The death toll in Gaza has reached at least 83, including 17 children, and hundreds of people have been injured, as Israel’s aerial bombardment of the besieged territory continues. Israel is now sending troops to the Gaza border for a possible ground invasion as many Palestinians are celebrating Eid al-Fitr, marking the end of the holy month of Ramadan. The Biden administration on Wednesday gave Israel a green light to continue its assault, and Israel has reportedly rejected calls for an immediate ceasefire, despite growing international condemnation.
Issam Adwan, Gaza project manager for We Are Not Numbers, a youth-led initiative to share Palestinian stories with the wider world, says many international observers make the mistake of viewing the latest violence in isolation. “They think this war is the only violation of human rights Israel is doing to the people of Gaza. Over the past 15 years, we have witnessed three brutal wars, and this is a fourth one,” says Adwan.
Read more at
'The Scene Is Horrific:' Gazans Trapped as Israel Escalates Bombing, Killing Dozens in the Territory | Link TV
Showing posts with label Gaza. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Gaza. Show all posts
5/15/21
3/2/17
Middle-East -Gaza: Israel denies EU delegation entry into Gaza – Middle East Monitor
A European parliament delegation that attempted to enter the besieged Gaza Strip to assess the residual damage of Israel’s 2014 military offensive was denied entry by Israeli authorities today.
According to a statement released by the European Parliament’s Delegation for relations with Palestine, Israeli authorities told the group that their entry was denied owing to the fact that only humanitarian workers and diplomats accredited by the Israeli government or the Palestinian Authority (PA) are allowed access to Gaza, which has been under an Israeli military blockade for a decade.
The statement noted that the delegation has been denied entry since 2011.
The delegation’s statement decried the decision to refuse them access to Gaza, saying that the decision was based on “arbitrary grounds” and that the Israeli explanation was “unacceptable”.
“We had hoped that that visit had ushered in a new more cooperative era, but this has not been the case… What is there to hide from us? Our positions are well-known,” the statement read.
The delegation went on to demand the return of the PA to the Gaza Strip. “We urge all Palestinian forces to resume efforts towards reconciliation without delay, building on the latest unity deal reached in January,” the chairman of the delegation Neoklis Sylikiotis said.
He also called on the international community “to put pressure on Israel” in order to end the crippling Israeli siege on the Palestinian territory.
“On the ground in Gaza our aim is to assess the reconstruction and rehabilitation efforts to which the EU is the major donor. EU aid targets the promotion of employment and the poverty in Gaza. We are working to ensure the people in Gaza have access to basic necessities including potable drinking water, food, housing and schools,” Sylikiotis added.
Read More: Israel denies EU delegation entry into Gaza – Middle East Monitor
According to a statement released by the European Parliament’s Delegation for relations with Palestine, Israeli authorities told the group that their entry was denied owing to the fact that only humanitarian workers and diplomats accredited by the Israeli government or the Palestinian Authority (PA) are allowed access to Gaza, which has been under an Israeli military blockade for a decade.
The statement noted that the delegation has been denied entry since 2011.
The delegation’s statement decried the decision to refuse them access to Gaza, saying that the decision was based on “arbitrary grounds” and that the Israeli explanation was “unacceptable”.
“We had hoped that that visit had ushered in a new more cooperative era, but this has not been the case… What is there to hide from us? Our positions are well-known,” the statement read.
The delegation went on to demand the return of the PA to the Gaza Strip. “We urge all Palestinian forces to resume efforts towards reconciliation without delay, building on the latest unity deal reached in January,” the chairman of the delegation Neoklis Sylikiotis said.
He also called on the international community “to put pressure on Israel” in order to end the crippling Israeli siege on the Palestinian territory.
“On the ground in Gaza our aim is to assess the reconstruction and rehabilitation efforts to which the EU is the major donor. EU aid targets the promotion of employment and the poverty in Gaza. We are working to ensure the people in Gaza have access to basic necessities including potable drinking water, food, housing and schools,” Sylikiotis added.
Read More: Israel denies EU delegation entry into Gaza – Middle East Monitor
8/25/16
Israel-Gaza: When Boats Brought Hope to Gaza – by Ann Wright
For years, Israel has blocked international ships from reaching the isolated people of Gaza, thus denying the 1.8 million embattled Palestinians maritime contact with the rest of the world and the hope that comes from knowing that they have the support of many people across the globe.
With all of the tragedy that surrounds Gaza, including the 50 Israeli military strikes on the Palestinian territory last weekend, we need to remember the exhilaration of the people of Gaza one day in August 2008 when two small international boats arrived to show that the Gazans were not forgotten.
After that, four other shipments reached Gaza along with European land caravans, called “Viva Palestina” that travelled into Gaza through the border with Egypt. However, after Israel’s December 2008-January 2009 war on Gaza, Israel forcefully intercepted ships headed for Gaza.
On May 31, 2010, Israel reacted to a flotilla of ships challenging the blockade by launching a military attack on the six boats that killed nine activists on the Turkish ship, Mavi Marmara. Since then, other challenges to the naval blockade have been prevented from taking to sea (Greece 2011) or stopped illegally in international waters, the passengers kidnapped and the boats taken to the Israeli port of Ashdod and the passengers to prison on charges of entering Israel illegally and eventually deported.
The latest challenge to the Israeli blockade of Gaza will be the Women’s Boats to Gaza that will sail in mid-September to again demonstrate that we do care about the people of Gaza.
Greta Berlin, co-founder of the Free Gaza Movement, reminds us of the joy of the people of Gaza when the first international boats in 40 years arrived in the Gaza City port in August 2008 by providing the words of Gamaal Al Attar, who wrote:
The sun was shining on August 23, 2008, and everyone in Gaza was waking up in order to get ready for the D Day. It is the day everyone in Gaza has been waiting for a long time; a day we will feel like there some people in the world who care for our suffering. A day we will feel that we belong to the human race, and our brothers and sisters in humanity care for our daily struggles. Scouts from different scout groups had signed up to be in the welcoming committee on the fishing boats. So, we headed directly to the main port of Gaza at 08:00, and, together with policemen who are there to secure the crowds, we boarded the boats and started the trip to the open sea.
After that, four other shipments reached Gaza along with European land caravans, called “Viva Palestina” that travelled into Gaza through the border with Egypt. However, after Israel’s December 2008-January 2009 war on Gaza, Israel forcefully intercepted ships headed for Gaza.
