24 jan 2020
The severity of Gaza’s humanitarian crisis is currently growing in magnitude, as a result of Israel tightening its 15-year long, illegal siege of the poverty-stricken Palestinian territory.
Due to Israel’s restriction of gas, prevented from entering the besieged coastal enclave, the people of Gaza are facing a lack of sufficient heating, lighting, and the ability to properly deal with sewage, all this and more whilst their Arab neighbor, Egypt, is purchasing stolen Israeli gas.
Last February, Egypt signed a 19-billion-dollar gas deal with Israel. A few days ago, Israel officially began pumping that gas into Egypt via an ‘Eastern Mediterranean Gas’ pipeline formerly used to supply Israel with Egyptian gas (during the rule of ex-president of Egypt Hosni Mubarak).
Israel restricts the gas it is allowing into Gaza, collectively punishing the Palestinian people — which constitutes a crime against humanity — for what Israel decides is the illegitimate actions of Gaza’s democratically-elected government.
Egypt’s coup leader, Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, has not only sold the soul of Egypt by purchasing the Israeli occupying entity, but has also participated in enforcing Egypt’s side of the illegal blockade of Gaza. Sisi has continuously watched on as the two-million-strong population of the besieged Gaza Strip suffers untold misery.
Besides Egypt’s collaboration with Israel’s racist persecution of the Palestinian people in Gaza’s death camp is also the most shameful of deliberate targeting of Gaza’s food and resources by Israel itself.
The Palestinian Agricultural Ministry said in a statement on Sunday that Israel had purposely flooded and destroyed roughly 920 acres of farmlands in Eastern Jabalia and Beit Hanoun, Northern Gaza, causing 500,000 dollars worth of damage. On top of this, Israel has also begun spraying dangerous chemicals over farmland to the East of Khan Yunis and Rafah, located in the South of Gaza. The Gaza Strip has very scarce amounts of agricultural land and is already operating in a declared state of emergency, as of February 2018.
Adding to the list of Israeli crimes in Gaza is the fact that the Gaza gas fields, which were discovered in 1999 and belong to the Palestinian people under international law, still have not been excavated. The only reason for the Palestinians not being able to take advantage of their own oil is that Israel’s illegal blockade prohibits them from doing so, meaning that the people of Gaza are living in an area which has been deemed ‘unlivable’ by experts at the United Nations, suffering unimaginable pain, whilst literally sitting right next to a treasure trove of natural gas.
Approximately two weeks ago, Israel decided to cut off the main supply of gas from entering the Gaza Strip. Since then, Egypt has let in 10 trucks, which have entered the besieged territory, but according to Gaza’s residents, this simply has not been enough to supply the people with a sufficient source of gas. Khaled Tabasha, a Palestinian activist living in Gaza’s al-Bureij refugee camp, spoke to me, informing me that his family and many others living in his camp have not been able to cook properly. Khaled even said that things have gotten so bad that he and others have begun looking for wood, in order to start fires from which they can cook their food.
The term “sending Gaza back to the stone age” has been often used by Israeli politicians, referring to the military bombardments of the territory by Israel, but it seems by the blockade alone, Israel is achieving this aim.
In the Gaza Strip, a lack of gas not only means that Palestinians are having to resort to using wood fires to cook, it also affects motor vehicles, hospitals, and of course the heating inside houses. In addition to this, Gaza is again having an electricity crisis, which means that right now the people only have access to roughly four and a half hours of electricity per day. This is during a time where the climate is very cold in Gaza. To give an example of how cold Palestine has been lately, just yesterday, it snowed in al-Khalil (Hebron), located to the North of Gaza, in the West Bank.
Toxic Pesticides have also recently been sprayed along the separation fence, illegally built between Gaza and Israel. The spraying of these potentially lethal substances along the separation fence — a violation of international law — is justified by the Israelis as being a “security” precaution.
The question now remaining is: how long can Gaza continue to suffer as the conditions get more and more severe?
