19 jan 2016
By Ghada Ageel
Jameela couldn’t stop repeating it over and over. “I will never leave Gaza again, I will never leave you alone, no matter what. No matter what happens to my family in Morocco.”
Wrapping both her children in her arms now that she was back in Jabalia refugee camp in northern Gaza, her promise turned into an uncontrollable chant.
It was mid-October 2015. She had just endured 40 days in limbo in the Egyptian North Sinai town of el-Arish, waiting there with hundreds of stranded Palestinians for the sealed Rafah crossing to open so that they could return home.
With no predictable end to the agonising wait, with insufficient resources to cover an indefinite stay in el-Arish, and with shooting, danger and nightly curfews imprisoning all of them in hotels, she had faced the possibility that she might not get back to her children in the foreseeable future.
Her mother was gravely ill in Gaza. She phoned her sister the day after her arrival in el-Arish and told her in a broken voice: “If my mum dies, bury her and don’t think of me. May God and my mum forgive me.”
Nine virtually uninterrupted years into the blockade on Gaza and almost two-and-a-half years since the coup d’etat in Egypt, the Rafah crossing - the primary point of exit and entry for the vast majority of Palestinians from Gaza - has gained notoriety as one of the gates of hell. This well-founded reputation is inextricably intertwined with its role, both real and symbolic, in deadly political calculations, corruption, complicity and slavery.
Far more than a geographic barrier or a border crossing, Rafah gate has come to represent the cruelty of a dictatorship towards 1.8 million people, 70 percent of whom are women and children, 50 percent of whom under the age of 18, with 80 percent living below the poverty line.
As such, it has also come to stand for Egypt’s corrupt border administration demanding sums of up to $4,000 (the equivalent of 32,000 Egyptian pounds) from desperate Gazans for a "coordination permit" allowing them access to the outside world. As has always been the case, those with money and connections often find their way out. Those with none - the 99.99 percent - have no choice but to pay the heavy price.
After the ousting of democratically elected president Mohamed Morsi brought Abdel Fattah al-Sisi to power, Egypt's relations with Palestinians in Gaza and their de facto government headed by Hamas deteriorated dramatically. The ramifications are striking, hitting at the very lifeblood of the besieged, impoverished population. Political machinations taking vengeance on the Hamas government, viewed by the new Egyptian regime as an extension of its Muslim Brotherhood rival, are keeping Rafah gate almost entirely closed.
In 2014, the first year of Sisi’s four-year term of presidency, the border remained closed for 241 days, severely reducing the previous frequency of border openings and supplementing the crack-down on Gazan tunnels - the only escape hatch left to besieged Palestinians. This near-closure kept the fragile economy of the Gaza Strip on its knees and deepened the devastation of Gaza’s population.
As if nine years of Israeli blockade and Israel’s horrific attack in the summer 2014 weren’t enough of a punishment, 2015 extinguished the last remnants of Gazans' hope for a dignified life. In terms of border crossings, 2015 was the worst of five bad years. Last year, the border was closed for over 300 days.
The Israeli sociologist, Eva Illouz, recently compared the present circumstances of the Palestinian people to conditions of slavery. These conditions, she said, present one of the great moral questions of our time and are similar, in certain respects, to the slavery that divided the United States in the 19th century.
Her argument is simultaneously simple, shocking and readily applicable to the Gazan situation. Illouz writes “If a person or a group creates mechanisms to alienate the freedom and life of another, that person is not technically speaking a slave, but s/he is subject to conditions of slavery.”
She further suggests that when 70 percent of the Palestinian population “live in conditions in which their freedom, honour, physical integrity, capacity to work, acquire property, marry and, more generally, plan for the future are alienated to the will and power of their Israeli masters, these conditions can only be named by their proper name: conditions of slavery.”
In light of this argument and given the closure imposed by Israel on Gaza’s land crossings combined with bans on air and sea travel to and from the tiny Strip, Egypt's move of sealing the sole entry-exit point for the vast majority of Gazans decimates the most basic of their rights and their humanity, if not their very existence. By all but totally denying Palestinians freedom of movement in and out of Gaza, their ability to reunite with families, to travel to work, to study or to plan their lives, Egypt has joined Israel in imposing conditions of slavery.
Both countries, however, require a third party to cover up their grimy deeds and appearing to justify the unlimited incarceration to which they have sentenced the people of Gaza. This is the job assigned to and carried out by the Palestinian Authority (PA), headed by Mahmoud Abbas.
Overall, during the past decade, the PA has proven a woeful disaster. It has shown itself neither willing nor interested in taking responsibility for alleviating the suffering of Palestinians. When it comes to Gaza in particular, it has demonstrated that it completely lacks morality. The closure of Rafah crossing is a disclosure of the decay of PA institutions and their Oslo-inspired leadership.
Discussing Rafah crossing in an interview for al-Akhbar, Abbas shocked the vast majority of Gazans in supporting the efforts of the Egyptian army. He failed to question the suffocating closure, to cite its toll in human lives and health or to protest the disastrous impacts, both human and environmental, of the sea water canal which Egypt is constructing along its border with Gaza in order to block the tunnels and eradicate the tunnel economy.
