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By: inbound39
13/10/2009
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1213. During its visits to the Occupied Palestinian Territory, and its meetings and hearings in
Gaza, Amman, Geneva and other places, the Mission saw for itself and received reports and
testimonies about the negative effects that the severe restrictions on the movement of goods and
people from and to the Gaza Strip had caused to the full enjoyment of a range of social,
economic and civil rights by women, men and children. These reports and testimonies come
from a variety of sources, including businesspeople, industry owners, ordinary residents, public
officials and NGOs in the Occupied Palestinian Territory and abroad.
1214. People in Gaza, as in other parts of the Occupied Palestinian Territory, have been living
under foreign occupation for decades and enduring the restrictions and other effects of the
policies implemented by the occupying Power. While the start of the blockade and the most
recent military operations have undoubtedly added to those restrictions and scarcities, people in
Gaza have not been living in what can be called a ânormalâ situation for a long time. |
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By: inbound39
13/10/2009
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1215. The restrictions imposed by Israel on the imports to and exports from the Gaza Strip
through the border crossings as well as the naval and airspace blockade have had a severe impact
on the availability and accessibility of a whole range of goods and services necessary for the
people of Gaza to enjoy their human rights. Their already eroded ability to access and buy basic
goods was compounded by the effects of the four-week Israeli military campaign, which further
restricted access to those essential items and destroyed goods, land, facilities and infrastructure
vital for the enjoyment of their fundamental rights. In conjunction, the blockade and the military
hostilities have created a situation in which most people are destitute. Women and children have
A/HRC/12/48
page 337
been particularly affected. The current situation has been described as a crisis of human
dignity.597 |
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By: inbound38
13/10/2009
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Main article: History of ancient Israel and Judah
For the first two periods the history of the Jews is mainly that of the Fertile Crescent. It begins among those people who occupied the area lying between the Nile, Tigris and the Euphrates rivers on the other. Surrounded by ancient seats of culture in Egypt and Babylonia, by the deserts of Arabia, and by the highlands of Asia Minor, the land of Canaan (later known as Israel, then at various times Judah, Coele-Syria, Judea, Palestine, the Levant, the Holy Land, and finally Israel) was a meeting place of civilizations. The land was traversed by old-established trade routes and possessed important harbors on the Gulf of Akaba and on the Mediterranean coast, the latter exposing it to the influence of other cultures of the Fertile Crescent.
Traditionally Jews around the world claim descent mostly from the ancient Israelites, who settled in the land of Israel. The Israelites traced their common lineage to the biblical patriarch Abraham through Isaac and Jacob, who were Hebrews, descendants of Eber. Jewish tradition holds that the Israelites were the descendants of Jacob's twelve sons (one of whom was named Judah), who settled in Egypt. While in Egypt their descendants were enslaved by the Egyptian pharaoh, often identified as Ramses II. In the Jewish tradition, the Israelites emigrated from Egypt to Canaan (the Exodus), led by the prophet Moses. This event marks the formation of the Israelites as a people, divided into twelve tribes named after Jacob's sons.
1759 map of the tribal allotments of IsraelJewish tradition and the Bible (Genesis through Chronicles II) tells that the Israelites wandered in the desert for forty years after which they conquered Canaan under the command of Joshua, dividing the land among the twelve tribes. For a time, the twelve tribes were led by a series of rulers known as Judges. Afterwards, an Israelite monarchy was established under Saul, and continued under King David and his son, S ... |
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By: inbound39
13/10/2009
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A. The economy, livelihoods and employment
1216. The Mission received information about the state of the economy, employment and
family livelihoods in the Gaza Strip. Before the December-January military operations, the Gaza
economy was already in dire straights, with few business sectors able to operate at full capacity.
The blockade restricted or denied entry to a range of items and energy necessary for the
economy to function. These included fuel and industrial diesel for the Gaza power plant to
produce enough electricity for factories and businesses to function and for agricultural activities
to continue on a regular basis. The net result was a stalled economy, with many businesses,
factories and farms either closed or operating at reduced capacity.
1217. Electricity was purchased directly from Israel (51 per cent) and Egypt (7 per cent), while
the Gaza power plant produced only 34 per cent, leaving an 8 per cent electricity deficit.
