8 jan 2009
Rebuttal of Senate Resolution
Following is the text of the nonbinding US Senate resolution in support of Israel, which was passed by voice vote on January 8th, along with a point-by-point rebuttal. The House of Representatives passed a virtually identical resolution on January 9th.
Sweep Down the Walls Teleconference Forum [1]
A coalition formed by the Rebuilding Alliance
111TH CONGRESS
1ST SESSION S. RES. Ll
Recognizing the right of Israel to defend itself against attacks from Gaza and reaffirming the United States' strong support for Israel in its battle with Hamas, and supporting the Israeli-Palestinian peace process.
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
Mr. REID (for himself and Mr. MCCONNELL) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on
RESOLUTION
Recognizing the right of Israel to defend itself against attacks from Gaza and reaffirming the United States' strong support for Israel in its battle with Hamas, and supporting the Israeli-Palestinian peace
Israel has the right to defend its citizens but according to the laws of occupation [2], namely the Geneva Conventions, Israel has the responsibility to protect the population it occupies and its civilian infrastructures. The 2005 unilateral disengagement from Gaza did not legally end the occupation. This view is unanimously shared by human rights organizations such as Human Rights Watch [3] and world governments such as the EU [4]. Israel controls Gaza's northern and eastern border crossings, its access to sea and its airspace. The Rafah agreement contends that Israel continues to control who enters and exits Gaza [5] [PDF]. Therefore, it should be added to the text that alongside Israel's right to defend itself, it has too responsibilities towards the Palestinian population in Gaza, which it occupies.
Whereas Hamas was founded with the stated goal of destroying the State of Israel;
Whereas Hamas is a reactionary movement which emerged largely with the encouragement of Israel in its opposition to the secular Fatah party back in the 1980's [6], it has evolved to become also a political movement, enjoying wide support from the Palestinian population for its welfare programs and honest governance. This was in stark contrast to the Fatah leadership, seen as corrupt by many. Hamas has also shown pragmatism and willingness to negotiate with Israel on fair terms. Hamas' leadership offered Israel a long-term hudna (truce), the first offer back in 2004, in exchange for Israel's withdrawal from the occupied territories. Hamas also confirmed that they would accept any peace agreement for a Palestinian state within the 1967 borders, provided that this decision is ratified by a popular referendum [7].
Whereas Hamas has been designated by the Secretary of State as a Foreign Terrorist Organization;
Whereas Hamas has refused to comply with the requirements of the Quartet (the United States, the European Union, Russia, and the United Nations) that Hamas recognize Israel's right to exist, renounce violence, and agree to accept previous agreements between Israel and the Palestinians;
The Quartet has provided a list of demands to Hamas as a precondition to any negotiations. Hamas argues that similar preconditions were never presented to Israel. What are the borders of the Israel Hamas is supposed to recognize? Would Israel be asked to end its inherently violent (and illegal) occupation before it can enter negotiations? In fact, immediately after the Quartet presented the Road Map for peace in 2002, the Israeli cabinet, then under the leadership of Ariel Sharon, presented a list of 14 reservations to the Quartet [8], which included more conditions on the Palestinians. The Palestinians, on the other hand, accepted the Road Map without reservations.
Whereas, in June 2006, Hamas crossed into Israel, attacked Israeli forces and kidnapped Corporal Gilad Shalit, whom they continue to hold today;
According to B'Tselem [9], Israel currently holds over 8200 Palestinian prisoners, many of them arrested in extra-judicial operations and imprisoned inside Israel, violating the Geneva Conventions which states that the occupied population should not be transferred out of the occupied territories. Many are arrested without charge whilst others are tried in military courts. According to DCI [10], in 2007 alone, Israel imprisoned some 700 children, in violation of international law. Israel often refuses visits to prisoners by family members [11].
Whereas Hamas has launched thousands of rockets and mortars since Israel dismantled settlements and withdrew from Gaza in 2005;
Please see argument above regarding continuing legal recognition of Israel as an occupying power in Gaza. Further, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs,[12] [PDF] Israeli aerial bombardments and mortar fire against Palestinian civilian targets [13] have continued unabated despite the disengagement. Fatalities resulting from the hostilities have been heavily disproportionate with hundreds of Palestinians killed and thousands injured. The latest attacks in Gaza have been the rule rather than the exception.
Whereas Hamas has increased the range of its rockets, reportedly with support from Iran and others, putting additional large numbersof Israelis in danger of rocket attacks from Gaza;
Despite the sad loss of 16 lives in the last 8 years from rocket fire [14] Israel's attacks on Gaza have been disproportionate and illegal. Most human rights organizations consider Israel guilty of "war crimes" [15] for its bombings of civilian infrastructure and the high civilian death toll that it caries. In the last 4 years alone, and excluding the death toll from the current war, Israel killed 1,339 Palestinians from Gaza [16]. [PDF]
Whereas Hamas locates elements of its terrorist infrastructure in civilian population centers, thus using innocent civilians as human shields;
Gaza is one of the most densely populated territories in the world. Israel has shown by its actions that it is willing to contravene international law by targeting civilian infrastructures: mosques, universities, schools, police stations, airports (in 2001), residential buildings and a crowded market just last week. Human Rights Watch [17] has accused Israel in the past of indiscriminately targeting civilians. (I guess that makes Hamas and Israel not so different from each other after all.)
Whereas Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said in a statement on December 27, 2008, that ''[w]e strongly condemn the repeated rocket and mortar attacks against Israel and hold Hamas responsible for breaking the ceasefire and for the renewal of violence there'';
This is not true. Israel has never abided by the cease fire in the first place. As soon as the cease fire began in June 19th, the IDF established a "special security zone" within the Gaza strip and it announced that the Palestinians who enter this area will be fired upon. Israel had shot against farmers who were tilling their land or other civilians who have simply "violated" the unilaterally imposed area [18].
Hamas never accepted this. Furthermore, Israel bombarded Gaza, first on November 4th, killing six Palestinians and then again on November 17 killing 4 others (in addition to the wounded). Hamas retaliated by firing rockets at Israel, initiating a new round of violence.