Instead, he recognised Egypt's security needs, expressed understanding for the necessary step of demolishing Palestinian homes along the Rafah borderline and explained his inability to challenge or change that policy. Moreover, he took the opportunity to attack Hamas and accuse it of taking orders from the international leadership of the Muslim Brotherhood.
In facilitating the siege on Gaza, then, it would appear that the PA is not only seeking revenge on its rival Hamas but also on the people who brought Hamas to power in the 2006 elections and on the resistance that has persistently challenged the charade of Oslo.
By suffocating Gazans and pushing them over the edge, the PA aims to incite revolt not against the conditions of slavery imposed by Egypt and Israel but against the elected Hamas government of Gaza (in fact elected in 2006 to govern both Gaza and the West Bank).
In line with its limited, narrow political vision and in its complicity with both the occupying force and Egypt, the PA is deepening division among Palestinians and turning against its own people’s aspirations. Meanwhile, those in charge of the practical day-to-day implementation of the siege offer specious justifications for the sealed Rafah gate, be it the security situation in Sinai, the absence of PA presidential guards or, most outrageously, the risks posed by the internal Palestinian rift.
The almost unbroken closure of Rafah gate by Egyptian authority has caused pain and tragedy to countless people and families. Barring access to medical treatment, it has cost hundreds their lives, their eyesight, their health, their limbs and their bodily mobility. Others have lost visas abroad and residency rights in other countries, been forced to forfeit scholarships, work permits and other life-building opportunities.
More importantly, hundreds of thousands have abandoned hopes and dreams for a better future. In the words of one young man from Gaza describing his wishes for 2016, “My hope is to retain hope.” A simple but deeply troubling wish that indicates new levels of rising tension.
With no exit from Gaza, anything is possible. Nothing is predictable. Reactions can explode in many shapes, forms and directions and no one is safe.
- Ghada Ageel is a visiting professor at the University of Alberta Political Science Department (Edmonton, Canada), an independent scholar, and active in the Faculty4Palestine - Alberta.
Her article was published in the Middle East Eye website.
Jameela couldn’t stop repeating it over and over. “I will never leave Gaza again, I will never leave you alone, no matter what. No matter what happens to my family in Morocco.”
Wrapping both her children in her arms now that she was back in Jabalia refugee camp in northern Gaza, her promise turned into an uncontrollable chant.
It was mid-October 2015. She had just endured 40 days in limbo in the Egyptian North Sinai town of el-Arish, waiting there with hundreds of stranded Palestinians for the sealed Rafah crossing to open so that they could return home.
With no predictable end to the agonising wait, with insufficient resources to cover an indefinite stay in el-Arish, and with shooting, danger and nightly curfews imprisoning all of them in hotels, she had faced the possibility that she might not get back to her children in the foreseeable future.
Her mother was gravely ill in Gaza. She phoned her sister the day after her arrival in el-Arish and told her in a broken voice: “If my mum dies, bury her and don’t think of me. May God and my mum forgive me.”
Nine virtually uninterrupted years into the blockade on Gaza and almost two-and-a-half years since the coup d’etat in Egypt, the Rafah crossing - the primary point of exit and entry for the vast majority of Palestinians from Gaza - has gained notoriety as one of the gates of hell. This well-founded reputation is inextricably intertwined with its role, both real and symbolic, in deadly political calculations, corruption, complicity and slavery.
Far more than a geographic barrier or a border crossing, Rafah gate has come to represent the cruelty of a dictatorship towards 1.8 million people, 70 percent of whom are women and children, 50 percent of whom under the age of 18, with 80 percent living below the poverty line.
As such, it has also come to stand for Egypt’s corrupt border administration demanding sums of up to $4,000 (the equivalent of 32,000 Egyptian pounds) from desperate Gazans for a "coordination permit" allowing them access to the outside world. As has always been the case, those with money and connections often find their way out. Those with none - the 99.99 percent - have no choice but to pay the heavy price.
After the ousting of democratically elected president Mohamed Morsi brought Abdel Fattah al-Sisi to power, Egypt's relations with Palestinians in Gaza and their de facto government headed by Hamas deteriorated dramatically. The ramifications are striking, hitting at the very lifeblood of the besieged, impoverished population. Political machinations taking vengeance on the Hamas government, viewed by the new Egyptian regime as an extension of its Muslim Brotherhood rival, are keeping Rafah gate almost entirely closed.
In 2014, the first year of Sisi’s four-year term of presidency, the border remained closed for 241 days, severely reducing the previous frequency of border openings and supplementing the crack-down on Gazan tunnels - the only escape hatch left to besieged Palestinians. This near-closure kept the fragile economy of the Gaza Strip on its knees and deepened the devastation of Gaza’s population.
As if nine years of Israeli blockade and Israel’s horrific attack in the summer 2014 weren’t enough of a punishment, 2015 extinguished the last remnants of Gazans' hope for a dignified life. In terms of border crossings, 2015 was the worst of five bad years. Last year, the border was closed for over 300 days.
The Israeli sociologist, Eva Illouz, recently compared the present circumstances of the Palestinian people to conditions of slavery. These conditions, she said, present one of the great moral questions of our time and are similar, in certain respects, to the slavery that divided the United States in the 19th century.