Following additional cuts by Israel in the supply of industrial fuel, the Gaza power plant further
reduced its output. The shortage of fuel caused the plant to malfunction, while the lack of spare
parts and maintenance is likely to damage the plant in the long term.598 According to OCHA, the
electricity shortfall in the Gaza Strip was 41 per cent by 15 December 2008. Cooking gas was
also restricted although less drastically. |
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By: inbound39
13/10/2009
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1218. Raw materials, equipment, spare parts and other inputs necessary for industrial and
agricultural activity were not allowed into the Gaza Strip either.
1219. The consequences for day-to-day life were considerable. Some areas of the Gaza Strip
were left without electricity for several hours a week, many households, especially those in
buildings that depend on the use of water pumps, had access to water only a few hours a week.
Intermittent electricity supply damaged medical equipment in hospitals and doctorsâ practices,
and generally disrupted civilian life. The operation of sewage treatment facilities was also
597 |
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By: inbound39
13/10/2009
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A/HRC/12/48
page 338
reduced and increased quantities of untreated sewage were dumped into the sea, causing public
health risks and pollution, which in turn affected fishing.
1220. Several companies closed or cut back their operations, laying off employees, who
consequently lost their livelihoods. Information provided to the Mission covering June 2007 to
July 2008 showed that 98 per cent of industries were temporarily shut down and five
establishments were relocated to the West Bank and Jordan. Around 16,000 workers were laid
off. The ban on all exports caused losses for the agricultural sector estimated at US$ 30 million
up until July 2008 and 40,000 jobs lost. Similarly, the construction sector endured severe losses
resulting from the halt in development projects and other construction projects owing to the
absence of construction materials. Some 42,000 workers were reported to have lost their jobs as
a result.599 Those who were laid off searched for employment in other sectors, such as
agriculture, or joined the ranks of those who live on food assistance from the United Nations and
aid agencies. |
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By: inbound39
13/10/2009
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1221. As a result of the closure of the crossings to the transit of people, many families also lost
the financial support they had from relatives, usually the male head of the family, who used to
work abroad, either in Israel or in neighbouring Arab countries.600 In its submission to the
Mission, UNCTAD stated that 15.4 per cent of Gazaâs labour force was employed in Israel by
2000.601 In his presentation to the Mission, the economist Shir Hever explained that by 2009 no
one from Gaza could find work in Israel. Even Palestinian workers from the West Bank mostly
work in industrial zones in settlements rather than in Israel.602
1222. By December 2008 the destructive impact of the blockade on the local economy had
doubled unemployment levels. While in 2007 79 per cent of households lived below the official
poverty line (US$ 4 per capita/day) and some 70 per cent below the deep poverty line (US$ 3 per
capita/day), these figures were expected to increase by the end of 2008 â even before the Israeli
military operations. The Mission received information from organizations explaining how the |
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By: inbound39
13/10/2009
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agricultural sector had traditionally absorbed unemployed workers from other sectors, but in the
circumstances imposed by the blockade, without fertilizers, pesticides, machinery, spare parts
and, crucially, without access to markets, it could no longer fulfil the role of shock absorber.603
In its submission to the Mission, UNCTAD noted that when the industrial and agricultural
sectors lost their capacity to provide jobs, public administration and services absorbed up to 54
per cent of Gazaâs labour force (up from 37 per cent in 1999). UNCTAD concluded:
The ultimate impact of this momentum is the systematic erosion of the Palestinian
productive base to deprive them from the ability to produce and feed themselves, and
turn them into poor consumers of essential goods imported mainly from Israel and
financed mainly by donors.
