A Tale of Two Farces: "Easing" the Blockade and Israeli Flotilla "Inquiry"

On the "easing" of the Israeli blockade (strangulation) of Gaza:

AMIRA HASS: Perhaps Obama should ask himself if he would set aside in life of just getting chips and ketchup and Coca-Cola and not being allowed to produce, to create, to export, to send his daughters to university, to have visitors from outside—if this is the life that he thinks are suitable for human beings, then maybe all the Americans who voted for him made a mistake.

http://www.democracynow.org/2010/7/7/after_us_praise_for_netanyahus_restraint

A few other links:

http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2010/06/2010617141425305620.html

http://articles.latimes.com/2010/jun/20/world/la-fg-israel-blockade-20100621

I cannot find the source now, but I think I heard last week that some of the flotilla aid had been given to Gaza, but construction and other items were still in limbo and probably not allowed in.

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On the outcome of Israeli the flotilla probe:

quote:

"In this inquiry we found that there were some professional mistakes regarding both the intelligence and the decision-making process and some of the operational mistakes," he said.

"But also, we did find some very positive findings, and one of them that should be emphasised is the very professional and courageous way that the Israeli commando behaved."

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/10603486

Totally predictable, but still--- ???

Their mistake, they say elsewhere, is that they weren't prepared for activists to respond violently.

Of course this assumes Israel's innocence and answers none of the questions that needed answering. What happened exactly? Did Israeli commandos have paint guns or real ones when they descended from helicopters shooting? Was Israel's response too harsh? Who shot first? Were the "activists" violent? Were were any laws violated by either party and if so, which ones? Is anyone guilty of murder or was this self-defense? Will there be a trial?

A few links to peruse:

http://uprootedpalestinians.blogspot.com/2010/07/israeli-report-on-flotilla-raid-senior.html

http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2010/06/14/95862/israeli-flotilla-inquiry-inadequate.html

Israel eases blockade? Translation, please!

The headline is that Israel is easing the blockade in response to massive international pressure.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/world/middle_east/10361711.stm

What does this really mean?

Do they really hope Gazans don't starve to death and are taking actions ot prevent this? Probably not. That's pretty optimistic and isn't reflected at all in all their other policies.

This is a response to the "image problem" Israel is said to have. Yes, Israel is the Occupier and is the cause of the Gaza mess, but they wil no doubt be hailed as making great sacrifices and strides for peace in this latest attempt to dodge some well-deserved criticism about the whole of their operation/oppression/occupation.

It reminds me of what Paul spoke of in the Bible- about sinning more that grace will abound. Paul said certainly not to that. He was a bit incredulous. Israel seems to think that's the way to go- keep disregarding international law so people can congratulate them and say how much they've done "for peace" when they make brutally severe restrictions on food, movement, water, etc slightly less so for a short period of time. That's Israel's game- create more problems, "ease" one, and you are in the clear even though the central problem is still very much there (the Occupation).

The world will be placated and Israel will continue to kill Palestinians and commit crimes and no one will demand accountability and justice until the next Sabra and Shatila or Flotilla like incident happens.

Why are we talking about Israeli restrictions on Gaza? Weren't we told they disengaged in 2006 or something? That is always the stock response given when people blame Israel for the shape Gaza's in. It's pretty far from the truth, as we can see pretty clearly now.

Prohibited items in Gaza- what is the objective?

This is an ever-changing list. There were stories awhile back about pasta not being allowed and the question was posed to an American official. The exchange was absurd.

See the latest list below.

My related posts:
http://tinyurl.com/24yofjn
http://tinyurl.com/2er9ojp

Here is the pasta question by the journalist- it didn't make it to my blog I don't think, so here it is:


Feb. 25, 2009: U.S. Department of State Daily Press Briefing by Acting Spokesman Robert A. Wood

So, I'm confused. Is pasta a weapon or not? Our own State Department can't answer this burning question that thousands upon thousands of starving Palestinians in Israel's stranglehold are dying to find the answer to.

If it's that dangerous, perhaps there should be a worldwide ban on it- along with other dangers like chickpeas, soap, toilet paper, cluster bombs, and white phosphorus.