Her argument is simultaneously simple, shocking and readily applicable to the Gazan situation. Illouz writes “If a person or a group creates mechanisms to alienate the freedom and life of another, that person is not technically speaking a slave, but s/he is subject to conditions of slavery.”
She further suggests that when 70 percent of the Palestinian population “live in conditions in which their freedom, honour, physical integrity, capacity to work, acquire property, marry and, more generally, plan for the future are alienated to the will and power of their Israeli masters, these conditions can only be named by their proper name: conditions of slavery.”
In light of this argument and given the closure imposed by Israel on Gaza’s land crossings combined with bans on air and sea travel to and from the tiny Strip, Egypt's move of sealing the sole entry-exit point for the vast majority of Gazans decimates the most basic of their rights and their humanity, if not their very existence. By all but totally denying Palestinians freedom of movement in and out of Gaza, their ability to reunite with families, to travel to work, to study or to plan their lives, Egypt has joined Israel in imposing conditions of slavery.
Both countries, however, require a third party to cover up their grimy deeds and appearing to justify the unlimited incarceration to which they have sentenced the people of Gaza. This is the job assigned to and carried out by the Palestinian Authority (PA), headed by Mahmoud Abbas.
Overall, during the past decade, the PA has proven a woeful disaster. It has shown itself neither willing nor interested in taking responsibility for alleviating the suffering of Palestinians. When it comes to Gaza in particular, it has demonstrated that it completely lacks morality. The closure of Rafah crossing is a disclosure of the decay of PA institutions and their Oslo-inspired leadership.
Discussing Rafah crossing in an interview for al-Akhbar, Abbas shocked the vast majority of Gazans in supporting the efforts of the Egyptian army. He failed to question the suffocating closure, to cite its toll in human lives and health or to protest the disastrous impacts, both human and environmental, of the sea water canal which Egypt is constructing along its border with Gaza in order to block the tunnels and eradicate the tunnel economy.
Instead, he recognised Egypt's security needs, expressed understanding for the necessary step of demolishing Palestinian homes along the Rafah borderline and explained his inability to challenge or change that policy. Moreover, he took the opportunity to attack Hamas and accuse it of taking orders from the international leadership of the Muslim Brotherhood.
In facilitating the siege on Gaza, then, it would appear that the PA is not only seeking revenge on its rival Hamas but also on the people who brought Hamas to power in the 2006 elections and on the resistance that has persistently challenged the charade of Oslo.
By suffocating Gazans and pushing them over the edge, the PA aims to incite revolt not against the conditions of slavery imposed by Egypt and Israel but against the elected Hamas government of Gaza (in fact elected in 2006 to govern both Gaza and the West Bank).
In line with its limited, narrow political vision and in its complicity with both the occupying force and Egypt, the PA is deepening division among Palestinians and turning against its own people’s aspirations. Meanwhile, those in charge of the practical day-to-day implementation of the siege offer specious justifications for the sealed Rafah gate, be it the security situation in Sinai, the absence of PA presidential guards or, most outrageously, the risks posed by the internal Palestinian rift.
The almost unbroken closure of Rafah gate by Egyptian authority has caused pain and tragedy to countless people and families. Barring access to medical treatment, it has cost hundreds their lives, their eyesight, their health, their limbs and their bodily mobility. Others have lost visas abroad and residency rights in other countries, been forced to forfeit scholarships, work permits and other life-building opportunities.
More importantly, hundreds of thousands have abandoned hopes and dreams for a better future. In the words of one young man from Gaza describing his wishes for 2016, “My hope is to retain hope.” A simple but deeply troubling wish that indicates new levels of rising tension.
With no exit from Gaza, anything is possible. Nothing is predictable. Reactions can explode in many shapes, forms and directions and no one is safe.
- Ghada Ageel is a visiting professor at the University of Alberta Political Science Department (Edmonton, Canada), an independent scholar, and active in the Faculty4Palestine - Alberta.
Her article was published in the Middle East Eye website.
Palestinian patients with cancer on Tuesday organized a sit-in before the headquarters of the ministry of civil affairs in Gaza city for the demand of having their right of treatment and travel.
One of the patients told the PIC reporter that she is banned from travel for treatment via Erez crossing despite of her critical health condition.
The number of Palestinian patients with cancer in Gaza has reached 14,600 according to statistical reports of the Palestinian ministry of health. Every month, 130 cases get documented in the tumor section of al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza.
The director of the Help and Hope Program for the Care of Patients with Cancer, Wafa Mousa, called for saving the lives of patients, especially those who have to take certain medication each 21 days in Augusta Victoria Hospital in Occupied Jerusalem.
She said that this medication is not regularly available in Gaza, and pointed out that the continuation of treatment protocols is of key significance to cancer patients.
Over 30% of the patients have been banned of travel for treatment purposes. This led to the delay of having their medications in the right time as well as pausing many of treatment protocols for long periods, Mousa underlined.
One of the patients told the PIC reporter that she is banned from travel for treatment via Erez crossing despite of her critical health condition.
The number of Palestinian patients with cancer in Gaza has reached 14,600 according to statistical reports of the Palestinian ministry of health. Every month, 130 cases get documented in the tumor section of al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza.
