"Peace" in reach: Gaza Terror Tunnel Led to Israeli Town

[Hoffstra]

I have a solution.

Hamas has 72 hours to find the people responsible for this tunnel, and pledges to stop any further violations of Israeli soverignity.

Otherwise, they can't get anymore construction materials through Israel.

Let Egypt, their Arab Muslim brothers, supply the stuff.

 

[SherriMunnerlyn]

The aid to Gaza comes from international organizations, but it enters Gaza through Israel.

Perhaps, the method aid enters Gaza should be changed, but that would require action by the UN.

 

[Hoffstra]

Gaza has two international borders.

One with Israel, one with Egypt.

Shutting the Israel border is meaningless as long as Egypt feeds its Arab Muslim brothers.

 

[SherriMunnerlyn]

UNRWA Flotillas?

John Ging,*UNRWA*Director in Gaza, Supported the Gaza Flotilla.

 

[SherriMunnerlyn]

Gaza has two international borders.

One with Israel, one with Egypt.

Shutting the Israel border is meaningless as long as Egypt feeds its Arab Muslim brothers.

Israel and Egypt have a treaty and prior agreements have been substantially followed by Egypt, whereby Egypt agreed not to allow goods entry into Gaza through Egypt.

 

[Hoffstra]

Israel and Egypt have a treaty and prior agreements have been substantially followed by Egypt, whereby Egypt agreed not to allow goods entry into Gaza through Egypt.

prove it.

 

[SherriMunnerlyn]

Similarly, Gaza’s border crossing with Egypt at Rafah – the only access to the outside for most students, medical patients and business people – is now rarely opened, even to the Hamas leadership.

Gaza: Crushed between Israel and Egypt | Mondoweiss

The border with Egypt is now rarely open and the article describes how smuggling tunnels are being destroyed.

 

[Hoffstra]

maybe Hamas should make sure no more tunnels are made.

 

[SherriMunnerlyn]

As part of the "disengagement" in 2005, the IAA withdrew its presence at Rafah and the transfer of goods into the Gaza Strip through Rafah ceased. The Agreement on Movement and Access (AMA), signed between Israel and the Palestinian Authority in November 2005, provided that Rafah Crossing would be operated by the PA and Egypt under the supervision of an EU border monitoring mission. Even once the agreement was implemented, Israel maintained substantial control of the crossing. This control stemmed from Israel's supervision of those traveling through the crossing from a control room at Kerem Shalom; control of the Palestinian population registry which dictates who is allowed to travel through Rafah, and; Israel's ability to decide to close the crossing by refusing to fulfill its part in the agreement and by blocking the European monitors' access to the Gaza Strip.


Rafah Crossing

 

[SherriMunnerlyn]

maybe Hamas should make sure no more tunnels are made.

Should they let their people starve?

The people depend on the tunnels

 

[Hoffstra]

maybe Hamas should make sure no more tunnels are made.

Should they let their people starve?

The people depend on the tunnels

Israel lets in food through the border.

nobody is starving in Gaza.

 

[SherriMunnerlyn]

What is malnutrition?

What is stunted growth?

 

[SherriMunnerlyn]

News Analysis: Gaza facing humanitarian crisis amid Egyptian crackdown on smuggling tunnels

