June 17, 2010

EDITOR: The cracks appear in  Israeli intransigence

Make no mistake about it – any easing of the Gaza Blockade will make real difference for Palestinians, and it is a sure sign of the anger and shock after the Flotilla murders which has brought about enormous public pressure on Israel, forcing it to mitigate its illegal and immoral blockade. However, this is only a chink in the Israeli armour; important in that it tells of a new trend, it will not, in itself, be enough. Gaza cannot be rebuilt in this manner, and that is what Palestinians need now. Some people with little knowledge of the conflict may even think that this is humanistic measure by Israel… It is definitely planned to affect them in that way. This reaction will be mistaken, of course. Israel moved because it was forced by public opinion.

It seems that this is also an important lesson: for three years, and ever since the Gaza massacre of Dec 2008 – January 2009, Israel has been shouting from the rooftops that nothing will force it to ease the blockade, yet here they are doing exactly that. We should redouble our effort on the BDS front, to put even more pressure on this criminal regime, before it has a chance to commit more war crimes.

Israel says it will ease Gaza land blockade: The Independent

17 June 2010
A Palestinian labourer collects gravel at an abandoned airport that was damaged by past Israeli air strikes, in Rafah in the southern
Israel agreed today to ease its land blockade on the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip, hoping to quell growing worldwide outrage following a deadly raid on an international flotilla bound for the Palestinian territory.

In one of the major changes, Israel will now allow in more desperately needed construction materials for civilian projects, provided those projects are carried out under international supervision, government and military officials said. Israel has barely allowed in materials such as cement and steel, fearing Hamas militants could use them to build weapons and fortifications.
That policy has prevented rebuilding after Israel’s brief but fierce war with Hamas in Gaza last year.

An Israeli military official told The Associated Press that all foods would be freely let in to Gaza, effective immediately. Israel has previously allowed a narrow and constantly changing list of authorized food items.

A brief government statement announcing today’s decision also indicated the naval blockade on Gaza would remain in force.

Israel will “continue existing security procedures to prevent the inflow of weapons and war material,” it said. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has repeatedly warned that if the naval closure is lifted, then the Iranian-backed Hamas would turn Gaza into an “Iranian port.”
There was no mention of lifting or easing bans on exports or the import of raw materials that would be crucial to galvanizing the territory’s battered economy. And the statement contained no specifics on what else would be allowed into Gaza.
But the fact that Israel was forced to respond to an international outcry over the blockade was evidence of the intense pressure the country’s leaders felt.

The European Union cautiously welcomed the decision.
“This is a step in the right direction,” said Cristina Galach, spokeswoman for the bloc’s Spanish presidency.
The EU’s foreign policy chief, Catherine Ashton, said officials wanted to see how the Israeli decision is carried out. “The detail is what matters,” she said.
Israel must “make sure that many, many more goods can get in to Gaza to enable people to reconstruct their homes, to build schools, to place infrastructure, and also enable people to get on with ordinary lives,” she said.

UN spokesman Chris Gunness said the blockade has prevented the United Nations from bringing in construction materials needed to carry out an internationally approved plan to rebuild thousands of homes and other buildings Israel damaged or destroyed in last year’s war in Gaza.
The closure has also shuttered hundreds of factories, put tens of thousands of people out of work and brought the territory’s fragile economy to a standstill, mainly hurting ordinary Gazans.

EU officials will discuss the possibility of helping reopen Gaza’s border crossings, Ashton added. The EU helped monitor Gaza’s southern border with Egypt until Hamas took power in 2007.
The partial lifting of the siege did not satisfy Hamas.
“We want a real lifting of the siege, not window-dressing,” said Hamas politician Salah Bardawil.
Israel, with Egypt’s cooperation, imposed the blockade three years ago after Hamas, which calls for Israel’s destruction, violently wrested control of Gaza. For the most part, only basic humanitarian goods have been allowed in.

But the blockade failed to achieve its aims of stanching the flow of weapons to Gaza, weakening Hamas or winning the release of an Israeli soldier held in captivity in Gaza for years. A network of smuggling tunnels under the Egypt-Gaza border became a conduit for both weapons and commercial goods sold at black market prices. Gazans sank deeper into poverty, turning their anger against Israel and not their Hamas rulers.

