The Blockade of Gaza, Two Years On

In the shadow of his ruined home, north of Gaza City, Hashem al-Ansari lit a small fire and made me tea. His family's blasted house looked just as it did when the war ended on January 18. Israel's land, sea and air blockade means the al-Ansaris can't get the concrete or glass they need to rebuild. "We locked the door when we left during the war," he said, looking at the rubble.

Hamas, which claims responsibility for suicide bombs and rocket attacks on Israeli civilian centers, won a majority in Palestinian elections in 2006 and violently took control of the Gaza Strip on June 15, 2007. Two years later, the blockade that Israel imposed in response continues in full force. After the war, the Israeli spokesman, Mark Regev, said, "We want to make sure that [post-war] reconstruction for the people of Gaza is not reconstruction for the Hamas regime." But Israel is blocking much more than just reconstruction materials. In practice, the policy means that until Israel stops considering Hamas a threat, everyone in Gaza is going to suffer.

Hamas' attacks on civilians violate international law, but those violations are no excuse for a blockade that, as Israeli officials have implicitly acknowledged, amounts to collective punishment. "There is no justification for demanding we allow residents of Gaza to live normal lives while shells and rockets are fired from their streets and courtyards" at Israeli communities, then-Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said on January 23, 2008.

After two years of looking the other way, the international community, and especially the United States, should be pressing not only Hamas to end its unlawful attacks on Israeli civilians but also Israel to end its unlawful punishment of 1.5 million Gazans.

By October 2008, Israel's blockade had so shattered Gaza's economy that the World Bank feared "it is unlikely that many [private sector] establishments will be able to recover once the blockade is lifted." Even before the war, the blockade had severely damaged Gaza's fraying health-care system, electricity grid, and water and sanitation systems. During the war, raw sewage piled up in city streets; for weeks on end, hundreds of thousands of residents had no electricity or running water.

Now, 20 weeks later, the suffering of ordinary Gazans grows more acute by the day. The war left 8,000 families homeless and another 10,000 without glass in their windows. Almost 30,000 people have no access to running water, and the United Nations is reporting higher rates of diarrhea and other diseases caused by bad sanitation. Gazans have no power for an average of five hours a day.

Gaza needs more imports than ever after the war, yet current monthly imports amount to only a quarter of what they were before June 2007. Israel has allowed virtually no reconstruction materials to enter. There are no exports, with the exception of a few shipments of carnations to Europe. More than 80 percent of Gazans rely on humanitarian aid, and 65 percent live below the poverty line of US $2 per day.

There has never been any security justification for keeping out the goods and materials that Gaza needs. As Washington State Rep. Brian Laird, one of three Congressmen who visited Gaza in February, said of some banned items, "When have lentil bombs been going off lately? Is someone going to kill you with a piece of macaroni?" Only 18 food items are currently approved for import. Other prohibited goods include soccer balls, ink, and paper. Israel could prevent armed groups from misusing imported items for military purposes by supporting a third-party monitoring system.

Israel's blockade has actually helped Hamas. After Israel blocked the shipment of materials a UN de-mining team needed to detonate unexploded ordinance from the war, Hamas made off with 5,000 tons of bombs. The blockade has turned smugglers' tunnels from Egypt into a lifeline, and Hamas takes a cut from virtually every smuggled item.

The United States, Israel's main backer, has publicly distanced itself from the unpopular blockade. President Obama has called for open borders with Gaza. Secretary Clinton pledged $300 million in humanitarian assistance for Gaza at a donor's conference on March 2, but little has been disbursed, since the US insists that the funds bypass Hamas. But the US not taken firm steps to press Israel to end the blockade, despite its enormous leverage. Jeffrey Feltman, acting assistant secretary of state for Near Eastern Affairs, wrote to Human Rights Watch on May 26 that the US "will continue targeted approaches to the Government of Israel on humanitarian projects."

This is not good enough. Gaza's civilians cannot afford to wait.

Comments

[LawrenceGist]

An independent United Nations human rights expert today denounced what he described as "the unlawful naval seizure" by an Israeli gunboat of a ship carrying medicine and reconstruction material for the people of Gaza. Richard Falk, the UN Special Rapporteur said the Israeli action "implements its cruel blockade of the entire Palestinian population of Gaza." It also violates Article 33 of the Fourth Geneva Convention, which prohibits any form of collective punishment directed at an occupied people, he stated.

A news release issued from his office in Geneva says the boat had been inspected in response to Israeli demands before departure by the port authorities in Cyprus to determine whether there were weapons on board. None were found, and Israeli authorities were so informed. "Nonetheless, the 21 peace activists on the boat, including former US Rep. Cynthia McKinney and Nobel laureate Mairead Maguire, were arrested, held in captivity, and have been charged with "illegal entry" to Israel even though they had no intention of going to Israel," the release states.

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has repeatedly called on Israel to ease its blockade, most recently during a meeting in New York with Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman. According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), the entry of essential goods and services, including materials for reconstruction, spare parts for water and sanitation projects, as well as industrial and agricultural materials remain either restricted or banned outright.

