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Lift the Gaza blockade.
Lift the Gaza blockade.
There are two bits of news on the BBC today about Gaza; an Israeli report criticizing the handling of the Gaza flotilla last year and a report from Save the Children and Medical Aid for Palestinians saying Gazan water is unsafe to drink.
A report by Israel’s state comptroller has been highly critical of Prime Minister Netanyahu’s handling of the flotilla that sailed from Turkey in an attempt to break the Gaza blockade in 2010. The report criticized Netanyahu for not consulting a wider circle of officials and for keeping some agencies in the dark over the actions being taken against the flotilla. The report also said that the possibility of violence when the Israeli’s attempted to stop the convoy was underestimated.
The report by Save the Children and Medical Aid for Palestinians says that since the blockade of Gaza started, the number of children under three being treated for watery diarrhoea has doubled. This is a result of the sewage system being broken with treatment plants having been bombed in Operation Cast Lead in 2009. The charities say “The blockade is a blight on the lives of Gaza's civilians. It is shocking to see so many children struggling to live a fulfilled and healthy life - unable to play in safe areas and forced to drink dirty and dangerous water that is making them sick” and call for Israel to lift the blockade to “to enable the free movement of people and goods in and out of Gaza, including the West Bank and Jerusalem”. Should the Israeli government heed their request?
Debatabase debate: This House believes that Israel should lift the blockade of Gaza http://idebate.org/debatabase/debates/be-it-resolved-israel-should-lift-blockade-gaza
48 weeks 6 days ago
Quite, Israel has to think of its own security. Hamas keeps attacking israel from Gaza it is therefore Hamas that is causing the blockade as Israel has to respond to keep its citizens safe. As security is the primary function of the state any other country would do exactly the same.
48 weeks 6 days ago
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Israel always seems to do pretty well at punishing those who threaten its security. Of course Israel is right to try and prevent these attacks but given how much suffering is caused I do wonder if it is actually helpful. Palestinians in Gaza are hardly likely to ever be placated to the idea of Israel's existence while the Israelis just a few miles away are comparatively rich and secure when compared to the poverty in Gaza. Israeli security would be equally served by helping to alleviate the appalling social conditions in Gaza.
48 weeks 5 days ago
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I am not generally pro Israeli but I think I should point out that the blockade is there for genuine security concerns. If the blockade were to be lifted then would Hamas be able to bring weaponry into Gaza and it is not surprising that Israel does not feel it can trust Hamas with weaponry. Israel therefore has its own security concerns to worry about.
However the other things that the charities want apart from the lifting of the blockade are things that Israel really should be doing and have very little security impact. Israel really should expadite rebuilding the sanitation systems and provide more medical supplies. A blockade may be understandable but that does not mean that the people should suffer from that blockade. Israel controls the borders so should be able to send enough aid to improve conditions in Gaza.