Israel drew new scrutiny of the embargo when it sent naval commandos to stop a blockade-busting flotilla in late May. The troops clashed with activists on board one of the ships, killing nine Turks. Both sides said they acted in self-defence.
In the West Bank, the rival pro-Western Palestinian government of President Mahmoud Abbas also criticized the Israeli decision. Negotiator Saeb Erekat said the closure should be ended altogether. “The siege is collective punishment and it must be lifted.”
Amid the heavy international criticism that followed the Israeli naval raid, Egypt opened its land border crossing with Gaza — the main gateway for some residents to enter and exit the crowded territory.

But most Gazans remained confined to the territory. Egypt is only letting in people with special travel permits, such as students and Gazans with foreign passports. In the past two weeks, only 10,000 Gazans have crossed into Egypt.
On Sunday, the Israeli commission appointed to investigate the flotilla attack met for the first time. Two international observers are to join the deliberations later.

EDITOR: Speaking in Tongues…

Read this please. Two announcements from the same Netanyahu office at the same time, but saying very different things, as one is in Hebrew intended internally, while the English one is for export…

Who do you believe? Obviously not Netanyahu.

PMO announces plan to ease Gaza siege, but no such decision made: Haaretz

Prime Minister’s office issues two statements, one in English announcing plan to ease blockade, and one in Hebrew devoid of binding decision.
The Prime Minister’s Office announced on Thursday that the security cabinet had agreed to relax Israel’s blockade on the Gaza Strip, but as it turns out, no binding decision was ever made during the cabinet meeting.
The Prime Minister’s Office issued a press release in English following the meeting, which was also sent to foreign diplomats, was substantially different than the Hebrew announcement – according to the English text, a decision was made to ease the blockade, but in the Hebrew text there was no mention of any such decision.
It is not clear whether this discrepancy was a deliberate attempt to buy time in the face of international pressure, or a clerical omission on behalf of the Prime Minister’s Office.

The cabinet ministers held a long discussion on Wednesday and another one Thursday morning on the topic of altering Israel’s policy following the three-year siege on the Hamas ruled territory. The siege was imposed after Hamas violently seized control over the Gaza Strip in 2007. The aim of the discussions was to approve a plan drafted by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the envoy of the Quartet of Middle East peace negotiators Tony Blair. The discussions spanned a total of six hours, but no decision was ever made.

During both meetings, many ministers voiced their opinions regarding the blockade, and the defense establishment presented the plans for the “liberalization” of the blockade. However, upon concluding the discussions, the ministers did not vote on any binding practical draft of the decision. In fact, the policy by which the government is currently bound is the one decided by the security cabinet during the previous term of former prime minister Ehud Olmert, by which the blockade remains as it was.

Two official statements came out of the Prime Minister’s Office in regard to the security cabinet meeting – one in Hebrew for the Israeli media and another in English for the foreign media and foreign diplomats. The English version said that “It was agreed to liberalize the system by which civilian goods enter Gaza [and] expand the inflow of materials for civilian projects that are under international supervision.” The Hebrew version addressed mainly remarks made by Netanyahu, but failed to mention any decision or agreement.

The Hebrew version also failed to mention whether the prime minister’s position was formally approved. “Israel will alter the system in order to allow more civilian goods into Gaza,” the Hebrew statement read.

In addition to the English statement, word was sent to foreign consulates and embassies indicating that the decision made by the security cabinet will be implemented immediately. However, according to the officials charged with the actual monitoring of the transfer of goods into Gaza, they have not been notified of any change in policy as a result of the cabinet meeting.

A senior defense official said Thursday that “there was every intention to increase the transfer of goods into Gaza even before the cabinet meeting. We have notified the Palestinians, regardless of the cabinet meeting, that we will allow the entry of food items, house wares, writing implements, mattresses and toys. Beyond that, we have not said a thing.”
Sources at the Prime Minister’s Office admitted that there was no decision, and no vote, during the security cabinet meeting. One of the sources said that “it was a briefing by the prime minister,” and another source said it was a “declaration of intent.”

“A meeting will be held soon, and we hope that a binding decision will be taken then,” the prime minister’s office said, explaining that the reason for the delay is “the need for continued contact with allies within the international community in order to gain support for the liberalization plan.” This despite the fact that most of the international community has already voiced support for the plan, following a campaign launched by Blair, who drafted the plan with Netanyahu.

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