Posted by Joe on: 01.22.2008 /
John Dugard UN special rapporteur on the human rights situation in the Palestinian territories is quoted as saying
“Recent action violates the strict prohibition on collective punishment contained in the Fourth Geneva Convention. It also violates one of the basic principles of international humanitarian law that military action must distinguish between military targets and civilian targets.”
The Israeli government denies this of course, saying that the actions are necessary following repeated bombardment of Sderot by Qassam rockets fired from inside Gaza. Attacks which cost 2 Israeli lives in 2007. The UN puts deaths of Palestinians in Gaza at 26 for the period 2-8 January. More have died since, other human rights organisations put the total number much higher.
The power cuts which have plunged Gaza into darkness are caused by the main generators running out of fuel. Power cuts which have caused even hospitals and sewage systems to stop working.
Yesterday, Ehud Olmert the Israeli Prime Minister, announced that the siege was to be broken for a day, allowing some fuel and medicines to enter Gaza. He went on to say
“But we have no intention of making their lives easier… as far as I am concerned, every resident of Gaza can walk because they have no gasoline for their vehicles, because they have a murderous regime that doesn’t let people in southern Israel live in peace.”
The implication appears to be that because a majority of Gazans supported Hamas, they get what they deserve. Left as fish in a barrel, Gazans have nowhere to run. The borders are almost entirely controlled by Israel - who determine where, when and how people, goods, and power go in or out of Gaza. There is a single window to the world, where Gaza meets Egypt at the Rafah crossing. This is supposed to be run outwith the control of Israel and supervised by a team from the European Union.
Regularly closed anyway because of travel restrictions imposed on the EU observers, this border was almost totally sealed last July.
Unsurprisingly, ordinary Gazans feel cold and alone, without hope for any change in their situation. And in a situation of complete hopelessness, the men of violence have the upper hand. Things can only get worse.
[edit] in fact, later today there have been clashes between sick Palestinians trying to cross at Rafah and Egyptian riot police.
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Comment by: Benjamin
1 01/22/08 2:01 PM | Comment Link |Joe,
Thankyou for keeping this before us. The whole thing is just heartbreaking. You know that strange tingle you get in the back of your nose when you feel like maybe you are gonna cry? I’ve been getting that over the weekend about the ongoing situation in Gaza.
How does one hope for the Palestinians? It’s a subset of the larger question: How does one hope for the humans? Both often seem ananswerable.