Due to Israel’s restriction of gas, prevented from entering the besieged coastal enclave, the people of Gaza are facing a lack of sufficient heating, lighting, and the ability to properly deal with sewage, all this and more whilst their Arab neighbor, Egypt, is purchasing stolen Israeli gas.
Last February, Egypt signed a 19-billion-dollar gas deal with Israel. A few days ago, Israel officially began pumping that gas into Egypt via an ‘Eastern Mediterranean Gas’ pipeline formerly used to supply Israel with Egyptian gas (during the rule of ex-president of Egypt Hosni Mubarak).
Israel restricts the gas it is allowing into Gaza, collectively punishing the Palestinian people — which constitutes a crime against humanity — for what Israel decides is the illegitimate actions of Gaza’s democratically-elected government.
Egypt’s coup leader, Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, has not only sold the soul of Egypt by purchasing the Israeli occupying entity, but has also participated in enforcing Egypt’s side of the illegal blockade of Gaza. Sisi has continuously watched on as the two-million-strong population of the besieged Gaza Strip suffers untold misery.
Besides Egypt’s collaboration with Israel’s racist persecution of the Palestinian people in Gaza’s death camp is also the most shameful of deliberate targeting of Gaza’s food and resources by Israel itself.
The Palestinian Agricultural Ministry said in a statement on Sunday that Israel had purposely flooded and destroyed roughly 920 acres of farmlands in Eastern Jabalia and Beit Hanoun, Northern Gaza, causing 500,000 dollars worth of damage. On top of this, Israel has also begun spraying dangerous chemicals over farmland to the East of Khan Yunis and Rafah, located in the South of Gaza. The Gaza Strip has very scarce amounts of agricultural land and is already operating in a declared state of emergency, as of February 2018.
Adding to the list of Israeli crimes in Gaza is the fact that the Gaza gas fields, which were discovered in 1999 and belong to the Palestinian people under international law, still have not been excavated. The only reason for the Palestinians not being able to take advantage of their own oil is that Israel’s illegal blockade prohibits them from doing so, meaning that the people of Gaza are living in an area which has been deemed ‘unlivable’ by experts at the United Nations, suffering unimaginable pain, whilst literally sitting right next to a treasure trove of natural gas.
Approximately two weeks ago, Israel decided to cut off the main supply of gas from entering the Gaza Strip. Since then, Egypt has let in 10 trucks, which have entered the besieged territory, but according to Gaza’s residents, this simply has not been enough to supply the people with a sufficient source of gas. Khaled Tabasha, a Palestinian activist living in Gaza’s al-Bureij refugee camp, spoke to me, informing me that his family and many others living in his camp have not been able to cook properly. Khaled even said that things have gotten so bad that he and others have begun looking for wood, in order to start fires from which they can cook their food.
The term “sending Gaza back to the stone age” has been often used by Israeli politicians, referring to the military bombardments of the territory by Israel, but it seems by the blockade alone, Israel is achieving this aim.
In the Gaza Strip, a lack of gas not only means that Palestinians are having to resort to using wood fires to cook, it also affects motor vehicles, hospitals, and of course the heating inside houses. In addition to this, Gaza is again having an electricity crisis, which means that right now the people only have access to roughly four and a half hours of electricity per day. This is during a time where the climate is very cold in Gaza. To give an example of how cold Palestine has been lately, just yesterday, it snowed in al-Khalil (Hebron), located to the North of Gaza, in the West Bank.
Toxic Pesticides have also recently been sprayed along the separation fence, illegally built between Gaza and Israel. The spraying of these potentially lethal substances along the separation fence — a violation of international law — is justified by the Israelis as being a “security” precaution.
The question now remaining is: how long can Gaza continue to suffer as the conditions get more and more severe?
19 jan 2020
The motion was passed unanimously by Jordan's 130 lawmakers following weekend protests around the country against the new energy deal between the two countries
Jordan's parliament on Sunday approved a draft law to ban imports of Israeli gas to the country just days after they started under a multibillion-dollar deal struck in 2016 which is opposed by much of the population.