Whereas, on December 27, 2008, Prime Minister of Israel Ehud Olmert said, ''For approximately seven years, hundreds of thousands of Israeli citizens in the south have been suffering from missiles being fired at them.. . . In such a situation we had no alternative but to respond. We do not rejoice in battle but neither will we be deterred from it.. . .The operation in the Gaza Strip is designed, first and foremost, to bring about an improvement in the security reality for the residents of the south of the country.'';
A very biased statement which de-historicizes the conflict whilst failing to distinguish the power dynamics of an occupying power, fourth biggest military superpower in the world and an occupied population, deprived of their basic human rights. This dehumanization of Palestinians, serves to legitimize the actions of the state of Israel, who increasingly view the "other" as less than human, who can be deprived of food, water, electricity, etc. As Dov Weisglass, an adviser to Ehud Olmert, once said: 'The idea is to put the Palestinians on a diet, but not to make them die of hunger' summing up the policy of the state of Israel against the Palestinians in Gaza [19].
Whereas, on January 2, 2009, Secretary of State Rice stated that ''Hamas has held the people of Gaza hostage ever since their illegal coup against the forces of President Mahmoud Abbas, the legitimate President of the Palestinian people. Hamas has used Gaza as a launching pad for rockets against Israeli cities and has contributed deeply to a very bad daily life for the Palestinian people in Gaza, and to a humanitarian situation that we have all been trying to address'';
This puts the blame on Hamas for the misfortunes of the Palestinian people. As reported earlier by Vanity Fair [20], the US and Israel armed Fatah to overthrow the democratically elected government of the Palestinian people. However, this "contra-style operation" by the US went wrong, leading to the de-facto political separation of the West Bank and Gaza strip.
Whereas the humanitarian situation in Gaza, including shortages of food, water, electricity, and adequate medical care, is becoming more acute;
"Acute" is an understatement. The UN Special Rapporteur for human rights in the occupied territories, Richard Falk, said that the siege of Gaza is a "crime against humanity [21]" This is one of the many voices of condemnation to the inhumane siege that has starved the Palestinian population and has put them in the brink of collapse.
On Dec. 14, 2008, the Sunday Times reported that some Gaza families were eating grass [22]. "The economy has been crushed and there are no imports or exports," said John Ging, director of its {UN} relief and works agency. "Two weeks ago, for the first time in 60 years, we ran out of food," he said. "We used to get 70 to 80 trucks per day, now we are getting 15 trucks a day, and only when the border opens. We're living hand to mouth."
Whereas Israel has facilitated humanitarian aid to Gaza with over 500 trucks and numerous ambulances entering the Gaza Strip since December 26, 2008;
Again, not true. The UN announced several times that it would have to stop humanitarian due to Israel's border closures and lack of fuel [23]. During the week of Jan. 1-8, UNOCHA reports six medical staff were killed and 30 injured; eleven ambulances were hit [24].[PDF] Today, Dec. 9th, the UN announced that it would stop aid delivery to the 80% of the Palestinian population in Gaza who depend on that aid, because Israel had attacked and killed their staff in clearly marked U.N. trucks [25].
Whereas, on January 2, 2009, Secretary of State Rice stated that it was ''Hamas that rejected the Egyptian and Arab calls for an extension of the tahadiya that Egypt had negotiated'' and that the United States was ''working toward a cease-fire that would not allow a reestablishment of the status quo ante where Hamas can continue to launch rockets out of Gaza. It is obvious that that ceasefire should take place as soon as possible, but we need a cease-fire that is durable and sustainable''; and
Israel had refused cease fire proposals in the past [26] but that is not a excuse for such a merciless attack against Gaza. In any case, Hamas was willing to negotiate a new cease fire, to include this time an ease to the illegal siege against the Palestinian civilian population. Israel refused these terms [27]. Despite the low levels of violence since June 19th, Israel had only tightened the siege on Gaza and Hamas was given no motivation to continue in restraint.
Whereas the ultimate goal of the United States is a sustainable resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict that will allow for a viable and independent Palestinian state living side by side in peace and security with the State of Israel, which will not be possible as long as Israeli civilians are under threat from within Gaza:
Again, absence of any acknowledgement of Palestinians as people with human rights too.
Now, therefore, be it Resolved, That the Senate--
(1) expresses vigorous support and unwavering commitment to the welfare, security, and survival of the State of Israel as a Jewish and democratic state with secure borders, and recognizes its right to act in self-defense to protect its citizens against acts of terrorism;
Right to self-defense is an internationally recognized right however, the Palestinians too have the right to live in freedom, with their basic human rights respected (no mention of this). The freedom of the Israelis should not be at the expense of the freedoms of the Palestinians. This mentality will only fuel more radicalism and reactionary behavior. It is time that Congress recognizes that the Palestinians too have the right to live without harassment in their land.
(2) reiterates that Hamas must end the rocket and mortar attacks against Israel, recognize Israel's right to exist, renounce violence, and agree to accept previous agreements between Israel and the Palestinians;
Israel should also end its daily violence against the Palestinian population, end the illegal siege, recognize Hamas as the democratically elected government of the Palestinians and accept Israel's commitments under international law as an occupying power. Whilst Israel in theory recognizes its agreements with the Palestinians, in practice it never did. Settlement construction, restrictions on movement, land confiscation, curfews and incursions are a daily reality for the Palestinian population.
(3) encourages the President to work actively to support a durable, enforceable, and sustainable cease-fire in Gaza, as soon as possible, that prevents Hamas from retaining or rebuilding the capability to launch rockets and mortars against Israel and allows for the long term improvement of daily living conditions for the ordinary people of Gaza;
Cease fire conditionality should be mutual. However, there are no cease fire conditions for Israel, only for Hamas. There is no direct reference to the siege, only speaking of an "improvement" which is not difficult under the dire conditions the Palestinians are living today. The challenge for the international community should be to lift the siege not just call for an "improvement". There is no recognition of Hamas as a legitimate negotiating partner to this cease fire or any consideration of Hamas' wishes as a partner to this cease-fire. The cease fire proposed here would therefore be seen as an imposition rather than a cease fire which contradicts the stated premise of "sustainability", "durability" and "enforceability".
Robert Naiman at the Huffington Post: "In particular, the resolution does not call for an 'immediate ceasefire,' but for a 'durable and sustainable ceasefire,' which is the Bush Administration's code for continuing the war – the excuse the Administration has given for why the war must go on. Nor does the resolution call for ending the blockade on Gaza, even though the blockade is also an act of war [28]."
