End the Siege on Gaza : AFSC

Gaza Families Down to a Meal a Day

2009-05-13T14:03:00.003-04:00

By Erin CunninghamIPS News, Inter Press ServiceMay 13, 2009Um Abdullah cannot remember the last time she was able to feed meat to her eight children. She does know that for the past week the single meal she cooked for them each day consisted only of lentils. And that on one day, she had received aid coupons from the United Nations, which she subsequently sold to buy tomatoes and eggplant at

Gaza: Not nearly back to normal

2009-05-01T14:00:00.003-04:00

Apr 30th 2009 | GAZA CITYFrom The Economist print editionThree months after Israel’s war ended, life for Gazans is still dismalMUHAMMAD KHADER places some rugs and blankets amid the ruins of his house. Sometimes he goes there to rest when the tent he shares with his wife and six of their daughters gets too crowded. They ran away from their home earlier this year when it was hit by a missile

Israel's Gaza report 'lacks credibility': Amnesty International

2009-04-27T12:07:00.002-04:00

Thursday, Apr 23, 2009LONDON (AFP)The Israeli army's investigation into its recent war in Gaza "lacks credibility" and is no substitute for an independent probe, London-based rights organisation Amnesty International said Thursday. The Israeli army on Wednesday defended its conduct during the 22-day offensive against Hamas, saying five investigations carried

Gaza needs more aid

2009-04-14T17:01:00.002-04:00

By Mel Frykberg, The Electronic Intifada, 12 April 2009RAMALLAH, occupied West Bank (IPS) - John Ging, head of the UN agency for Palestine refugees (UNRWA) in Gaza, has urged Israel to ease aid flow restrictions that are having a devastating effect on the 1.5 million inhabitants.Ging says the amount of aid being allowed into Gaza at present is "wholly and totally inadequate. It's having a very

Israeli Military repeatedly violated Medical Ethic Codes during its Gaza Offensive

2009-03-25T11:59:00.003-04:00

Physicians for Human Rights-IsraelMarch 23, 2009Prevention of medical assistance from the trapped and the wounded, severe difficulties to emergency medical evacuation, attacks on medical personnel and medical facilities, and de facto prevention from the chronically ill and gravely wounded referral to medical care outside Gaza. "We call for an outside independent body to investigate the events"

Young Gaza couple begin married life in a tent

2009-03-10T12:04:00.003-04:00

Live from Palestine ReportsRami AlmeghariMarch 2, 2009Last Thursday, relatives, friends and local community representatives attended an unusual wedding party in Gaza. The celebration was held in a newly-erected refugee camp, in the northern Gaza Strip town of Jabaliya."My wife and I planned to marry at my house, where we furnished an apartment, just shortly before Israel's war on Gaza. Yet, as

US Congress members report on their visit to Gaza

2009-03-10T11:40:00.006-04:00

Videos from the visit of Congressman Baird and Congressman Ellison's visit to Gazahttp://baird.house.gov.hillclips.tv/messages/view/4256/0http://baird.house.gov.hillclips.tv/messages/view/4243/0And a report back at the New American Foundation event:(some audio difficulties)http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=74boaFtZvCA

US Members of Congress visit Gaza

2009-02-19T19:22:00.003-05:00

Express Shock at Gaza devastationAgence France-PresseFebruary 20, 2009US Democratic representatives Brian Baird and Keith Ellison expressed shock at the plight of the war-shattered Gaza Strip during a rare visit to the Hamas-run Palestinian enclave today. "The amount of physical destruction and the depth of human suffering here is staggering," Mr Baird said jointly with Mr Ellison during their

After ceasefire, Gazans still don't feel safe

2009-02-12T11:47:00.002-05:00

Report, Palestine Centre for Human Rights10 February 2009Foreign correspondents and camera crews have now begun to leave Gaza, in search of the next headline-grabbing location. But ongoing air strikes and violations of international law are a stark reminder that there is no real end to Israel's offensive here.Since Israel declared a unilateral ceasefire on 18 January it has continued to launch

Gaza Children Traumatized by War - UN

2009-02-10T15:57:00.004-05:00

UN envoy: Gaza's children traumatized by war, despite ceasefireHa'aretz, February 10, 2009 Children in the Gaza Strip continued to suffer and feel insecure despite a ceasefire that has mostly ended three weeks of intense fighting between Israel and Hamas, the UN special envoy for children and armed conflict said Monday.Radihika Coomaraswamy said grave violations of child rights had

After Gaza War, Daunting Curbs On Rebuilding

2009-02-08T14:32:00.003-05:00

By Griff Witte Washington Post Foreign ServiceSunday, February 8, 2009BEIT LAHIYA, Gaza Strip -- Mohammed Irhaiem's former home was a spacious 1,500 square feet and was built from solid concrete blocks. It had views of the Mediterranean and fruit trees in the yard. His new home, which he surveyed for the first time this week, measures 12 by 6 feet and is made of sheets of canvas held aloft by

$20.3 million to fund humanitarian Needs

2009-01-31T18:22:00.002-05:00

US Members of Congress Press for Humanitarian Aid to Gaza(A letter was circulated in the US Congress to urge Sec. of State Clinton to have "the United States play a leading role in alleviating the suffering of civilians in Gaza." 61 Congresspeople signed the letter which can be read here: http://www.house.gov/apps/list/press/ma01_olver/ERMA130.html)Washington, D.C. - Congressman John Olver