The motion was passed unanimously by Jordan's 130 lawmakers and will be referred to the cabinet to be made law, although legal hurdles may prevent it coming into force.
The government has previously said it was a deal between companies rather than a political matter.
The $10 billion supply deal was originally struck between Jordan's state-owned utility and a U.S. Israeli consortium led by Texas-based Noble Energy, to provide gas to the country's power plants for electricity generation.
It was not referred to parliament for approval.
Although U.S. ally Jordan has a peace treaty with Israel the deal, which supplies Jordan for 15 years, has faced much popular opposition, with lawmakers arguing it makes the kingdom dependent on its neighbor for energy.
Many Jordanians are also the descendants of Palestinians who moved to the country after the creation of Israel in 1948 and view Israel as an erstwhile enemy that expelled their ancestors from their homes.
The Jordanian government said after the agreement was signed in 2016 that securing stable energy prices for the next decade could achieve annual savings of at least $500 million and help reduce a chronic budget deficit.
The import of Israeli gas has become a major focus in Jordan and sparked protests and calls for both the deal and the peace treaty to be scrapped.
"The gas of the enemy is an occupation. Down with the gas deal," placards carried by protesters said.
Jordan's ties with Israel have come under increasing strain since the gas deal was struck as Israel has moved to the right and since Donald Trump replaced Barack Obama as U.S. president.
Jordan's King Abdullah fears Israel's rejection of a Palestinian state in the occupied West Bank could spark renewed violence and see a new generation of Palestinians relocating to Jordan.
Jordan's parliament on Sunday approved a draft law to ban imports of Israeli gas to the country just days after they started under a multibillion-dollar deal struck in 2016 which is opposed by much of the population.
The motion was passed unanimously by Jordan's 130 lawmakers and will be referred to the cabinet to be made law, although legal hurdles may prevent it coming into force.
The government has previously said it was a deal between companies rather than a political matter.
The $10 billion supply deal was originally struck between Jordan's state-owned utility and a U.S. Israeli consortium led by Texas-based Noble Energy, to provide gas to the country's power plants for electricity generation.
It was not referred to parliament for approval.
Although U.S. ally Jordan has a peace treaty with Israel the deal, which supplies Jordan for 15 years, has faced much popular opposition, with lawmakers arguing it makes the kingdom dependent on its neighbor for energy.
Many Jordanians are also the descendants of Palestinians who moved to the country after the creation of Israel in 1948 and view Israel as an erstwhile enemy that expelled their ancestors from their homes.
The Jordanian government said after the agreement was signed in 2016 that securing stable energy prices for the next decade could achieve annual savings of at least $500 million and help reduce a chronic budget deficit.
The import of Israeli gas has become a major focus in Jordan and sparked protests and calls for both the deal and the peace treaty to be scrapped.
"The gas of the enemy is an occupation. Down with the gas deal," placards carried by protesters said.
Jordan's ties with Israel have come under increasing strain since the gas deal was struck as Israel has moved to the right and since Donald Trump replaced Barack Obama as U.S. president.
Jordan's King Abdullah fears Israel's rejection of a Palestinian state in the occupied West Bank could spark renewed violence and see a new generation of Palestinians relocating to Jordan.
5 jan 2020
The Israeli military closed a ski resort in the occupied Syrian Golan Heights, on Saturday, due to concerns over what it calls possible threats from Iranian-backed groups in Lebanon and Syria, or Palestinian resistance movements Hamas and Islamic Jihad in Gaza, Days of Palestine reported.
The closing of the Mount Hermon resort, which was the target of a previous missile attack, came after the Pentagon confirmed that US President Donald Trump had ordered the assassination of Qassem Soleimani, the head of Iran’s elite Quds Force.
“Considering the situation, it was decided that the Hermon site would not be open to visitors today,” said the Israeli army in a tweet. “There are no additional guidelines for Golan residents, and the routine continues.”
