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Photo Evidence of Myth of Siege of Gaza - A7 Exclusive Features - Israel News - Israel National News
The myth of the siege of Gaza has been exploded in a research report that quotes Arab sources that say Gaza markets are saturated with goods. The Washington Post reported last week that Gaza pharmacies look as well-supplied as a typical Rite Aid.
Reserve IDF officer Lt. Col. Jonathan HaLevi, a researcher for the Institute for Contemporary Affairs, wrote that Israels continuing supervised flow of humanitarian aide to Gaza also has helped the Gaza economy rebound.
Gaza is not cut off from the outside world, he wrote, and added that the large supply of goods and merchandise, including fuel oil, that enters Gaza through smuggling tunnels and pipelines from Egypt has actually helped bring down the cost of gasoline and diesel fuel to half the price in Israel.
Claims by United Nations officials, reported without investigation by most mainstream media, have falsely promoted the image of a humanitarian crisis and a scarcity of foods and merchandise in Gaza, implying that Gaza Arabs share the plague of famine as in India and other countries.
HaLevis reported stated, Recently, Rep. Ron Paul told Don Imus on the Fox Business Channel that Israel was "preventing food and medicine from going into Gaza. He said there are 'people that are starving' and closed with a vile suggestion that the situation of the Gazans was 'almost like in concentration camps.'"
However, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton admitted to a Congressional committee last April, The [Gaza] crossings are no longer completely closed . A lot of what has been said was not permitted to cross is just not accurate.
Janine Zacharia of the Washington Post reported last week, "If you walk down Gaza City's main thoroughfare -Salah al-Din Street - grocery stores are stocked wall-too-wall with everything from fresh Israeli yogurts and hummus to Cocoa Puffs smuggled in from Egypt. Smuggled goods are cheaper than the regular price.
The Bethlehem-based Ma'an news agency stated last February, "Gaza markets are saturated with goods." Beaches are filled with vacationers as well (photot below).
The de facto Hamas government in Gaza also has received $5 billion in cold cash since it took over control of the area from the rival Fatah faction in a bloody militia war three years ago this month. Hamas also receives millions of dollars in direct aid from Arab countries as well from the United Nations and European Union, which until last November paid for the diesel fuel to run the Gaza power plant.
The French newspaper LeMonde last October quoted Bassem Khoury, minister of national economy for the Palestinian Authority, that Hamas has profited so much from the smuggling tunnel system and outside aid that it doesn't know what to do with its money. Taxpayers in Europe should know that as a result of this system their money ends up in Hamas' pocket."
HaLevi pointed out that the tunnel system not only supplies Hamas with more weapons it but also serves such criminal purposes as drug running and trafficking in young women. The Kuwaiti newspaper Awan last December reported on the phenomenon of "importing" minor girls from Egypt and selling them into prostitution in Gaza, supposedly for purposes of marriage or domestic work.
He said Hamas exploits the smuggling tunnels for sending fighters for training in Iran and Syria, and for the import of advanced weapons systems, [including] antiaircraft and anti-tank missiles), explosives, and ammunition."
HaLevi maintained, The position of the human rights organizations, which paint an exaggerated picture of the effects of the siege, is marred by a double standard. On the one hand, they argue vehemently that Israel is still an occupying power and must therefore see to the "security and welfare of the residents of Gaza"; yet on the other hand, the welfare and security of Gaza's residents have been severely harmed by the Hamas regime, with its gradual imposition of Islamic law while violently suppressing the opposition.
According to their logic, Israel is obligated to help an enemy entity that is attacking it. If this were true, the United States would have a duty to extend assistance to villages in Afghanistan controlled by the Taliban fighters who are attacking coalition forces.
Once an exporter of fruits and other goods, Gaza has been turned into a mini-welfare state with a broken economy where food and daily goods are plentiful, but where 80 percent of the population depends on charity. Hospitals, schools, electricity systems and sewage treatment facilities are all in deep disrepair.
Yet if you walk down Gaza City's main thoroughfare -- Salah al-Din Street -- grocery stores are stocked wall-to-wall with everything from fresh Israeli yogurts and hummus to Cocoa Puffs smuggled in from Egypt. Pharmacies look as well-supplied as a typical Rite Aid in the United States.
"When Western people come, they have this certain image of Gaza," said Omar Shaban, an economist who heads Pal-Think for Strategic Studies in Gaza. "We have microwaves in our homes, not only me, everybody. If you go to a refugee camp, the house is bad, but the people and the equipment are very modern. The problem is the public infrastructure."
...
The prohibition on concrete, which Israel says is necessary because Hamas can use it to build bunkers, has forced Palestinians to harvest cement and wire from buildings Israel bombed last year. If the siege were lifted tomorrow all six crossings would need to operate 24 hours a day for three years to fill Gaza's current need of 2 million tons of concrete, Shaban said. The infrastructure woes stretch beyond construction: Gaza suffers rolling blackouts and the sewage treatment facility needs repair.