On May 31, 2010, Israel reacted to a flotilla of ships challenging the blockade by launching a military attack on the six boats that killed nine activists on the Turkish ship, Mavi Marmara. Since then, other challenges to the naval blockade have been prevented from taking to sea (Greece 2011) or stopped illegally in international waters, the passengers kidnapped and the boats taken to the Israeli port of Ashdod and the passengers to prison on charges of entering Israel illegally and eventually deported.
The latest challenge to the Israeli blockade of Gaza will be the Women’s Boats to Gaza that will sail in mid-September to again demonstrate that we do care about the people of Gaza.
Greta Berlin, co-founder of the Free Gaza Movement, reminds us of the joy of the people of Gaza when the first international boats in 40 years arrived in the Gaza City port in August 2008 by providing the words of Gamaal Al Attar, who wrote:
The sun was shining on August 23, 2008, and everyone in Gaza was waking up in order to get ready for the D Day. It is the day everyone in Gaza has been waiting for a long time; a day we will feel like there some people in the world who care for our suffering. A day we will feel that we belong to the human race, and our brothers and sisters in humanity care for our daily struggles. Scouts from different scout groups had signed up to be in the welcoming committee on the fishing boats. So, we headed directly to the main port of Gaza at 08:00, and, together with policemen who are there to secure the crowds, we boarded the boats and started the trip to the open sea.
Read more: When Boats Brought Hope to Gaza – Consortiumnews
With all of the tragedy that surrounds Gaza, including the 50 Israeli military strikes on the Palestinian territory last weekend, we need to remember the exhilaration of the people of Gaza one day in August 2008 when two small international boats arrived to show that the Gazans were not forgotten.
After that, four other shipments reached Gaza along with European land caravans, called “Viva Palestina” that travelled into Gaza through the border with Egypt. However, after Israel’s December 2008-January 2009 war on Gaza, Israel forcefully intercepted ships headed for Gaza.
On May 31, 2010, Israel reacted to a flotilla of ships challenging the blockade by launching a military attack on the six boats that killed nine activists on the Turkish ship, Mavi Marmara. Since then, other challenges to the naval blockade have been prevented from taking to sea (Greece 2011) or stopped illegally in international waters, the passengers kidnapped and the boats taken to the Israeli port of Ashdod and the passengers to prison on charges of entering Israel illegally and eventually deported.
The latest challenge to the Israeli blockade of Gaza will be the Women’s Boats to Gaza that will sail in mid-September to again demonstrate that we do care about the people of Gaza.
Greta Berlin, co-founder of the Free Gaza Movement, reminds us of the joy of the people of Gaza when the first international boats in 40 years arrived in the Gaza City port in August 2008 by providing the words of Gamaal Al Attar, who wrote:
The sun was shining on August 23, 2008, and everyone in Gaza was waking up in order to get ready for the D Day. It is the day everyone in Gaza has been waiting for a long time; a day we will feel like there some people in the world who care for our suffering. A day we will feel that we belong to the human race, and our brothers and sisters in humanity care for our daily struggles. Scouts from different scout groups had signed up to be in the welcoming committee on the fishing boats. So, we headed directly to the main port of Gaza at 08:00, and, together with policemen who are there to secure the crowds, we boarded the boats and started the trip to the open sea.
After that, four other shipments reached Gaza along with European land caravans, called “Viva Palestina” that travelled into Gaza through the border with Egypt. However, after Israel’s December 2008-January 2009 war on Gaza, Israel forcefully intercepted ships headed for Gaza.
On May 31, 2010, Israel reacted to a flotilla of ships challenging the blockade by launching a military attack on the six boats that killed nine activists on the Turkish ship, Mavi Marmara. Since then, other challenges to the naval blockade have been prevented from taking to sea (Greece 2011) or stopped illegally in international waters, the passengers kidnapped and the boats taken to the Israeli port of Ashdod and the passengers to prison on charges of entering Israel illegally and eventually deported.
The latest challenge to the Israeli blockade of Gaza will be the Women’s Boats to Gaza that will sail in mid-September to again demonstrate that we do care about the people of Gaza.
Greta Berlin, co-founder of the Free Gaza Movement, reminds us of the joy of the people of Gaza when the first international boats in 40 years arrived in the Gaza City port in August 2008 by providing the words of Gamaal Al Attar, who wrote:
The sun was shining on August 23, 2008, and everyone in Gaza was waking up in order to get ready for the D Day. It is the day everyone in Gaza has been waiting for a long time; a day we will feel like there some people in the world who care for our suffering. A day we will feel that we belong to the human race, and our brothers and sisters in humanity care for our daily struggles. Scouts from different scout groups had signed up to be in the welcoming committee on the fishing boats. So, we headed directly to the main port of Gaza at 08:00, and, together with policemen who are there to secure the crowds, we boarded the boats and started the trip to the open sea.
Read more: When Boats Brought Hope to Gaza – Consortiumnews
8/5/16
Gaza: Israel Accuses World Vision Employee Of Embezzling Millions For Hamas - by Nick Schifrin and Merrit Kennedy
Israel has indicted the Gaza director of World Vision, one of the largest charities in the world, accusing him of siphoning off tens of millions of dollars earmarked for the people of Gaza and sending it instead to the Hamas militant group.Mohammed El Halaby was arrested June 15 and charged on Thursday with "providing support to Hamas."
World Vision said in a statement that it will investigate the allegations against Halaby. But the Christian charity, which focuses on children, said its operations in Gaza have been audited and that "based on information available to us at this time, we have no reason to believe that the allegations are true."
The allegations by Israel's Shin Bet internal security service describe complex, decade-long efforts to use World Vision as a front for Hamas' military wing.
The allegations include examples of how Halaby diverted World Vision funds:
Money raised to support injured children in Gaza was diverted to the families of Hamas militants who claimed their children were wounded;
Money was paid as salaries to Hamas militants who were falsely registered as World Vision employees;
Costs for legitimate projects such as greenhouses were inflated, with the extra money going to Hamas;
Fake charities that were actually Hamas fronts received World Vision donations;
And entire lists of aid beneficiaries were fictitious, so instead of giving money to needy farmers, the money was handed out to Hamas members.
Hamas spokesman Hazem Qasim told NPR that the allegations were made by "an enemy entity that has no credibility at all to us," and that "Israel is trying to make fake media wins." Pressed on whether Halaby was a member of Hamas, Qasim declined to comment.
