Popular Committee Against Siege (PCAS)
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Gaza Strip, 11, December, 2008-PCAS- Chairman of Popular Committee Against Siege, Independent Mp Jamal El Khoudary, called on bringing Israeli leaders for courts in accountancy for their human rights violation and the siege on Gaza strip. El Khoudary welcomed the report issued by United Nation’s expert in human rights, Richard Falk in regard of human rights conditions in Gaza. The report criticized the Israeli policies against Palestinians considering them as equal to war crimes against humanity. He also welcomed Richard’s call to implement the humanitarian laws and charters in Palestine to protect the civilians being exposed to a policy of collective punishment equals war crimes. PCAS Chairman touched upon the need of implementing the call of Mr. Falk on the ground saying, ” the situation in the Gaza strip is direful and there has to be a quick and prompt implementation of all humanitarian laws as Mr. falk requested.” The statement of Mr. Falk is the following: 9 December 2008 The Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights on Palestinian territories occupied since 1967, Richard Falk, issued the following statement: GENEVA — In recent days the desperate plight of the civilian population of Gaza has been acknowledged by such respected international figures as the Secretary General of the United Nations, the President of the General Assembly, and the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights. Last week, Karen AbyZayd, who heads the UN relief effort in Gaza , offered first-hand confirmation of the desperate urgency and unacceptable conditions facing the civilian population of Gaza . Although many leaders have commented on the cruelty and unlawfulness of the Gaza blockade imposed by Israel , such a flurry of denunciations by normally cautious UN officials has not occurred on a global level since the heyday of South African apartheid. And still Israel maintains its Gaza siege in its full fury, allowing only barely enough food and fuel to enter to stave off mass famine and disease. Such a policy of collective punishment, initiated by Israel to punish Gazans for political developments within the Gaza strip, constitutes a continuing flagrant and massive violation of international humanitarian law as laid down in Article 33 of the Fourth Geneva Convention. It is long past the time when talk suffices. As AbuZayd has written, “the chasm between word and deed” with respect to upholding human rights in occupied Palestine creates a situation where “radicalism and extremism easily take root.” The UN is obligated to respond under these conditions. Some governments of the world are complicit by continuing their support politically and economically for Israel ‘s punitive approach. Protective action must be taken immediately to offset the persisting and wide-ranging violations of the fundamental human right to life, and in view of the emergency situation that is producing a humanitarian catastrophe that is unfolding day by day. However difficult politically, it is time to act. At the very least, an urgent effort should be made at the United Nations to implement the agreed norm of a ‘responsibility to protect’ a civilian population being collectively punished by policies that amount to a Crime Against Humanity. In a similar vein, it would seem mandatory for the International Criminal Court to investigate the situation, and determine whether the Israeli civilian leaders and military commanders responsible for the Gaza siege should be indicted and prosecuted for violations of international criminal law. As AbuZayd has declared, “This is a humanitarian crisis deliberately imposed by political actors.” It should be noted that the situation worsened in recent days due to the breakdown of a truce between Hamas and Israel that had been observed for several months by both sides. The truce was maintained by Hamas despite the failure of Israel to fulfill its obligation under the agreement to improve the living conditions of the people of Gaza . The recent upsurge of violence occurred after an Israeli incursion that killed several alleged Palestinian militants within Gaza . It is a criminal violation of international law for elements of Hamas or anyone else to fire rockets at Israeli towns regardless of provocation, but such Palestinian behavior does not legalize Israel’s imposition of a collective punishment of a life- and health-threatening character on the people of Gaza, and should not distract the UN or international society from discharging their fundamental moral and legal duty to render protection to the Palestinian people. ENDS For further information on the Occupied Palestinian Territories , and work and mandate of the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights on Palestinian territories occupied since 1967, visit the following website: http://www.ohchr. org/EN/countries /MENARegion/ Pages/PSIndex. aspx |
Peace and Justice Post 
Egypt’s blockade on Gaza
June 4, 2010By Ahmad Shokr, ZNet, June 4, 2010
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In the wake of Israel’s raid three days ago on a civilian vessel attempting to deliver material goods to the residents of Gaza, Egypt announced on Tuesday the temporary opening of its border with Rafah to allow humanitarian and medical aid into the Gaza Strip, with restrictions on what kinds of supplies can enter. On Monday, President Mubarak responded swiftly to the Israeli navy’s assault on the Freedom Flotilla, affirming Egypt’s support for the people of Gaza. Israel’s ambassador to Egypt was quickly summoned by the Egyptian foreign ministry, and told that Egypt condemns the violence deployed against international activists and rejects the continued blockade of the strip.
As international pressure mounts on Israel to justify its savage attack on unarmed civilians attempting to provide material support to a besieged population, Hosni Mubarak’s government is posturing on the international stage, trying to show the world and its own citizens that it’s on the right side of this tragedy. Its statements give the false impression of an enduring commitment to the collective welfare of Palestinians living in Gaza.
However, a brief review of Egypt’s track record over the past three years tells a different story that undermines these duplicitous claims.
Under pressure from the US and Israel, Egypt has actively participated in the Gaza siege since Hamas took control of the strip in June 2007, blocking the movement of people and goods over its official border crossing. This has effectively tightened Gaza’s economic strangulation, causing acute shortages in basic supplies, a near-complete halt in industrial production, and a sharp rise in health and sanitary problems. It has contributed to what several human rights organizations have described as the worst humanitarian crisis in Gaza since its military occupation by Israel in 1967.
Egypt has been actively suppressing the underground tunnel trade, one of the main lifelines for the Gazan economy which provides most of the daily needs for 1.5 million people, including fuel, clothing and construction materials. Egyptian security forces have targeted tunnels for destruction and, in one recent case, were accused of pumping poisonous gas into a tunnel that resulted in the deaths of four Palestinians.
Egypt began construction of an underground steel wall last December–dubbed a security barrier by the government–which has so far covered almost half of the border area.
Egypt has prevented similar humanitarian convoys in the past, leaving international activists no recourse but the sea to deliver supplies to the besieged strip. Last December, the Egyptian government blocked most of the 1,400 participants in the Gaza Freedom March–organized by a coalition of pro-Palestinian organizations–from entering Gaza via the Rafah crossing to deliver vital humanitarian supplies. Days later, following a confrontation between members of the Viva Palestina convoy and Egyptian riot police in the port of el-Arish, the Egyptian foreign minister announced a ban on all future aid convoys destined for Gaza.
All these actions have taken place in the context of a very cordial Egyptian-Israeli bilateral relationship that involves various levels of political and economic cooperation, including preferential trade agreements and the long-term provision of natural gas to Israel. Keeping in line with US and Israeli policy, Egypt has also worked to undermine the Hamas government in the Gaza Strip while bolstering support for the discredited Palestinian Authority.
The decision to open the Rafah crossing comes after two consecutive days of popular protests across most major Egyptian cities, as well as heightened international concern over the plight of Gaza’s imprisoned population. The move is designed to serve Egypt’s vested interest in appearing as an honest regional broker and supporter of the Palestinian cause.
The Egyptian government desperately wants to deflect any negative attention away from its own complicity in the blockade. But empty rhetorical gestures and mendacious displays of solidarity with Palestinian suffering do not change the basic fact that Gazans have been victims of a coordinated Israeli-Egyptian siege, for which Mubarak’s government bears its fair share of responsibility.
Ahmad Shokr is a journalist based in Cairo, Egypt.
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