(Times are where in the video it occurs)

3:08 The questions on Gaza start
4:58 Dual use items are discussed some
5:32 The question is asked about aid to Gaza being tied to Shalit's release (food as a political weapon)
6:20 Honoring the ceasefire is asked about
7:09 The question is asked about pasta being a weapon and Wood can't commit either way (???)

http://link.brightcove.com/services/player/bcpid1857622883?bctid=14090183001
or
http://www.state.gov/video/?videoid=14090183001

Full text-- http://www.state.gov/video/?videoid=14090183001

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Back to today- June 5, 2010....

PDF of "prohibited items" in Gaza - the current list, anyway:
http://gisha.org/UserFiles/File/HiddenMessages/ItemsGazaStrip060510.pdf


Why does Israel ban these items in Gaza?? Self defense or collecive punishment? Depriving the population of another entity to effect a "favorable" change in their government. Sounds like what some would call terrorism...

Which are used ot make bombs or rockets? Toys? Jam? A picture of a character in Toy Story shooting a gun that shoots jam runs through my head... Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer, too...

Prohibited Items*
sage
cardamom
cumin
coriander
ginger
jam
halva
vinegar
nutmeg
chocolate
fruit preserves
seeds and nuts
biscuits and sweets
potato chips
gas for soft drinks
dried fruit
fresh meat
plaster
tar
wood for construction
cement
iron
glucose
industrial salt
plastic/glass/metal containers
industrial margarine
tarpaulin sheets for huts
fabric (for clothing)
flavor and smell enhancers
fishing rods
various fishing nets
buoys
ropes for fishing
nylon nets for greenhouses
hatcheries and spare parts for hatcheries
spare parts for tractors
dairies for cowsheds
irrigation pipe systems
ropes to tie greenhouses
planters for saplings
heaters for chicken farms
musical instruments
size A4 paper
writing implements
notebooks
newspapers
toys
razors
sewing machines and spare parts
heaters
horses
donkeys
goats
cattle
chicks

Israel calls Gaza blockade-busting flotilla a provocation

Israel calls Gaza blockade-busting flotilla a provocation
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20100526/wl_mideast_afp/mideastconflictaidflotilla

Israel claimed on Wednesday that a flotilla of pro-Palestinian activists seeking to bust the Gaza blockade is a provocation and that the aid it is carrying is "unnecessary".


"I don't see the need for any ship with these materials. We allow these materials into Gaza,"

"The sail is a provocative act that is unnecessary in light of the figures, which indicate that the humanitarian situation in Gaza is good and stable,"

Nonsense! Aid is unnecessary? A provocation? Garbage!


Gaza's markets of unaffordable goods conceal reality of people under siege
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/jun/04/gaza-flotilla-humanitarian-crisis


They are detaining the civilians and will send the supplies (or some) through border crossings. Gazans are in need because of these very border crossings that have in the past banned toilet paper, toothpaste, and pasta, among other ordinary things. Many humanitarian organizations agree that Israel lets items in, but also agree that not nearly enough is let in for the need that exists.

Court documents reveal that Israel made estimates of calories Gazans need. They are getting far below what they need to thrive due to Israel’s blockade. They say the calorie count wasn’t used in policy making, but that looks mighty suspicious, don’t you think? When one party is constantly living in "fear" of a "demographic threat," that would be an awfully convenient way to ethnically cleanse a population, wouldn’t it? (that sentence makes me want to go nuts with air quotes, btw) Did this also not happen to many a Jew in Hitler’s time?? Why can’t we see this for what it is now?

"While they have wrapped themselves in a humanitarian cloak, they are engaging in political propaganda and not in pro-Palestinian aid," said foreign ministry spokesman Yigal Palmor.

This is humanitarian aid for an area that has many times over been declared to be in a desperate humanitarian situation. Propaganda?! Unbelievable!

They have also called this humanitarian aid a provocation. Do they mean one that will get a military response? Will this be yet another non-violent tactic met with Israeli gunfire?