GAZA, Sept. 8 (Xinhua) -- Egypt's recent crackdown on smuggling tunnels has worsened the shortage of fuels and other essential materials in the Gaza Strip, as the Palestinian coastal enclave has already been under tight Israeli blockade for six years.Some analysts suspected Egypt's moves were meant to retaliate on Hamas, the ruling force in Gaza ,for its support of ousted Egyptian president Mohamed Morsi, cautioning that Cairo should " differentiate" between Hamas and ordinary residents.HIGH LOSSESMore than 90 percent of the smuggling tunnels, which had been used for smuggling fuels and construction raw materials from Egypt to Gaza, became inoperative due to Egyptian army's crackdown, according to Hamas officials.Hamas Economic Minister Alla al-Deen al-Rafati earlier said that the losses of closing such tunnels since the ouster of Morsi on July 3 had reached 260 million U.S. dollars, which severely affected Gaza's economy.Economists based in Gaza estimated that over the past six years, the business of smuggling tunnels represented around 40 percent of the Hamas government's annual budget.Right after Hamas violently seized control of the Gaza Strip in June 2007, Israel imposed a tight blockade on the territory and considered it a hostile entity. In return, the Palestinians dug thousands of tunnels underneath the borders with Egypt to obtain their basic needs of foods and fuels.Hamas leaders in Gaza stressed that they understand the security needs of Egypt, but urged Egypt to reopen Rafah border crossing permanently and open a new trade zone between the Gaza Strip and Egypt.HUMANITARIAN CRISISIhab al-Ghusein, spokesman of Hamas government in Gaza, warned that the ongoing security measures of Egypt had caused a severe shortage in the basic needs of fuels and construction raw materials.Mustafa al-Sawaf, political analyst and expert in Hamas affairs, told Xinhua that "Certainly there will be a humanitarian crisis in Gaza once the Egyptian measures on the Gaza Strip are tightened and the Egyptian army keeps closing and destroying the tunnels."Over the past two months, Egyptian security forces banned the pumping of less expensive Egyptian gasoline and diesel into Gaza; while Israel only allowed limited quantities of Israeli fuels into Gaza, the prices of which were much higher.In the main streets of Gaza, long queues of vehicles waited outside dozens of gas stations to buy fuel, while construction projects almost stopped due to severe shortage of raw materials, such as cements and gravel.

News Analysis: Gaza facing humanitarian crisis amid Egyptian crackdown on smuggling tunnels CCTV News - CNTV English

 

[SherriMunnerlyn]

People have to start dying before anyone cares.

 

[SherriMunnerlyn]

Israel has the authority and the obligation to take measures to protect the lives of its soldiers and citizens. However, it is not clear how blocking the entrance of construction materials, including those intended for international projects, promotes that goal. Construction materials ordered by international organizations to build schools, clinics and homes undergo an intensive and lengthy approval process, including a requirement to monitor and document their use.The connection drawn between announcing the discovery of the tunnel and blocking the transfer of construction materials raises the specter of a punitive act, similar to cases in the past, in which Israel closed the civilian goods crossing Kerem Shalom in response to rocket fire by militants.Gisha calls on Israel to distinguish between its activities against armed groups and its responsibilities to allow normal life for the productive, civilian sector in Gaza.Following exposure of Gaza tunnel to Israel: No construction materials to enter the Strip from Israel

REPORTfrom*Gisha. http://reliefweb.int/report/occupie...exposure-gaza-tunnel-israel-no-constructionto

 

[Hoffstra]

Egypt has a border with Gaza.

let them feed their Arab Muslim brothers and sisters.

 

[Connery]

Egypt has a border with Gaza.

let them feed their Arab Muslim brothers and sisters.

Not going to work either...

"Egypt’s military shuts tunnels that aid Gaza, ‘The army now runs Egypt and the army hates Hamas,’’ said Emad, who declined to give his full name because the tunnels are, at least technically, illegal. ‘‘They could care less what happens to Gaza.’’

Under Morsi, hundreds of tunnels were allowed to flourish. Now there are a few dozen. So fuel prices in Gaza are soaring. Orders for steel and cement go unfilled. Projects to repave roads, build public housing and repair infrastructure in the enclave have stopped.

Egypt’s new military-led interim government is hostile to Hamas, which was born of the Muslim Brotherhood in the late 1980s. Hamas was ecstatic when Morsi was elected Egypt’s president. But with its close ally now detained at an undisclosed location, the movement is finding itself more isolated than it has been in years.

With the closing of the smuggling tunnels, long lines of idled cars await the sporadic opening of gas stations. Electricity, always dodgy here, especially in the heat of summer, has become even more unreliable because of the lack of fuel to run the generators. And forget about speciality items. Only a few Mercedes-Benz sedans are moving through the underground corridor these days."

Egypt closes tunnels to Gaza to strike at Hamas - World - The Boston Globe

 

[Hoffstra]

One could argue that their fellow Muslim Arabs in Egypt have a greater responsibility to feed the people of Gaza, than the Israelis.

Israelis would never let Jews starve, why is it ok if Egypt lets Arab Muslims starve?

 

[SherriMunnerlyn]

Israel is the Occupier of Gaza.

 

[Hoffstra]

Israel is the Occupier of Gaza.

Israel doesn't control the Egyptian border with Gaza.

its about 7 miles long.