The Electronic Intifada published this story by its editor, Ali Abunimah, on January 24, 2008: Top EU official backs Israel’s crimes in occupied Gaza:
A top European Union official has offered full backing for Israel as it continues its illegal blockade of fuel, food, medicine and other vital supplies to the occupied Gaza Strip that has led to a growing humanitarian crisis.
At a conference in the Israeli town of Herzliya on 22 January, Franco Frattini, the vice president of the European Commission, stated that “the steps leading up to the Gaza blackout cannot be construed as a war crime,” according to a report on Ynetnews.com, a website published by the Israeli daily Yediot Aharonot. (Dana Zimmerman, “Top EU official: Gaza siege not a war crime,” Ynetnews.com, 22 January 2007.)
A published text of Frattini’s comments did not address the issue of war crimes, but blamed Hamas for the crisis. Frattini claimed that Hamas “has been provoking Israel’s armed response.” (The EU’s Take of the Israeli-Palestinian Issue, comments of Franco Frattini, published by The MediaLine, 22 January 2007.)
In spite of such biased nonsense from the EU, which is now siding with Israel in its siege of Gaza and the slow starvation of its inhabitants in a gesture of collective punishment disallowed by international law, and silence about the continuing 40 year occupation (and killing) of Palestinians in the West Bank, on Saturday January 26, a large number peace activists descended on Gaza with a rescue operation supported by over 26 Israeli and Palestinian peace organizations. One of them, Gush Shalom, organized the effort. The founder of Gush Shalom is seen in the picture above (Uri Avnery, the white haired gentleman) addressing participants.
Details of the rescue effort can be obtained at through this link: GAZA: LIFT THE BLOCKADE – The Relief Convoy on its way. The following pictures gives us some idea of the scope of the rescue, which followed only a few days after Palestinians broke through the wall separating Egypt from Gaza.
The convoy carried in five tons of essential foodstuffs –
flour, sugar, rice, oil, salt, beans and lentils – but also water distillers.
Because the water in the Gaza Strip is undrinkable, there was an urgent need for distillers.
As mentioned, 26 Israeli peace groups joined the initiative, under the single slogan: “Gaza: Lift the siege!” Gush Shalom prepared a special poster and started a fund-raising campaign among its sympathizers. They reported that they received hundreds of checks from Israel and a dozen other countries including the US, enabling the Gush to carry the full costs of the supplies.
Old and young peace activists reportedly came to starting points in six cities.
Hundreds of families also came in their private cars.
Together with the people who came by bus, their number reached about two thousand (this is hard to appreciate in the photos).
The demonstrators were also asked to bring private relief parcels and to add personal letters “from family to family”. The response was beyond all expectations. Families brought not only food and mineral water, but also blankets, warm clothing and many other useful articles, even electrical stoves. The parcels were fastened to the tops of the cars or put in the baggage holds of the buses. They added up to two tons.
When the demonstrators assembled in the starting points – Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, Haifa, Nazareth and others – a slight rain was falling then very heavy rain started to pour down. It did not deter the convoy. The rain eventually stopped.
About half of the protesters were Jewish, the other half Arab.
Jeff Halper, founder of the peace org, Israeli Committee Against House Demolition, mentioned that demonstrations of solidarity with the people of Gaza were taking place in dozens of cities around the world.
Unfortunately, the Israeli army did not allow the relief supplies into the Gaza strip. They were stored in a neighboring kibbutz. Gush Shalom reported that if the military will not permit the transfer of supplies into Gaza in the next two days, they intend to apply to the High Court of Justice and start a legal fight until they succeed.
It mentioned that three days before the convoy, the wall on the Egypt border fell and tens of thousands of Palestinians entered Egypt to buy goods and staples. Still, the sentiments about the Gaza blockade continue to be voiced by Gush Shalom:
The inhuman blockade has been imposed on a million and a half human beings in Gaza by our government, by our army, in our name. This siege is continuing in its full cruelty. We, Israelis from various political camps, have come to bring basic supplies and to say to the Israeli public and to the whole world: We will not participate in crime! We are ashamed of the blockade!”
Our hearts are with our Palestinian brothers who are at this moment demonstrating with us on the other side of the fence – Don’t lose faith for one day. We will meet together in this place without fences, without walls, without violence, without fighting, the sons of two peoples living next to each other in peace, in friendship, in partnership.
Make peace with all parts of the Palestinian people! MAKE PEACE!
Photos and text reproduced by permission.