The scandal is expected to complicate reconstruction efforts that are long delayed and badly needed following the 2014 Gaza war. That's because Halaby is accused of working around extensive audits and checks that World Vision imposes on its own programs. As a result, international aid officials and Israeli analysts predict that Israel and international donors will increase pressure on aid groups to improve those checks — which will cost money and manpower, and could strain the organizations' ability to operate.
In fact, the impact on World Vision's efforts was swift: Just hours after Israel's announcement, Australia suspended aid to World Vision for the Palestinian Territories.
In total, Israel said more than $7 million per year — 60 percent of World Vision's annual budget for the Gaza Strip — was diverted to Hamas. World Vision has more than a billion dollars in worldwide annual operating revenue.
The organization's programs in Jerusalem, the West Bank and Gaza Strip include counseling hundreds of pregnant women on childhood health, providing training for language and math teachers, and leading vocational training for young people.
Read more: Israel Accuses World Vision Employee Of Embezzling Millions For Hamas : The Two-Way : NPR
7/11/15
4/8/15
Israel: The battle to be Israel’s conscience - by Eve Fairbanks
On 15 August last year, five weeks into the war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, Hagai El-Ad, the director of B’Tselem, an Israeli human rights organisation,
appeared on a morning radio show to discuss the conflict. Throughout
the fighting, B’Tselem did what it has done for 25 years since it was
founded during the first Palestinian intifada: document human rights
violations by Israel in the West Bank and Gaza. It compiled film and
testimony gathered by volunteer field researchers on the ground, tallied
daily casualty figures that were used by the local and international
press, and released names of individual Palestinians killed by the
Israel Defence Forces (IDF).
B’Tselem’s founders intended it to serve a purpose unlike any other organisation in Israel’s fractious political atmosphere: to provide pure information about the Israeli military’s treatment of Palestinians, without commentary or political agenda. But by last summer, this stance had become a source of controversy.
For many Israelis, identifying human-rights violations by the Israeli military, but not its enemies, was tantamount to treason. When B’Tselem tried to run radio ads listing the names and ages of 20 Palestinian children killed in Gaza, Israel’s national broadcasting authority banned them on the grounds that they constituted a political message masquerading as neutral information. A group called Mothers of Soldiers Against B’Tselem was formed; Avigdor Lieberman, Israel’s foreign minister, endorsed one of their protests.
That morning on the radio, the host, a journalist named Sharon Gal, pressed El-Ad over and over to agree that he believed Hamas is a “terrorist organisation”. El-Ad reminded Gal that B’Tselem, by its very core principles, declined to make that kind of characterisation because it believed doing so would be a political act.
“We’re talking about armed Palestinian organizations; that is the professional term, and we criticise their activities when they are illegal,” he said. Gal responded that Israel was locked in a battle for its survival; at such a moment, he argued, refusing to call Hamas a terrorist group was a political – and disloyal – act. Newspaper columnists were still talking about it a month later. “Hagai El-Ad has essentially become a Hamas apologist,” one declared.
Read more: The battle to be Israel’s conscience | Eve Fairbanks | World news | The Guardian
B’Tselem’s founders intended it to serve a purpose unlike any other organisation in Israel’s fractious political atmosphere: to provide pure information about the Israeli military’s treatment of Palestinians, without commentary or political agenda. But by last summer, this stance had become a source of controversy.
For many Israelis, identifying human-rights violations by the Israeli military, but not its enemies, was tantamount to treason. When B’Tselem tried to run radio ads listing the names and ages of 20 Palestinian children killed in Gaza, Israel’s national broadcasting authority banned them on the grounds that they constituted a political message masquerading as neutral information. A group called Mothers of Soldiers Against B’Tselem was formed; Avigdor Lieberman, Israel’s foreign minister, endorsed one of their protests.
That morning on the radio, the host, a journalist named Sharon Gal, pressed El-Ad over and over to agree that he believed Hamas is a “terrorist organisation”. El-Ad reminded Gal that B’Tselem, by its very core principles, declined to make that kind of characterisation because it believed doing so would be a political act.
“We’re talking about armed Palestinian organizations; that is the professional term, and we criticise their activities when they are illegal,” he said. Gal responded that Israel was locked in a battle for its survival; at such a moment, he argued, refusing to call Hamas a terrorist group was a political – and disloyal – act. Newspaper columnists were still talking about it a month later. “Hagai El-Ad has essentially become a Hamas apologist,” one declared.
Read more: The battle to be Israel’s conscience | Eve Fairbanks | World news | The Guardian
8/11/14
Middle East: European nations pressing for Gaza port development as part of reconstruction plans
A European idea to help end the
devastating conflict in Gaza is gaining traction: Develop Gaza's port to
reopen the besieged territory to the rest of the world through a
Cypriot port, with international monitors assuring that no weapons get
through.
Across Europe, governments are warming to the proposal to give the 43-kilometer (27-mile) strip on Israel's southern border such an economic lifeline. After all, Gaza was a thriving port in ancient times.
From Berlin to London to the European Union headquarters in Brussels, a blueprint for a post-war Gaza centers both on meeting Israeli security needs and on developing Gaza to improve living conditions there. The latter implies that borders with neighbors Israel and Egypt — and the sea — be as transparent as conditions allow.
"It's very important that the blockage of Gaza is lifted so that there can be movement of necessary goods, materials," said EU Commission spokesman Peter Stano. "That means all the blocked border crossings need to be opened so that Gaza can really develop."
Hamas has demanded the lifting of an Israeli and Egyptian blockade imposed on the coastal territory after the Islamic militant group seized power in 2007. Israel has said the militants must disarm first. The two demands are currently on the table in indirect Israel-Hamas talks in Cairo on a permanent ceasefire deal for Gaza.
The talks are also meant to prepare the ground for sustainable calm on the Gaza-Israel border, following a month of fighting that claimed the lives of nearly 1,900 Palestinians and 67 Israelis.
Germany and France have already proposed to re-activate the EU border mission in Rafah with Egypt but there is also an emerging consensus in Europe that the development of the Gaza port should be an integral part of the reconstruction effort, officials in several EU capitals said. They spoke on condition of anonymity because of the precarious nature of the current ceasefire and the uncertainty of the peace process.