The director of the Help and Hope Program for the Care of Patients with Cancer, Wafa Mousa, called for saving the lives of patients, especially those who have to take certain medication each 21 days in Augusta Victoria Hospital in Occupied Jerusalem.
She said that this medication is not regularly available in Gaza, and pointed out that the continuation of treatment protocols is of key significance to cancer patients.
Over 30% of the patients have been banned of travel for treatment purposes. This led to the delay of having their medications in the right time as well as pausing many of treatment protocols for long periods, Mousa underlined.
The Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor has launched a petition calling on Federica Mogherinithe, High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs, to play serious pressure to end the Israeli blockade on Gaza Strip and to develop its own seaport.
The petition came as Gaza marks the 10th year of the Israeli blockade.
“The 10th year of the blockade of Gaza is now complete” says Ramy Abdu, chair of Euro-Med Monitor. “It is an ideal time to remind the world of the consequences, as well as to call on the EU to take specific action -- the development of an independent Gaza seaport”.
Israel continues to control entry and exit into Gaza from its territory, as well as the Strip’s airspace and sea. Likewise, it controls Gaza’s population registry, telecommunication networks and many other aspects of its daily life and infrastructure—making it nearly impossible for residents to support themselves and build a productive future, he underlined.
Nearly two million Palestinians in Gaza have been mired in a miserable limbo for 10 years now—unable to make a living by freely fishing, farming or trading goods, or to leave for study abroad, medical care, work or family visits.”
Since 2008, Israel has launched three military offensives against the Gaza Strip, devastating its already-fragile infrastructure and exacerbating the humanitarian crisis created by a strangling blockade.
The Palestinians want the blockade to be lifted, Abdu continued, with unrestricted travel and trade through the Erez (Israel) and Rafah (Egypt) crossings. But of those countries tend to abrogate any agreements at any bump in the road.
Thus, the only solution that has a chance for offering reliable independence for the people of Gaza is its own seaport. This would provide Palestinians in Gaza with a secure and dignified passageway to and from the outside world, free from dependence on the usually absent goodwill of Israel and Egypt, he stressed.
Israel imposed a blockade 10 years ago, in response to a democratic election in which the Hamas party won a majority of parliamentary seats.
Click here to sign the petition
The petition came as Gaza marks the 10th year of the Israeli blockade.
“The 10th year of the blockade of Gaza is now complete” says Ramy Abdu, chair of Euro-Med Monitor. “It is an ideal time to remind the world of the consequences, as well as to call on the EU to take specific action -- the development of an independent Gaza seaport”.
Israel continues to control entry and exit into Gaza from its territory, as well as the Strip’s airspace and sea. Likewise, it controls Gaza’s population registry, telecommunication networks and many other aspects of its daily life and infrastructure—making it nearly impossible for residents to support themselves and build a productive future, he underlined.
Nearly two million Palestinians in Gaza have been mired in a miserable limbo for 10 years now—unable to make a living by freely fishing, farming or trading goods, or to leave for study abroad, medical care, work or family visits.”
Since 2008, Israel has launched three military offensives against the Gaza Strip, devastating its already-fragile infrastructure and exacerbating the humanitarian crisis created by a strangling blockade.
The Palestinians want the blockade to be lifted, Abdu continued, with unrestricted travel and trade through the Erez (Israel) and Rafah (Egypt) crossings. But of those countries tend to abrogate any agreements at any bump in the road.
Thus, the only solution that has a chance for offering reliable independence for the people of Gaza is its own seaport. This would provide Palestinians in Gaza with a secure and dignified passageway to and from the outside world, free from dependence on the usually absent goodwill of Israel and Egypt, he stressed.
Israel imposed a blockade 10 years ago, in response to a democratic election in which the Hamas party won a majority of parliamentary seats.
Click here to sign the petition
The Hamas Movement has welcomed the European Union (EU) foreign affairs council's decision to freeze its agreements with Israel in the Palestinian areas occupied in 1967 and described it as an important step in the right direction.
In press remarks to the Palestinian Information Center (PIC) on Tuesday, senior Hamas official Ismail Radwan considered; however, such a European step "insufficient", and called for necessarily imposing economic sanctions on Israel and holding it accountable for committing crimes against humanity.
Radwan also urged the EU to end all kinds of support for Israel in response to its violations against the Palestinian people.
In press remarks to the Palestinian Information Center (PIC) on Tuesday, senior Hamas official Ismail Radwan considered; however, such a European step "insufficient", and called for necessarily imposing economic sanctions on Israel and holding it accountable for committing crimes against humanity.
Radwan also urged the EU to end all kinds of support for Israel in response to its violations against the Palestinian people.
The European Union (EU) Foreign Ministers Council called, on Monday, for the need to take swift steps to produce a fundamental change to the political, security and economic situation in the Gaza Strip, including the end of the closure and a full opening of the crossing points.
According to a statement by the EU Foreign Ministers, all stakeholders must commit to non-violence and peace in the blockaded Gaza Strip.
The EU urged the Palestinians to make the reconstruction of Gaza an overarching national priority especially as regards to health, energy and access to water.
According to the EU, the Palestinian Authority must fully resume its governmental functions in Gaza, as it is an integral part of a future Palestinian state.
