25 nov 2014
Waiting for the news of re-opening Rafah Crossing, Siham al-Hindi, 55 years, is keen on the news since she needs to travel to Egypt for medical treatment after her health condition exacerbated. Siham must undergo a major abdominal surgery the soonest.
She said that the medical tests she had made in Gaza hospitals showed the necessity of a delicate surgery in the abdomen, and thus doctors recommended her travel to Egypt for that surgery.
The Egyptian authorities closed Rafah Crossing on 25th October 2014 with the pretext of the deteriorating security conditions in the north of the Sinai Peninsula.
This came one day after announcing the death of 26 Egyptian soldiers in an attack on their post in “Karm al-Quadis” area in El Sheikh Zuwaid. The Crossing previously used to be partially open for a limited number of people.
Why?
Palestinian citizen, Mona Abdin, is looking forward to re-opening Rafah Crossing in order to undergo an open heart surgery in Egypt by which she wishes to put an end to the pain of the severe heart attack she had two weeks ago.
Abdin, whose critical need for traveling is prevented by the closure of the Crossing and who is receiving medical care at Abu-Yousef Al-Najjar Hospital, said that she had got a medical referral to Egypt.
She added, “I call upon Egypt and its officials to look at us with the eye of mercy and to open the [Rafah] Crossing. We do love the Egyptian people but we don’t understand why they are treating us in such a way.”
Al-Hindi and Abdin are only examples of thousands of Palestinian patients dying in Gaza Strip while waiting to get the needed medical attention. This is a sequel of the lack of medicine in Gaza as a result of the siege which has been imposed on the Strip for about 8 years. It is also a consequence of the Unity Government’s evasion of its responsibilities in Gaza.
Why Paying the Price
Aysha Humaid, 43 years, with a prolapsed disc does not look more fortunate as she awaits for the re-opening of the Egyptian borders with Gaza.
She said, “I have a slipped disc and I’m worried about going through the surgery here [in Gaza] due to the conditions. I got a medical referral, but the closure of the Crossing is preventing me from traveling.”
“What is our guilt to be besieged and with closed Crossing in front of us? Is it logical to pay the price for Egypt’s internal problems? Is not what we encountered in the last aggression by the Israeli occupation enough?” she questioned.
Two Thirds of Patients Deprived
The Health Ministry spokesman in Gaza, Ashraf Al-Qidra, confirmed that the closure of Rafah Crossing was suffocating the patients in Gaza Strip as their urgent need to travel for medicine increased. He indicated that the closure of the Egyptian borders and the tightening of the blockade imposed on Gaza deprived about two thirds of Gaza patients of their official medical referrals and medical treatment outside Gaza.
He said, “Rafah Crossing means a lot to the patients of Gaza who are listed on a quite long waiting list.”
“The patients’ conditions cannot bear any further crises represented in lack of medicine and the fact that the [National] Reconciliation Government have not paid the catering and the cleaning companies in hospitals, and have not assumed its responsibilities,” he emphasized.
No Security Problems
The Internal Ministry spokesperson in Gaza, Eyad Al-Buzum, asserted that there was no justification for this closure.
He stated that Rafah Crossing “has never been a security burden on Egypt’s security, and it has never recorded any security breach. It abides by measurements that would guarantee the security of Egypt and Gaza at the same time.”
“We have more than 30 thousand humanitarian cases in a desperate need for travel. They are students and people with residencies in other countries, foreign passports, and serious diseases. In addition, there are six thousand Palestinians stranded in Egypt, and many others stranded in other countries. Their humanitarian conditions are exacerbating.”
She said that the medical tests she had made in Gaza hospitals showed the necessity of a delicate surgery in the abdomen, and thus doctors recommended her travel to Egypt for that surgery.
The Egyptian authorities closed Rafah Crossing on 25th October 2014 with the pretext of the deteriorating security conditions in the north of the Sinai Peninsula.
This came one day after announcing the death of 26 Egyptian soldiers in an attack on their post in “Karm al-Quadis” area in El Sheikh Zuwaid. The Crossing previously used to be partially open for a limited number of people.
Why?
Palestinian citizen, Mona Abdin, is looking forward to re-opening Rafah Crossing in order to undergo an open heart surgery in Egypt by which she wishes to put an end to the pain of the severe heart attack she had two weeks ago.
Abdin, whose critical need for traveling is prevented by the closure of the Crossing and who is receiving medical care at Abu-Yousef Al-Najjar Hospital, said that she had got a medical referral to Egypt.
She added, “I call upon Egypt and its officials to look at us with the eye of mercy and to open the [Rafah] Crossing. We do love the Egyptian people but we don’t understand why they are treating us in such a way.”