Read more: European nations pressing for Gaza port development as part of reconstruction plans | Fox Business
Across Europe, governments are warming to the proposal to give the 43-kilometer (27-mile) strip on Israel's southern border such an economic lifeline. After all, Gaza was a thriving port in ancient times.
From Berlin to London to the European Union headquarters in Brussels, a blueprint for a post-war Gaza centers both on meeting Israeli security needs and on developing Gaza to improve living conditions there. The latter implies that borders with neighbors Israel and Egypt — and the sea — be as transparent as conditions allow.
"It's very important that the blockage of Gaza is lifted so that there can be movement of necessary goods, materials," said EU Commission spokesman Peter Stano. "That means all the blocked border crossings need to be opened so that Gaza can really develop."
Hamas has demanded the lifting of an Israeli and Egyptian blockade imposed on the coastal territory after the Islamic militant group seized power in 2007. Israel has said the militants must disarm first. The two demands are currently on the table in indirect Israel-Hamas talks in Cairo on a permanent ceasefire deal for Gaza.
The talks are also meant to prepare the ground for sustainable calm on the Gaza-Israel border, following a month of fighting that claimed the lives of nearly 1,900 Palestinians and 67 Israelis.
Germany and France have already proposed to re-activate the EU border mission in Rafah with Egypt but there is also an emerging consensus in Europe that the development of the Gaza port should be an integral part of the reconstruction effort, officials in several EU capitals said. They spoke on condition of anonymity because of the precarious nature of the current ceasefire and the uncertainty of the peace process.
Read more: European nations pressing for Gaza port development as part of reconstruction plans | Fox Business
Israeli - US Relations: Cash, Weapons and Surveillance: the U.S. is a Key Party to Every Israeli Attack - by Glenn Greenwald
The U.S. government has long lavished overwhelming aid on Israel,
providing cash, weapons and surveillance technology that play a crucial
role in Israel’s attacks on its neighbors. But top secret documents
provided by NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden shed substantial new light
on how the U.S. and its partners directly enable Israel’s military
assaults – such as the one on Gaza.
Over the last decade, the NSA has significantly increased the surveillance assistance it provides to its Israeli counterpart, the Israeli SIGINT National Unit (ISNU; also known as Unit 8200), including data used to monitor and target Palestinians. In many cases, the NSA and ISNU work cooperatively with the British and Canadian spy agencies, the GCHQ and CSEC.
The relationship has, on at least one occasion, entailed the covert payment of a large amount of cash to Israeli operatives. Beyond their own surveillance programs, the American and British surveillance agencies rely on U.S.-supported Arab regimes, including the Jordanian monarchy and even the Palestinian Authority Security Forces, to provide vital spying services regarding Palestinian targets.
The new documents underscore the indispensable, direct involvement of the U.S. government and its key allies in Israeli aggression against its neighbors. That covert support is squarely at odds with the posture of helpless detachment typically adopted by Obama officials and their supporters.
President Obama, in his press conference on Friday, said ”it is heartbreaking to see what’s happening there,” referring to the weeks of civilian deaths in Gaza – “as if he’s just a bystander, watching it all unfold,” observed Brooklyn College Professor Corey Robin. Robin added: ”Obama talks about Gaza as if it were a natural disaster, an uncontrollable biological event.”
Read more: Cash, Weapons and Surveillance: the U.S. is a Key Party to Every Israeli Attack - The Intercept
Over the last decade, the NSA has significantly increased the surveillance assistance it provides to its Israeli counterpart, the Israeli SIGINT National Unit (ISNU; also known as Unit 8200), including data used to monitor and target Palestinians. In many cases, the NSA and ISNU work cooperatively with the British and Canadian spy agencies, the GCHQ and CSEC.
The relationship has, on at least one occasion, entailed the covert payment of a large amount of cash to Israeli operatives. Beyond their own surveillance programs, the American and British surveillance agencies rely on U.S.-supported Arab regimes, including the Jordanian monarchy and even the Palestinian Authority Security Forces, to provide vital spying services regarding Palestinian targets.
The new documents underscore the indispensable, direct involvement of the U.S. government and its key allies in Israeli aggression against its neighbors. That covert support is squarely at odds with the posture of helpless detachment typically adopted by Obama officials and their supporters.
President Obama, in his press conference on Friday, said ”it is heartbreaking to see what’s happening there,” referring to the weeks of civilian deaths in Gaza – “as if he’s just a bystander, watching it all unfold,” observed Brooklyn College Professor Corey Robin. Robin added: ”Obama talks about Gaza as if it were a natural disaster, an uncontrollable biological event.”
Read more: Cash, Weapons and Surveillance: the U.S. is a Key Party to Every Israeli Attack - The Intercept
7/30/14
Middle East: Gaza Conflict Israeli Massacre in Gaza and the Fallacy of Human Rights
The universal declaration of human
rights repeatedly stresses that all people around the world have the
right to live regardless of their race, language, and religion. But what
is happening in Gaza tells another story.
It tells the story of
powerful countries repeatedly playing on the notion of human rights to
serve their political and economic greed; ironically, these are the very
countries who violate what this notion stands for. Media coverage
attests to this since viewers watch as the death toll of children,
women, elderly people, and even the handicapped rises daily; civilians
killed in an unfair and unequal war with no action on behalf of those
who can stop it.
War on Gaza has become an international
matter. The world has witnessed countless demonstrations supporting the
Palestinians’ right for defense, denouncing Israeli terrorism, and
urging their government to take real and strong actions. This puts the
Israeli government in an embarrassing situation given the fact that even
non-Muslims are denouncing its disregard and contempt for human rights.
Arabs also have shown sympathy for and
solidarity with Palestinians and have expressed their anger by
protesting Israeli crimes and calling for an immediate ceasefire. They
have strongly criticized the siege of Gaza and demanded that it be
lifted to allow entrance of supplies to the injured.
The Israeli government’s response to the world’s worries was that “war on terrorism will not stop until terrorism has been uprooted.” This trick has been exploited by Israel to deceive its citizens, as well as the so-called international community.
Read more: Israeli Massacre in Gaza and the Fallacy of Human Rights | Morocco World News
7/25/14
Gaza - Israel: Jews March in New York Rally Against Israel War in Gaza – by Hody Nemes
Holding signs emblazoned with slogans like “Boycott Israeli
Apartheid” and “New York Jews Say: Not in Our Name,” hundreds of
protesters marched through lower Manhattan on Thursday demanding an end
to American support for Israel’s operation in Gaza.
