tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-83233282329591075742024-03-13T04:34:28.198-04:00End the Siege on Gaza : AFSCSince the 2006 Palestinian Parliamentary elections, Israel and the United States have led a campaign of international sanctions against Hamas and the elected Palestinian government. This campaign was increased since June, 2007 when Hamas assumed control of Gaza. Since then, Gaza has been almost completely cut off from the outside world.AFSChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10677445622744424848noreply@blogger.comBlogger218125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8323328232959107574.post-46773229049140113482009-05-13T14:03:00.003-04:002009-05-13T14:09:14.194-04:00Gaza Families Down to a Meal a DayBy Erin CunninghamIPS News, Inter Press ServiceMay 13, 2009Um Abdullah cannot remember the last time she was able to feed meat to her eight children. She does know that for the past week the single meal she cooked for them each day consisted only of lentils. And that on one day, she had received aid coupons from the United Nations, which she subsequently sold to buy tomatoes and eggplant at AFSChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00163412581009065078noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8323328232959107574.post-30752924284894431962009-05-01T14:00:00.003-04:002009-05-01T14:04:54.717-04:00Gaza: Not nearly back to normalApr 30th 2009 | GAZA CITYFrom The Economist print editionThree months after Israel’s war ended, life for Gazans is still dismalMUHAMMAD KHADER places some rugs and blankets amid the ruins of his house. Sometimes he goes there to rest when the tent he shares with his wife and six of their daughters gets too crowded. They ran away from their home earlier this year when it was hit by a missile AFSChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00163412581009065078noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8323328232959107574.post-45248497009618671762009-04-27T12:07:00.002-04:002009-04-27T12:13:11.014-04:00Israel's Gaza report 'lacks credibility': Amnesty InternationalThursday, Apr 23, 2009<!-- end .byline -->LONDON (AFP)The Israeli army's investigation into its recent war in Gaza "lacks credibility" and is no substitute for an independent probe, London-based rights organisation Amnesty International said Thursday. The Israeli army on Wednesday defended its conduct during the 22-day offensive against Hamas, saying five investigations carried AFSChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00163412581009065078noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8323328232959107574.post-76639399276737647062009-04-14T17:01:00.002-04:002009-04-14T17:09:17.159-04:00Gaza needs more aidBy Mel Frykberg, The Electronic Intifada, 12 April 2009RAMALLAH, occupied West Bank (IPS) - John Ging, head of the UN agency for Palestine refugees (UNRWA) in Gaza, has urged Israel to ease aid flow restrictions that are having a devastating effect on the 1.5 million inhabitants.Ging says the amount of aid being allowed into Gaza at present is "wholly and totally inadequate. It's having a very AFSChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00163412581009065078noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8323328232959107574.post-20165720762115749312009-03-25T11:59:00.003-04:002009-03-25T12:04:31.174-04:00Israeli Military repeatedly violated Medical Ethic Codes during its Gaza OffensivePhysicians for Human Rights-IsraelMarch 23, 2009Prevention of medical assistance from the trapped and the wounded, severe difficulties to emergency medical evacuation, attacks on medical personnel and medical facilities, and de facto prevention from the chronically ill and gravely wounded referral to medical care outside Gaza. "We call for an outside independent body to investigate the events" AFSChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00163412581009065078noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8323328232959107574.post-7524791178523677622009-03-10T12:04:00.003-04:002009-03-10T12:13:11.458-04:00Young Gaza couple begin married life in a tentLive from Palestine ReportsRami AlmeghariMarch 2, 2009Last Thursday, relatives, friends and local community representatives attended an unusual wedding party in Gaza. The celebration was held in a newly-erected refugee camp, in the northern Gaza Strip town of Jabaliya."My wife and I planned to marry at my house, where we furnished an apartment, just shortly before Israel's war on Gaza. Yet, as AFSChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00163412581009065078noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8323328232959107574.post-13104896240473275122009-03-10T11:40:00.006-04:002009-03-10T11:51:59.378-04:00US Congress members report on their visit to GazaVideos from the visit of Congressman Baird and Congressman Ellison's visit to Gazahttp://baird.house.gov.hillclips.tv/messages/view/4256/0http://baird.house.gov.hillclips.tv/messages/view/4243/0And a report back at the New American Foundation event:(some audio difficulties)http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=74boaFtZvCA AFSChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00163412581009065078noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8323328232959107574.post-73336952119656604002009-02-19T19:22:00.003-05:002009-02-19T19:32:21.669-05:00US Members of Congress visit GazaExpress Shock at Gaza devastationAgence France-PresseFebruary 20, 2009US Democratic representatives Brian Baird and Keith Ellison expressed shock at the plight of the war-shattered Gaza Strip during a rare visit to the Hamas-run Palestinian enclave today. "The amount of physical destruction and the depth of human suffering here is staggering," Mr Baird said jointly with Mr Ellison during their AFSChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00163412581009065078noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8323328232959107574.post-63316323973728532942009-02-12T11:47:00.002-05:002009-02-12T12:16:55.093-05:00After ceasefire, Gazans still don't feel safeReport, Palestine Centre for Human Rights10 February 2009Foreign correspondents and camera crews have now begun to leave Gaza, in search of the next headline-grabbing location. But ongoing air strikes and violations of international law are a stark reminder that there is no real end to Israel's offensive here.Since Israel declared a unilateral ceasefire on 18 January it has continued to launch AFSChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00163412581009065078noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8323328232959107574.post-92116712759123176372009-02-10T15:57:00.004-05:002009-02-10T16:08:14.480-05:00Gaza Children Traumatized by War - UNUN envoy: Gaza's children traumatized by war, despite ceasefireHa'aretz, February 10, 2009 Children in the Gaza Strip continued to suffer and feel insecure despite a ceasefire that has mostly ended three weeks of intense fighting between Israel and Hamas, the UN special envoy for children and armed conflict said Monday.Radihika Coomaraswamy said grave violations of child rights had AFSChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00163412581009065078noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8323328232959107574.post-12251735205853757562009-02-08T14:32:00.003-05:002009-02-08T14:38:16.987-05:00After Gaza War, Daunting Curbs On RebuildingBy Griff Witte Washington Post Foreign ServiceSunday, February 8, 2009BEIT LAHIYA, Gaza Strip -- Mohammed Irhaiem's former home was a spacious 1,500 square feet and was built from solid concrete blocks. It had views of the Mediterranean and fruit trees in the yard. His new home, which he surveyed for the first time this week, measures 12 by 6 feet and is made of sheets of canvas held aloft by AFSChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00163412581009065078noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8323328232959107574.post-10636109740360736782009-01-31T18:22:00.002-05:002009-01-31T18:33:38.289-05:00$20.3 million to fund humanitarian NeedsUS Members of Congress Press for Humanitarian Aid to Gaza(A letter was circulated in the US Congress to urge Sec. of State Clinton to have "the United States play a leading role in alleviating the suffering of civilians in Gaza." 61 Congresspeople signed the letter which can be read here: http://www.house.gov/apps/list/press/ma01_olver/ERMA130.html)Washington, D.C. - Congressman John Olver AFSChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00163412581009065078noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8323328232959107574.post-19537686068097803162009-01-29T14:11:00.002-05:002009-01-29T14:15:17.899-05:00Worse Than an EarthquakeFrom Kathy Kelly, Voices for Creative NonviolenceJanuary 21, 2009 Rafah—Traffic on Sea Street, a major thoroughfare alongside Gaza’s coastline, includes horses, donkeys pulling carts, cyclists, pedestrians, trucks and cars, mostly older models. Overhead, in stark contrast to the street below, Israel’s ultra modern unmanned surveillance planes criss-cross the skies. F16s and helicopters can AFSChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00163412581009065078noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8323328232959107574.post-56881007584405123552009-01-29T13:57:00.002-05:002009-01-29T14:07:51.874-05:00"Gaza Will Take Years to Recover" -- ICRCKatharina Ritz (International Committee of the Red Cross):"Gaza will take several years at the very least to recover from the Israeli military campaign. This is the best case scenario, assuming that the border crossings are opened permanently and all the necessary aid and help is allowed in unhindered.... But before the reconstruction can even commence it is essential for the remaining Israeli AFSChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00163412581009065078noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8323328232959107574.post-20278801910994292442009-01-20T13:21:00.001-05:002009-01-20T13:23:56.195-05:00Israeli Human Rights Organizations: Open Gaza's Crossings to Goods and CiviliansFrom the Gisha website:Human rights organizations in Israel today called on the State of Israel to immediately and fully open the crossings of the Gaza Strip to the passage of goods and people. The organizations are especially demanding the unimpeded passage of medical equipment, medical personnel and wounded people as well as fuel and spare parts for the humanitarian infrastructure.On "the day Adamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16249878778227424930noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8323328232959107574.post-52679390312344067772009-01-19T11:14:00.003-05:002009-01-19T11:27:37.442-05:00Statement by General Assembly President Miguel d'Escotoby Miguel d'Escoto,General Assembly PresidentNew York, 15 January 2009We here in United Nations headquarters have remained too passive for too long as the carnage continues. I am responding to the growing number of Member States, particularly those of the Non-Aligned Movement, who have demanded a resumption of the 10th Emergency Special Session of the General Assembly as soon as possible. Every AFSChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00163412581009065078noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8323328232959107574.post-90606258700371565722009-01-15T12:36:00.004-05:002009-01-15T12:43:41.786-05:00No Military Solution to Gaza CrisisBy Bernard Avishai and Sam Bahour January 15, 2009"Israel and Hamas are not equals on the battlefield - not at all, clearly - and when the power to harm or