Al-Hindi and Abdin are only examples of thousands of Palestinian patients dying in Gaza Strip while waiting to get the needed medical attention. This is a sequel of the lack of medicine in Gaza as a result of the siege which has been imposed on the Strip for about 8 years. It is also a consequence of the Unity Government’s evasion of its responsibilities in Gaza.
Why Paying the Price
Aysha Humaid, 43 years, with a prolapsed disc does not look more fortunate as she awaits for the re-opening of the Egyptian borders with Gaza.
She said, “I have a slipped disc and I’m worried about going through the surgery here [in Gaza] due to the conditions. I got a medical referral, but the closure of the Crossing is preventing me from traveling.”
“What is our guilt to be besieged and with closed Crossing in front of us? Is it logical to pay the price for Egypt’s internal problems? Is not what we encountered in the last aggression by the Israeli occupation enough?” she questioned.
Two Thirds of Patients Deprived
The Health Ministry spokesman in Gaza, Ashraf Al-Qidra, confirmed that the closure of Rafah Crossing was suffocating the patients in Gaza Strip as their urgent need to travel for medicine increased. He indicated that the closure of the Egyptian borders and the tightening of the blockade imposed on Gaza deprived about two thirds of Gaza patients of their official medical referrals and medical treatment outside Gaza.
He said, “Rafah Crossing means a lot to the patients of Gaza who are listed on a quite long waiting list.”
“The patients’ conditions cannot bear any further crises represented in lack of medicine and the fact that the [National] Reconciliation Government have not paid the catering and the cleaning companies in hospitals, and have not assumed its responsibilities,” he emphasized.
No Security Problems
The Internal Ministry spokesperson in Gaza, Eyad Al-Buzum, asserted that there was no justification for this closure.
He stated that Rafah Crossing “has never been a security burden on Egypt’s security, and it has never recorded any security breach. It abides by measurements that would guarantee the security of Egypt and Gaza at the same time.”
“We have more than 30 thousand humanitarian cases in a desperate need for travel. They are students and people with residencies in other countries, foreign passports, and serious diseases. In addition, there are six thousand Palestinians stranded in Egypt, and many others stranded in other countries. Their humanitarian conditions are exacerbating.”
Mayor of Rafah city, Subhi Abu Radwan, said Israel’s tightening of the Gaza siege and its latest offensive on the Strip deprived Rafah from a cluster of rehabilitation projects and hit the city’s infrastructure with a deadly blow.
The Mayor’s statement came during a hearing held Monday by the Rafah Municipality, in cooperation with the Palestinian Center for Peace and Democracy, and sponsored by the German Committee for Cooperation and Development. The hearing took place in the presence of head of the Rafah-based UNRWA office, Youssef Mousa.
Abu Radwan said the municipality’s revenues shrunk back as much as 46% over the previous couple of years.
The rate of people committed to paying the municipality bills does not exceed 5%, which has exacerbated even further the salary crisis and trimmed down the budget allotted for rehabilitation projects, he further charged.
In another development, the Palestinian Minister of Housing and Public Works, Mufeed al-Hasayna, and the Qatari Red Crescent signed a memorandum pledging to build 100 mobile housing units to the casualties of the latest Israeli offensive on Gaza. The initiative is sponsored by the Maldivian government.
Al-Hasayna hailed the state of Qatar and the Maldivian authorities for their continuous back-up to the Palestinian people.
“These initiatives come as part of attempts at toning down the agony of the Palestinian people, especially with the advent of the winter season,” the minister said.
The Palestinian official quoted representatives of Robert Serry’s office and the UNOPS foundation as pledging to dispatch the needed reconstruction materials to some 24,000 homeless Palestinians.
He attributed his optimism regarding the reconstruction process to Qatar’s pledges to dispatch a $200-million-emergency-cash-batch to the Gaza Strip.
Al-Hasayna further acclaimed the role played by the UN Peace Envoy to the Middle East, Robert Serry, in pressing ahead with the reconstruction process.
The Mayor’s statement came during a hearing held Monday by the Rafah Municipality, in cooperation with the Palestinian Center for Peace and Democracy, and sponsored by the German Committee for Cooperation and Development. The hearing took place in the presence of head of the Rafah-based UNRWA office, Youssef Mousa.
Abu Radwan said the municipality’s revenues shrunk back as much as 46% over the previous couple of years.
The rate of people committed to paying the municipality bills does not exceed 5%, which has exacerbated even further the salary crisis and trimmed down the budget allotted for rehabilitation projects, he further charged.
In another development, the Palestinian Minister of Housing and Public Works, Mufeed al-Hasayna, and the Qatari Red Crescent signed a memorandum pledging to build 100 mobile housing units to the casualties of the latest Israeli offensive on Gaza. The initiative is sponsored by the Maldivian government.
Al-Hasayna hailed the state of Qatar and the Maldivian authorities for their continuous back-up to the Palestinian people.
“These initiatives come as part of attempts at toning down the agony of the Palestinian people, especially with the advent of the winter season,” the minister said.