...
Some of the restrictions on consumer goods are hard to explain -- like a ban on nutmeg or coriander. Others seem designed to create as much pressure as possible.
"Margarine is permitted in small packages for household consumption, but it is banned in large buckets because it's a factory input that would allow people to have jobs and engage in economic work," said Sari Bashi, executive director of Gisha, a not-for-profit organization whose goal is to protect freedom of movement of Palestinians. "The closure is explicitly designed to cripple Gaza's economy."
During a typical week in May, Israel allowed in 637 truckloads ferrying 14,069 tons of food, medicine and other supplies.
Frustrated at its inability to convince critics that there is no crisis in Gaza and no need for emergency aid, Israel tried sarcasm late last month as the flotilla went to sea.
"The Government Press Office is pleased to bring to your attention the attached menu and information for the Roots Club and Restaurant in Gaza. We have been told the beef stroganoff and cream of spinach soup are highly recommended," read a recent press release, with the elaborate menu attached.
Gazans readily admit they are not going hungry. But that, they say, is the wrong benchmark for assessing their quality of life. While Gaza has long been poor, the economy has completely crumbled over the past three years.
...
More shameless hasbara. The quotes they pulled from the Washington Post article to try to add credibility to their claims are taken completely out of context.
But you wouldn't know that unless you actually read the Post article, which of course Arutz Sheva doesn't want you to do - so they don't even link it.
This is what the Post actually said:
Once an exporter of fruits and other goods, Gaza has been turned into a mini-welfare state with a broken economy where food and daily goods are plentiful, but where 80 percent of the population depends on charity. Hospitals, schools, electricity systems and sewage treatment facilities are all in deep disrepair.
Yet if you walk down Gaza City's main thoroughfare -- Salah al-Din Street -- grocery stores are stocked wall-to-wall with everything from fresh Israeli yogurts and hummus to Cocoa Puffs smuggled in from Egypt. Pharmacies look as well-supplied as a typical Rite Aid in the United States.
"When Western people come, they have this certain image of Gaza," said Omar Shaban, an economist who heads Pal-Think for Strategic Studies in Gaza. "We have microwaves in our homes, not only me, everybody. If you go to a refugee camp, the house is bad, but the people and the equipment are very modern. The problem is the public infrastructure."
...
The prohibition on concrete, which Israel says is necessary because Hamas can use it to build bunkers, has forced Palestinians to harvest cement and wire from buildings Israel bombed last year. If the siege were lifted tomorrow all six crossings would need to operate 24 hours a day for three years to fill Gaza's current need of 2 million tons of concrete, Shaban said. The infrastructure woes stretch beyond construction: Gaza suffers rolling blackouts and the sewage treatment facility needs repair.
...
Some of the restrictions on consumer goods are hard to explain -- like a ban on nutmeg or coriander. Others seem designed to create as much pressure as possible.
"Margarine is permitted in small packages for household consumption, but it is banned in large buckets because it's a factory input that would allow people to have jobs and engage in economic work," said Sari Bashi, executive director of Gisha, a not-for-profit organization whose goal is to protect freedom of movement of Palestinians. "The closure is explicitly designed to cripple Gaza's economy."
During a typical week in May, Israel allowed in 637 truckloads ferrying 14,069 tons of food, medicine and other supplies.
Frustrated at its inability to convince critics that there is no crisis in Gaza and no need for emergency aid, Israel tried sarcasm late last month as the flotilla went to sea.
"The Government Press Office is pleased to bring to your attention the attached menu and information for the Roots Club and Restaurant in Gaza. We have been told the beef stroganoff and cream of spinach soup are highly recommended," read a recent press release, with the elaborate menu attached.
Gazans readily admit they are not going hungry. But that, they say, is the wrong benchmark for assessing their quality of life. While Gaza has long been poor, the economy has completely crumbled over the past three years.
...
Linkie:
washingtonpost.com
Doesn't refute from the fact that Gaza is not in the dire strains that people like you and the Free Gaza Hypocrites
They have food, water, medical supplies, luxury items and fuel. I guarantee they do a heck of a lot better than 95% of the African nations, better than most Asia nations, better than Yemen, Oman, Kuwait etc. and better than most Latin American nations. Why don't the Free Gaza Hypocrites travel to these nations in who are in worse dire strains!
More shameless hasbara. The quotes they pulled from the Washington Post article to try to add credibility to their claims are taken completely out of context.
But you wouldn't know that unless you actually read the Post article, which of course Arutz Sheva doesn't want you to do - so they don't even link it.