The event was one of many held in the U.S. and around the world as part of a “national day of action” against Israel’s Gaza campaign. Two Jewish groups, Jewish Voices for Peace and Jews Say No!, were among the march’s organizers, and numerous Jews came to protest Israel’s military campaign.
“I’m here because of the massacre that has recently happened, but also because of the ongoing occupation,” said Anna Jacobs, who was pushing her toddler in a stroller.
Standing nearby, Jews Say No! activist Dorothy Zellner lamented that outsiders assume the Jewish community uniformly supports Israel. “This is heartbreaking. Everyone thinks Israel represents us and speaks for us,” she said.
“I think there’s a myth that the Jewish community supports the Israeli attack on Gaza,” she added, and asserted that there are “hundreds of thousands” of Jews in the U.S. that oppose the Israeli occupation.
Most of the Jewish protesters interviewed opposed Israeli policies long before the current campaign. But they view the current hostilities as deplorable, or even criminal.
Read more: Jews March in New York Rally Against Israel War in Gaza – Forward.com
The event was one of many held in the U.S. and around the world as part of a “national day of action” against Israel’s Gaza campaign. Two Jewish groups, Jewish Voices for Peace and Jews Say No!, were among the march’s organizers, and numerous Jews came to protest Israel’s military campaign.
“I’m here because of the massacre that has recently happened, but also because of the ongoing occupation,” said Anna Jacobs, who was pushing her toddler in a stroller.
Standing nearby, Jews Say No! activist Dorothy Zellner lamented that outsiders assume the Jewish community uniformly supports Israel. “This is heartbreaking. Everyone thinks Israel represents us and speaks for us,” she said.
“I think there’s a myth that the Jewish community supports the Israeli attack on Gaza,” she added, and asserted that there are “hundreds of thousands” of Jews in the U.S. that oppose the Israeli occupation.
Most of the Jewish protesters interviewed opposed Israeli policies long before the current campaign. But they view the current hostilities as deplorable, or even criminal.
Read more: Jews March in New York Rally Against Israel War in Gaza – Forward.com
Gaza - Israel: The Hague mayor urged to get tough after anti-Jewish chanting at rally
The
Hague's mayor Jozias van Aartsen is being urged to get tough on
anti-Jewish demonstrators after people were heard chanting 'death to
Jews' at a protest rally in the city on Thursday evening.
During the rally, in which some of the 100 protesters carried pro-Isis flags, Muslim youngsters were heard to shout 'death to all Jews', news magazine Elsevier reports.
Esther Voet of the Israel information centre CIDI said on Twitter: 'people who made themselves unrecognisable, Isis flags, death to Jews and journalists take to safety. The Netherlands 2014.'
- See more at: http://www.dutchnews.nl/news/archives/2014/07/the_hague_mayor_again_after_fi.php#sthash.yo6qq9dQ.dpuf
The Hague's mayor Jozias van Aartsen is being urged to get tough on anti-Jewish demonstrators after people were heard chanting 'death to Jews' at a protest rally in the city on Thursday evening.During the rally, in which some of the 100 protesters carried pro-Isis flags, Muslim youngsters were heard to shout 'death to all Jews', news magazine Elsevier reports.
Esther Voet of the Israel information centre CIDI said on Twitter: 'people who made themselves unrecognisable, Isis flags, death to Jews and journalists take to safety. The Netherlands 2014.'
- See more at: http://www.dutchnews.nl/news/archives/2014/07/the_hague_mayor_again_after_fi.php#sthash.yo6qq9dQ.dpuf
During the rally, in which some of the 100 protesters carried pro-Isis flags, Muslim youngsters were heard to shout 'death to all Jews', news magazine Elsevier reports.
Esther Voet of the Israel information centre CIDI said on Twitter: 'people who made themselves unrecognisable, Isis flags, death to Jews and journalists take to safety.
Despite the anti-Jewish sentiment in some of the speeches, the police only got involved when a female journalist was verbally attacked by some of the demonstrators, the Telegraph says.
Many of the demonstrators had covered their faces - which is now illegal in Dutch law.
A spokesman for Van Aartsen told local broadcaster Omroep West no boundaries had been overstepped. 'I have received no signals that was the case,' the spokesman said.
However, the public prosecution department said in a statement on Friday afternoon it would be examining footage of the rally with an interpreter to assess if the law had been broken.
Earlier this month, Jewish groups met Van Aartsen after participants at another anti-Israel demonstration carried banners equating Israel with the Nazis.
Jewish organisations said they wanted to know why he did not take tough action against the ‘spreading of hatred and calls to violence’.
Read more
Despite
the anti-Jewish sentiment in some of the speeches, the police only got
involved when a female journalist was verbally attacked by some of the
demonstrators, the Telegraph says.
Many of the demonstrators had covered their faces - which is now illegal in Dutch law.
A spokesman for Van Aartsen told local broadcaster Omroep West no boundaries had been overstepped. 'I have received no signals that was the case,' the spokesman said.
However, the public prosecution department said in a statement on Friday afternoon it would be examining footage of the rally with an interpreter to assess if the law had been broken.
Earlier this month, Jewish groups met Van Aartsen after participants at another anti-Israel demonstration carried banners equating Israel with the Nazis.
Jewish organisations said they wanted to know why he did not take tough action against the ‘spreading of hatred and calls to violence’.
- See more at: http://www.dutchnews.nl/news/archives/2014/07/the_hague_mayor_again_after_fi.php#sthash.yo6qq9dQ.dpuf
Many of the demonstrators had covered their faces - which is now illegal in Dutch law.
A spokesman for Van Aartsen told local broadcaster Omroep West no boundaries had been overstepped. 'I have received no signals that was the case,' the spokesman said.
However, the public prosecution department said in a statement on Friday afternoon it would be examining footage of the rally with an interpreter to assess if the law had been broken.
Earlier this month, Jewish groups met Van Aartsen after participants at another anti-Israel demonstration carried banners equating Israel with the Nazis.
Jewish organisations said they wanted to know why he did not take tough action against the ‘spreading of hatred and calls to violence’.