The Palestinian official quoted representatives of Robert Serry’s office and the UNOPS foundation as pledging to dispatch the needed reconstruction materials to some 24,000 homeless Palestinians.
He attributed his optimism regarding the reconstruction process to Qatar’s pledges to dispatch a $200-million-emergency-cash-batch to the Gaza Strip.
Al-Hasayna further acclaimed the role played by the UN Peace Envoy to the Middle East, Robert Serry, in pressing ahead with the reconstruction process.
Sam Kutesa, President of the UN General Assembly, on Monday called for lifting the Gaza blockade, dubbing the humanitarian state of affairs in the Strip quite tragic.
United Nations officials today voiced their solidarity with the people of Palestine, while calling on both sides involved in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict to cease acts of violence, overcome their differences, and resume peace talks with a clear framework towards resolving the decades-long dispute, a statement published by the UN News Center read.
“Regrettably, as we meet here today, the path towards a durable peace remains uncertain,”said Kutesa during a special meeting of the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People held this morning at UN Headquarters in New York to mark the observance of the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People, the same source added.
Kutesa also highlighted that the humanitarian situation in Gaza remains critical, with high rates of poverty and unemployment. The long-standing restrictions on the movement of people and goods continue to undermine the living conditions of the 1.7 million Palestinians in Gaza and, therefore, the blockade should be lifted, he stressed.
“The peace process now hangs from a thread and the process of rapprochement seems to be slipping away. The lack of progress and the renewed tension require sustained attention,” he added.
Recounting the failure of the latest round of negotiations and the intensification of violence in the region, Kutesa underscored that conditions on the ground remain “volatile” and the situation in Jerusalem and the West Bank is “still a source of serious concern.”
He stressed that the time is “particularly opportune for the UN and the international community to play a more decisive role in supporting the Palestinian refugee population.
Indeed, more than 5 million Palestinian refugees continue to experience exceptionally difficult circumstances, he noted.
“As we commemorate the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People, I invite Member States, the United Nations system and all relevant stakeholders to strengthen their valuable support and assistance to the Palestinian people to ensure the full realization of their inalienable rights and the establishment of a durable peace in the region,” Kutesa said.
The special meeting comes ahead of the International Day, observed annually on 29 November. The Day marks the date in 1947 when the General Assembly adopted a resolution partitioning then-mandated Palestine into two States.
United Nations officials today voiced their solidarity with the people of Palestine, while calling on both sides involved in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict to cease acts of violence, overcome their differences, and resume peace talks with a clear framework towards resolving the decades-long dispute, a statement published by the UN News Center read.
“Regrettably, as we meet here today, the path towards a durable peace remains uncertain,”said Kutesa during a special meeting of the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People held this morning at UN Headquarters in New York to mark the observance of the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People, the same source added.
Kutesa also highlighted that the humanitarian situation in Gaza remains critical, with high rates of poverty and unemployment. The long-standing restrictions on the movement of people and goods continue to undermine the living conditions of the 1.7 million Palestinians in Gaza and, therefore, the blockade should be lifted, he stressed.
“The peace process now hangs from a thread and the process of rapprochement seems to be slipping away. The lack of progress and the renewed tension require sustained attention,” he added.
Recounting the failure of the latest round of negotiations and the intensification of violence in the region, Kutesa underscored that conditions on the ground remain “volatile” and the situation in Jerusalem and the West Bank is “still a source of serious concern.”
He stressed that the time is “particularly opportune for the UN and the international community to play a more decisive role in supporting the Palestinian refugee population.
Indeed, more than 5 million Palestinian refugees continue to experience exceptionally difficult circumstances, he noted.
“As we commemorate the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People, I invite Member States, the United Nations system and all relevant stakeholders to strengthen their valuable support and assistance to the Palestinian people to ensure the full realization of their inalienable rights and the establishment of a durable peace in the region,” Kutesa said.
The special meeting comes ahead of the International Day, observed annually on 29 November. The Day marks the date in 1947 when the General Assembly adopted a resolution partitioning then-mandated Palestine into two States.
Hamas vowed that the Israeli occupation will be “stung by the fire of the Palestinian resistance,” saying many parties have been involved in exacerbating the Gaza siege.
A Hamas spokesman, Fawzi Barhoum, said in a written statement Monday: “Several parties have been collaborating with the Israeli occupation to toughen the blockade and tighten noose around Gazans’ necks.”
“Whoever thought of achieving Israel’s security by blockading Gaza and making its people starve to death has just had it wrong. Let these people have another look at history and re-assess the equations well,” Barhoum added.
The Hamas leader warned the Israeli occupation and its collaborators, saying: “Gaza is the vanquisher of all invaders, the conqueror of all dictators ... it knows very well the path to victory and shall never turn aside, no matter the conspiracies and challenges lying ahead. We shall never retreat an inch.
