrupted power in order
to run a proper sewage treatment cycle, for the sake of Gaza's public
health."<br>
<br>
The Gaza Coastal Municipal Water Utility (CMWU) supplies the Territory's
water and manages its three sewage treatment plants. Because of power and
spare parts shortages, unfiltered tap water is saline and undrinkable,
and sewage plants can't function normally. It forces CMWU to dump raw
sewage into the sea so it doesn't flood residential areas.<br>
<br>
Concern is great and growing. The World Health Organization (WHO) took
samples from 30 Gaza shore sites to test for human and animal fecal
contaminants. It found 13 areas covering seven beaches polluted and
unsuitable for swimming, including three beaches along central and
southern Gaza and four others around Gaza City. The beach where Samer and
his friends swim is one of them.<br>
<br>
WHO warned that "Waterborne outbreaks are....to be avoided because
of their capacity to result in the simultaneous infection of a high
proportion of (the) community" - most notably with gastroenteritis,
ear and eye infections, dermatitis, dysentery, respiratory and urinary
tract infections, guardia, and e-coli strains. These pathogens cause
these diseases and death, so it's crucial to avoid them.<br>
<br>
Gaza can't do it without enough fuel and electricity and a major
upgrading of its plants and equipment. PCHR Head of the Economic and
Social Rights Unit, Khalil Shaheen, says: Israeli "restrictions are
a clear violation of the universal right to health and....a clean
environment. Under international humanitarian law, Israel, as an
occupying power, is obligated to facilitate access to all (essential to
life) amenities. Access to clean drinking (and sea) water are....basic
human rights."<br>
<br>
Israel is unresponsive. The siege continues. Essential to life needs go
unfilled. Health conditions keep deteriorating, and Gaza's undrinkable
tap water and contaminated sea water are two reasons why. Nothing is
being done to remediate them, and Gazans are forced to endure.<br>
<br>
Activists Plan to "breach the (Gaza) siege"<br>
<br>
On August 6 or 7, about 40 unarmed activist members of the International
Solidarity Movement, the Israeli Commission against House Demolitions and
others will depart Cyprus on two wooden sailboats - to "get into the
Gaza harbor and breach the siege." On board will be an 81 year
Catholic nun, an 83 year old Holocaust survivor, a Nakba survivor, an
Israeli professor, Palestinians from Gaza, 16 nationalities, four
religions, the international press, and reportedly three members of the
European Parliament. Private boats were invited to join them.<br>
<br>
"The IDF will probably stop us but part of the point is to show that
Gaza is closed off," according to spokesperson Angela
Godfrey-Goldstein. The IDF's Spokesman's Office didn't comment on what if
any counteraction it would take. However, Israeli ships regularly patrol
coastal waters and deny all vessels access to Gaza in violation of
international law.<br>
<br>
NGOs Worldwide Call for An End to Gaza's Siege<br>
<br>
The Global Call to Action against Poverty (GCAP) is one of many. It's a
"growing alliance of trade unions, community groups, faith groups,
women and youth organisations, NGOs and other campaigners working
together across more than 100 national platforms....to end poverty,
inequality," injustice and human suffering. It cites deep concern
about Gaza's 1.5 million people suffering under Israel's siege and calls
for its end. It wants world leaders and the Security Council to demand
that Israel "abide by international and humanitarian law and UN
resolutions....immediately (end) its (collective punishment)
policy," and halt its Gaza siege.<br>
<br>
Other NGOs voice similar demands:<br>
<br>
-- in January 2007, 8 Israeli human rights organizations collaboratively
joined an international campaign to end Gaza's siege immediately; they
are:<br>
<br>
(1) The Association for Civil Rights in Israel (ACRI);<br>
<br>
(2) Amnesty-Israel;<br>
<br>
(3) Bimkom - Planners for Planning Rights;<br>
<br>
(4) Gisha - Legal Center for Freedom of Movement;<br>
<br>
(5) Hamoked: Center for the Defence of the Individual;<br>
<br>
(6) The Public Committee Against Torture in Israel (PCATI);<br>
<br>
(7) Physicians for Human Rights - Israel; and<br>
<br>
(8) Yesh Din - Volunteers for Human Rights.<br>
<br>
Others have as well:<br>
<br>
-- Gaza's Culture and Free Thought Association says: "We are living
in fear of the devastation of our society. (Gaza's) siege is a terrible
crime....tell the world - don't say you didn't know;"<br>
<br>
-- the Palestinian Agricultural Relief Committees (PARC) says: "The
blockade makes export impossible so farmers are abandoning their crops;
Israeli incursions result in huge destruction to lands and enterprises;
almost every industry in Gaza is facing ruin; this collective punishment
must end;"<br>
<br>
-- the Palestinian Medical Relief Society says: "Gaza alone without
the West Bank cannot survive; it needs free borders and access; 1.5
million people cut off with no trade or water, it's
impossible;"<br>
<br>
-- the Women's Affairs Centre says: "Gaza is a prison;" its
people are trapped, and "the result is violence;" not just
"factional violence, domestic violence is also increasing;"
and<br>
<br>
The Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR) says: "How can Gaza
be a normal place; how can we live a normal life here....(we need) free
movement between Gaza and the West Bank and open access to the outside
world;"<br>
<br>
Many others worldwide as well call for;<br>
<br>
-- ending Gaza's siege; <br>
<br>
-- Israel's illegal isolation policy; <br>
<br>
-- the right to work and an adequate standard of living;<br>
<br>
-- the right to health;<br>
<br>
-- education;<br>
<br>
-- life; and<br>
<br>
-- 41 illegal years of occupation.<br>
<br>
The world no longer can wait. Neither can the people of Gaza, the West
Bank and their growing numbers of supporters worldwide.<br>
<br>
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago and can be reached at
<a href="mailto:lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net">
lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net</a>. Also visit his blog site at
sjlendman.blogspot.com.<br>
<br><br>
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