This is what the Post actually said:
Once an exporter of fruits and other goods, Gaza has been turned into a mini-welfare state with a broken economy where food and daily goods are plentiful, but where 80 percent of the population depends on charity. Hospitals, schools, electricity systems and sewage treatment facilities are all in deep disrepair.
Yet if you walk down Gaza City's main thoroughfare -- Salah al-Din Street -- grocery stores are stocked wall-to-wall with everything from fresh Israeli yogurts and hummus to Cocoa Puffs smuggled in from Egypt. Pharmacies look as well-supplied as a typical Rite Aid in the United States.
"When Western people come, they have this certain image of Gaza," said Omar Shaban, an economist who heads Pal-Think for Strategic Studies in Gaza. "We have microwaves in our homes, not only me, everybody. If you go to a refugee camp, the house is bad, but the people and the equipment are very modern. The problem is the public infrastructure."
...
The prohibition on concrete, which Israel says is necessary because Hamas can use it to build bunkers, has forced Palestinians to harvest cement and wire from buildings Israel bombed last year. If the siege were lifted tomorrow all six crossings would need to operate 24 hours a day for three years to fill Gaza's current need of 2 million tons of concrete, Shaban said. The infrastructure woes stretch beyond construction: Gaza suffers rolling blackouts and the sewage treatment facility needs repair.
...
Some of the restrictions on consumer goods are hard to explain -- like a ban on nutmeg or coriander. Others seem designed to create as much pressure as possible.
"Margarine is permitted in small packages for household consumption, but it is banned in large buckets because it's a factory input that would allow people to have jobs and engage in economic work," said Sari Bashi, executive director of Gisha, a not-for-profit organization whose goal is to protect freedom of movement of Palestinians. "The closure is explicitly designed to cripple Gaza's economy."
During a typical week in May, Israel allowed in 637 truckloads ferrying 14,069 tons of food, medicine and other supplies.
Frustrated at its inability to convince critics that there is no crisis in Gaza and no need for emergency aid, Israel tried sarcasm late last month as the flotilla went to sea.
"The Government Press Office is pleased to bring to your attention the attached menu and information for the Roots Club and Restaurant in Gaza. We have been told the beef stroganoff and cream of spinach soup are highly recommended," read a recent press release, with the elaborate menu attached.
Gazans readily admit they are not going hungry. But that, they say, is the wrong benchmark for assessing their quality of life. While Gaza has long been poor, the economy has completely crumbled over the past three years.
...
Linkie:
washingtonpost.com
Doesn't refute from the fact that Gaza is not in the dire strains that people like you and the Free Gaza Hypocrites
They have food, water, medical supplies, luxury items and fuel. I guarantee they do a heck of a lot better than 95% of the African nations, better than most Asia nations, better than Yemen, Oman, Kuwait etc. and better than most Latin American nations. Why don't the Free Gaza Hypocrites travel to these nations in who are in worse dire strains!
More shameless hasbara. The quotes they pulled from the Washington Post article to try to add credibility to their claims are taken completely out of context.
But you wouldn't know that unless you actually read the Post article, which of course Arutz Sheva doesn't want you to do - so they don't even link it.
This is what the Post actually said:
Linkie:
washingtonpost.com
That is not the point.
Doesn't refute from the fact that Gaza is not in the dire strains that people like you and the Free Gaza Hypocrites
They have food, water, medical supplies, luxury items and fuel. I guarantee they do a heck of a lot better than 95% of the African nations, better than most Asia nations, better than Yemen, Oman, Kuwait etc. and better than most Latin American nations. Why don't the Free Gaza Hypocrites travel to these nations in who are in worse dire strains!
That is not the point.
That is EXACTLY the point, you liars claim they are deprived of food, medicine and other goods and you repeat it over and over.
It is infact one of the claims of the supposed freedom flotilla. All it is is a bunch of LIES.
That is not the point.
That is EXACTLY the point, you liars claim they are deprived of food, medicine and other goods and you repeat it over and over.
It is infact one of the claims of the supposed freedom flotilla. All it is is a bunch of LIES.
Then why am I saying that is not the point. You don't know the point because you cannot get you face out of Israel's propaganda.
That is EXACTLY the point, you liars claim they are deprived of food, medicine and other goods and you repeat it over and over.
It is infact one of the claims of the supposed freedom flotilla. All it is is a bunch of LIES.
Then why am I saying that is not the point. You don't know the point because you cannot get you face out of Israel's propaganda.
You are such a liar. Are you claiming that Hamas and the Europeans and the press are NOT claiming the Gazans are not somehow short of food, water, fuel and other goods? Are you claiming you have never posted a link to some story claiming it?
Then why am I saying that is not the point. You don't know the point because you cannot get you face out of Israel's propaganda.