A Hamas spokesman, Fawzi Barhoum, said in a written statement Monday: “Several parties have been collaborating with the Israeli occupation to toughen the blockade and tighten noose around Gazans’ necks.”
“Whoever thought of achieving Israel’s security by blockading Gaza and making its people starve to death has just had it wrong. Let these people have another look at history and re-assess the equations well,” Barhoum added.
The Hamas leader warned the Israeli occupation and its collaborators, saying: “Gaza is the vanquisher of all invaders, the conqueror of all dictators ... it knows very well the path to victory and shall never turn aside, no matter the conspiracies and challenges lying ahead. We shall never retreat an inch.
24 nov 2014
Israeli occupation authorities have barred, at Kerm Abu Salem crossing, ten truckloads of agricultural products from passing out of the war-torn and economically besieged Gaza Strip, due to an alleged dispute between the Israeli army and the Ministry of Agriculture.
The dispute is preventing the trucks and their cargo to pass, and to be exported to Saudi Arabia and West Bank, according to Al Ray Palestinian Media Agency.
Israeli website Walla reported, on Monday, that allowing the export of the agricultural products comes in the framework of " facilities" granted for Gaza residents in the wake of the last summer's assault on the region, by Israel.
Israeli authorities had previously agreed on the passage of ten truckloads per day.
Walla added that this shipment of vegetables weighs 100 tons, and has been held back since Sunday morning.
According to the Israeli system, after the truckloads pass to the military checkpoint on the Palestinian side of the crossing, they should be inspected and, then, loaded again onto Israeli trucks to pass to their planned route.
The office of the Coordinator of Government Activities in the occupied territories claims that the trucks are still stuck in the crossing because the Israeli Ministry of Health did not yet inspect them in accordance with regularities, with the Ministry itself citing a lack of staff to do that.
At this time, it is not clear when the shipment will pass.
The dispute is preventing the trucks and their cargo to pass, and to be exported to Saudi Arabia and West Bank, according to Al Ray Palestinian Media Agency.
Israeli website Walla reported, on Monday, that allowing the export of the agricultural products comes in the framework of " facilities" granted for Gaza residents in the wake of the last summer's assault on the region, by Israel.
Israeli authorities had previously agreed on the passage of ten truckloads per day.
Walla added that this shipment of vegetables weighs 100 tons, and has been held back since Sunday morning.
According to the Israeli system, after the truckloads pass to the military checkpoint on the Palestinian side of the crossing, they should be inspected and, then, loaded again onto Israeli trucks to pass to their planned route.
The office of the Coordinator of Government Activities in the occupied territories claims that the trucks are still stuck in the crossing because the Israeli Ministry of Health did not yet inspect them in accordance with regularities, with the Ministry itself citing a lack of staff to do that.
At this time, it is not clear when the shipment will pass.
The Israeli occupation authority (IOA) prevented the arrival of a Jordanian official delegation in Ramallah to participate in the international conference of the local authorities that is hosted by Palestine.
The capital secretariat of Amman city said it had received an invitation to attend the conference, but the IOA refused to give members of the delegation permits to enter the occupied Palestinian territories.
Amman secretary Akel Beltaji slammed in press remarks Israel for barring his delegation from participating in the conference and described its measure as arbitrary and unacceptable.
The conference, which was held as part of the international year of solidarity with the Palestinian people, concluded its meetings on Saturday evening with the participation of a hundred international, Arab and Islamic figures who came to show support for the Palestinian people in their struggle for liberation from the Israeli occupation.
Many international figures failed to attend the conference because of Israel's arbitrary measures at airports and crossings.
The capital secretariat of Amman city said it had received an invitation to attend the conference, but the IOA refused to give members of the delegation permits to enter the occupied Palestinian territories.
Amman secretary Akel Beltaji slammed in press remarks Israel for barring his delegation from participating in the conference and described its measure as arbitrary and unacceptable.
The conference, which was held as part of the international year of solidarity with the Palestinian people, concluded its meetings on Saturday evening with the participation of a hundred international, Arab and Islamic figures who came to show support for the Palestinian people in their struggle for liberation from the Israeli occupation.
Many international figures failed to attend the conference because of Israel's arbitrary measures at airports and crossings.
The Israeli occupation forces (IOF) nabbed a Palestinian sick civilian at the Beit Hanoun crossing, north of the Gaza Strip, while he was on his way to Jordan to receive urgent therapy.
The Palestinian Center for Human Rights said, in a statement Sunday, the IOF nabbed head of a Hajj (Pilgrimage) company, Muhamad Khamis Hamdan, 52, last Tuesday while he was heading to a Jordanian hospital to undergo urgent medical check-ups.