The lifting of restriction on movement of people, services and goods - particularly those designated as 'dual-use items' - is needed to allow reconstruction efforts and basic service delivery, the EU added.
The EU welcomed progress on the Duma investigation and called on the Israeli occupation to hold all perpetrators of settler violence to account.
The Foreign Ministers said fundamental change of policy by the Israeli occupation with regard to the occupied Palestinian territory, particularly in Area C, will significantly increase economic opportunities, empower Palestinian institutions and enhance stability and security.
Recalling that settlements are illegal under international law, constitute an obstacle to peace and threaten to make a two state solution impossible, the EU reiterated its strong opposition to Israel's settlement policy and actions taken in this context, such as building the separation barrier beyond the 1967 line, along with the demolitions and confiscation - including of EU funded projects - evictions, forced transfers of Bedouins, illegal outposts and restrictions of movement and access.
It urged the Israeli occupation to end all settlement activity and to dismantle the outposts erected since March 2001, adding that settlement activity in East Jerusalem seriously jeopardizes the possibility of Jerusalem serving as the future capital of both States.
The EU expressed its commitment to ensure that - in line with international law - all agreements between the Israeli occupation and the EU must unequivocally and explicitly indicate their inapplicability to the territories occupied by Israel in 1967.
The EU urged all Palestinian factions to engage in good faith in the reconciliation process, vowing that that the EU will continue its support to Palestinian aspirations for Statehood.
The EU called upon the Palestinian unity government to work towards genuine and democratic elections for all Palestinians. To this end, the EU called on all Palestinian factions to find common ground and to work together to address the needs of the Palestinian population.
The Council voiced deep concern that the continuing cycle of violence has led to a serious loss of human life in the occupied Palestinian territory in recent months.
According to a statement by the EU Foreign Ministers, all stakeholders must commit to non-violence and peace in the blockaded Gaza Strip.
The EU urged the Palestinians to make the reconstruction of Gaza an overarching national priority especially as regards to health, energy and access to water.
According to the EU, the Palestinian Authority must fully resume its governmental functions in Gaza, as it is an integral part of a future Palestinian state.
The lifting of restriction on movement of people, services and goods - particularly those designated as 'dual-use items' - is needed to allow reconstruction efforts and basic service delivery, the EU added.
The EU welcomed progress on the Duma investigation and called on the Israeli occupation to hold all perpetrators of settler violence to account.
The Foreign Ministers said fundamental change of policy by the Israeli occupation with regard to the occupied Palestinian territory, particularly in Area C, will significantly increase economic opportunities, empower Palestinian institutions and enhance stability and security.
Recalling that settlements are illegal under international law, constitute an obstacle to peace and threaten to make a two state solution impossible, the EU reiterated its strong opposition to Israel's settlement policy and actions taken in this context, such as building the separation barrier beyond the 1967 line, along with the demolitions and confiscation - including of EU funded projects - evictions, forced transfers of Bedouins, illegal outposts and restrictions of movement and access.
It urged the Israeli occupation to end all settlement activity and to dismantle the outposts erected since March 2001, adding that settlement activity in East Jerusalem seriously jeopardizes the possibility of Jerusalem serving as the future capital of both States.
The EU expressed its commitment to ensure that - in line with international law - all agreements between the Israeli occupation and the EU must unequivocally and explicitly indicate their inapplicability to the territories occupied by Israel in 1967.
The EU urged all Palestinian factions to engage in good faith in the reconciliation process, vowing that that the EU will continue its support to Palestinian aspirations for Statehood.
The EU called upon the Palestinian unity government to work towards genuine and democratic elections for all Palestinians. To this end, the EU called on all Palestinian factions to find common ground and to work together to address the needs of the Palestinian population.
The Council voiced deep concern that the continuing cycle of violence has led to a serious loss of human life in the occupied Palestinian territory in recent months.
The National Movement Committee for Breaking the Siege and Reconstruction has launched an electronic campaign under the hashtag "#10yearblockade" to mark the 10 anniversary of Israel's inhumane blockade on the Gaza Strip.
The committee on Monday invited all social media activists to participate in this campaign through remembering and highlighting the crimes and violations which Israel has been committing for 10 years against about two million Palestinians living under tight siege
Immediately after the launch of the campaign, some participants underlined the steadfastness of the Gazans in the face of the blockade and some others recalled the achievements of the Palestinian resistance, which fought three wars during a decade of siege.
Other participants also called for activating the efforts to break the blockade and ending the humanitarian suffering of the Gaza population.
After the victory of the Hamas Movement in the 2006 legislative elections, the Israeli occupation state has imposed an aerial, sea and land blockade on the Gaza Strip as mass punishment against its population.
The committee on Monday invited all social media activists to participate in this campaign through remembering and highlighting the crimes and violations which Israel has been committing for 10 years against about two million Palestinians living under tight siege
Immediately after the launch of the campaign, some participants underlined the steadfastness of the Gazans in the face of the blockade and some others recalled the achievements of the Palestinian resistance, which fought three wars during a decade of siege.
Other participants also called for activating the efforts to break the blockade and ending the humanitarian suffering of the Gaza population.
After the victory of the Hamas Movement in the 2006 legislative elections, the Israeli occupation state has imposed an aerial, sea and land blockade on the Gaza Strip as mass punishment against its population.