(4) believes strongly that the lives of innocent civilians must be protected and all appropriate measures should be taken to diminish civilian casualties and that all involved should continue to work to address humanitarian needs in Gaza;
(5) supports and encourages efforts to diminish the appeal and influence of extremists in the Palestinian territories and to strengthen moderate Palestinians who are committed to a secure and lasting peace with Israel; and
Long-lasting peace is unattainable until there is inclusion of all parties. Bypassing Hamas will only contribute towards the further alienation of the Palestinian population. Mahmood Abbas is already been seen as a "collaborator" by many Palestinians, for his readiness to embrace Israel and the US and his shunning of Hamas. There should therefore be a mentioning to efforts to promote internal Palestinian reconciliation, being the only road towards a "lasting peace" with Israel.
(6) reiterates its strong support for United States Government efforts to promote a just resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict through a serious and sustained peace process that leads to the creation of a viable and independent Palestinian state living in peace alongside a secure State of Israel.
No mentioning of formal monitoring mechanisms. During the so-called peace process, Israel has been allowed a free hand in the West Bank, contributing to the Bantustanization of the Palestinian population and increase in settlements, making a contiguous Palestinian state almost impossible. Congress has got to do better than this.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
1 - "Sweep Down the Walls" is a forum to connect people throughout the world who are working to end the bombing, end the siege, open Gaza's borders, press for a ceasefire, and so build justice, peace, and real security. The forum draws its name from a quote by Robert F. Kennedy in South Africa, June 1966, "It is from numberless diverse acts of courage and belief that human history is shaped. Each time a man stands up for an ideal, or acts to improve the lot of others, or strikes out against injustice, he sends forth a tiny ripple of hope, and crossing each other from a million different centers of energy and daring those ripples build a current which can sweep down the mightiest walls of oppression and resistance."
2 -The laws of occupation:
6 - (Khaled Hroub is a professor at Cambridge University UK and an expert on Hamas)
Sweep Down the Walls Teleconference Forum [1]
A coalition formed by the Rebuilding Alliance
111TH CONGRESS
1ST SESSION S. RES. Ll
Recognizing the right of Israel to defend itself against attacks from Gaza and reaffirming the United States' strong support for Israel in its battle with Hamas, and supporting the Israeli-Palestinian peace process.
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
Mr. REID (for himself and Mr. MCCONNELL) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on
RESOLUTION
Recognizing the right of Israel to defend itself against attacks from Gaza and reaffirming the United States' strong support for Israel in its battle with Hamas, and supporting the Israeli-Palestinian peace
Israel has the right to defend its citizens but according to the laws of occupation [2], namely the Geneva Conventions, Israel has the responsibility to protect the population it occupies and its civilian infrastructures. The 2005 unilateral disengagement from Gaza did not legally end the occupation. This view is unanimously shared by human rights organizations such as Human Rights Watch [3] and world governments such as the EU [4]. Israel controls Gaza's northern and eastern border crossings, its access to sea and its airspace. The Rafah agreement contends that Israel continues to control who enters and exits Gaza [5] [PDF]. Therefore, it should be added to the text that alongside Israel's right to defend itself, it has too responsibilities towards the Palestinian population in Gaza, which it occupies.
Whereas Hamas was founded with the stated goal of destroying the State of Israel;
Whereas Hamas is a reactionary movement which emerged largely with the encouragement of Israel in its opposition to the secular Fatah party back in the 1980's [6], it has evolved to become also a political movement, enjoying wide support from the Palestinian population for its welfare programs and honest governance. This was in stark contrast to the Fatah leadership, seen as corrupt by many. Hamas has also shown pragmatism and willingness to negotiate with Israel on fair terms. Hamas' leadership offered Israel a long-term hudna (truce), the first offer back in 2004, in exchange for Israel's withdrawal from the occupied territories. Hamas also confirmed that they would accept any peace agreement for a Palestinian state within the 1967 borders, provided that this decision is ratified by a popular referendum [7].
Whereas Hamas has been designated by the Secretary of State as a Foreign Terrorist Organization;
Whereas Hamas has refused to comply with the requirements of the Quartet (the United States, the European Union, Russia, and the United Nations) that Hamas recognize Israel's right to exist, renounce violence, and agree to accept previous agreements between Israel and the Palestinians;
The Quartet has provided a list of demands to Hamas as a precondition to any negotiations. Hamas argues that similar preconditions were never presented to Israel. What are the borders of the Israel Hamas is supposed to recognize? Would Israel be asked to end its inherently violent (and illegal) occupation before it can enter negotiations? In fact, immediately after the Quartet presented the Road Map for peace in 2002, the Israeli cabinet, then under the leadership of Ariel Sharon, presented a list of 14 reservations to the Quartet [8], which included more conditions on the Palestinians. The Palestinians, on the other hand, accepted the Road Map without reservations.
Whereas, in June 2006, Hamas crossed into Israel, attacked Israeli forces and kidnapped Corporal Gilad Shalit, whom they continue to hold today;
According to B'Tselem [9], Israel currently holds over 8200 Palestinian prisoners, many of them arrested in extra-judicial operations and imprisoned inside Israel, violating the Geneva Conventions which states that the occupied population should not be transferred out of the occupied territories. Many are arrested without charge whilst others are tried in military courts. According to DCI [10], in 2007 alone, Israel imprisoned some 700 children, in violation of international law. Israel often refuses visits to prisoners by family members [11].
Whereas Hamas has launched thousands of rockets and mortars since Israel dismantled settlements and withdrew from Gaza in 2005;
Please see argument above regarding continuing legal recognition of Israel as an occupying power in Gaza. Further, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs,[12] [PDF] Israeli aerial bombardments and mortar fire against Palestinian civilian targets [13] have continued unabated despite the disengagement. Fatalities resulting from the hostilities have been heavily disproportionate with hundreds of Palestinians killed and thousands injured. The latest attacks in Gaza have been the rule rather than the exception.