Hamdan, a resident of the Nuseirat refugee camp in Gaza, was banned access into Jordan despite of an Israeli-licensed document acknowledging Hamdan’s right to go on a recovery journey.
The Human Rights Center denounced such an arbitrary arrest and raised concerns over Hamdan’s potential subjugation to psycho-physical torture at the hands of the Israeli occupation soldiers.
According to the center, Israel’s arrest of ill civilians represents a flagrant breach to the international humanitarian law and makes part of larger blockade-policy aimed at cracking down on Gaza’s patients and dashing their hopes.
The statement called on the Israeli occupation to immediately release Palestinian sick detainees and halt its unwarranted bans on urgent healing trips.
The center appealed to the international community to take up its responsibility vis-à-vis the cause and take a tougher line against Israel’s infringements of international and humanitarian laws.
The Palestinian Center for Human Rights said, in a statement Sunday, the IOF nabbed head of a Hajj (Pilgrimage) company, Muhamad Khamis Hamdan, 52, last Tuesday while he was heading to a Jordanian hospital to undergo urgent medical check-ups.
Hamdan, a resident of the Nuseirat refugee camp in Gaza, was banned access into Jordan despite of an Israeli-licensed document acknowledging Hamdan’s right to go on a recovery journey.
The Human Rights Center denounced such an arbitrary arrest and raised concerns over Hamdan’s potential subjugation to psycho-physical torture at the hands of the Israeli occupation soldiers.
According to the center, Israel’s arrest of ill civilians represents a flagrant breach to the international humanitarian law and makes part of larger blockade-policy aimed at cracking down on Gaza’s patients and dashing their hopes.
The statement called on the Israeli occupation to immediately release Palestinian sick detainees and halt its unwarranted bans on urgent healing trips.
The center appealed to the international community to take up its responsibility vis-à-vis the cause and take a tougher line against Israel’s infringements of international and humanitarian laws.
22 nov 2014
UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, Robert Serry, announced in a statement Friday that under the trilateral agreement between Israel, the Palestinian government and the United Nations reached in September, additional required building materials will reach Gaza soon.
“A further understanding was reached between the parties that starting next week some 25,000 home owners in Gaza will be enabled to access building materials for the repair of their damaged homes,” the statement affirmed.
Serry pointed out that the "Government of National Consensus will soon make a separate public announcement on the process for access to the required building materials".
The Special Coordinator added that in the coming weeks all individuals in Gaza in need of building materials will be enabled to access the mechanism if they wish to do so. They will be able to procure the materials to repair or rebuild their properties in the same locations where they were located prior to the conflict.
The Special Coordinator underlined that as part of the understandings reached, materials procured under the mechanism may only be used for their intended purpose and that the United Nations will undertake spot checks to monitor compliance.
The United Nations will undertake every effort to assist the Palestinian Government of National Consensus in its lead role to reconstruct Gaza, including in providing financial support to home owners needing assistance to undertake repairs, according to the statement.
“However, existing resources are not sufficient and the Special Coordinator urges donors to make available as a matter of urgency the pledges made at the Cairo International Conference.”
The Special Coordinator called on all parties concerned to lend their full support to enable the mechanism to operate at the required scale in the interests of the affected population in Gaza.
According to UN estimates cited in a report, 110,000 people were living in emergency shelters and approximately 108,000 had been left homeless during Israel's 51-day assault on the besieged Gaza Strip this summer.
“A further understanding was reached between the parties that starting next week some 25,000 home owners in Gaza will be enabled to access building materials for the repair of their damaged homes,” the statement affirmed.
Serry pointed out that the "Government of National Consensus will soon make a separate public announcement on the process for access to the required building materials".
The Special Coordinator added that in the coming weeks all individuals in Gaza in need of building materials will be enabled to access the mechanism if they wish to do so. They will be able to procure the materials to repair or rebuild their properties in the same locations where they were located prior to the conflict.
The Special Coordinator underlined that as part of the understandings reached, materials procured under the mechanism may only be used for their intended purpose and that the United Nations will undertake spot checks to monitor compliance.
The United Nations will undertake every effort to assist the Palestinian Government of National Consensus in its lead role to reconstruct Gaza, including in providing financial support to home owners needing assistance to undertake repairs, according to the statement.
“However, existing resources are not sufficient and the Special Coordinator urges donors to make available as a matter of urgency the pledges made at the Cairo International Conference.”
The Special Coordinator called on all parties concerned to lend their full support to enable the mechanism to operate at the required scale in the interests of the affected population in Gaza.
According to UN estimates cited in a report, 110,000 people were living in emergency shelters and approximately 108,000 had been left homeless during Israel's 51-day assault on the besieged Gaza Strip this summer.
Friday prayer imam of Tehran Ayatollah Ahmad Jannati strongly denounced the Egyptian army for closing the Rafah border crossing with the Gaza Strip and displacing its citizens in the Sinai to establish a buffer zone with the besieged Palestinian territory.