1223. The military operations destroyed a substantial part of the Gaza Stripâs economic
infrastructure and its capacity to support decent livelihoods for families. Many factories and
businesses were directly targeted and destroyed or damaged. Poverty, unemployment and food
insecurity increased dramatically. |
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By: inbound39
13/10/2009
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1224. Information provided to the Mission showed that some 700 private (industry and trade)
businesses were damaged or destroyed during the military operations, with direct losses totalling
approximately US$ 140 million. The industrial sector appeared the most affected, as it suffered
61 per cent of those losses, in particular in the sub-sectors of construction and food.604 Because
of the extent and gravity of the destruction inflicted on the industrial sector, businesspeople and
industrialists who spoke to the Mission stated their belief that Israel had as one of its military
objectives the destruction of local industrial capacity so as to harm the prospects for an economic
recovery in the Gaza Strip.605 |
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By: inbound39
13/10/2009
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1225. The severe restrictions on the availability of banknotes imposed by Israel caused serious
disruptions in economic transactions and affected the ability of the public sector and the nongovernmental
sector to carry out operations such as contracting or procuring goods and services.
1226. The agricultural sector, including crop farming, fisheries, livestock farming and poultry
farming, suffered direct losses worth some US$ 170 million. Indirect losses have still to be
definitively calculated. One business organization estimates that 60 per cent of all agricultural
land had been destroyed, 40 per cent directly during the military operations.606 Moreover, 17 per
cent of all orchards, 8.3 per cent of livestock, 2.6 per cent of poultry, 18.1 per cent of hatcheries,
25.6 per cent of beehives, 9.2 per cent of open fields and 13 per cent of groundwater wells were
destroyed. Agriculture had already lost a third of its capacity since the start of the second intifada
and the frequent Israeli incursions, according to NGO estimates used by UNDP-Gaza.607 Parts of
the land were reportedly contaminated by unexploded munitions and chemical weapons residues
(e.g. white phosphorous) and would need to be tested and cleared before agricultural activity
could resume.608 Some 250 agricultural wells were reportedly destroyed or severely damaged. |
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By: inbound38
13/10/2009
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Beyond Time and Place
In the year 1741 BCE, Abraham began his long journey from Haran to Canaan - a journey which would change the history of the world and have a profound effect on the development of most major religions.
Throughout the ages there has been a fascination with Jewish history. People have questioned the "miracle of the continual existence of the Jewish people" - this despite the almost consistent world delight in their persecution and ridicule.
Studying history hopefully gives us a deeper understanding of who we are and why we are here. It is in the spirit of making Jewish history more meaningful and relevant that this site is presented.
"I do not think much of a man who is not wiser today than he was yesterday." |
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By: inbound39
13/10/2009
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1227. Fishing that provided direct employment to some 3,000 people was also affected by the
blockade and the military operations. Several boats and some fishermen were directly hit. The
Mission met representatives of fishermenâs associations and a fisherman testified at the public
hearings in Gaza.609 One fisherman interviewed by the Mission explained that he had previously
owned a fishing boat, mainly to fish sardines. It wa *** by shelling as it was moored beside the
civil defence buildings that were hit by air strikes on 27 December. Half of it was destroyed.
Another small boat was also destroyed as were the nets. The family house was also destroyed
and he had been out of work since the beginning of the military operations in December.
However, his fishing activities had already been affected before the operations, when the |
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By: inbound39
13/10/2009
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Government of Israel had imposed a limit of six nautical miles for fishing, and then further
reduced it to only three.610
1228. The continuation of the blockade does not permit the reconstruction of the economic
infrastructure that was destroyed. Not only do construction materials continue to be banned but
the provision of energy is also still insufficient and irregular. Local purchasing capacity being
shattered, there is not enough market demand for many products.
1229. Exports also continue to be prohibited, with the exception of some truckloads of flowers
that crossed the borders between January and March 2009. Without external markets, local
production of all kinds has no prospect and so employment and livelihoods will remain
precarious and diminished. A strawberry farmer and the Head of the Association of Strawberry
Farmers based in Beit Lahia explained that before the military operations he used to export up to
2,000 tons of strawberries to Europe. Hundreds of donums of land were destroyed during the
operations as well as some 300 greenhouses and 2,000 acres of citrus trees. As a result, they had
lost the European market for their products.611 |
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By: imblacklistedagain
13/10/2009
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| These posts are raining in like hamas rockets!!! |
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By: inbound39
13/10/2009
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E. Environment
1246. The Mission has received comments and concerns from non-governmental organizations
and concerned individuals in Gaza relating to threatened environmental damage by reason of
munitions or debris from munitions. These concerns relate to the fear that hazardous material
might have remained or will remain in the soil and water of parts of the Gaza Strip for indefinite
periods of time and could enter the food chain or otherwise be hazardous to life.