You are such a liar. Are you claiming that Hamas and the Europeans and the press are NOT claiming the Gazans are not somehow short of food, water, fuel and other goods? Are you claiming you have never posted a link to some story claiming it?
That is not the point. Get off that Israeli propaganda bull crap and learn something.
You are such a liar. Are you claiming that Hamas and the Europeans and the press are NOT claiming the Gazans are not somehow short of food, water, fuel and other goods? Are you claiming you have never posted a link to some story claiming it?
That is not the point. Get off that Israeli propaganda bull crap and learn something.
It most assuredly is the point, the claim is made by one and all that the embargo is starving the Gazans, That is false. The claim is made that medical care is denied the Gazans, that is false. The claim is made that the Gazans lack fuel to run their generators, that is false.
The only thing they lack is the ability to ship in arms and munitions and building material to make more bunkers.
That is not the point. Get off that Israeli propaganda bull crap and learn something.
It most assuredly is the point, the claim is made by one and all that the embargo is starving the Gazans, That is false. The claim is made that medical care is denied the Gazans, that is false. The claim is made that the Gazans lack fuel to run their generators, that is false.
The only thing they lack is the ability to ship in arms and munitions and building material to make more bunkers.
Do you ever post anything that is not straight out of Israel's BS book?
That is EXACTLY the point, you liars claim they are deprived of food, medicine and other goods and you repeat it over and over.
It is infact one of the claims of the supposed freedom flotilla. All it is is a bunch of LIES.
That is not the point. Get off that Israeli propaganda bull crap and learn something.
It most assuredly is the point, the claim is made by one and all that the embargo is starving the Gazans, That is false. The claim is made that medical care is denied the Gazans, that is false. The claim is made that the Gazans lack fuel to run their generators, that is false.
The only thing they lack is the ability to ship in arms and munitions and building material to make more bunkers.
Do you ever post anything that is not straight out of Israel's BS book?
That is EXACTLY the point, you liars claim they are deprived of food, medicine and other goods and you repeat it over and over.
It is infact one of the claims of the supposed freedom flotilla. All it is is a bunch of LIES.
From the beginning, the Flotilla organizers have said publicly that their purpose is to break the blockade, which has completely destroyed the economy and infrastructure of Gaza.
The ships were not bringing food (except for a few chocolates and such) - they were loaded with primarily building supplies and medical equipment.
Gaza's water, electricity and sewage facilities have been extensively damaged by Israeli bombing. The blockade prevents them from being rebuilt. It prevents people from being able to rebuild their homes and their hospitals. It prevents people from running their businesses; to export their agricultural products (a major part of Gaza's industry.) It leaves them utterly dependent on international aid for food.
The blockade of Gaza has failed on every single one of the Israeli government's stated objectives. It has not forced Hamas from power. It has not turned Gazans against Hamas. It has not stopped rockets into Israel. And it has not forced the release of Gilad Shalit.
Israel's blockade has accomplished nothing other than to devastate the lives of 1.5 million people, and cause world opinion of Israel to plummet and increase its international isolation. And it shot itself in the foot again with the Flotilla raid.
I think a lot of Americans do not follow Israeli news very much, or they would see that there is a huge internal debate among Israelis themselves over this very subject. A significant number of Israelis from various sectors of society - military, political, academic, journalism - are loudly urging their government to abandon the failed policies that actually harm Israel's interests.
It most assuredly is the point, the claim is made by one and all that the embargo is starving the Gazans, That is false. The claim is made that medical care is denied the Gazans, that is false. The claim is made that the Gazans lack fuel to run their generators, that is false.
The only thing they lack is the ability to ship in arms and munitions and building material to make more bunkers.
Do you ever post anything that is not straight out of Israel's BS book?
From UK;
*The activist/producer had allowed abundant footage of street markets brimming with produce and shops full of canned goods, cigarettes, and sweets. At one point the activist/film producer asked a Gazan whether he had enough food. He answered with something to the effect of We have food, but we object to the closures on political grounds
Was Gaza in urgent need of food aid in the first place? Telegraph Blogs
From Sky news:
*The shops are full, market stalls groan under the weight of sweets, fruit, herbs and spices. Grinning children play in the sea, girls make sandcastles.
*Theyre not starving in Gaza
Fatah's Azzam Al-Ahmad: Gaza Doesn't Need Food, Humanitarian Supplies
*I confidently say that Gaza does not need humanitarian or food supplies because the PA is securing all of this. The PA sends 200 trucks into Gaza, not through Rafah but through other crossings, he told the Genrman News Agency. These trucks are always full of food supplies, medicaments, and fuel, he added.
Al-ManarTV:: Fatah's Azzam Al-Ahmad: Gaza Doesn't Need Food, Humanitarian Supplies 02/06/2010
