4 Palestinian fishermen abducted, 2 boats stolen by Israeli Navy

According to the International Solidarity Movement (ISM) Gaza, "Since the end of the recent onslaught on Gaza, at least 28 fishermen have been abducted, 13 fishing boats stolen and not returned and at least 5 fishermen have been injured in the sea whilst others have reportedly been injured on the shore. " The news item, dated April 21st, 2009, comes from the ISM Gaza blog whose focus is exclusively on Gaza fishers. To keep an eye onto.

A photo of Erez Crossing Point

This is a photograph of the Erez crossing terminal (from Israel's side) which I found on the web. We hear about it but never see it.

Erez terminal is mostly for foreigners (diplomats, consuls, UN agencies, Red Cross, Government aid agencies, etc.) who want to get into the Gaza strip. Entry and exit procedures are controlled by Israel. They are complex, lengthy and frequently changing making it extremely difficult to enter Gaza.

Guy Delisle's blog

Guy Delisle is Canadian comic book author, well known for his book on Burma (Myanmar), Chroniques Birmanes, which was published in 2007. Guy Delisle is married to a médecins sans frontière (MSF) administrator. With her, he travels around and recounts his trips in comic books. They are now in Jerusalem. In the link attached to the title, there is a posting "Parcours du combattant" dated January, 20th 2008 which is on Gaza. It tells the difficulties for MSF and other NGOs to enter Gaza, via Israel and Egypt, to bring medical assistance to the Gazans. And it tells "l’étendue de cette catastrophe humanitaire".

Closed Zone

"Gisha - Legal Center for Freedom of Movement calls on the State of Israel to fully open Gaza's crossings and to allow the real victims of the closure - 1.5 million human beings - the freedom of movement necessary to realize their dreams and aspirations."

watch the video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hzqw7oBZT8k&eurl

Chris Hedges condemns Israeli Gaza Massacre

" to attack a population that has no air force, no air defense, no navy, no heavy weapons, no artillery units, no mechanized armor, no command and control, no army; and [call] it a war-- It is not a war, it is murder."

This is quote from a Chris Hedges' speech. The speech was delivered on January, 13th 2009 at an event organized by the Society for Ethical Culture in New York.

Chris Hedges, a journalist and author, condemns the Israeli incursion on Gaza while analysing the situation there .... and here (US weapons sold to Israel; no platform in the press for Noam Chomsky, Amira Haas, Ilan Pappe, etc.).

This is the first time I hear of Chris Hedges. His speech is very strong. Link to the video below and in the title.

http://a18.video2.blip.tv/1910000576134/Deepdishtv-ChrisHedgesGazaACallToAct105.mov

Cartoon on the Israeli's assault on Gaza

A cartoon by Chapatte on the victims of the war: the civilians in Gaza. It's in french.

US Congressmen View Destruction in Gaza

First time in years US government officials enter Gaza. U.S. congressmen Baird and Ellison have issued a joint statement available on the web. Below an extract:


Inquiring about the status of relief efforts, the Congressmen learned that some aid material has been allowed in since the intensity of the attacks lessened a month ago, but much is still being blocked by the Israeli defense forces. An example of aid that has been banned by the Israeli Government includes lentils, macaroni, tomato paste, and other common food products. Basic building materials, generator fuel and parts to repair damaged water treatment equipment have also been kept out.

“If this had happened in our own country, there would be national outrage and an appeal for urgent assistance. We are glad that President Obama acted quickly to send much needed humanitarian funding to Gaza for this effort. However, the arbitrary and unreasonable Israeli limitations on food, and repair and reconstruction materials are unacceptable and indefensible. People; innocent children, women and non-combatants, are going without water, food and sanitation, while the things they so desperately need are sitting in trucks at the border, being denied permission to go in” said Ellison.

Beginning of a change?

Gaza Fishermen at risk as Israel hits arms smuggling

What's the situation like for Gaza fishers after the Israeli 22 day assault on Gaza? I just came across an article on reuters website looking at fishers in Gaza.
Fishing is still restricted to 3 miles from the shore. Fishers are regularly fired upon by the IDF, as before the 22 day assault.
The reduction in the coastal waters, Gaza fishers say, has allowed their Israeli and Egyptian counterparts access to the best hunting grounds, leaving slim pickings. In the meantime people in Gaza have no food.
The title of the article is Gaza Fishermen at risk as Israel hits arms smuggling....Since I've started this blog, fishers have always been at risk in Gaza. And there is no evidence of arms smuggling at sea.
The reuters article is dated february, 8th 2009.