1247. The Mission was unable to further investigate these concerns, but is aware of an
environmental impact study being undertaken by the United Nations Environmental Programme
(UNEP) in the Gaza Strip. Preliminary results from UNEP indicate that the environment in the
Gaza Strip has been seriously impacted by the Israeli military operations of December-January.
In particular, the groundwater in Gaza show high nitrate levels exceeding WHO ceilings, putting
infants at risk of nitrate poisoning. |
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By: mossberg12g@xtra.co.nz
13/10/2009
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Afternoon fat-al.
KFC closed for the day ? |
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By: inbound39
13/10/2009
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1311. In response, the Mission draws attention to the fact that no consideration was given to the
situation that prevailed in the Gaza Strip before the military operations. In particular, the Mission
notes that the amounts and types of food, medical and hospital items and clothing were wholly
insufficient to meet the humanitarian needs of the population. Given that since the end of the
operations the number of truckloads allowed through the crossings has again fallen, the
humanitarian supplies are even less sufficient.
1312. At the height of the military operations, several NGOs appealed to the Government of
Israel to ensure a sufficient supply of electricity and fuel to the Gaza Strip to allow for the
functioning of vital services.666 At the same time, two petitions were filed with the Supreme
Court of Israel on 7 and 9 of January, respectively, to order the Government to ensure that the
Israeli armed forces did not attack ambulances and medical personnel and that sufficient
electricity and fuel were supplied to enable hospitals, water and sanitation systems to function
during the conflict. On 19 January, as military operations ended, the Supreme Court ruled
denying both petitions.667
1313. The Government of Israel seems to see the hardship and suffering of Palestinians as an
inevitable consequence of a situation of war. The Governmentâs statement that âcivilian
populations inevitably and tragically suffer during a time of armed combat, particularly where
the combat operations take place in densely populated urban areasâ668 may be correct, but this
does not relieve Israel from its obligations under international humanitarian law. |
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By: mhol@xtra.co.nz
13/10/2009
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Under military exigencies as others have noted-it's a wonder more Pallies weren't killed.Prior to the tunnel raid there had been a lul in the amount of rockets fired-obviously the Pallies were rearming.
If the Pallies don't put on uniforms and if the civies allow them to operate then retaliation however bloody is justified-there are no civilians in Palestine territory.Until the day their women get out in the streets and damn their manfolk,until the day the doctors get out in the streets and say enough is enough then this report is meaningless.It doesn't get to the heart of the matter,and neither are we.Even this report talks about the many Pallies working in Israel and the illegal settlements and yet they won't boycott them and expect me to? |
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By: inbound38
13/10/2009
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| In my third campaign I marched against Hatti. Luli, king of Sidon, whom the terror-inspiring glamor of my lordship had overwhelmed, fled far overseas and perished.... As to Hezekiah, the Jew, he did not submit to my yoke, I laid siege to his strong cities, walled forts, and countless small villages, and conquered them by means of well-stamped earth-ramps and battering-rams brought near the walls with an attack by foot soldiers, using mines, breeches as well as trenches. I drove out 200,150 people, young and old, male and female, horses, mules, donkeys, camels, big and small cattle beyond counting, and considered them slaves. Himself I made a prisoner in Jerusalem, his royal residence, like a bird in a cage. I surrounded him with earthwork in order to molest those who were his city's gate. Thus I reduced his country, but I still increased the tribute and the presents to me as overlord which I imposed upon him beyond the former tribute, to be delivered annually. Hezekiah himself, did send me, later, to Nineveh, my lordly city, together with 30 talents of gold, 800 talents of silver, precious stones, antimony, large cuts of red stone, couches inlaid with ivory, nimedu-chairs inlaid with ivory, elephant-hides, ebony-wood, boxwood and all kinds of valuable treasures, his own daughters and concubines. . . |
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By: inbound38
13/10/2009