Whereas Hamas has increased the range of its rockets, reportedly with support from Iran and others, putting additional large numbersof Israelis in danger of rocket attacks from Gaza;
Despite the sad loss of 16 lives in the last 8 years from rocket fire [14] Israel's attacks on Gaza have been disproportionate and illegal. Most human rights organizations consider Israel guilty of "war crimes" [15] for its bombings of civilian infrastructure and the high civilian death toll that it caries. In the last 4 years alone, and excluding the death toll from the current war, Israel killed 1,339 Palestinians from Gaza [16]. [PDF]
Whereas Hamas locates elements of its terrorist infrastructure in civilian population centers, thus using innocent civilians as human shields;
Gaza is one of the most densely populated territories in the world. Israel has shown by its actions that it is willing to contravene international law by targeting civilian infrastructures: mosques, universities, schools, police stations, airports (in 2001), residential buildings and a crowded market just last week. Human Rights Watch [17] has accused Israel in the past of indiscriminately targeting civilians. (I guess that makes Hamas and Israel not so different from each other after all.)
Whereas Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said in a statement on December 27, 2008, that ''[w]e strongly condemn the repeated rocket and mortar attacks against Israel and hold Hamas responsible for breaking the ceasefire and for the renewal of violence there'';
This is not true. Israel has never abided by the cease fire in the first place. As soon as the cease fire began in June 19th, the IDF established a "special security zone" within the Gaza strip and it announced that the Palestinians who enter this area will be fired upon. Israel had shot against farmers who were tilling their land or other civilians who have simply "violated" the unilaterally imposed area [18].
Hamas never accepted this. Furthermore, Israel bombarded Gaza, first on November 4th, killing six Palestinians and then again on November 17 killing 4 others (in addition to the wounded). Hamas retaliated by firing rockets at Israel, initiating a new round of violence.
Whereas, on December 27, 2008, Prime Minister of Israel Ehud Olmert said, ''For approximately seven years, hundreds of thousands of Israeli citizens in the south have been suffering from missiles being fired at them.. . . In such a situation we had no alternative but to respond. We do not rejoice in battle but neither will we be deterred from it.. . .The operation in the Gaza Strip is designed, first and foremost, to bring about an improvement in the security reality for the residents of the south of the country.'';
A very biased statement which de-historicizes the conflict whilst failing to distinguish the power dynamics of an occupying power, fourth biggest military superpower in the world and an occupied population, deprived of their basic human rights. This dehumanization of Palestinians, serves to legitimize the actions of the state of Israel, who increasingly view the "other" as less than human, who can be deprived of food, water, electricity, etc. As Dov Weisglass, an adviser to Ehud Olmert, once said: 'The idea is to put the Palestinians on a diet, but not to make them die of hunger' summing up the policy of the state of Israel against the Palestinians in Gaza [19].
Whereas, on January 2, 2009, Secretary of State Rice stated that ''Hamas has held the people of Gaza hostage ever since their illegal coup against the forces of President Mahmoud Abbas, the legitimate President of the Palestinian people. Hamas has used Gaza as a launching pad for rockets against Israeli cities and has contributed deeply to a very bad daily life for the Palestinian people in Gaza, and to a humanitarian situation that we have all been trying to address'';
This puts the blame on Hamas for the misfortunes of the Palestinian people. As reported earlier by Vanity Fair [20], the US and Israel armed Fatah to overthrow the democratically elected government of the Palestinian people. However, this "contra-style operation" by the US went wrong, leading to the de-facto political separation of the West Bank and Gaza strip.
Whereas the humanitarian situation in Gaza, including shortages of food, water, electricity, and adequate medical care, is becoming more acute;
"Acute" is an understatement. The UN Special Rapporteur for human rights in the occupied territories, Richard Falk, said that the siege of Gaza is a "crime against humanity [21]" This is one of the many voices of condemnation to the inhumane siege that has starved the Palestinian population and has put them in the brink of collapse.
On Dec. 14, 2008, the Sunday Times reported that some Gaza families were eating grass [22]. "The economy has been crushed and there are no imports or exports," said John Ging, director of its {UN} relief and works agency. "Two weeks ago, for the first time in 60 years, we ran out of food," he said. "We used to get 70 to 80 trucks per day, now we are getting 15 trucks a day, and only when the border opens. We're living hand to mouth."
Whereas Israel has facilitated humanitarian aid to Gaza with over 500 trucks and numerous ambulances entering the Gaza Strip since December 26, 2008;
Again, not true. The UN announced several times that it would have to stop humanitarian due to Israel's border closures and lack of fuel [23]. During the week of Jan. 1-8, UNOCHA reports six medical staff were killed and 30 injured; eleven ambulances were hit [24].[PDF] Today, Dec. 9th, the UN announced that it would stop aid delivery to the 80% of the Palestinian population in Gaza who depend on that aid, because Israel had attacked and killed their staff in clearly marked U.N. trucks [25].
Whereas, on January 2, 2009, Secretary of State Rice stated that it was ''Hamas that rejected the Egyptian and Arab calls for an extension of the tahadiya that Egypt had negotiated'' and that the United States was ''working toward a cease-fire that would not allow a reestablishment of the status quo ante where Hamas can continue to launch rockets out of Gaza. It is obvious that that ceasefire should take place as soon as possible, but we need a cease-fire that is durable and sustainable''; and
Israel had refused cease fire proposals in the past [26] but that is not a excuse for such a merciless attack against Gaza. In any case, Hamas was willing to negotiate a new cease fire, to include this time an ease to the illegal siege against the Palestinian civilian population. Israel refused these terms [27]. Despite the low levels of violence since June 19th, Israel had only tightened the siege on Gaza and Hamas was given no motivation to continue in restraint.
Whereas the ultimate goal of the United States is a sustainable resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict that will allow for a viable and independent Palestinian state living side by side in peace and security with the State of Israel, which will not be possible as long as Israeli civilians are under threat from within Gaza:
Again, absence of any acknowledgement of Palestinians as people with human rights too.
Now, therefore, be it Resolved, That the Senate--
(1) expresses vigorous support and unwavering commitment to the welfare, security, and survival of the State of Israel as a Jewish and democratic state with secure borders, and recognizes its right to act in self-defense to protect its citizens against acts of terrorism;
Right to self-defense is an internationally recognized right however, the Palestinians too have the right to live in freedom, with their basic human rights respected (no mention of this). The freedom of the Israelis should not be at the expense of the freedoms of the Palestinians. This mentality will only fuel more radicalism and reactionary behavior. It is time that Congress recognizes that the Palestinians too have the right to live without harassment in their land.