No humanitarian situation? Not like it hasn’t been in the news…

Amnesty International
http://blog.amnestyusa.org/middle-east/gaza-blockade-amnesty-international-delivers-23000-signatures-to-clinton/

http://www.jta.org/news/article/2010/05/27/2739353/amnesty-international-report-israel-mistreats-palestinians

Oxfam
http://www.oxfam.org.uk/oxfam_in_action/emergencies/gaza_crisis.html

2008
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7191359.stm
2009
http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/story?id=6573496&page=1
2010
http://reneefrompalestine.wordpress.com/2010/03/29/update-on-the-gaza-humanitarian-situation/

http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article11272.shtml

Now toilet paper is dangerous!!

"But U.S. and Western officials complain the limited list of humanitarian goods that Israel allows into Gaza changes almost daily, creating major logistical problems for aid groups and donor governments which are unable to plan ahead."
(from:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20090311/wl_nm/us_palestinians_israel_usa)

Weapons banned. That's debatable. Jam, cheese, toilet paper, pasta, toothpaste, toothbrushes, soap, among other items on an ever-changing imaginary list??? That is a deliberate attempt to starve people, confuse the aid work, and hold up the peace process.

Israeli defense official Peter Lerner said in response: "I'm not aware of any problems with toilet paper, toothpaste, dairy products ... and other food stuffs. Basic necessities are being met and are going in on a daily basis."
(from:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20090311/wl_nm/us_palestinians_israel_usa)

And of course Israel is "unaware of any problems" and says goods are moving freely. Free is apparently a relative term. Basic, necessity, problem, being met, going in may also beg some serious clarification. Either Israel is incompetent or they are lying to our face. Either way we need to do more than complain. We are a superpower and all we propose to do about Israel terrorizing Palestinians and blocking the peace process is beg and plead??? Why not take $1000 a day from our $4bn gifts until Israel respects international law and commits to a one or two state solution? Or give them 3-4 chances, knocking off $1bn each time? Or cut them off totally? They aren't entitled to our money, they don't need it, and if they break our laws it makes more sense for them to pay us! Sanctions, anyone?

This issue is significantly different from other conflicts. Other times, we are generally will at least sympathize with the oppressed, if not help them. This is not to say we haven't supported and trained some opposition groups that have done much harm (i.e. School of the Americas), but we never have supported a group that continually defies international and our own laws so openly and to the extent we have Israel. We do give aid to Palestinians, the oppressed, but we give so much more to those who are increasingly more vocal about their opposition to peace and desire to starve/kill/whatever Palestinians if it means keeping Israel Jewish (always cast as an existential threat to their lives, rather than the truly racist goal).

We always have said we support Israel because they are committed to peace, while Palestinians aren't, they value freedom and equality like us and Palestinians elect terrorist and corrupt leaders. We really have no basis for the distinction we have made in the past- whether or not it is true. Israel's current leaders aren't committed to the previous agreements, two- state solution, freedom and equal rights for all. We are currently funding terrorism- or what has been referred to as collective punishment, occupation, apartheid. Israel is punishing all for the crimes of a few and is using basic necessities, health and starvation as a method to change the Palestinian political landscape to one it likes better. With Lieberman, the card-carrying, State Department-identified terrorist as FM this should now be more than clear. Shall we nip this in the bud now, or wait until he sets up gas chambers?? They've already got the concentration camps.
(Here's my other bit on Avigdor Lieberman.)

We are funding this nonsense!!

Especially with our nation looking for extra dollars these days, could we not make better use of this money that's funding massacres, Israeli terrorists, the starving of Palestinians, and promising to run peace negotiations off course???


Edit 3/24/09:

"Items banned by the Israeli authorities last week included jam, biscuits and tomato paste, resulting in 498 boxes of USAID cargo and 2,488 boxes of World Vision cargo stopped from delivery to Gaza. According to COGAT*, food parcels containing these foodstuffs, as well as tea, sweets and date bars, will be rejected in the future."