control others is this uneven, it is meaningless to speak about moral symmetry. But as the current onslaught in Gaza unfolds, it is sadly evident that both sides are continuing to respond to real provocations in ways that are not morally rightAFSChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00163412581009065078noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8323328232959107574.post-29205324909755524172009-01-14T14:37:00.000-05:002009-01-14T14:39:23.614-05:00History did not begin with the QassamsAmira Hass writing in Ha'aretz:The siege of Gaza did not begin when Hamas seized control of the Strip's security organs, or when Gilad Shalit was taken captive, or when Hamas was elected in democratic elections. The siege began in 1991 - before the suicide bombings. And since then, it has only become more sophisticated, reaching its peak in 2005.The Israeli public relations machinery happily Adamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16249878778227424930noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8323328232959107574.post-9496617677249943602009-01-14T08:57:00.001-05:002009-01-14T08:59:52.606-05:00Israeli Human Rights groups: Clear and present danger to the lives and well-being of tens of thousands of civiliansFrom the B'Tselem website:Since the beginning of the campaign in Gaza on December 27, a heavy suspicion has arisen of grave violations of international humanitarian law by military forces. After the end of the hostilities, the time will come for the investigation of this matter, and accountability will be demanded of those responsible for the violations. At this point we call your attention to Adamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16249878778227424930noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8323328232959107574.post-87519318186365378702009-01-12T16:36:00.004-05:002009-01-12T16:40:05.521-05:00A Durable Ceasefire Requires an End to the Siege and OccupationFrom the Palestine Center:Since the start of the December 2008 Israeli military assault on the Gaza Strip, the most often asked question has been how to achieve a durable ceasefire. Pundits have given various answers to that question, most of which revolve around the same point—a durable ceasefire can only be achieved once Israel destroys Hamas’s military capability—and for some, the definition Adamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16249878778227424930noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8323328232959107574.post-63932185220804810512009-01-12T14:13:00.000-05:002009-01-12T14:15:21.567-05:00Support Congressional Resolution for Immediate Ceasefire in GazaFrom the US Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation:Last Friday, the House of Representatives voted 390 yes, 5 no, and 22 present to pass H.Res.34, “recognizing Israel’s right to defend itself” and “reaffirming the United States strong support for Israel.” To see if your Representative cosponsored this resolution, click here. To see how your Representative voted, click here.Last Thursday, the Adamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16249878778227424930noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8323328232959107574.post-32581523202845030842009-01-11T14:46:00.004-05:002009-01-11T14:57:15.785-05:00Sderot War Diaryby Nomika Zion, SderotJanuary 8, 2009Translated from the Hebrew by Assaf Oron“I talk with Sderot people and everyone’s cheeks are rosy again”, boasted Fuad on the war’s second day [Fuad is Benjamin Ben Eliezer, a long-time centrist Labor minister - Assaf]. “The heavier the blow we deliver - the more our hearts widen”. Hey Fuad, not everyone. Even if I was the only one around Sderot feeling AFSChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00163412581009065078noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8323328232959107574.post-25905065893297615102009-01-10T16:31:00.005-05:002009-01-10T16:48:30.611-05:00The Road Not Taken: Avoiding Death and DestructionNo Other Option?! By Sam Bahour January 10, 2009"... I am a Palestinian American based in Al-Bireh, the sister city of Ramallah in the West Bank. I can see how an observer from abroad could be blind to the facts, given the blitz of Gaza war propaganda orchestrated by the Israeli military. But I know better. Like all other Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank, I am not an observer from AFSChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00163412581009065078noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8323328232959107574.post-15412919794616525712009-01-08T13:11:00.004-05:002009-01-08T13:19:50.706-05:00What you don't know about GazaBy Rashid KhalidiJanuary 7, 2009, The New York TimesNearly everything you’ve been led to believe about Gaza is wrong. Below are a few essential points that seem to be missing from the conversation, much of which has taken place in the press, about Israel’s attack on the Gaza Strip.THE GAZANS Most of the people living in Gaza are not there by choice. The majority of the 1.5 million people crammed AFSChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00163412581009065078noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8323328232959107574.post-41727846687061174992009-01-08T12:57:00.003-05:002009-01-08T13:10:57.566-05:00This brutality will never break our will to be freeby Khalid Mish'al, head of the Hamas political bureauJanuary 6, 2009, The GuardianFor 18 months my people in Gaza have been under siege, incarcerated inside the world's biggest prison, sealed off from land, air and sea, caged and starved, denied even medication for our sick. After the slow death policy came the bombardment. In this most densely populated of places, nothing has been spared AFSChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00163412581009065078noreply@blogger.com