According to Iran's official news agency IRNA, Jannati said in his Khutba (sermon) that Egypt's establishment of a buffer zone on its border with Gaza would do a great service to the Israeli occupation and increase the suffering of the population in the post-war Strip.
The Egyptian army closed the Rafah crossing between its territory and Gaza following a deadly attack by an Egyptian armed group on soldiers in northern Sinai on October 24.
The army has also embarked since then on destroying homes of Sinai natives near the border with Gaza in order to create a one kilometer buffer zone at the pretext of stopping the infiltration of "terrorists" to the country.
According to Iran's official news agency IRNA, Jannati said in his Khutba (sermon) that Egypt's establishment of a buffer zone on its border with Gaza would do a great service to the Israeli occupation and increase the suffering of the population in the post-war Strip.
The Egyptian army closed the Rafah crossing between its territory and Gaza following a deadly attack by an Egyptian armed group on soldiers in northern Sinai on October 24.
The army has also embarked since then on destroying homes of Sinai natives near the border with Gaza in order to create a one kilometer buffer zone at the pretext of stopping the infiltration of "terrorists" to the country.
21 nov 2014
The Israeli military and security measures in and around villages and cities in the West Bank and in occupied Jerusalem using concrete cubes turned them into isolated cantons, according to Palestinian citizens and officials.
Eyewitnesses said the Israeli army closed the entrances of al-Ram, Northern Jerusalem, Sinjil, Aboud, Deir Abu Mishaal and a number of Jerusalem towns using concrete cubes during this week, in addition; it has set up military checkpoints in different locations.
Palestinian districts in eastern Jerusalem and in the West Bank have been witnessing clashes with the Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) for several months; in protest at the occupation policies, the daily arrests and the repeated storming of Al-Aqsa Mosque by settlers.
And as a result of the escalated storming of Al-Aqsa Mosque, Palestinians have recently carried out attacks in Jerusalem and the West Bank that resulted in the death and injury of a number of Israelis, the last one was on Tuesday (18/11), when two Palestinians, who were killed on the spot by the Israeli police, attacked a synagogue in West Jerusalem, killing 5 Israelis and injuring others.
Occupation racism
For his part, Ziad Abu Ein, the man in charge with the settlements and the Wall file in the Palestine liberation organization (PLO), said that Israel is creating new ghettos by closing the main entrances to cities and villages in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, similar to the apartheid cantons in South Africa, according to Anadolu News Agency.
He added that Israel started to use this method as a mass punishment each time the Palestinians carried out attacks against Israeli targets. He pointed out that Israel used this method in the first intifada (uprising) in 1987 and in al-Aqsa intifada in 2000. He went on:" Since 2002, Israel has isolated 11 Palestinian towns with the Separation Wall and electronic gates, and has set up 63 checkpoints in the West Bank."
At the entrance of al-Ram town, scores of Palestinian vehicles are stranded after closing its entrances, and citizens are moving on foot. The entrance to the town usually witnesses violent confrontations with the Israeli occupation troops.
According to citizens, closing the gates has stopped normal life in the town, traders and employees have to reach their work places on foot, which takes a lot of time. Furthermore, merchants said they cannot enter goods or foodstuffs into the town.
Israel intensified its security measures at the military checkpoints in the West Bank and set up flying roadblocks between the Palestinian villages and towns under the pretext of maintaining security.
Eyewitnesses said the Israeli army closed the entrances of al-Ram, Northern Jerusalem, Sinjil, Aboud, Deir Abu Mishaal and a number of Jerusalem towns using concrete cubes during this week, in addition; it has set up military checkpoints in different locations.
Palestinian districts in eastern Jerusalem and in the West Bank have been witnessing clashes with the Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) for several months; in protest at the occupation policies, the daily arrests and the repeated storming of Al-Aqsa Mosque by settlers.
And as a result of the escalated storming of Al-Aqsa Mosque, Palestinians have recently carried out attacks in Jerusalem and the West Bank that resulted in the death and injury of a number of Israelis, the last one was on Tuesday (18/11), when two Palestinians, who were killed on the spot by the Israeli police, attacked a synagogue in West Jerusalem, killing 5 Israelis and injuring others.
Occupation racism
For his part, Ziad Abu Ein, the man in charge with the settlements and the Wall file in the Palestine liberation organization (PLO), said that Israel is creating new ghettos by closing the main entrances to cities and villages in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, similar to the apartheid cantons in South Africa, according to Anadolu News Agency.
He added that Israel started to use this method as a mass punishment each time the Palestinians carried out attacks against Israeli targets. He pointed out that Israel used this method in the first intifada (uprising) in 1987 and in al-Aqsa intifada in 2000. He went on:" Since 2002, Israel has isolated 11 Palestinian towns with the Separation Wall and electronic gates, and has set up 63 checkpoints in the West Bank."