(2) reiterates that Hamas must end the rocket and mortar attacks against Israel, recognize Israel's right to exist, renounce violence, and agree to accept previous agreements between Israel and the Palestinians;
Israel should also end its daily violence against the Palestinian population, end the illegal siege, recognize Hamas as the democratically elected government of the Palestinians and accept Israel's commitments under international law as an occupying power. Whilst Israel in theory recognizes its agreements with the Palestinians, in practice it never did. Settlement construction, restrictions on movement, land confiscation, curfews and incursions are a daily reality for the Palestinian population.
(3) encourages the President to work actively to support a durable, enforceable, and sustainable cease-fire in Gaza, as soon as possible, that prevents Hamas from retaining or rebuilding the capability to launch rockets and mortars against Israel and allows for the long term improvement of daily living conditions for the ordinary people of Gaza;
Cease fire conditionality should be mutual. However, there are no cease fire conditions for Israel, only for Hamas. There is no direct reference to the siege, only speaking of an "improvement" which is not difficult under the dire conditions the Palestinians are living today. The challenge for the international community should be to lift the siege not just call for an "improvement". There is no recognition of Hamas as a legitimate negotiating partner to this cease fire or any consideration of Hamas' wishes as a partner to this cease-fire. The cease fire proposed here would therefore be seen as an imposition rather than a cease fire which contradicts the stated premise of "sustainability", "durability" and "enforceability".
Robert Naiman at the Huffington Post: "In particular, the resolution does not call for an 'immediate ceasefire,' but for a 'durable and sustainable ceasefire,' which is the Bush Administration's code for continuing the war – the excuse the Administration has given for why the war must go on. Nor does the resolution call for ending the blockade on Gaza, even though the blockade is also an act of war [28]."
(4) believes strongly that the lives of innocent civilians must be protected and all appropriate measures should be taken to diminish civilian casualties and that all involved should continue to work to address humanitarian needs in Gaza;
(5) supports and encourages efforts to diminish the appeal and influence of extremists in the Palestinian territories and to strengthen moderate Palestinians who are committed to a secure and lasting peace with Israel; and
Long-lasting peace is unattainable until there is inclusion of all parties. Bypassing Hamas will only contribute towards the further alienation of the Palestinian population. Mahmood Abbas is already been seen as a "collaborator" by many Palestinians, for his readiness to embrace Israel and the US and his shunning of Hamas. There should therefore be a mentioning to efforts to promote internal Palestinian reconciliation, being the only road towards a "lasting peace" with Israel.
(6) reiterates its strong support for United States Government efforts to promote a just resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict through a serious and sustained peace process that leads to the creation of a viable and independent Palestinian state living in peace alongside a secure State of Israel.
No mentioning of formal monitoring mechanisms. During the so-called peace process, Israel has been allowed a free hand in the West Bank, contributing to the Bantustanization of the Palestinian population and increase in settlements, making a contiguous Palestinian state almost impossible. Congress has got to do better than this.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
1 - "Sweep Down the Walls" is a forum to connect people throughout the world who are working to end the bombing, end the siege, open Gaza's borders, press for a ceasefire, and so build justice, peace, and real security. The forum draws its name from a quote by Robert F. Kennedy in South Africa, June 1966, "It is from numberless diverse acts of courage and belief that human history is shaped. Each time a man stands up for an ideal, or acts to improve the lot of others, or strikes out against injustice, he sends forth a tiny ripple of hope, and crossing each other from a million different centers of energy and daring those ripples build a current which can sweep down the mightiest walls of oppression and resistance."
2 -The laws of occupation:
6 - (Khaled Hroub is a professor at Cambridge University UK and an expert on Hamas)
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Gaza: ICRC demands urgent access to wounded as Israeli army fails to assist wounded PalestiniansOn the afternoon of 7 January, four Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) ambulances and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) managed to obtain access for the first time to several houses in the Zaytun neighbourhood of Gaza City that had been affected by Israeli shelling.
The ICRC had requested safe passage for ambulances to access this neighbourhood since 3 January but it only received permission to do so from the Israel Defense Forces during the afternoon of 7 January. The ICRC/PRCS team found four small children next to their dead mothers in one of the houses. They were too weak to stand up on their own. |
One man was also found alive, too weak to stand up. In all there were at least 12 corpses lying on mattresses.
In another house, the ICRC/PRCS rescue team found 15 other survivors of this attack including several wounded. In yet another house, they found an additional three corpses. Israeli soldiers posted at a military position some 80 meters away from this house ordered the rescue team to leave the area which they refused to do. There were several other positions of the Israel Defense Forces nearby as well as two tanks.
" This is a shocking incident, " said Pierre Wettach, the ICRC's head of delegation for Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories. " The Israeli military must have been aware of the situation but did not assist the wounded. Neither did they make it possible for us or the Palestine Red Crescent to assist the wounded. "
Large earth walls erected by the Israeli army had made it impossible to bring ambulances into the neighbourhood. Therefore, the children and the wounded had to be taken to the ambulances on a donkey cart. In total, the ICRC/PRCS rescue team evacuated 18 wounded and 12 others who were extremely exhausted. Two corpses were also evacuated. The ICRC/PRCS will recover the remaining corpses on Thursday.
The ICRC was informed that there are more wounded sheltering in other destroyed houses in this neighbourhood. It demands that the Israeli military grant it and PRCS ambulances safe passage and access immediately to search for any other wounded. Until now, the ICRC has still not received confirmation from the Israeli authorities that this will be allowed.
The ICRC believes that in this instance the Israeli military failed to meet its obligation under international humanitarian law to care for and evacuate the wounded. It considers the delay in allowing rescue services access unacceptable.
In another house, the ICRC/PRCS rescue team found 15 other survivors of this attack including several wounded. In yet another house, they found an additional three corpses. Israeli soldiers posted at a military position some 80 meters away from this house ordered the rescue team to leave the area which they refused to do. There were several other positions of the Israel Defense Forces nearby as well as two tanks.