18 jan 2016
The Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) closed Monday morning the only passage allowed for Palestinians in Beit Einoon junction to the north of al-Khalil.
Eyewitnesses told the PIC reporter the IOF closed the bypass road No. 60 in both directions in order to provide protection for dozens of settlers near the entrance to Sa'ir town.
Palestinian traffic was blocked in both directions, the sources added.
The settlers performed Talmudic rituals in the area in total provocation to the local residents.
Eyewitnesses told the PIC reporter the IOF closed the bypass road No. 60 in both directions in order to provide protection for dozens of settlers near the entrance to Sa'ir town.
Palestinian traffic was blocked in both directions, the sources added.
The settlers performed Talmudic rituals in the area in total provocation to the local residents.
Har Hebron Regional Council decided on Monday to forbid Palestinian workers from entering its settlements in al-Khalil following an alleged stabbing attack in the area.
Palestinian workers will not be allowed into the Jewish settlements located in the "Hebron Hills" on Monday, following the murder of a female resident allegedly by a Palestinian man on Sunday, the Israeli radio announced.
An Israeli military official pointed out that Israeli settlements' security forces would reconsider permissions given for the Palestinian workers to work in Jewish settlements.
Israeli forces set up roadblocks and locked down the area as they searched for the suspect who fled the scene after stabbing an Israeli settler.
Since the outbreak of Jerusalem Intifada on October 1,162 Palestinians were killed by Israeli gunfire including 30 children and seven women.
Palestinian workers will not be allowed into the Jewish settlements located in the "Hebron Hills" on Monday, following the murder of a female resident allegedly by a Palestinian man on Sunday, the Israeli radio announced.
An Israeli military official pointed out that Israeli settlements' security forces would reconsider permissions given for the Palestinian workers to work in Jewish settlements.
Israeli forces set up roadblocks and locked down the area as they searched for the suspect who fled the scene after stabbing an Israeli settler.
Since the outbreak of Jerusalem Intifada on October 1,162 Palestinians were killed by Israeli gunfire including 30 children and seven women.
The Israeli occupation forces (IOF) on Sunday night set up roadblocks south of al-Khalil city as part of a massive search campaign intended to capture the Palestinian who killed a female settler in Otniel settlement.
Local sources that scores of troops were scouring the areas around Otniel settlement for the attacker who killed a Jewish women inside her house and fled the scene.
The IOF obstructed the movement of vehicles on the road to Beersheba which connects the towns of Dura, Dhahiriya, and Samua, and nearby villages around the settlement.
Israeli soldiers also raided al-Karma town near the settlement, stopped dozens of passengers aboard their vehicles and prevented Palestinians from leaving or entering the town.
Eyewitnesses reported that the IOF used helicopters and fired flares intensively during the manhunt in the area.
The website of Israel's channel 7 said the attacker infiltrated into the settlement and stabbed Dafna Meir, 38, to death inside her house, while some Hebrew media outlets raised doubts that the killer could be one of the workers inside the settlement.
Local sources that scores of troops were scouring the areas around Otniel settlement for the attacker who killed a Jewish women inside her house and fled the scene.
The IOF obstructed the movement of vehicles on the road to Beersheba which connects the towns of Dura, Dhahiriya, and Samua, and nearby villages around the settlement.
Israeli soldiers also raided al-Karma town near the settlement, stopped dozens of passengers aboard their vehicles and prevented Palestinians from leaving or entering the town.
Eyewitnesses reported that the IOF used helicopters and fired flares intensively during the manhunt in the area.
The website of Israel's channel 7 said the attacker infiltrated into the settlement and stabbed Dafna Meir, 38, to death inside her house, while some Hebrew media outlets raised doubts that the killer could be one of the workers inside the settlement.
The National Movement Commission for Reconstruction and Breaking the Siege said the Gaza Strip is living catastrophic conditions after ten years of the ongoing Israeli siege.
The Commission confirmed that the blockade is an Israeli collective punishment against almost two million Palestinians in Gaza.
Israel imposed the siege on Gaza ten years ago after Hamas won parliamentary elections. So far, Israel has carried out three major military operations, killing and injuring thousands of Palestinians and destroying thousands of houses.
Suffocating
The Commission's spokesperson, Adham Abu Selmiya, said that the Palestinian basic needs are in danger due to the escalating siege.
Abu Selmiya pointed out that 80% of the people in Gaza depend on humanitarian aid, which is also insufficient due to the Israeli continuous closures of borders and the prevention of relief convoys from reaching to Gaza.
Abu Selmiya stated that there are more than 272,000 unemployed Palestinians as a result of prohibiting importing a wide range of goods, in addition to the Unity Government's non-compliance to its responsibilities in Gaza.
Repercussions
Abu Selmiya said that the havoc the Israeli 2014 aggression wreaked in Gaza is still affecting all aspects of life, even after one and half a years. He added that thousands of Palestinian families are still homeless, living in inhospitable caravans.
He referred to the Israeli tight restrictions imposed on importing construction materials, confirming that the amount of construction materials that Gaza received in the past 18 months is less than what Gaza used to receive in two months before the siege.
Crossing points
"The closure of Rafah Crossing is one of the worst aspects of the siege. It has been almost completely closed since October 24, 2014," said Abu Selmiya.