- See more at: http://www.dutchnews.nl/news/archives/2014/07/the_hague_mayor_again_after_fi.php#sthash.yo6qq9dQ.dpuf
The
Hague's mayor Jozias van Aartsen is being urged to get tough on
anti-Jewish demonstrators after people were heard chanting 'death to
Jews' at a protest rally in the city on Thursday evening.
During the rally, in which some of the 100 protesters carried pro-Isis flags, Muslim youngsters were heard to shout 'death to all Jews', news magazine Elsevier reports.
Esther Voet of the Israel information centre CIDI said on Twitter: 'people who made themselves unrecognisable, Isis flags, death to Jews and journalists take to safety. The Netherlands 2014.'
- See more at: http://www.dutchnews.nl/news/archives/2014/07/the_hague_mayor_again_after_fi.php#sthash.yo6qq9dQ.dpufRead more: DutchNews.nl - The Hague mayor urged to get tough after anti-Jewish chanting at rally
During the rally, in which some of the 100 protesters carried pro-Isis flags, Muslim youngsters were heard to shout 'death to all Jews', news magazine Elsevier reports.
Esther Voet of the Israel information centre CIDI said on Twitter: 'people who made themselves unrecognisable, Isis flags, death to Jews and journalists take to safety. The Netherlands 2014.'
- See more at: http://www.dutchnews.nl/news/archives/2014/07/the_hague_mayor_again_after_fi.php#sthash.yo6qq9dQ.dpufRead more: DutchNews.nl - The Hague mayor urged to get tough after anti-Jewish chanting at rally
7/21/14
Israel kills militants entering from Gaza, death toll tops 500
Israeli forces killed 10 Palestinian militants who slipped across
the border from Gaza through hidden tunnels on Monday, the military
said, as the death toll from the two-week conflict passed 500 amid
growing international calls for an end.
Defying a U.N. Security Council appeal for an immediate ceasefire, Israeli jets, tanks and artillery continued to pound the Gaza Strip, killing 28 members of a single family near the enclave's southern border with Egypt, medics said.
The Islamist group Hamas and its allies fired multiple missiles across southern and central Israel, and heavy fighting was reported in the north and east of Gaza.
Non-stop attacks lifted the Palestinian death toll to 496, including almost 100 children, since fighting started on July 8, Gaza health officials said. Israel says 18 of its soldiers have also died along with two civilians.
Despite worldwide calls for a cessation of the worst bout of Palestinian-Israeli violence for more than five years, Israeli ministers ruled out any swift truce.
"This is not the time to talk of a ceasefire," said Gilad Erdan, communications minister and a member of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's inner security cabinet.
"We must complete the mission, and the mission cannot end until the threat of the tunnels is removed," he told reporters.
For its part, Hamas, weakened by the loss of Egypt and Syria as allies, voiced determination to fight on to break Israel's economic siege of Gaza.
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry was due to fly to Egypt later in the day as part of a gathering effort to halt the bloodshed, and U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon is touring the Middle East trying to secure a ceasefire.
Read more: Israel kills militants entering from Gaza, death toll tops 500 | World | News |
Defying a U.N. Security Council appeal for an immediate ceasefire, Israeli jets, tanks and artillery continued to pound the Gaza Strip, killing 28 members of a single family near the enclave's southern border with Egypt, medics said.
The Islamist group Hamas and its allies fired multiple missiles across southern and central Israel, and heavy fighting was reported in the north and east of Gaza.
Non-stop attacks lifted the Palestinian death toll to 496, including almost 100 children, since fighting started on July 8, Gaza health officials said. Israel says 18 of its soldiers have also died along with two civilians.
Despite worldwide calls for a cessation of the worst bout of Palestinian-Israeli violence for more than five years, Israeli ministers ruled out any swift truce.
"This is not the time to talk of a ceasefire," said Gilad Erdan, communications minister and a member of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's inner security cabinet.
"We must complete the mission, and the mission cannot end until the threat of the tunnels is removed," he told reporters.
For its part, Hamas, weakened by the loss of Egypt and Syria as allies, voiced determination to fight on to break Israel's economic siege of Gaza.
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry was due to fly to Egypt later in the day as part of a gathering effort to halt the bloodshed, and U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon is touring the Middle East trying to secure a ceasefire.
Read more: Israel kills militants entering from Gaza, death toll tops 500 | World | News |
7/17/14
Israel says ground offensive under way in Gaza
Israel
announced the start of a Gaza ground campaign on Thursday after 10 days
of aerial and naval bombardments failed to stop persistent Palestinian
rocket attacks, but it signalled the invasion would be limited in scope.
A statement from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said he had given orders to destroy tunnels that militants had dug to infiltrate Israel and carry out attacks.
An Israeli military spokesman said Israel was not out to try to topple the dominant Hamas Islamist group. Such a goal would likely entail a move into densely populated Gaza City, where urban warfare could prove costly to both sides.
Israel last mounted a large-scale invasion of the Gaza Strip during a three-week war in late 2008 and early 2009 that claimed 1,400 Palestinian and 13 Israeli lives.
No time frame was announced for the new operation, and the length and intensity of Israel's assaults could depend on the scale of civilian deaths - casualties likely to boost international pressure for a ceasefire.
Read more: Israel says ground offensive under way in Gaza | Reuters
A statement from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said he had given orders to destroy tunnels that militants had dug to infiltrate Israel and carry out attacks.
An Israeli military spokesman said Israel was not out to try to topple the dominant Hamas Islamist group. Such a goal would likely entail a move into densely populated Gaza City, where urban warfare could prove costly to both sides.
Israel last mounted a large-scale invasion of the Gaza Strip during a three-week war in late 2008 and early 2009 that claimed 1,400 Palestinian and 13 Israeli lives.
No time frame was announced for the new operation, and the length and intensity of Israel's assaults could depend on the scale of civilian deaths - casualties likely to boost international pressure for a ceasefire.
Read more: Israel says ground offensive under way in Gaza | Reuters
3/22/13
Turkey - Israel: Netanyahu apologizes to Turkish PM for Gaza flotilla raid, in phone call with Obama
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in a phone call arranged with help from President Obama, apologized to Turkey Friday for the deaths of its citizens during a 2010 Gaza flotilla raid.
Netanyahu acknowledged "operational mistakes" in the raid, according to one official, and Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan accepted the apology.
The phone call, which Obama also joined, was described as a "first step" toward normalizing relations between the two countries.