*COGAT - [Israeli military] Coordinator of Government Activity in the Territories

FIELD UPDATE ON GAZA FROM THE HUMANITARIAN COORDINATOR
UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs

ocha_opt_gaza_humanitarian_situation_report_2009_03_16_english.pdf

http://docs.google.com/gview?a=v&attid=0.1&thid=1202f92058e51397&mt=application%2Fpdf&pli=1

2 news items that SHOULD make us think... but won't

Aid Groups Calls for Israel to Lift Gaza Blockade

International aid groups are calling on Israel to lift the blockade of Gaza, because they say it is preventing the Palestinians from rebuilding the Gaza Strip. Israel has banned the importation of cement, steel rods and other material necessary for construction. Over the past month, Israel has also arbitrarily refused entry to items like chickpeas, macaroni, wheat flour, notebooks for students, freezer appliances, generators and water pumps, and cooking gas.
http://www.democracynow.org/2009/3/2/headlines

Ok. Either Israelis are now living in an alternate universe, fearing for their lives from macaroni bombs or chickpea ambushes or they are obviously trying to starve the population. Israel can use white phosphorus, no problem, but don't let those Arabs have macaroni!! The US needs to take stand. Call Israel out! Sanction them! After all, they have stated that the disproportionate force is designed to "convince" the population to turn away from Hamas. Terrorism is violence against innocents to achieve political goals, is it not? Israel can't be guilty, they are the perpetual victims, so we will have to call it something else... security? self-defense? existential threat? Seems a bit extreme for macaroni, but Israel's not guilty, so this is what we Americans have to do- lie. Oh, and since Israel can't be guilty, the Palestinians struggle for rights, food, and place to live, etc must be called terrorism. And suddenly I have fallen into that wormhole into the alternate universe that US/Israeli propagandists live in...


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Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said Wednesday that Israel's demolition of Palestinian homes in Jerusalem has been "unhelpful" to Mideast peace efforts.

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/03/04/world/main4842144.shtml?source=RSSattr=World_4842144

And the Holocaust was "unpleasant"... (?!?!)

You can do it. Say it with me - illegal settlements, human shields, torture, blockades, collective punishment, occupation, aparthied, violation of our laws = ......... what? sanctions? Well, I doubt that's going to happen in my lifetime, but it's definitely deserving of stronger language than unhelpful!! When other countries do this kind of thing, we invade, we support invasions to stop these things; when Israel does it, we ignore it and call them our friend, pass classified info to them, and otherwise glorify, help them continue to violate the law, and protect them from the criticism of the observant (you don't even have to be that observant, really...).

Beginnings of comon sense in Washington?

http://jta.org/news/article/2009/02/12/1002975/ackerman-slams-settlemen

Ackerman slams settlements, Israeli attitudes

Settler "pogroms," settlement building and Israeli intransigence are joined with Palestinian terrorism in a "downward spiral," a top U.S. Jewish congressman said.

In the Bush era, this would be tantamount to treason. Shall we dare to dream that common sense is seeping into Washington. I have noticed in the past 5 or so years more recognition in the public that Palestinians may have rights and Israel may not always be right. Ten years ago, such assertions would get blank stares or a barrage of accusations of anti-Semitism. Who knows maybe the next generation of Congressmen will be as able to speak publicly of (supporting) Palestinian rights and suffering as freely as we speak of Jewish Israeli rights and suffering. Dare to dream. Well, I guess technically now they can speak freely- they just won't have the slightest hope for re-election. It is true that any resolution that's not heavily pro-Israel definitely will not pass in the current House or Senate.

Anyway, it's nice to see someone who's considered more mainstream than say Kucinich or McKinney speaking up. And from New York no less. I must say I'm surprised.

In addition to Ackerman, Obama has used certain encouraging key words as "humanitarian situation" and "blockade" and Clinton used the words "Palestinian suffering". These words or other allusions to the Palestinian perspective or humanity were off limits in the Bush administration. Kinda ridiculous to consider oneself a mediator (an effective one) if you have put blinders on such that you can only see one side's rights, suffering, struggle, legitimacy, humanity.

Obama is daring to use words that were off limits to Bush administration officials, though I doubt any real differences in policy will occur. Maybe he would have risked a real look at both sides if there was no financial crisis. Or maybe not.