" This is a shocking incident, " said Pierre Wettach, the ICRC's head of delegation for Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories. " The Israeli military must have been aware of the situation but did not assist the wounded. Neither did they make it possible for us or the Palestine Red Crescent to assist the wounded. "
Large earth walls erected by the Israeli army had made it impossible to bring ambulances into the neighbourhood. Therefore, the children and the wounded had to be taken to the ambulances on a donkey cart. In total, the ICRC/PRCS rescue team evacuated 18 wounded and 12 others who were extremely exhausted. Two corpses were also evacuated. The ICRC/PRCS will recover the remaining corpses on Thursday.
The ICRC was informed that there are more wounded sheltering in other destroyed houses in this neighbourhood. It demands that the Israeli military grant it and PRCS ambulances safe passage and access immediately to search for any other wounded. Until now, the ICRC has still not received confirmation from the Israeli authorities that this will be allowed.
The ICRC believes that in this instance the Israeli military failed to meet its obligation under international humanitarian law to care for and evacuate the wounded. It considers the delay in allowing rescue services access unacceptable.
Children make up third of Gaza dead
Almost a third of the 689 Palestinians killed in Israel's Gaza offensive are children, with most killed since the start of a ground offensive after a week of aerial bombardment, medics say.
The proportion of civilians killed has risen dramatically since Saturday when ground troops joined the assault on the Hamas rulers of Gaza after a week of aerial and naval bombardment.
A total of 220 children have been killed since Operation Cast Lead was unleashed on December 27, according to Gaza emergency services chief Moawiya Hassanein.
Humanitarian agencies fear more children and other civilians will die as the battle moves into the most densely populated areas of Gaza, one of the world's most densely-populated places.
"Of particular concern are the growing numbers of children killed and injured," said Maxwell Gaylard, the UN humanitarian coordinator for the Palestinian territories.
"Every other person in Gaza is a child (56 per cent of the population), and they remain dangerously exposed to the fighting around them," he said.
"There is no safe space in the Gaza Strip - no safe haven, no bomb shelters, and the borders are closed, making this one of the rare conflicts where civilians have no place to flee," he said in a statement.
On Tuesday, at least 43 people sheltering at a school in northern Gaza were killed, according to emergency services.
The Israeli army said troops had apparently responded to mortar fire from within the school compound, but the UN Relief and Work Agency (UNRWA) for Palestinian refugees which runs the school said it was "99.9 per cent sure" there were no militants there.
Palestinians "are becoming more and more desperate as each day of attacks goes by," said Martha Myers, CARE director for the Palestinian territories, after one of the agency's food distribution workers was killed in an air strike on Tuesday night.
"This is further evidence that any attack, even a targeted one, will result in civilian casualties," she said.
Israel says Hamas is to blame for all civilian deaths, for firing rockets at Israel and attacking troops from densely populated areas and storing weapons in the homes they share with women and children.
The United Nations has called Hamas attacks "indiscriminate" and the Israeli response "excessive," and urged both sides to end the violence.
The UN Children's Fund, UNICEF, urged "all parties to the conflict to abide by international humanitarian law so that children are protected and receive essential humanitarian supplies and support."
The proportion of civilians killed has risen dramatically since Saturday when ground troops joined the assault on the Hamas rulers of Gaza after a week of aerial and naval bombardment.
A total of 220 children have been killed since Operation Cast Lead was unleashed on December 27, according to Gaza emergency services chief Moawiya Hassanein.
Humanitarian agencies fear more children and other civilians will die as the battle moves into the most densely populated areas of Gaza, one of the world's most densely-populated places.
"Of particular concern are the growing numbers of children killed and injured," said Maxwell Gaylard, the UN humanitarian coordinator for the Palestinian territories.
"Every other person in Gaza is a child (56 per cent of the population), and they remain dangerously exposed to the fighting around them," he said.
"There is no safe space in the Gaza Strip - no safe haven, no bomb shelters, and the borders are closed, making this one of the rare conflicts where civilians have no place to flee," he said in a statement.
On Tuesday, at least 43 people sheltering at a school in northern Gaza were killed, according to emergency services.
The Israeli army said troops had apparently responded to mortar fire from within the school compound, but the UN Relief and Work Agency (UNRWA) for Palestinian refugees which runs the school said it was "99.9 per cent sure" there were no militants there.
Palestinians "are becoming more and more desperate as each day of attacks goes by," said Martha Myers, CARE director for the Palestinian territories, after one of the agency's food distribution workers was killed in an air strike on Tuesday night.
"This is further evidence that any attack, even a targeted one, will result in civilian casualties," she said.
Israel says Hamas is to blame for all civilian deaths, for firing rockets at Israel and attacking troops from densely populated areas and storing weapons in the homes they share with women and children.
The United Nations has called Hamas attacks "indiscriminate" and the Israeli response "excessive," and urged both sides to end the violence.
The UN Children's Fund, UNICEF, urged "all parties to the conflict to abide by international humanitarian law so that children are protected and receive essential humanitarian supplies and support."
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Israeli air-strike destroys Gazan medical centreIn the early morning of January 5th, Israeli F16 planes bombed a medical center for the Union of Health Care Committees in Gaza City. The attack completely destroyed the two-story building along with three trucks equipped as mobile clinics that were parked nearby.
These mobile clinics had operated as field hospitals for the northern and central areas of the Gaza Strip and they were being used to treat the mass casualties from the ongoing Israeli air-strike and invasion. The cost of the mobile clinics exceeded 1.5 million USD, which was funded by the Spanish organization Asecop. |
The attack on the UHCC medical center has followed the pattern of Israeli targeting medical teams in Gaza. Over the past nine days, at least six medics have been killed and several others injured. Ambulances have also been fired on or completely destroyed by Israeli shelling.
In response to this recent attack, the UHCC has stated, “we request from the entire international humanitarian and organizations to take a serious action to stop this massacre and protect the civilians and medical crews, and work for bringing the Israeli criminals to international trial for what they are committing against Gaza.”
In response to this recent attack, the UHCC has stated, “we request from the entire international humanitarian and organizations to take a serious action to stop this massacre and protect the civilians and medical crews, and work for bringing the Israeli criminals to international trial for what they are committing against Gaza.”
Pity for the tiger is injustice to the sheep
By Fida Qishta – ISM co-ordinator in the Gaza Strip
Visit Fida’s blog here.
