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Israel offers to “ease” the blockade on Gaza
After three years of blockade on more than one million and seven hundred Palestinians who live in the Gaza strip,[singlepic id=247 w=280 h=200 float=right] Israel is considering an easement on the entrance to the strip but refuses to end the blockade. The Israeli decision to consider an easement on the entrances to Gaza was made after the worldwide criticism that was made about the Israeli policy regarding the Gaza strip and the late freedom flotilla incident that Israel killed in it nine peace activists while preventing it from reaching Gaza.
The Israeli government decided yesterday to ease the land blockade on Gaza and refused to remove it completely. The easements include the allowing of food products into Gaza will preventing other certain products. The sea blockade is to continue until further notice and any material needed to rebuild the destroyed buildings in Gaza will be allowed after several checking’s and under the supervision of International organizations.
The Amnesty international considered the Israeli decision not enough and asked from the Israeli authorities to take legal responsibilities of its actions since it is still an occupying power. Amnesty International also demanded for an immediate removal of the blockade on Gaza. Mr. Saeb Erekat the head of the negotiations department in the PLO stated that the Israeli latest decision to ease the blockade is another game that Israel is playing to deceive the world and continue the illegal blockade on Gaza. Erekat also demanded for an immediate removal of the blockade in which it embodies the ugliest collective punishment that includes the ban of food and medicine from reaching innocent civilians. The European Union and the General secretary of the United Nations demanded for more details about the Israeli plan in order to understand the nature of the Israeli decision. Hamas considered the Israeli decision fake and described it as a tool that Israel uses in order to make the blockade legal and to mislead the international public opinion.
While considering the Israeli policy in dealing with its conflict with the Palestinians, the only way which the Israeli decision to ease the blockade can be understood is that Israel is again directing the conflict instead of finding a solution for it. The Israeli government refuses any kind of solution that includes a compromise and an end to the occupation. Starting from the beginning of the negotiations with the Palestinians and going through the second Intifada, Israel continues to choose use of force, spending millions of dollars on security preparations and a mislead of its public opinion in order to avoid any serious talks to end the conflict. The blockade on Gaza was made as a collective punishment in order to push the Palestinians and make them create a pressure on Hamas after it won the parliamentary elections. Some Israelis justify the Israeli blockade by saying that it has to continue because of the imprisoned Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit who was kidnapped in the time the Israeli army was acting within Gaza borders.
The Israeli governments continue to ignore the International Law, human rights and treaties that were made to assure justice and rights for civilians. Instead of committing to the law, Israel continues to break it on a daily basis by continuing its occupation of the Palestinians territories, Judaizing East Jerusalem and imprisoning thousands of Palestinians that some of them do not know why they are in prison until today.
Although Israel is known for its skills in intelligence work and always used its army to show its power and effectiveness in the Middle East, the situation today is different. While Israel continues the last occupation in the world, other powers are rising in the region. The question is whether Israel will succeed in directing all its conflicts with all of those countries that became its enemies because of its policies and hostility.
