I believe that many of you are like myself – knowing that the Gaza situation just feels inherently wrong. We are smart enough to know that the national media / propaganda doesn’t tell us the whole story.
We know that the responses by Israel are unbalanced, where thousands of Palestinians are injured and hundreds killed for less than 10 Isrealis killed. We know that countries can live side by side – even if they hate each other – without murder, war, and conflict. For this stuff to happen, there has to be provoking by one side.
Well, I finally came across the facts why there is this problem. Isreal has been provoking Gaza ever since they left. They have blockaded the country completely. They have essentially imprisoned the entire population of Gaza. It is no wonder that a few rockets are fired whenever they can. The Palestinians are literally dying to be free. Finally, their message is being heard. Please Listen!
For the complete report, please go to this link:
http://www.oxfam.org.uk/resources/downloads/oxfam_gaza_lowres.pdf
Here are the highlights…
The current situation in Gaza is man-made, completely avoidable and, with the necessary political will, can also be reversed.
An Imprisoned Population
Isreal has blockaded Gaza. Gaza is now an Imprisoned Population. Blocking movement almost completely from air, land, sea, and by foot. Movement in and out of Gaza is all but impossible and supplies of food and water, sewage treatment, and basic healthcare are only sporatically available. As a result of the blockade and collapse of the economy, there is little money to buy food and limited food to buy.
Economic Collapse
The Gaza economy is no longer on the brink of collapse – it has collapsed. In the last 6 months, the majority of private businesses have shut down and 95% of Gaza’s industrial operations are suspended due to the ban on imported raw materials and the block on exports.
In June 2007, there were 748 truckloads of exports leaving Gaza for Israel and other countries. A month later there were none.
On top of the strangulation of the Gaza economy, the economic interdependence that once existed between Israel and Gaza is also being destroyed. In September 2000, just before the outbreak of the second Palestinian Intifada and the escalation of violence on both sides, some 24,000 Palestinians crossed out of Gaza everyday to work in Israel. Today that figure is zero.
Failing to Deliver Security
This humanitarian crisis is a direct result of a blockade, which is an on-going collective punishment of ordinary men, women and children and is illegal under international law. Isolation and poverty are breeding increasing levels of violence for which both Palestinians and Israelis are paying the price.
The blockade, in response to indiscriminate rocket attacks into Israel, constitutes a reprisal against a civilian population and is forbidden by international humanitarian law.
Peace will not be achieved by locking 1.5 million people into a prison of spiralling poverty and misery.
Failure to end the policy of isolation will only continue the cycle of increasing poverty and extremism in Gaza rather than bring an end to it.
Israel has the right and duty to defend itself against indiscriminate rocket attacks against its civilian population, but the current policy fails to provide Israel with increased security and has led to increasing polarisation. As the head of UNRWA has pointed out,
‘Hungry, unhealthy, angry communities do not make good partners for peace.’
Please write your Senator or Representative to inform them of this tragedy. The US must stop supporting these horrific violations of humanitarian law. Have them come up with a plan that ends the blockade and live peacefully next to each other. It can be done!
http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm
8 comments ↓
Welcome to the truth, Steve! This horrible crisis has been brewing and building in one way or another for decades. An awful situation, and it’s good to have you with us on the side of peace!
No one could ever do which they had done to palestine without the strong radical religion belief. A man would kill a baby for a religious purpose only. Israel is acting by the rules of testament. This purpose is not for money, country, family, power, existance or etc. It is for god in which they believe. No one can easily stop this violance i think.
Interesting perspective, Murat. I’m not too sure about the religious motivation, but I do know that tyrants…all through history…have used religion to whip their subjects up to a warring frenzy. Is that what we’re seeing in the Middle East today? eh, I don’t know. But, death and destruction need to end no matter what the motivation.
“We know that countries can live side by side – even if they hate each other – without murder, war, and conflict.”
Example?
I can think of a three quickly… Japan and China. Iraq and Iran. Even Pakistan and India. They have had their wars, but they have learned to live next to each other in peace without constant and endless fighting for decades and decades. None of these are perfect, or were easy, but it can be accomplished.
People can love each other, as well as they can hate each other. They can be in a war, it is possible. In wars, injuries are better than deaths. Because if you kill someone, number of the enemy decreases by 1. But if you injure an enemy number of the enemy decreases by 3 because 2 of them takes the injured one back. The war is between two countries what results a conclusion of who is powerful or weak. If you kill everybody, it is holocast, destroying or what you say. Israel wants to act like a GOD, by killing everybody. Actually plays a role of CAT which catches mouse in the courner.
If we look back in world as well as biblical history as in Judeo-Christian format, you will find that the only reason that Isreal is in the situation it is and has been in, was because of their direct disobedience to their God…when the Moses brought them out of Egypt towards the “promised land”…should we here in America feel sad for Isreal ? For the people of the middle east reegion of the world who have been killing each other before the times of Christ ( if there was such a person) so wjy do we in America get upset when we have people here who fell for the lies of leaders,lenders, credit card companies who all taught us we could have it all, our way,right a way, to where we feel we are ” intitled” to what we want & desire…gee our grandparents had it all wrong then huh ?
who will stop this war against kidds and olderunarms civilians.
jewnited nations will never do that.
who is resposible for this killing of annocient peoples what they did wrong accept they are muslims.
only crime they did they are muslims and this will encourage muslim terrioism around the world.
JEWNITED STATES OF AMERICA AND JEWNITED NATIONS CAN NOT STOPE THIS AND THEY WILL BE RUINED AS EARLIER RUINED BY HISTORY.
No one has a right to kill others on religion territiry nation
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