Worse Than an Earthquake

2009-01-29T14:11:00.002-05:00

From Kathy Kelly, Voices for Creative NonviolenceJanuary 21, 2009 Rafah—Traffic on Sea Street, a major thoroughfare alongside Gaza’s coastline, includes horses, donkeys pulling carts, cyclists, pedestrians, trucks and cars, mostly older models. Overhead, in stark contrast to the street below, Israel’s ultra modern unmanned surveillance planes criss-cross the skies. F16s and helicopters can

"Gaza Will Take Years to Recover" -- ICRC

2009-01-29T13:57:00.002-05:00

Katharina Ritz (International Committee of the Red Cross):"Gaza will take several years at the very least to recover from the Israeli military campaign. This is the best case scenario, assuming that the border crossings are opened permanently and all the necessary aid and help is allowed in unhindered.... But before the reconstruction can even commence it is essential for the remaining Israeli

Israeli Human Rights Organizations: Open Gaza's Crossings to Goods and Civilians

2009-01-20T13:21:00.001-05:00

From the Gisha website:Human rights organizations in Israel today called on the State of Israel to immediately and fully open the crossings of the Gaza Strip to the passage of goods and people. The organizations are especially demanding the unimpeded passage of medical equipment, medical personnel and wounded people as well as fuel and spare parts for the humanitarian infrastructure.On "the day

Statement by General Assembly President Miguel d'Escoto

2009-01-19T11:14:00.003-05:00

by Miguel d'Escoto,General Assembly PresidentNew York, 15 January 2009We here in United Nations headquarters have remained too passive for too long as the carnage continues. I am responding to the growing number of Member States, particularly those of the Non-Aligned Movement, who have demanded a resumption of the 10th Emergency Special Session of the General Assembly as soon as possible. Every

No Military Solution to Gaza Crisis

2009-01-15T12:36:00.004-05:00

By Bernard Avishai and Sam Bahour January 15, 2009"Israel and Hamas are not equals on the battlefield - not at all, clearly - and when the power to harm or control others is this uneven, it is meaningless to speak about moral symmetry. But as the current onslaught in Gaza unfolds, it is sadly evident that both sides are continuing to respond to real provocations in ways that are not morally right

History did not begin with the Qassams

2009-01-14T14:37:00.000-05:00

Amira Hass writing in Ha'aretz:The siege of Gaza did not begin when Hamas seized control of the Strip's security organs, or when Gilad Shalit was taken captive, or when Hamas was elected in democratic elections. The siege began in 1991 - before the suicide bombings. And since then, it has only become more sophisticated, reaching its peak in 2005.The Israeli public relations machinery happily

Israeli Human Rights groups: Clear and present danger to the lives and well-being of tens of thousands of civilians

2009-01-14T08:57:00.001-05:00

From the B'Tselem website:Since the beginning of the campaign in Gaza on December 27, a heavy suspicion has arisen of grave violations of international humanitarian law by military forces. After the end of the hostilities, the time will come for the investigation of this matter, and accountability will be demanded of those responsible for the violations. At this point we call your attention to

A Durable Ceasefire Requires an End to the Siege and Occupation

2009-01-12T16:36:00.004-05:00

From the Palestine Center:Since the start of the December 2008 Israeli military assault on the Gaza Strip, the most often asked question has been how to achieve a durable ceasefire. Pundits have given various answers to that question, most of which revolve around the same point—a durable ceasefire can only be achieved once Israel destroys Hamas’s military capability—and for some, the definition

Support Congressional Resolution for Immediate Ceasefire in Gaza

2009-01-12T14:13:00.000-05:00

From the US Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation:Last Friday, the House of Representatives voted 390 yes, 5 no, and 22 present to pass H.Res.34, “recognizing Israel’s right to defend itself” and “reaffirming the United States strong support for Israel.” To see if your Representative cosponsored this resolution, click here. To see how your Representative voted, click here.Last Thursday, the

Sderot War Diary

2009-01-11T14:46:00.004-05:00

by Nomika Zion, SderotJanuary 8, 2009Translated from the Hebrew by Assaf Oron“I talk with Sderot people and everyone’s cheeks are rosy again”, boasted Fuad on the war’s second day [Fuad is Benjamin Ben Eliezer, a long-time centrist Labor minister - Assaf]. “The heavier the blow we deliver - the more our hearts widen”. Hey Fuad, not everyone. Even if I was the only one around Sderot feeling

The Road Not Taken: Avoiding Death and Destruction

2009-01-10T16:31:00.005-05:00

No Other Option?! By Sam Bahour January 10, 2009"... I am a Palestinian American based in Al-Bireh, the sister city of Ramallah in the West Bank. I can see how an observer from abroad could be blind to the facts, given the blitz of Gaza war propaganda orchestrated by the Israeli military. But I know better. Like all other Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank, I am not an observer from

What you don't know about Gaza

2009-01-08T13:11:00.004-05:00

By Rashid KhalidiJanuary 7, 2009, The New York TimesNearly everything you’ve been led to believe about Gaza is wrong. Below are a few essential points that seem to be missing from the conversation, much of which has taken place in the press, about Israel’s attack on the Gaza Strip.THE GAZANS Most of the people living in Gaza are not there by choice. The majority of the 1.5 million people crammed

This brutality will never break our will to be free

2009-01-08T12:57:00.003-05:00

by Khalid Mish'al, head of the Hamas political bureauJanuary 6, 2009, The GuardianFor 18 months my people in Gaza have been under siege, incarcerated inside the world's biggest prison, sealed off from land, air and sea, caged and starved, denied even medication for our sick. After the slow death policy came the bombardment. In this most densely populated of places, nothing has been spared