Netanyahu likely to allow food shipments into Gaza

[bemildred]

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to promise during his meeting with U.S. President Barack Obama at the White House on Monday that Israel will remove all restrictions to the movement of foodstuffs into the Gaza Strip.

Meanwhile, four senior European Union officials sent a letter to Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman and Defense Minister Ehud Barak, calling on them to immediately and permanently open the crossings into the Gaza Strip for humanitarian aid.

Several days prior to the end of the Olmert administration, a decision was made to allow food to be delivered to the Gaza Strip without restrictions. The move came despite serious differences between the position of the Foreign and Defense ministries, and a series of embarrassing confrontations between Israel, on the one hand, and the U.S. and the European Union on the other. Even though a decision was made to allow the food to cross into Gaza, the defense establishment has not yet implemented it. The issue of humanitarian aid transfers to the Hamas controlled Gaza Strip was one of the issues that the Netanyahu administration sought to resolve prior to the prime minister's visit to the United States. A discussion is scheduled to take place this week and a final decision will be made.

The disagreements between the Foreign and Defense ministries on the subject have gone on unabated, with the Foreign Ministry saying the restrictions on food should be lifted.

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1085177.html

[Name removed]

1. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[henank]

2. In case it escaped your attention

Netanyahu is not Christian. And using Nazi terminology to describe Israeli politicians is disgusting anti-Semitism.

[T Wolf]

3. Bullshit. And I was purposely using that phrase to show my contempt for the Israeli right that has

(unsuccessfully) attempted to commit genocide against the non-Jews living in the occupied territories.

I am not anti-Semetic, being a Semite myself. I simply and most strongly object when "my people" act like those who tried so hard to destroy us.

If the shoe fits...

[henank]

4. Don't make such utterly ridiculous claims

"Genocide". Pfft! Some genocide when the Palestinians have managed to grow from a few hundred thousands to several millions over the course of 60 years. If the Israelis are as evil as you think they are, do you not think they could have just wiped out the Palestinians completely?

You ruin your own argument with your stupid hyperbole.

You also direct your anger at the Israeli right who have committed such heinous deeds. Does the Israeli left, who has been in power for the last 10 years and more, and ruled for the first 30 years of the state's existence, then get a free pass?

Furthermore, being a "Semite" does not contra-indicate the possibility of being an anti-Semite.

Just saying...

[Tripmann]

5. Henank, calling somebody an anti-semite

for criticising israeli policy is as rediculous as calling somebody anti-american for criticising the bush admins policies. It stifles useful discussion and damages your arguement. More importantly, its overuse dilutes the phrases impact.

[henank]

8. Calling Israelis "Reich-wingers" is not antisemitic?

If that terminology does not bother you or does ring alarm bells then you are blind to antisemitism. Criticism of Israeli policies does not entitle anyone to call Israelis Nazis or to use Nazi terminology when referring to them.

"its overuse dilutes the phrases impact." Correct. This applies to Nazi terminology too. Please address this comment to the poster.

[Tripmann]

11. Nope,

not unless you're directing it at the jewish people as a whole, rather than certain Israelis. The jewish faith is greater than the section of Israelis backing/committing the atrocities against other human beings.

[kayecy]

6. OK henank, lets avoid 'genocide', but what justification can Israel have for withholding food?.....

Let's avoid using emotive words like 'genocide', but what possible excuse can a western civilised, democratic, state have for withholding food from a blockaded people just ravished by war?...Does Israel have to be told what it's humanitarian resoponsibilities are?

[henank]

9. About that "withheld" food

Gee, I don't suppose it has anything to do with Hamas rocketing the border crossings. :sarcasm:

Even under rocket fire Israel allowed food aid to enter Gaza through the border crossing

and another link

even during wartime Israel allowed in food

a full list of the humanitarian aid allowed in to Gaza during the war.

Show me another country at war that allows aid to its enemy during the war.

[Douglas Carpenter]

10. Every credible human rights organization in the world that deals with

Gaza - EVERY SINGLE ONE - WITHOUT EXCEPTION reports massive restrictions and massive shortages on food, water, medical supplies and every other necessity of life that is making life for more than 1.3 million people unbearable. This has been going on for several years now. Every credible source without any exceptions agrees.

Among sane and rational people.there is absolutely no dispute or disagreement about the enormous restrictions and the violations of international law that is occurring and has been occurring regarding access to the Gaza. The word genoside is for sure hyperbole, but that is besides the point.