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| In the fourteenth year of King Hezekiah, Sennacherib, king of Assyria, went on an expedition against all the fortified cities of Judah and captured them. Hezekiah, king of Judah, sent this message to the king of Assyria at Lachish: "I have done wrong. Leave me, and I will pay whatever tribute you impose on me." The king of Assyria exacted three hundred talents of silver and thirty talents of gold from Hezekiah, king of Judah. Hezekiah paid him all the funds there were in the temple of the Lord and in the palace treasuries...That night the angel of the Lord went forth and struck down 185,000 men in the Assyrian camp. Early the next morning, there they were, all the corpses of the dead. So Sennacherib, the king of Assyria, broke camp and went back home to Nineveh. When he was worshiping in the temple of his god Nisroch, his sons Adram-melech and Sharezer slew him with the sword and fled into the land of Ararat. |
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By: inbound38
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| But after he had proved his [Hezekiah's] fidelity by such deeds, Sennacherib, king of Assyria, came. He invaded Judah, besieged the fortified cities, and proposed to take them by storm. . . .His officials said still more against the Lord God and against his servant Hezekiah, for he had written letters to deride the Lord, the God of Israel. . . They spoke of the God of Israel as though he were one of the gods of the other peoples of the earth, a work of human hands. But because of this, King Hezekiah and the prophet Isaiah, son of Amos, prayed and called out to him. Then the Lord sent an angel, who destroyed every valiant warrior, leader and commander in the camp of the Assyrian king, so that he had to return shamefaced to his own country. And when he entered the temple of his own god, some of his own offspring struck him down there with the sword. |
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By: inbound39
13/10/2009
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| Under occupation Israel has a requirement to view all Palestinians as civilians under an occupation that Palestinians have a right to oppose by use of arms. |
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By: inbound39
13/10/2009
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1314. From the facts it ascertained and the foregoing analysis, the Mission finds that Israel has
violated its obligation to allow the free passage of all consignments of medical and hospital
stores and objects, food and clothing (article 23 of the Fourth Geneva Convention).
1315. Article 54 of Additional Protocol I contains the prohibition:
to attack, destroy, remove or render useless objects indispensable to the survival
of the civilian population, such as foodstuffs, agricultural areas⦠, drinking water
installations and supplies and irrigation works for the specific purpose of denying them
for their sustenance value to the civilian population or to the adverse party, whatever the
motive [â¦].
The Mission regards this rule as reflective of international customary law. In this context,
Israelâs obligations to respect, protect and facilitate or provide for the realization of economic,
social and cultural rights, and its obligations under the Convention on the Rights of the Child and
the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women are also
relevant, and have been undermined by the blockade and restrictions on the Gaza Strip, as well
as the actions taken during the military operations. |
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By: inbound38
13/10/2009
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| ×תר ×××¢× ×ס××× ×ת ×××× ×× ××××× ×שר ×צ××¢ ס××ר ×××ר×ק×××× ××ר×ש××× (××¢×ר ×עת××§× ××××ש×), ×××פשר ××××ר ×ת ××ק×××ת ××ר××××× ××¢×ר ××ק×× ×¢×××× ××××¢ ××ר××. ×× ×סף ×××× ××תר ×צע×ת ×ק×ר××ת ×××××× ×ת ×פע×××××ת ××× ××××ת ×××ר×× ×ת ×ר××× ××¢×ר. ×××××¥ ס××ר ××× ×©×¢×¨× ××¢×ר ×עת×ק×. |
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1316. With regard to article 54 (2) of Additional Protocol I, the Mission recalls its analysis
included in chapter XIII on the destruction of buildings, food production and industry. From the
facts ascertained and the circumstances described in the present chapter and in chapters XIII and
XVI, the Mission concludes that in the destruction or damaging of greenhouses, agricultural
land, water wells for irrigation and irrigation networks there was the specific purpose of denying
their use for the sustenance of the civilian population of the Gaza Strip. Furthermore, this
appears to be done as part of a policy of collective punishment of the civilian population as
elaborated below.
1317. With respect to the right to water, the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural
Rights stated:
The obligation to respect [the right to water] requires that States parties refrain
from [â¦] limiting access to, or destroying, water services and infrastructure as a |
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Hamas.....Two State Solution continued. |
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