Alain Gresh

Alain Gresh is a journalist and a specialist on the Middle East

I just came across his blog. The blog has 2 purposes: i) to inform people on the Middle East, and ii) to break away from the dominant view the media convey on the Middle East. Worth reading and following up onto.

Alain Gresh is editor of Le Monde diplomatique.

Gideon Levy / Gaza war ended in utter failure for Israel

A very interesting article by Gideon Levy for the Haaretz. Below a summary of the key points Levy develops:

- The initial objective of the war was to put an end to the firing of Qassam rockets. Defense officials estimate that Hamas still has 1,000 rockets.

- The war's second objective, the prevention of smuggling, was not met either. Smuggling will be renewed within two months.

- Israel's ability to achieve its third objective is also dubious. Deterrence, my foot. The sporadic firing of rockets from the Gaza Strip has continued over the past few days.

- The fourth objective, which remained undeclared, was not met either. The IDF has not restored its capability. It couldn't have against a miserable and poorly-equipped organization relying on makeshift weapons, whose combatants barely put up a fight.

So what was achieved, after all? As a war waged to satisfy considerations of internal politics, the operation has succeeded beyond all expectations. Likud Chair Benjamin Netanyahu is getting stronger in the polls.

Respect for International Humanitarian Law

" On 29 January the Security Council will hold a private meeting on Maintenance of International Peace and Security: Respect for International Humanitarian Law. The meeting will focus on possible measures the Council can consider to more effectively prevent and stop violations of international humanitarian law. The ICRC, OCHA, the UN Office of Legal Affairs, OHCHR and UNHCR have been invited to brief the Council. France has prepared a concept paper for the meeting and has also proposed that the Council might adopt a presidential statement."

Let's see what comes out of the meeting. Even if the meeting is general in nature, it is still interesting in view of the violence in Gaza.

Casualities as of 19 January 2009

" Gaza: Yesterday 95 bodies were dug up from the ruins. As of today, at least 1,300 killed, of them at least 410 children and 104 women. Over 5,320 injured, of them over 350 severely injured (Palestinian Ministry of Health figures).
Israel: 3 civilians and 10 soldiers killed. Over 84 civilians injured, of them 4 severely injured, not including those treated for shock, and 113 soldiers injured, of them one in critical condition and 20 Moderately or severely injured. "

Casualities on 18 January 2009

"Gaza: at least 1,205 killed, of them at least 410 children and 98 women. More than half those killed since the ground incursion began (580) are women and children. Over 3,520 injured, of them over 350 severely (Palestinian Ministry of Health figures).
Israel: 13 killed, of them 1 woman and 10 soldiers. Over 82 civilians injured, of them 4 severely injured, not including those treated for shock , and 113 soldiers injured, of them one in critical condition and 20 suffer moderate or severe injuries."


... from Betselem website. The site explains that all throughout the fighting, Israeli human rights groups worked together to inform the Israeli public of the impact on civilians....while many others were trying to make us believe that Israel was making every possible effort to avoid civilian casualties. on this, i strongly recommend Robert Fisk’s article for the Independent: http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/fisk/robert-fisk-why-do-they-hate-the-west-so-much-we-will-ask-1230046.html

Gaza under the rain

by Mazen Kerbaj

Gaza in figures

on Jan, 9th, Gaza death toll is at 771, including 189 children and 58 women.

Some essential points about Gaza

We've heard so many things about Gaza in the news that we sometimes forget the basics. Rashid Khalidi for the New York Times recalls some essential facts without which it is not possible to have a serious discussion/reflection on the current events in Gaza:

What You Don’t Know About Gaza

By RASHID KHALIDI

" NEARLY everything you’ve been led to believe about Gaza is wrong. Below are a few essential points that seem to be missing from the conversation, much of which has taken place in the press, about Israel’s attack on the Gaza Strip.

THE GAZANS Most of the people living in Gaza are not there by choice. The majority of the 1.5 million people crammed into the roughly 140 square miles of the Gaza Strip belong to families that came from towns and villages outside Gaza like Ashkelon and Beersheba. They were driven to Gaza by the Israeli Army in 1948.

THE OCCUPATION The Gazans have lived under Israeli occupation since the Six-Day War in 1967. Israel is still widely considered to be an occupying power, even though it removed its troops and settlers from the strip in 2005. Israel still controls access to the area, imports and exports, and the movement of people in and out. Israel has control over Gaza’s air space and sea coast, and its forces enter the area at will. As the occupying power, Israel has the responsibility under the Fourth Geneva Convention to see to the welfare of the civilian population of the Gaza Strip.