[BubbaC33]

When Israel can be assured Hamas is not smuggling illegal weapons into Gaza or importing suicide bombers into Israel then it will be time to ease the naval restrictions.

[arle]

And so every child in Gaza has to starve? This has nothing to do with Israeli security, really, and everything to do with making the Palestinians suffer until they submit to Israeli supremacy. Disgraceful.

[jordanispalestine]

Uh...when will you be blogging about the horrific conditions in the Palestinian refugee camps in Jordan, Lebanon and Syria?? Amazingly, most folks don't even know they exist. Aren't you at all concerned...as a researcher for Human Rights Watch. ( I read your bio)....that Arabs would allow their Arab brothers and sisters to live like that for DECADES??

[GZLives]

Why would he be concerned about Muslim Arabs killing or brutalizing Muslim Arabs? These are the same people always going on and on about "the occupation" when they never made a peep during brutal Egyptian occupation of Gaza for 2 decades or the Jordanian occupation of the W Bank.
Did they care back then? Did they even know it existed? Why didn't they bother to look into it?

And worse, they wonder why with such a clear double standard ie. their indignation only seems to manifest itself where there are Jews in the equation, so many conclude there must be some connection.

[arle]

How many Palestinian children were burned to death with white phosphorus but the Egyptian or Jordanian governments? I looked for the numbers but you, I just can't find them.

[misaacm]

Life spans in Gaza are longer than in Egypt (and Russia and Brazil), so the people can't be suffering all that much can they?

Last time I checked, actions had consequences. The actions of the residents of Gaza after Israel withdrew were to elect a government dedicated to the destruction of Israel, kidnap Israelis, and fire thousands of rockets at Israel. The rockets were timed for when children were walking home from school, so they would be between shelters. Before the Israelis responded to this outrage, Hamas hid their bombs in schools and mosques. When Israel finally responded to this outrage, the leaders of Gaza set up a command center under a hospital (originally built by the Israelis) and put young children on the roofs of their military installations.

The UN, always reflexively anti-Israel (like most writers at the Huff Post) demanded that Israel stop their military action since too many of Hamas' human shields were getting killed. People shouldn't be surprised when Israel refuses to allow Hamas to rearm. This might not be the war the Palestinians wanted, but as the US learned in Vietnam and Iraq; when you start a war, it doesn't always go as planned.

[arle]

Made-up stastiical data? Nice try.

[GZLives]

MADE up or you just can't find the information? I suspect the latter given the performance on the Egyptian occupation of Gaza above.

[fbr79]

Key sentence:

"Hamas, which claims responsibility for suicide bombs and rocket attacks on Israeli civilian centers, won a majority in Palestinian elections in 2006 and violently took control of the Gaza Strip on June 15, 2007."

The choices people make.

[Wisdo]

yeah how dare they fight back.

[Macready]

great blog . . . you are so right what the US has done so far is not enough . . . the time is now for the US to pull all funding and military supplies to israel and for the UN to declare sanctions and trade embargoes against israel . . israel is an apartheid state, it is continuing its policy of expanding illegal settlements . . meanwhile as you rightly point out the situation for the Palestinians is worsening every day . . this is an outrage of international proportions . . . it has to end

[GZLives]

For all those with Apartheid and racism on their minds ....

"A poll released this week showed that PA Arabs are reluctant to grant rights to Jews or Christians within areas demanded for a PA state. A survey conducted by the Arab World for Research and Development among 1,200 Arab residents of the West Bank and Gaza found that they also did not feel Jerusalem should be shared with Jews and Christians."

Perhaps your concern should be directed where its clearly needed

[arle]

I read your post twice and I couldn't find a link. I couldn't even find the name of the jounalistic outlet which released it. If you're going to write fiction, could you sign your name to it?

[Wisdo]

Most children in the Gaza Strip have been tear gassed, have had their homes searched and damaged, and have witnessed shooting, fighting and explosions. Many have been injured or tortured as a result of chronic war that spans generations, says a recent Queen’s University (canada) study.

“Children comprise 47 per cent of Gaza’s population and are extremely vulnerable,” Says Study author Dr Pringle. “It seems the international community is neglecting them, that somehow Palestinian children don’t deserve the protections guaranteed under the Geneva Convention and humanitarian law.

[BubbaC33]

Those children have been put in harm's way becuase the cowards in Hamas used them as shileds during Cast Lead. If Hamas would stop firing rockets into Israel and act reposnibly Israel would open its border. As it stands now the idea that a border closing is a blockade is wrong, Gaza has a border with Egypt and can use it anytime they need commerce or supplies.

[arle]

So, when Gazans put children in harm's way by... apparently... /having/ them -- I mean, where do you expect Gazans to put their children? That's the most densely populated region in the Middle East thanks to Israel herding so many Palestinians there -- you call the nefarious tactic of raising a family to be "human shields."

But when Israelis move whole families into occupied land -- what is that? What is it when you deliberately put /your/ children into the firing line in order to justify things like apartheid walls and military checkpoints?