Obama, who arrived in Jordan Friday after his first visit to Israel as president, had discussed relations with Turkey during his time on the ground meeting with Israeli officials. This culminated with the call from the tarmac to Erdogan on Friday. Netanyahu also reportedly agreed to compensate the families of the victims.
Netanyahu said the "tragic results" were not intentional and Israel "expressed remorse" for the loss of life.
The phone call Friday comes shortly after newly appointed Secretary of State John Kerry visited with Erdogan and Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu in Ankara on March 1.
Note EU-Digest: In a statement released by the White House only minutes before Obama ended a visit to Israel, the president said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his Turkish counterpart Tayyip Erodgan had spoken by telephone.
“The United States deeply values our close partnerships with both Turkey and Israel, and we attach great importance to the restoration of positive relations between them in order to advance regional peace and security,” Obama said.
The first conversation between the two leaders since 2011, when Netanyahu phoned to offer help after an earthquake struck Turkey, gave Obama a diplomatic triumph in a visit to Israel and the Palestinian Territories in which he offered no new plan to revive peace talks frozen for nearly three years.
The 30-minute call was made in a runway trailer at Tel Aviv airport, where Obama and Netanyahu huddled before the president boarded Air Force One for a flight to Jordan, U.S. officials said.
Read more: Netanyahu apologizes to Turkish PM for Gaza flotilla raid, in phone call with Obama | Fox News
Netanyahu acknowledged "operational mistakes" in the raid, according to one official, and Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan accepted the apology.
The phone call, which Obama also joined, was described as a "first step" toward normalizing relations between the two countries.
Obama, who arrived in Jordan Friday after his first visit to Israel as president, had discussed relations with Turkey during his time on the ground meeting with Israeli officials. This culminated with the call from the tarmac to Erdogan on Friday. Netanyahu also reportedly agreed to compensate the families of the victims.
Netanyahu said the "tragic results" were not intentional and Israel "expressed remorse" for the loss of life.
The phone call Friday comes shortly after newly appointed Secretary of State John Kerry visited with Erdogan and Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu in Ankara on March 1.
Note EU-Digest: In a statement released by the White House only minutes before Obama ended a visit to Israel, the president said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his Turkish counterpart Tayyip Erodgan had spoken by telephone.
“The United States deeply values our close partnerships with both Turkey and Israel, and we attach great importance to the restoration of positive relations between them in order to advance regional peace and security,” Obama said.
The first conversation between the two leaders since 2011, when Netanyahu phoned to offer help after an earthquake struck Turkey, gave Obama a diplomatic triumph in a visit to Israel and the Palestinian Territories in which he offered no new plan to revive peace talks frozen for nearly three years.
The 30-minute call was made in a runway trailer at Tel Aviv airport, where Obama and Netanyahu huddled before the president boarded Air Force One for a flight to Jordan, U.S. officials said.
Read more: Netanyahu apologizes to Turkish PM for Gaza flotilla raid, in phone call with Obama | Fox News
2/13/13
Middle East: Egypt floods Gaza tunnels to reduce Palestinian smuggling lifeline - by Nidal al-Mughrabi
The network of tunnels is a vital lifeline for Gaza, bringing in an estimated 30 percent of all goods that reach the enclave and circumventing a blockade imposed by Israel for more than seven years.
Reuters reporters saw one tunnel being used to bring in cement and gravel suddenly fill with water on Sunday, sending workers rushing for safety. Locals said two other tunnels were likewise flooded, with Egyptians deliberately pumping in water.
"The Egyptians have opened the water to drown the tunnels," said Abu Ghassan, who supervises the work of 30 men at one tunnel some 200 meters (yards) from the border fence.
Dozens of tunnels had already been destroyed since last August following the killing of 16 Egyptian soldiers in a militant attack near the Gaza fence.
Cairo said some of the gunmen had crossed into Egypt via the tunnels - a charge denied by Palestinians - and ordered an immediate crackdown.
Read more: Egypt floods Gaza tunnels to cut Palestinian lifeline | Reuters
Reuters reporters saw one tunnel being used to bring in cement and gravel suddenly fill with water on Sunday, sending workers rushing for safety. Locals said two other tunnels were likewise flooded, with Egyptians deliberately pumping in water.
"The Egyptians have opened the water to drown the tunnels," said Abu Ghassan, who supervises the work of 30 men at one tunnel some 200 meters (yards) from the border fence.
Dozens of tunnels had already been destroyed since last August following the killing of 16 Egyptian soldiers in a militant attack near the Gaza fence.
Cairo said some of the gunmen had crossed into Egypt via the tunnels - a charge denied by Palestinians - and ordered an immediate crackdown.
Read more: Egypt floods Gaza tunnels to cut Palestinian lifeline | Reuters
11/28/12
Middle East: Israeli "failure" UN part of ongoing political oversight says Tzipi Livni
Israel's
expected "failure" at the UN General Assembly on Thursday is the result
of ongoing political oversight, The Tzipi Livni Party leader Tzipi
Livni said Wednesday, ahead of the Palestinian bid for a status
upgrade.
"When Israel does not instigate and lead initiatives, initiatives are forced upon it," she said.
Engaging in a political process with Palestinian Authority leader Mahmoud Abbas, and striving for an agreement is our interest, that would preserve Israel as a Zionist, Jewish and democratic state, she continued.
"Within two weeks, the world will recognize - because of the failures of Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu's government - a Hamas state in Gaza, and a Palestinian state within the 1967 borders," she added.
Read more: Jerusalem Post - Breaking News
"When Israel does not instigate and lead initiatives, initiatives are forced upon it," she said.
Engaging in a political process with Palestinian Authority leader Mahmoud Abbas, and striving for an agreement is our interest, that would preserve Israel as a Zionist, Jewish and democratic state, she continued.
"Within two weeks, the world will recognize - because of the failures of Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu's government - a Hamas state in Gaza, and a Palestinian state within the 1967 borders," she added.
Read more: Jerusalem Post - Breaking News
11/20/12
Gaza Conflict - Israeli reactions: The view from Israel
"I LIE down on the pavement and listen to God," the middle-aged road-sweeper reported when asked what he did when the sirens start wailing. They wailed with grating frequency on November 20th in Israeli towns and villages close to the Gaza Strip. Most people, though, seemed to be taking the road-sweeper's philosophical approach on this the seventh—and it is hoped last—day of aerial combat between Israel and Gaza.