THE BLOCKADE Israel’s blockade of the strip, with the support of the United States and the European Union, has grown increasingly stringent since Hamas won the Palestinian Legislative Council elections in January 2006. Fuel, electricity, imports, exports and the movement of people in and out of the Strip have been slowly choked off, leading to life-threatening problems of sanitation, health, water supply and transportation.

The blockade has subjected many to unemployment, penury and malnutrition. This amounts to the collective punishment — with the tacit support of the United States — of a civilian population for exercising its democratic rights.

THE CEASE-FIRE Lifting the blockade, along with a cessation of rocket fire, was one of the key terms of the June cease-fire between Israel and Hamas. This accord led to a reduction in rockets fired from Gaza from hundreds in May and June to a total of less than 20 in the subsequent four months (according to Israeli government figures). The cease-fire broke down when Israeli forces launched major air and ground attacks in early November; six Hamas operatives were reported killed.

WAR CRIMES The targeting of civilians, whether by Hamas or by Israel, is potentially a war crime. Every human life is precious. But the numbers speak for themselves: Nearly 700 Palestinians, most of them civilians, have been killed since the conflict broke out at the end of last year. In contrast, there have been around a dozen Israelis killed, many of them soldiers. Negotiation is a much more effective way to deal with rockets and other forms of violence. This might have been able to happen had Israel fulfilled the terms of the June cease-fire and lifted its blockade of the Gaza Strip.

This war on the people of Gaza isn’t really about rockets. Nor is it about “restoring Israel’s deterrence,” as the Israeli press might have you believe. Far more revealing are the words of Moshe Yaalon, then the Israeli Defense Forces chief of staff, in 2002: “The Palestinians must be made to understand in the deepest recesses of their consciousness that they are a defeated people.”

Rashid Khalidi, a professor of Arab studies at Columbia, is the author of the forthcoming “Sowing Crisis: The Cold War and American Dominance in the Middle East."

Day 12 of Israeli War On Gaza

Free Gaza website gives regular updates on the war.

Blogs

The Israeli government does not allow journalists inside the Strip of Gaza. What is there to hide? Below some blogs written from Gaza:

http://a-mother-from-gaza.blogspot.com/
http://gaza08.blogspot.com/
http://gaza-sderot.blogspot.com/
http://fromgaza.blogspot.com/

Thanks to Natalie Abou Shakra

I find this image very powerful

Free Gaza Movement ship arrives in Gaza Port today

(GAZA, 9 December 2008) - The Free Gaza Movement ship “Dignity” successfully broke through the Israeli blockade for the fourth time since August, arriving in Gaza Port at 2:45pm, Tuesday 9 December. The ship carried one ton of medical supplies and high-protein baby formula, in addition to a delegation of international academics, humanitarian and human rights workers. Three earlier missions made landfall in Gaza in August, October, and November through the power of non-violent direct action and civil resistance. The Free Gaza ships are the first international ships to reach the Gaza Strip in over 41 years.

Ewa Jasiewicz, a Free Gaza organizer, journalist, and solidarity worker, pointed out that, “Tomorrow is International Human Rights Day, and it's high time the world turned its rhetoric on human rights into reality. We mounted this mission to give our solidarity to the people of Palestine and to highlight the strangulating conditions Israel causes in besieged Gaza. The inhumane effects of this siege threaten to stunt an entire generation - both in terms of physical and mental growth due to malnutrition, terrorization by bomb attacks, incursions and the use of sonic booms - but also in terms of the generation of students which have won places at academic institutions around the world but cannot fulfill them, and those undermined on the ground in Gaza by a lack of food, medicine, electricity, materials, and the peace and space to make use of them in.”

For over two years, Israel has imposed an increasingly severe blockade on Gaza, dramatically increasing poverty and malnutrition rates among the 1.5 million human people who live in this tiny, costal region. The World Bank recently warned that the entire banking system in Gaza may soon collapse resulting in “serious humanitarian implications.” Already, over eighty percent of Gazan families are dependent on international food aid in order to feed their children.

Lubna Masarwa, another Free Gaza organizer and the current delegation’s leader, pointed out that, “The Palestinians of Gaza don't need charity. What they need is effective political action that changes their lives and ends the Occupation. We can't bring electricity to Gaza on our boats. We can't import freedom of movement or safety. But we can get into Gaza and we are intent to keep coming. We will come again and again and again until the world breaks its silence and we shatter this siege once and for all.”