The situation has been exploited very cleverly by the Israeli Ministry of War. Yes, the Ministry of War. The soldiers who call themselves soldiers defending Israeli security are continuing a bloody history of war crimes against Palestinians, from 1932 until 2009. During the last two days when since ground incursion started, things have been unbelievable, hard to watch or to talk about.
When the Israeli army evacuated people from the city of Jabalya city, the people moved to UN schools. They thought it would be safe, but it wasn’t. An Israeli tank shells attacked them. 42 were killed, most of them children, and more than 95 were injured. That increased the total number of children and women victims, until this minute when I wrote this piece, to 665 killed. 215 of them were children, and 89 were women. And more than 2950 people were injured. The numbers will maybe help you see the truth.
The Abu Asha family is one of the families that decided to leave the northern Gaza Strip to be in what they imagined would be a safe place. They were moving to the town of Deir Al- Balah in the middle of the Gaza Strip. But on their way on the road along Gaza’s seacoast, Israeli gunboats attacked them, and all of them were killed. Seven members of the same family were killed. They thought that they would be in a safer place. But there is no safe place in the Gaza Strip, and no safety with these killers.
Many Palestinian paramedics have been killed. The last week six paramedics were killed and many injured. Most the fire stations have been attacked. Do these people or these stations represent Hamas? What’s happening in Gaza Strip is a war crime, and we need the honest people in the world to stop it.
These outrages, which have shocked the consciences of the world’s civilized nations, but they haven’t moved their governments. These governments hope to shape a new reality in Gaza and in Palestinian affairs.
The situation remains extremely tense. What is happening in Gaza Strip is the outcome of 14 years of failed consultation and negotiation. This is Israelis peace and the world’s democracy. I still don’t understand, if the world didn’t like Hamas as a Palestinian party, why did they accept their participation in Palestinian elections? When they won, the world didn’t like them. Why then did the UN send observers to monitor the elections? There are many questions in Gazans’ minds which lead them to believe that there is no democracy in this world, at least not from the USA not EU. Does the world call right-wing parties in the Middle East terrorist because they are Islamic Parties, and then accept Israelis right-wing and left-wing Israeli parties who are killing Palestinians now in Gaza?
A big deal has been made of the homemade rockets which hit the Sderot settlement which sits on Palestinian land stolen by these settlers in 1948 from Palestinians who then became refugees in nearby Gaza. And nobody paid attention to the children and women who were killed in Gaza when the world thought there was a truce. There was no truce because over 21 Palestinians were killed and over 70 injured by the Israelis army. Did you hear about them? I guess not. You just heard about the rockets that hit Sderot, especially the Israeli woman who was injured yesterday and the 42 year-old woman who was killed. No worries about Palestinians and Gazans.
The humanitarian situation continues to deteriorate in the Gaza Strip. Over 80 children, 40 women and 250 total civilians have been killed. Most of these people were killed at home, or coming home from school or work. Humanitarian aid is still a big problem, including the lack of medicine and food. The Israeli government said that they opened the border crossings to let Palestinians travel to Egypt for medical treatment and for humanitarian aid to enter the Gaza Strip. It’s like the wolf killing the sheep and then selling its leather. Why did they shoot them if they want them to be in good health? Why didn’t they stop the airstrikes before they killed and injured all these civilians? They tell the world that the food trucks enter the Gaza Strip. Do you know how many trucks? Do you know that the Gaza Strip is cut into two parts now by the Israeli army? That means that if the humanitarian aid gets through into Rafah, it will never reach Gaza City, because they cut the main road into two parts. It reminds me of the Abu Holy checkpoint which used to divide the Gaza Strip in two. My friends and I used to wait to go to our university for hours and hours. And at the end of the day we went back home, without attending any classes. Our only class was on how to wait.
My mother is sitting in the door of our house counting the drones and the F16s. I think that if I asked her to count the airstrikes she would do it. People here still joke sometimes. One of my friends sent me a text message that said:
Look outside, the F-16 smiling for you,
The missiles are dancing in front of you,
The Zanana (drone) is singing for you,
Because the Israeli nation requested them all to wish you a Happy New Year
Visit Fida’s blog here.
The situation has been exploited very cleverly by the Israeli Ministry of War. Yes, the Ministry of War. The soldiers who call themselves soldiers defending Israeli security are continuing a bloody history of war crimes against Palestinians, from 1932 until 2009. During the last two days when since ground incursion started, things have been unbelievable, hard to watch or to talk about.
When the Israeli army evacuated people from the city of Jabalya city, the people moved to UN schools. They thought it would be safe, but it wasn’t. An Israeli tank shells attacked them. 42 were killed, most of them children, and more than 95 were injured. That increased the total number of children and women victims, until this minute when I wrote this piece, to 665 killed. 215 of them were children, and 89 were women. And more than 2950 people were injured. The numbers will maybe help you see the truth.
The Abu Asha family is one of the families that decided to leave the northern Gaza Strip to be in what they imagined would be a safe place. They were moving to the town of Deir Al- Balah in the middle of the Gaza Strip. But on their way on the road along Gaza’s seacoast, Israeli gunboats attacked them, and all of them were killed. Seven members of the same family were killed. They thought that they would be in a safer place. But there is no safe place in the Gaza Strip, and no safety with these killers.
Many Palestinian paramedics have been killed. The last week six paramedics were killed and many injured. Most the fire stations have been attacked. Do these people or these stations represent Hamas? What’s happening in Gaza Strip is a war crime, and we need the honest people in the world to stop it.
These outrages, which have shocked the consciences of the world’s civilized nations, but they haven’t moved their governments. These governments hope to shape a new reality in Gaza and in Palestinian affairs.
The situation remains extremely tense. What is happening in Gaza Strip is the outcome of 14 years of failed consultation and negotiation. This is Israelis peace and the world’s democracy. I still don’t understand, if the world didn’t like Hamas as a Palestinian party, why did they accept their participation in Palestinian elections? When they won, the world didn’t like them. Why then did the UN send observers to monitor the elections? There are many questions in Gazans’ minds which lead them to believe that there is no democracy in this world, at least not from the USA not EU. Does the world call right-wing parties in the Middle East terrorist because they are Islamic Parties, and then accept Israelis right-wing and left-wing Israeli parties who are killing Palestinians now in Gaza?