At the entrance of al-Ram town, scores of Palestinian vehicles are stranded after closing its entrances, and citizens are moving on foot. The entrance to the town usually witnesses violent confrontations with the Israeli occupation troops.
According to citizens, closing the gates has stopped normal life in the town, traders and employees have to reach their work places on foot, which takes a lot of time. Furthermore, merchants said they cannot enter goods or foodstuffs into the town.
Israel intensified its security measures at the military checkpoints in the West Bank and set up flying roadblocks between the Palestinian villages and towns under the pretext of maintaining security.
18 nov 2014
Director of the UNRWA operations Robert Turner said the buffer zone, which Egypt is creating on the border of Gaza, would lead the Palestinian population to feel like being in a big prison, describing the blockade as "unjust and deadly".
Turner added that Egypt's buffer zone would have a psychological impact on the population in Gaza, although it would not affect the humanitarian services provided by the UNRWA.
Turner made his remarks in a news conference on the sidelines of the meeting of the UNRWA advisory commission that was held on Monday in Jordan's Dead Sea area.
For his part, UNRWA commissioner-general Pierre Krahenbuhl highlighted during the commission's meeting the tragic living conditions of the population in Gaza.
Krahenbuhl criticized the reconstruction efforts as "much too slow and largely ineffective", and called on the Palestinian government to speed up these efforts and Israel to allow the needed building materials into Gaza.
"We will reach the winter with no progress in rebuilding the homes of the many still displaced, including those still in UNRWA schools. The people of Gaza deserve much better and much more than that,” he stated.
"This should not be a time for wait-and-see attitudes on anybody’s side. The actors who agreed to the temporary mechanism should be held accountable for its implementation. Time is running out, tempers are rising in Gaza and people are desperate," head of the agency emphasized.
Turner added that Egypt's buffer zone would have a psychological impact on the population in Gaza, although it would not affect the humanitarian services provided by the UNRWA.
Turner made his remarks in a news conference on the sidelines of the meeting of the UNRWA advisory commission that was held on Monday in Jordan's Dead Sea area.
For his part, UNRWA commissioner-general Pierre Krahenbuhl highlighted during the commission's meeting the tragic living conditions of the population in Gaza.
Krahenbuhl criticized the reconstruction efforts as "much too slow and largely ineffective", and called on the Palestinian government to speed up these efforts and Israel to allow the needed building materials into Gaza.
"We will reach the winter with no progress in rebuilding the homes of the many still displaced, including those still in UNRWA schools. The people of Gaza deserve much better and much more than that,” he stated.
"This should not be a time for wait-and-see attitudes on anybody’s side. The actors who agreed to the temporary mechanism should be held accountable for its implementation. Time is running out, tempers are rising in Gaza and people are desperate," head of the agency emphasized.
17 nov 2014
Israel has blocked Dr. Mads Gilbert from entering the country and, thereby, accessing the Gaza Strip but denied, Monday, that it had imposed a lifelong ban on the medic.
"He has been banned from entering Israel," Foreign Ministry spokesman Paul Hirschson told AFP, categorically denying reports that Gilbert had been blocked from entering Gaza.
Access to Gaza, under an Israeli blockade since 2006, is possible only through the Erez crossing, from Israel, or via the Rafah terminal at the Egyptian border.
However, Ma'an reports, Rafah has been blocked by Cairo since a deadly suicide bombing in northern Sinai on October 24, leaving Erez as the only point of entry to the Palestinian territory.
"He has been banned from entering Israel," Foreign Ministry spokesman Paul Hirschson told AFP, categorically denying reports that Gilbert had been blocked from entering Gaza.
Access to Gaza, under an Israeli blockade since 2006, is possible only through the Erez crossing, from Israel, or via the Rafah terminal at the Egyptian border.
However, Ma'an reports, Rafah has been blocked by Cairo since a deadly suicide bombing in northern Sinai on October 24, leaving Erez as the only point of entry to the Palestinian territory.
15 nov 2014
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Norwegian volunteer physician Dr. Mads Gilbert has been banned by Israel from ever returning to the Gaza Strip.
Dr. Gilbert, who most recently spent time working in Gaza during Israel's devastating assault, this past summer, which left nearly 2,200 dead and some 11,000 injured, says that he was denied entry in October, when he tried to re-enter the Strip through Erez crossing. The Israeli foreign ministry has confirmed the ban, according to Ma'an, calling Dr. Gilbert a "Jekyll and Hyde" figure, apparently for his political activism on behalf of the Palestinian cause. Gilbert has been a vocal critic of Israeli policy against Palestinians, particularly in the Gaza Strip. |
Israeli Occupation Authorities (IOA) barred the Colombian Foreign Minister Maria Angela Holguin's visit to Ramallah to meet with her Palestinian counterpart Riyad al-Malki.