He added that Israel has closed five commercial crossings with the Gaza Strip, and only one Crossing, Kerem Shalom, is partially working.
Health and electricity
Abu Selmiya insisted that the Gaza health sector has significantly deteriorated with a large number of medicines unavailable in Gaza hospitals.
He stressed the acute need for solving the power crisis Gaza has been facing. The long hours of power outage, according to him, severely affect life in Gaza.
Furthermore, he pointed out that the underground water is at an increasing risk, especially as the Egyptian authorities pump seawater along Gaza borders.
The Commission demanded Israel to completely lift the siege and appealed to Egypt to support the Palestinian right of movement by opening Rafah Crossing and letting the necessary needs into Gaza.
The Commission confirmed that the blockade is an Israeli collective punishment against almost two million Palestinians in Gaza.
Israel imposed the siege on Gaza ten years ago after Hamas won parliamentary elections. So far, Israel has carried out three major military operations, killing and injuring thousands of Palestinians and destroying thousands of houses.
Suffocating
The Commission's spokesperson, Adham Abu Selmiya, said that the Palestinian basic needs are in danger due to the escalating siege.
Abu Selmiya pointed out that 80% of the people in Gaza depend on humanitarian aid, which is also insufficient due to the Israeli continuous closures of borders and the prevention of relief convoys from reaching to Gaza.
Abu Selmiya stated that there are more than 272,000 unemployed Palestinians as a result of prohibiting importing a wide range of goods, in addition to the Unity Government's non-compliance to its responsibilities in Gaza.
Repercussions
Abu Selmiya said that the havoc the Israeli 2014 aggression wreaked in Gaza is still affecting all aspects of life, even after one and half a years. He added that thousands of Palestinian families are still homeless, living in inhospitable caravans.
He referred to the Israeli tight restrictions imposed on importing construction materials, confirming that the amount of construction materials that Gaza received in the past 18 months is less than what Gaza used to receive in two months before the siege.
Crossing points
"The closure of Rafah Crossing is one of the worst aspects of the siege. It has been almost completely closed since October 24, 2014," said Abu Selmiya.
He added that Israel has closed five commercial crossings with the Gaza Strip, and only one Crossing, Kerem Shalom, is partially working.
Health and electricity
Abu Selmiya insisted that the Gaza health sector has significantly deteriorated with a large number of medicines unavailable in Gaza hospitals.
He stressed the acute need for solving the power crisis Gaza has been facing. The long hours of power outage, according to him, severely affect life in Gaza.
Furthermore, he pointed out that the underground water is at an increasing risk, especially as the Egyptian authorities pump seawater along Gaza borders.
The Commission demanded Israel to completely lift the siege and appealed to Egypt to support the Palestinian right of movement by opening Rafah Crossing and letting the necessary needs into Gaza.
PLC First Deputy Speaker Ahmad Bahar demanded lifting the siege on Gaza Strip as well as backing up the Palestinian people and their Just question.
In celebrating the graduation of 800 officers by the Palestinian Ministry of Interior and National Security in Gaza on Sunday, Bahar called on the Palestinian Authority and its security forces in the West Bank to halt the security coordination with Israel.
Bahar underlined that the Jerusalem Intifada is going on despite all conspiracies against it. He called on Egypt to stand by the side of the Palestinian people and to open Rafah crossing for the sake of ending the suffering of Gazan people.
For his part, the director of the general training directorate Mahmoud Salah said the ministry of interior has rebuilt the human power destroyed by the Israeli army seven years ago when Israel targeted its officers, members and minister.
Salah pointed out that the Quds Troops graduated 800 officers including 50 female members after fulfilling the requirements and being capable of confronting challenges.
In celebrating the graduation of 800 officers by the Palestinian Ministry of Interior and National Security in Gaza on Sunday, Bahar called on the Palestinian Authority and its security forces in the West Bank to halt the security coordination with Israel.
Bahar underlined that the Jerusalem Intifada is going on despite all conspiracies against it. He called on Egypt to stand by the side of the Palestinian people and to open Rafah crossing for the sake of ending the suffering of Gazan people.
For his part, the director of the general training directorate Mahmoud Salah said the ministry of interior has rebuilt the human power destroyed by the Israeli army seven years ago when Israel targeted its officers, members and minister.
Salah pointed out that the Quds Troops graduated 800 officers including 50 female members after fulfilling the requirements and being capable of confronting challenges.
16 jan 2016
The National Movement Committee for Breaking the Siege and Reconstruction launched an electronic campaign marking the 10th anniversary of the blockade on Gaza and highlighting the devastating impact the ongoing siege is having on the lives of the people of the Strip.
The electronic campaign mainly aims at shedding light on the impact of the Israeli unjust siege on the life of nearly two million people in Gaza.
The Monday campaign will be using the hashtag #Ten_Years_Siege on the online social networking services, Facebook and Twitter, in an aim to pressure for removing the blockade.
Israel has imposed a tight blockade on Gaza following the Hamas victory in the 2006 parliamentary elections. The blockade has had a devastating impact on the Gaza population, affecting all aspects of life.
The electronic campaign mainly aims at shedding light on the impact of the Israeli unjust siege on the life of nearly two million people in Gaza.