A big deal has been made of the homemade rockets which hit the Sderot settlement which sits on Palestinian land stolen by these settlers in 1948 from Palestinians who then became refugees in nearby Gaza. And nobody paid attention to the children and women who were killed in Gaza when the world thought there was a truce. There was no truce because over 21 Palestinians were killed and over 70 injured by the Israelis army. Did you hear about them? I guess not. You just heard about the rockets that hit Sderot, especially the Israeli woman who was injured yesterday and the 42 year-old woman who was killed. No worries about Palestinians and Gazans.
The humanitarian situation continues to deteriorate in the Gaza Strip. Over 80 children, 40 women and 250 total civilians have been killed. Most of these people were killed at home, or coming home from school or work. Humanitarian aid is still a big problem, including the lack of medicine and food. The Israeli government said that they opened the border crossings to let Palestinians travel to Egypt for medical treatment and for humanitarian aid to enter the Gaza Strip. It’s like the wolf killing the sheep and then selling its leather. Why did they shoot them if they want them to be in good health? Why didn’t they stop the airstrikes before they killed and injured all these civilians? They tell the world that the food trucks enter the Gaza Strip. Do you know how many trucks? Do you know that the Gaza Strip is cut into two parts now by the Israeli army? That means that if the humanitarian aid gets through into Rafah, it will never reach Gaza City, because they cut the main road into two parts. It reminds me of the Abu Holy checkpoint which used to divide the Gaza Strip in two. My friends and I used to wait to go to our university for hours and hours. And at the end of the day we went back home, without attending any classes. Our only class was on how to wait.
My mother is sitting in the door of our house counting the drones and the F16s. I think that if I asked her to count the airstrikes she would do it. People here still joke sometimes. One of my friends sent me a text message that said:
Look outside, the F-16 smiling for you,
The missiles are dancing in front of you,
The Zanana (drone) is singing for you,
Because the Israeli nation requested them all to wish you a Happy New Year
Petition against massacres on Gaza
In support of the Palestinian Human Rights Community Call for International Action
A Call from Within – signed by Israeli citizens
As if the occupation was not enough, the brutal ongoing repression of the Palestinian population, the construction of settlements and the siege of Gaza – now comes the bombardment of the civilian population: men, women, old folks and children. Hundreds of dead, hundreds of injured, overwhelmed hospitals, and the central medicine depot of Gaza bombed. The ship Dignity of the Free Gaza movement which brought emergency medical supplies and a number of physicians was also attacked. Israel has returned to openly committing war crimes, worse than what we have seen in a long time.
Israeli media do not expose their viewers to the horrors and to the voices of severe criticism of these crimes. The story told is uniform. Israeli dissidents are denounced as traitors. Public opinion including that of the Zionist left supports the Israeli policy uncritically and without reservation.
Israel’s destructive criminal policy will not cease without a massive intervention by the international community. However, except for some rather weak official condemnation, the international community is reluctant to intervene,. The United States openly supports the Israeli violence and Europe, although voicing some condemnation, is unwilling to seriously consider withdrawing the “gift” it handed Israel by upgrading its relations with the European Union.
In the past the world knew how to fight criminal policies. The boycott on South Africa was effective, but Israel is handled with kid gloves: its trade relations are flourishing, academic and cultural cooperation continue and intensify with diplomatic support.
This international backing must stop. That is the only way to stop the insatiable Israeli violence.
We are calling on the world to stop Israeli violence and not allow the continuation of the brutal occupation. We call on the world to Condemn and not become an accomplice in Israel’s crimes.
In light of the above, we call on the world to implement the call by Palestinian human rights organizations which urges:
A Call from Within – signed by Israeli citizens
As if the occupation was not enough, the brutal ongoing repression of the Palestinian population, the construction of settlements and the siege of Gaza – now comes the bombardment of the civilian population: men, women, old folks and children. Hundreds of dead, hundreds of injured, overwhelmed hospitals, and the central medicine depot of Gaza bombed. The ship Dignity of the Free Gaza movement which brought emergency medical supplies and a number of physicians was also attacked. Israel has returned to openly committing war crimes, worse than what we have seen in a long time.
Israeli media do not expose their viewers to the horrors and to the voices of severe criticism of these crimes. The story told is uniform. Israeli dissidents are denounced as traitors. Public opinion including that of the Zionist left supports the Israeli policy uncritically and without reservation.
Israel’s destructive criminal policy will not cease without a massive intervention by the international community. However, except for some rather weak official condemnation, the international community is reluctant to intervene,. The United States openly supports the Israeli violence and Europe, although voicing some condemnation, is unwilling to seriously consider withdrawing the “gift” it handed Israel by upgrading its relations with the European Union.
In the past the world knew how to fight criminal policies. The boycott on South Africa was effective, but Israel is handled with kid gloves: its trade relations are flourishing, academic and cultural cooperation continue and intensify with diplomatic support.
This international backing must stop. That is the only way to stop the insatiable Israeli violence.
We are calling on the world to stop Israeli violence and not allow the continuation of the brutal occupation. We call on the world to Condemn and not become an accomplice in Israel’s crimes.
In light of the above, we call on the world to implement the call by Palestinian human rights organizations which urges:
- “The UN Security Council to call an emergency session and adopt concrete measures, including the imposition of sanctions, in order to ensure Israel’s fulfillment of its obligations under international humanitarian law.
- The High Contracting Parties to the Geneva Conventions to fulfil their obligation under common Article 1 to ensure respect for the provisions of the Conventions, taking appropriate measures to compel Israel to abide by its obligations under international humanitarian law, in particular placing pivotal importance on the respect and protection of civilians from the effects of the hostilities.
- The High Contracting Parties to fulfil their legal obligation under Article 146 of the Fourth Geneva Convention to prosecute those responsible for grave breaches of the Convention.
- EU institutions and member states to make effective use of the European Union Guidelines on promoting compliance with international humanitarian law (2005/C 327/04) to ensure Israel complies with international humanitarian law under paragraph 16 (b), (c) and (d) of these guidelines, including the adoption of immediate restrictive measures and sanctions, as well as cessation of all upgrade dialogue with Israel. “
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