Israel’s Defense Minister, Naftali Bennett, called for a situation assessment with the heads of the defence establishment at military headquarters in Tel Aviv.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s visit to Greece was cut short, returning to Israel amid fears that Iran will exact revenge on the occupation state for America’s assassination of the Iranian general.
Netanyahu arrived in Athens on Thursday for a meeting with the leaders of Greece and Cyprus over the construction of a pipeline that would take Palestinian and Cypriot natural gas to Europe via Greece.
The Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement, Hamas, has condemned the US assassination of the senior Iranian military commander, as did Islamic Jihad.
Soleimani was killed in a US air strike in Iraq on Friday. In separate statements, both Palestinian factions put the instability in the region down to Washington’s unconditional support for the occupation state of Israel.
The closing of the Mount Hermon resort, which was the target of a previous missile attack, came after the Pentagon confirmed that US President Donald Trump had ordered the assassination of Qassem Soleimani, the head of Iran’s elite Quds Force.
“Considering the situation, it was decided that the Hermon site would not be open to visitors today,” said the Israeli army in a tweet. “There are no additional guidelines for Golan residents, and the routine continues.”
Israel’s Defense Minister, Naftali Bennett, called for a situation assessment with the heads of the defence establishment at military headquarters in Tel Aviv.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s visit to Greece was cut short, returning to Israel amid fears that Iran will exact revenge on the occupation state for America’s assassination of the Iranian general.
Netanyahu arrived in Athens on Thursday for a meeting with the leaders of Greece and Cyprus over the construction of a pipeline that would take Palestinian and Cypriot natural gas to Europe via Greece.
The Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement, Hamas, has condemned the US assassination of the senior Iranian military commander, as did Islamic Jihad.
Soleimani was killed in a US air strike in Iraq on Friday. In separate statements, both Palestinian factions put the instability in the region down to Washington’s unconditional support for the occupation state of Israel.
4 jan 2020
An Israeli navy officer has said that the fishing zone in Gaza waters should not be expanded to more than 15 nautical miles, according to Maariv newspaper.
The Israeli officer claimed that allowing a fishing zone exceeding 15 nautical miles in Gaza sea would pose a threat to the Israeli gas extraction stations there.
He claimed that expanding the fishing area would "allow maritime infiltration into Israel and weapons smuggling into Gaza."
The Israeli occupation navy prevents Palestinian fishermen from sailing more than 15 nautical miles in Gaza sea whose coastline does not exceed 40 km.
In the northern area fishermen are allowed to sail within 6 nautical miles only.
The Israeli naval forces on a daily basis attack Gaza fishermen with shootings and arrests or force them to sail back to the shore.
About 4,000 Palestinians work in the fishing profession in besieged Gaza in addition to 1,500 workers. They are the breadwinners for about 60,000 people. Almost all of them live below the poverty line due to Israeli restrictions.
The Oslo Accords signed between the Palestine Liberation Organization and the Israeli occupation on 13 September 1993 provides that fishermen are allowed to sail 20 nautical miles along the Gaza Strip shore.
The Israeli officer claimed that allowing a fishing zone exceeding 15 nautical miles in Gaza sea would pose a threat to the Israeli gas extraction stations there.
He claimed that expanding the fishing area would "allow maritime infiltration into Israel and weapons smuggling into Gaza."
The Israeli occupation navy prevents Palestinian fishermen from sailing more than 15 nautical miles in Gaza sea whose coastline does not exceed 40 km.
In the northern area fishermen are allowed to sail within 6 nautical miles only.
The Israeli naval forces on a daily basis attack Gaza fishermen with shootings and arrests or force them to sail back to the shore.
About 4,000 Palestinians work in the fishing profession in besieged Gaza in addition to 1,500 workers. They are the breadwinners for about 60,000 people. Almost all of them live below the poverty line due to Israeli restrictions.
The Oslo Accords signed between the Palestine Liberation Organization and the Israeli occupation on 13 September 1993 provides that fishermen are allowed to sail 20 nautical miles along the Gaza Strip shore.