According to a statement by the Colombian Foreign Ministry, the Israeli government would only permit Holguin to visit Ramallah if she agreed to visit Israel on the same visit to the region.
Holguin arrived in the region for a tour in the Middle East, but wished to add Ramallah to her itinerary.
On November 3, the Colombian embassy in Israel asked the Israeli authorities to arrange entry for Holguin from Jordan to Ramallah via Israel. However, the Israeli response conditioned Holguin's visit to Ramallah to her visit to Israel too.
The Colombian Foreign Minister can only visit Ramallah if she also meets with Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman, the Israeli response went on.
A senior official in the Israeli Foreign Ministry confirmed the report, stating that the directive was ordered by Lieberman.
Israel's unwillingness to allow her visit to Ramallah forced Holguin to meet with her Palestinian counterpart in Amman on Monday.
http://english.palinfo
According to a statement by the Colombian Foreign Ministry, the Israeli government would only permit Holguin to visit Ramallah if she agreed to visit Israel on the same visit to the region.
Holguin arrived in the region for a tour in the Middle East, but wished to add Ramallah to her itinerary.
On November 3, the Colombian embassy in Israel asked the Israeli authorities to arrange entry for Holguin from Jordan to Ramallah via Israel. However, the Israeli response conditioned Holguin's visit to Ramallah to her visit to Israel too.
The Colombian Foreign Minister can only visit Ramallah if she also meets with Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman, the Israeli response went on.
A senior official in the Israeli Foreign Ministry confirmed the report, stating that the directive was ordered by Lieberman.
Israel's unwillingness to allow her visit to Ramallah forced Holguin to meet with her Palestinian counterpart in Amman on Monday.
http://english.palinfo
13 nov 2014
The Gaza power station stopped working on Wednesday morning after fuel supplies that had been allowed in two days ago almost ran out.
According to head of the power plant in Gaza Rafiq Maliha, the regular entry of fuel shipments to Gaza stopped on Tuesday after Israel closed the Karam Abu Salem border crossing in the aftermath of the unfortunate explosion accident that happened to an oil tanker truck there.
A Palestinian man was killed and two others were injured early Tuesday when a tanker truck carrying diesel fuel from Israel to Gaza exploded on the Palestinian side of the Karam Abu Salem crossing. The cause of the explosion is still unknown.
The Israeli occupation authority said it had suspended the flow of fuel supplies to Gaza until the damage caused by the incident was repaired.
The local power company warned that homes would receive only six hours of electricity a day until the problem was resolved.
Israel's bombing of main fuel tanks used to generate electricity during the last war on Gaza caused a considerable electrical power deficit, and now the power plant only produces 90 megawatts out of a total capacity of 140 MW.
The plant provides power to around half of Gaza's 1.8 million people.
http://english.palinfo
According to head of the power plant in Gaza Rafiq Maliha, the regular entry of fuel shipments to Gaza stopped on Tuesday after Israel closed the Karam Abu Salem border crossing in the aftermath of the unfortunate explosion accident that happened to an oil tanker truck there.
A Palestinian man was killed and two others were injured early Tuesday when a tanker truck carrying diesel fuel from Israel to Gaza exploded on the Palestinian side of the Karam Abu Salem crossing. The cause of the explosion is still unknown.
The Israeli occupation authority said it had suspended the flow of fuel supplies to Gaza until the damage caused by the incident was repaired.
The local power company warned that homes would receive only six hours of electricity a day until the problem was resolved.
Israel's bombing of main fuel tanks used to generate electricity during the last war on Gaza caused a considerable electrical power deficit, and now the power plant only produces 90 megawatts out of a total capacity of 140 MW.
The plant provides power to around half of Gaza's 1.8 million people.
http://english.palinfo
The UN on Wednesday called anew on Egypt and Israel to open Gaza border crossings and facilitate the entry of goods and individuals from and into the besieged enclave.
"We urge the Egyptian government and Israel to open their crossings with the Gaza Strip and allow the free movement of people and goods from and into Gaza," UN spokesman Farhan Haq told a news conference.
"We called on Tuesday for necessarily opening the Gaza Strip crossing, and we said then that we meant Egypt and Israel to do so," Farhan added.
The spokesman was answering questions posed by journalists about the UN's silence on Egypt's closure of its crossing with Gaza for more than four weeks.
http://english.palinfo
"We urge the Egyptian government and Israel to open their crossings with the Gaza Strip and allow the free movement of people and goods from and into Gaza," UN spokesman Farhan Haq told a news conference.
"We called on Tuesday for necessarily opening the Gaza Strip crossing, and we said then that we meant Egypt and Israel to do so," Farhan added.
The spokesman was answering questions posed by journalists about the UN's silence on Egypt's closure of its crossing with Gaza for more than four weeks.
http://english.palinfo