[fbr79]

Why is it that the more people are screwed the more they reproduce? When I was growing up in Brazil I always wondered that, the people in the shanty towns having 6 or 7 kids. I guess being uneducated, they figure that the more kids they have the more chances they have of being taken care of at old age. "Many of them been injured or tortured"? How many is many? I haven't heard of any being tortured, I've heard Hamas likes to go around torturing "collaborators" (Fatah people), but I don't think they were kids..they were mostly medical personnel and teachers.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/1561384/Hamas-honeymoon-ends-with-torture.html

http://www.reuters.com/article/latestCrisis/idUSLT773276

[driven989]

Cynthia McKinney, along with many others, were kidnapped and detained by Israel for trying to bring humanitarian aid into Gaza. I have not heard a single word about this from Obama. Cynthia McKinney is a former US Congress member and former US presidential candidate. This is absolutely shameful!

[Macready]

well said driven989 . . . totally agree with you . . it is shameful . . it seems our government still cannot confront the israelis . . .

[jordanispalestine]

They should be confronting the hamas and PLO terrorists­....aftera­ll, we're fighting a war on terrorism, not against democracy in the ME!! I guess you forgot,huh??

[jordanispalestine]

She was NOT kidnapped! Liar! And she is a FORMER congressprson because she brought so much shame and embarrassment on herself through the years ..THAT HER OWN DEMOCRATIC CONSTITUENTS VOTED IN ANOTHER DEM TO RUN IN THE GENERAL ELECTION AGAINST A REPUBLICAN OPPONENT!! SHE REMAINS AN EMBARRASSMENT TO AMERICA TO THIS VERY DAY!!

[driven989]

It is very clear you are either: 1) an American with dual Israeli citizenship 2) posting your comments from somewhere in Israel or 3) working for one of these organizations that come on this blog and systematically posts anti-American, anti-Palestinian, anti-peace propoganda (as mentioned by Max Blumenthal). So..which is it?

And yes, Cynthia McKinney was kidnapped by Israel, along with Nobel Peace Laureate, Mairead Maguire and 20 others. They were kidnapped and are currently being held in Israeli jails for trying to deliver humanitiarian aid to Gaza.

I think it is YOU who is the liar...

[jordanispalestine]

I guess it proves that any garden variety hater of America ( McKINNEY!) can run for President! Ain't America a grand ol' dame??

[zaz33]

A comment on a Haaretz article caught my eye he other day. The poster wasn't as concerned about the cement getting into Gaza as he was the water to mix the cement. He obviously didn't want it coming from Israel.

Israel cannot survive on the water resource within the 67 borders. The get 30% of their water from the West Bank and 30% from te Golan Height. For obvious reasons Israel is interested in, or desperate for access to the Litani river in Southern Lebanon.

Israel has recently moved soldiers and armor to the Lebanese border. Israel also spread a story that the UN peace keepesr discovered "ready to fire" rockets in Southern Lebanon. The UN stated that there was no truth to the story.

I have no doubt that if Hezbollah were disarmed Israel would invade, occupy and take water from the Litani river. They may do it anyway. Beware of a "false flag"

[driven989]

Excellent post. Not many people understand that WATER resources play a very large part in Israeli motivations.

[fbr79]

I guess you already forgot. Let me just remind you that Israel gave back, on it's own will, without any fight from the other side, the land it occupied from Lebanon after the 1982 war. No matter how much the far Left loves Hizbollah, it can't defend Lebanon. While disarming it would fulfill some peace agreement previously singed, it would have no effect on Lebanon's military defense.

I'm glad you can still shill for Iran after all that has been going on over there.

[Wisdo]

they 'gave back 'the land they stole? wow thats great - what big hearts.

that makes the sabra and shatila and quana massacres all right then.

Of course that was the war that created Hezbollah, last seen driving the zionists out with their tails between their legs.

[jordanispalestine]

So the terrorists in Gaza should get water...but not the Jews of Israel?? Nice!

[myopinion2]

War sucks. people, innocent people suffer, because of their leaders. Perhaps Israel should be letting more food and medical supplies in easier.. Hard to know the truth about the sufficiency of the flow of those items -- too much spin and lies on both sides. The embargo of construction material is a tragedy. But Israel and Hamas are at war, and the embargo is working for Israel. Latest polls show Palestinian support for Hamas plummeting both in West Bank and Gaza. Support for PA substantially higher. So the embargo is working. If Hamas loses all but fringe support, maybe abbas and PA will finally give up right of return and will accept division of East Jerusalem so there can be peace.

[whoa20]

great point! Hamas is at war. In war, naval blockades are perfectly legal, and so are naval blackouts. I am very happy the blockade has been kept up, as Hamas' destruction will allow for peace. you know why AI and HRW don't like the blockade? Because it is leading to peace! And with no war in the region, they have nothing to talk about, or no reason to get more Saudi money! Those two organizations have proven to be blatantly biased, and give the anti-I side the propaganda they use. Thank God for the blockade of Gaza.

[Taxi]

In all its shapes and forms:

Viv La Resistance!

[arle]

By the same logic you apply that makes Gazan civilians valid wartime targets also makes Israeli citizens valid wartime targets.

[Wisdo]

your right Human rights watch love war. Thats not insane or anything.