]

link: http://www.btselem.org/english/Video/


Amnesty International/Israel and Occupied Territories -

link:

http://www.amnestyusa.org/all-countries/israel/occupied-palestinian-territories/page.do?id=1011175

DCI - Defence of Children International - Palestine Section -

link: http://www.dci-pal.org/english/home.cfm

Human Rights Watch/Israel and Occupied Territories -

link: http://www.hrw.org/campaigns/israel/

HaMoked: Center for the Defence of the Individual - is an Israeli human rights organization whose main objective is to assist Palestinians of the OccupiedTerritories whose rights are violated due to Israel's policies.

link: http://www.hamoked.org/

International Committee of the Red Cross/Palestinian Territories –

http://www.icrc.org/web/eng/siteeng0.nsf/html/palestine!Open

Physicians for Human Rights - Israel - link:

http://www.phr.org.il/phr/

Rabbis for Human Rights is the rabbinic voice of conscience in Israel. - link:
http://rhr.israel.net/

Yesh Din is comprised of volunteers who have organized to oppose the continuing violation of Palestinian human rights in the Occupied Palestinian Territory - link:
http://www.yesh-din.org/site/index.php? ... us&lang=en

[kayecy]

13. henank: You can't really be serious in supporting Israel in this in-human practice.....

Show me another country at war that allows aid to its enemy during the war.

I can't believe you think Israel is that bad!...South Korea giving food-aid to North Korea....the US giving food-aid to Iraq during the war....the US giving food aid to Iranian earthquake victimes.....In fact, can you show us any other western civilised state which restricts food to civilians....


Don't forget we are not talking about Israel "giving" food, we are talking about Israel preventing aid agencies supplying food...Even Pizzas until John Kerry intervened!

You can't really be serious in supporting Israel in this in-human practice.

[henank]

14. About that food aid...

UN accuses Hamas of stealing Gaza aid

en&u=http://www.palpress.ps/arabic/index.php%3Fmaa%3DReadStory%26ChannelID%3D50135&tbb=1|Hamas sells baby milk on the black market

And the Palestinians accuse the UN right back of selling aid on the black market

Hmm, I wonder how all that aid got to Gaza in the first place. Could it have been through Israel? Even though you all claim that Israel is preventing aid from reaching Gaza?

By the way, in all your reports, comments, claims and lies, I have yet to see one picture of a starving Gaza resident like one sees pictures of starving Africans. Find me some pictures and I'll have a rethink.

Meanwhile a picture and report to make you all happy:

http://www.hurryupharry.org/2008/09/12/lauren-booth-in-gaza/">The fearless Lauren Booth on her humanitarian mission to Gaza complete with pictures of empty shops. There are pictures of starving children in that report. Have a look for yourselves.

[kayecy]

15. Henank - Why is Israel stopping ANY food-aid entering Gaxa....Have you a suggestion?.....

Henank

..Hmm, I wonder how all that aid got to Gaza in the first place. Could it have been through Israel?

No one is aguing that Israel let some food-aid into Gaza...We want to know why you are defending Israel when it stops any food entering Gaza?

Even Hamas cannot convert food to Kassams.

[henank]

17. Why is Israel under any obligation

to provide any food at all to its sworn enemies?

As you now admit, some food is certainly getting into Gaza. Enough to be stolen by Hamas and sold on the black market. And certainly enough to stop mass starvation, otherwise we'd be seeing endless photos of starving refugees the likes of which we saw in Biafra back in the day, and other African countries even to this day. If enough food is getting through that people are not dying in the streets then Israel has fulfilled its obligations. Let the Palestinians' Arab "brothers" (who care not a whit for them it would seem) come to their aid. Let the Egyptians provide food, let them open their borders.

Netanyahu may be doing this as a gesture, but then again, as I have repeatedly said, Israel is under no obligation to provide Gaza with luxuries. Let them use their $900 million plus the other billions of dollars in aid that they have received from the EU, the UN etc. to buy food not guns and bombs.

[kayecy]

18. I'm not asking Israel to provide any food to Gaza....

...Why is Israel under any obligation
Posted by henank to provide any food at all to its sworn enemies?

I'm not asking Israel to provide any food to Gaza....All we want is for Israel to allow others to provide humanitarian aid....is that too much to ask?


You haven't answered my question....."Why is Israel stopping ANY food-aid entering Gaxa?.....I can only think of one reason....Israel wants to punish innocent Gazan civilians by reducing their diet.

Can you think of another reason (Perhaps Pizzas can be made into rockets?)

[LeftishBrit]

19. Because Gaza is are still under Israel's jurisdiction.

Once Palestine becomes an independent state, Israel will be under no obligation to it, and can treat it as an enemy-state, but they cannot have it both ways.

I agree that they have no obligation to provide 'luxuries', but food isn't a luxury. In any case, this isn't a question of Israel actually *providing* aid itself - just letting it get through.

[azurnoir]

16. Did you forget this?

UN lifts suspension of Gaza food imports after Hamas returns stolen aid

http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=29827&Cr=gaza&Cr1=unrwa

[azurnoir]

7. I remember the much vaunted announcement

that Israel would no long restrict food shipments going into Gaza, no one mentioned however that this order was suffering from "failure to be implemented" syndrome

It must be so comforting for those in Gaza going hungry and homeless to know that Netanyahoo maybe might think about actually doing it, what next reconstruction materials?

[IndianaGreen]

12. That's so white of Bibi!

I'll bet he owned slaves in a previous life.

[Jefferson23]

20. How big of him, sick bastard.