The Monday campaign will be using the hashtag #Ten_Years_Siege on the online social networking services, Facebook and Twitter, in an aim to pressure for removing the blockade.
Israel has imposed a tight blockade on Gaza following the Hamas victory in the 2006 parliamentary elections. The blockade has had a devastating impact on the Gaza population, affecting all aspects of life.
15 jan 2016
The Israeli occupation authority (IOA) has decided to put more restrictions on the travel of Gaza-bound cargo trucks on the roads used by Jewish settlers during rush hour.
According to Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper on Thursday, Israeli minister of transportation Yisrael Katz has issued a verdict preventing all trucks carrying shipments for Gaza from using all roads to Karam Abu Salem crossing.
The Israeli minister claimed the measure was aimed at protecting the safety of Israelis who use the roads heavily during certain times.
Consequently, hundreds of trucks loaded with building materials as well as food and fuel shipments would find a hard time to reach Gaza.
According to the Israeli decision, only Gaza-bound trucks will not be able to travel to Karam Abu Salem from seven to nine o'clock in the morning and from three to five in the afternoon.
However, the decision excluded all cargo trucks which carry goods for areas other than Gaza as well as the Israeli heavy military vehicles traveling on the same roads.
According to Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper on Thursday, Israeli minister of transportation Yisrael Katz has issued a verdict preventing all trucks carrying shipments for Gaza from using all roads to Karam Abu Salem crossing.
The Israeli minister claimed the measure was aimed at protecting the safety of Israelis who use the roads heavily during certain times.
Consequently, hundreds of trucks loaded with building materials as well as food and fuel shipments would find a hard time to reach Gaza.
According to the Israeli decision, only Gaza-bound trucks will not be able to travel to Karam Abu Salem from seven to nine o'clock in the morning and from three to five in the afternoon.
However, the decision excluded all cargo trucks which carry goods for areas other than Gaza as well as the Israeli heavy military vehicles traveling on the same roads.
At least five Palestinians were kidnapped by the Israeli occupation forces (IOF) in a series of raids rocking provinces of the occupied West Bank and Occupied Jerusalem at dawn Friday.
Israeli news outlets said the occupation army claimed responsibility for the abduction of four allegedly wanted Palestinian civilians from al-Khalil’s town of al-Dhahriya and the Abu Dis town, in Occupied Jerusalem.
The IOF further rolled into eastern Jenin city and pitched a series of makeshift checkpoints at several crossroads before they kidnapped a Palestinian citizen and dragged him to an unidentified destination.
The Israeli occupation troops also sealed off the northern entrance to Azzoun town, in eastern Qalqilya city, and cordoned off its neighborhoods, sparking further tension across the area.
The main access roads to Azzoun town have been sealed off by the IOF for years, blocking Palestinians’ free access out of and into an area itself surrounded by illegal Israeli settlements from all corners.
Israeli news outlets said the occupation army claimed responsibility for the abduction of four allegedly wanted Palestinian civilians from al-Khalil’s town of al-Dhahriya and the Abu Dis town, in Occupied Jerusalem.
The IOF further rolled into eastern Jenin city and pitched a series of makeshift checkpoints at several crossroads before they kidnapped a Palestinian citizen and dragged him to an unidentified destination.
The Israeli occupation troops also sealed off the northern entrance to Azzoun town, in eastern Qalqilya city, and cordoned off its neighborhoods, sparking further tension across the area.
The main access roads to Azzoun town have been sealed off by the IOF for years, blocking Palestinians’ free access out of and into an area itself surrounded by illegal Israeli settlements from all corners.
14 jan 2016
Dozens of Palestinian orphans staged a sit-in outside the Egyptian embassy in the Gaza Strip on Thursday morning, calling for the opening of the Rafah border crossing.
The crossing, Gaza’s only gateway to the world which is controlled by Egypt, has been closed since the ouster of the democratically-elected president Mohamed Mursi, deepening the suffering of the Palestinian people in the besieged strip of Gaza.
“Open the terminal, don’t let the people of Gaza die” ... read one of the signs held up by one of the children.
“The closure threatens our patients and families,” read another.
One of the children was asking about the cause behind Egyptian ban on their travel, while Israelis are allowed to enter Egypt at will.
During the vigil, a widow launched a cry for help over the unbearable living conditions in Gaza Strip die to the continued closure of Rafah crossing.
“The crossing must be opened to allow in medication, and to allow Gaza residents to cross for treatment and education in Egypt and in the entire world,” she said.
The crossing, Gaza’s only gateway to the world which is controlled by Egypt, has been closed since the ouster of the democratically-elected president Mohamed Mursi, deepening the suffering of the Palestinian people in the besieged strip of Gaza.
“Open the terminal, don’t let the people of Gaza die” ... read one of the signs held up by one of the children.
“The closure threatens our patients and families,” read another.
One of the children was asking about the cause behind Egyptian ban on their travel, while Israelis are allowed to enter Egypt at will.
During the vigil, a widow launched a cry for help over the unbearable living conditions in Gaza Strip die to the continued closure of Rafah crossing.
“The crossing must be opened to allow in medication, and to allow Gaza residents to cross for treatment and education in Egypt and in the entire world,” she said.