Hooked into local and international media around the clock, the Israelis of the south were all au fait with the intense diplomatic activity, and appeared to assume it would soon succeed. The salvoes from Gaza, and the thunder of Israeli warplanes heading towards the strip, were knowingly interpreted as the two sides' "finales" as each sought to impress upon their respective publics that they had "won".
Ashkelon, a pretty resort town just 13 miles up the coast from Gaza, has made sure its streets are swept and other municipal services function despite the disruption the rockets bring. Schools were all closed, but coffee-shops were open and patrons seemed to make a point of sitting, ordering and calmly eating.
In Ashdod, too, a port city another ten miles to the north, life seemed incongruously relaxed between the sirens, the missile-to-missile interceptions high overhead, and the ominous thuds of the ones that get through. Seven people were hurt by flying shrapnel on the streets of Ashdod during the afternoon.
Read more: Israeli reactions: The view from Israel | The Economist
Weapons Industry: Gaza conflict: Is Israel’s Iron Dome a game-changer? - by Kate Allen
The six-day-old conflict between Israel and the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip has spurred intense interest in Iron Dome, Israel’s expensive, recently developed missile defence system.
Iron Dome has been called a “game-changer”: it can discern a civilian-bound rocket from a harmless one and destroy it in a matter of seconds. The Israel Defense Forces said the system has a 90 per cent accuracy rate and has knocked down more than 340 projectiles since violence began escalating last week.
Whether Iron Dome is a defensive marvel or a symbol of the limits of technology depends on whom you ask.
“Life (in Israel) is very much disrupted, even if most of the incoming projectiles are intercepted,” says Greg Thielmann, a senior fellow at the Washington, D.C.-based Arms Control Association.
The projectiles fired into Israel by Hamas are mostly crude rockets with a short range of approximately 20 kilometres. Many miss their target. Hamas has also fired Iranian-designed Fajr-5 rockets with a range of up to 80 kilometres at Tel Aviv and Jerusalem in recent days. Most missed, and Iron Dome destroyed the rest.
Read more: Gaza conflict: Is Israel’s Iron Dome a game-changer? - thestar.com
Iron Dome has been called a “game-changer”: it can discern a civilian-bound rocket from a harmless one and destroy it in a matter of seconds. The Israel Defense Forces said the system has a 90 per cent accuracy rate and has knocked down more than 340 projectiles since violence began escalating last week.
Whether Iron Dome is a defensive marvel or a symbol of the limits of technology depends on whom you ask.
“Life (in Israel) is very much disrupted, even if most of the incoming projectiles are intercepted,” says Greg Thielmann, a senior fellow at the Washington, D.C.-based Arms Control Association.
The projectiles fired into Israel by Hamas are mostly crude rockets with a short range of approximately 20 kilometres. Many miss their target. Hamas has also fired Iranian-designed Fajr-5 rockets with a range of up to 80 kilometres at Tel Aviv and Jerusalem in recent days. Most missed, and Iron Dome destroyed the rest.
Read more: Gaza conflict: Is Israel’s Iron Dome a game-changer? - thestar.com
11/19/12
Hamas - Israel - Palestine :" war is no solution"
"This madness has got to stop" - said an Israeli woman during a Skype interview on Dutch TV where the newscaster spoke with a citizen of Israel living in Tel Aviv and an inhabitant of Gaza in the occupied territory of Palestine.
Both of them agreed in the interview that all they want is to live in peace and go about their business as usual.
"No country can survive in the world by building walls around their territory while denying others the right to exist", said a Pastry store owner in Gaza. The fighting, however, continues unabated and an Israeli airstrike killed a family of 10 on Sunday. Israel said the strike was aimed at killing one of the leaders of the militant group's rocket corps -- but Israel was unsure whether he was among the dead.
Meanwhile, Israel also announced Hamas had fired nearly 150 rockets into Israel in a single day.
It has become a daily nightmare for millions in the region, one that puts Gaza's 1.7 million residents and millions of Israelis in harm's way.
The Egyptian government said an Israeli special envoy had arrived in Egypt for cease-fire talks late Sunday and that a stream of Arab League, U.N. and European diplomats were also coming into Cairo.
The bottom line is that the Middle East political structure, as a result of the Arab Spring, revolution has changed. Policies that made sense in the past just won't work anymore. The goal must be to reach a long term stable situation and comprehensive peace. No strings attached for anyone. In exchange for Hamas stopping all attacks and acknowledging the existence of Israel, the blockade on Gaza must be lifted by Israel and Palestine (including the Gaza territory) recognized as an independent state.
This course of action is definitely a far better solution than killing more innocent civilians in Palestine and Israel. The "super powers"and their allies in the region can certainly play a major part in making peace in the Middle East a reality by using all means at their disposal. The actions which could be taken should include economic sanctions against those nations which are unwilling to constructively participate in a peaceful solution of this conflict. .
EU-Digest
Both of them agreed in the interview that all they want is to live in peace and go about their business as usual.
"No country can survive in the world by building walls around their territory while denying others the right to exist", said a Pastry store owner in Gaza. The fighting, however, continues unabated and an Israeli airstrike killed a family of 10 on Sunday. Israel said the strike was aimed at killing one of the leaders of the militant group's rocket corps -- but Israel was unsure whether he was among the dead.
Meanwhile, Israel also announced Hamas had fired nearly 150 rockets into Israel in a single day.
It has become a daily nightmare for millions in the region, one that puts Gaza's 1.7 million residents and millions of Israelis in harm's way.
The Egyptian government said an Israeli special envoy had arrived in Egypt for cease-fire talks late Sunday and that a stream of Arab League, U.N. and European diplomats were also coming into Cairo.
The bottom line is that the Middle East political structure, as a result of the Arab Spring, revolution has changed. Policies that made sense in the past just won't work anymore. The goal must be to reach a long term stable situation and comprehensive peace. No strings attached for anyone. In exchange for Hamas stopping all attacks and acknowledging the existence of Israel, the blockade on Gaza must be lifted by Israel and Palestine (including the Gaza territory) recognized as an independent state.
This course of action is definitely a far better solution than killing more innocent civilians in Palestine and Israel. The "super powers"and their allies in the region can certainly play a major part in making peace in the Middle East a reality by using all means at their disposal. The actions which could be taken should include economic sanctions against those nations which are unwilling to constructively participate in a peaceful solution of this conflict. .
EU-Digest
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