Israel ready to soften economic warfare against Gaza

Haaretz reports that Benjamin Netanyahu is looking for global support to ease the humanitarian crisis in Gaza — economic warfare has suddenly gone out of style. But the new expressions of concern for the well-being of the 1.5 million Palestinians incarcerated in Gaza — let them have snack food and soda — sounds about as humane as Marie Antoinette’s “let the eat cake.”

Israel said on Friday it wants to enlist global support to improve the flow of civilian goods to the blockaded Gaza Strip, while seeing to it that weapons do not reach the Hamas-ruled territory.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, under rising pressure to ease Israel’s three-year siege on Gaza since a deadly raid on a Turkish-backed aid ship destined for the enclave last month, held talks on the issue with Middle East envoy Tony Blair.

“The aim of the meeting was to recruit international support behind the principle that weapons and military supportive material will not reach Gaza or Hamas, while humanitarian and civilian goods may reach the area and its residents via additional means,” Netanyahu’s office said in a statement.

Israel further eased restrictions on goods to Gaza this week by announcing it would permit additional food items such as snack foods and carbonated beverages to be imported via Israeli-controlled crossings, starting next week.

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5 thoughts on “Israel ready to soften economic warfare against Gaza

  1. Norman Morley

    Now the Israelis want to get the World involved. Why now? Everything they have said about others being against them, using it as an excuse to turn public support their way, has now been shown to be due to the falsities perpetrated against others, when the real perpetrators are the Israelis themselves. The hand writing on the wall is clear, it’s now just a matter of time before sanity prevails, or the fools in charge let the Neoconservative block loose and they start using A-Bombs, destroying the middle East.

  2. delia ruhe

    Having read many scores of articles, I can’t remember the one in which the writer asked the excellent question: If the blockade is to keep weapons out of Gaza, why is Israel blockading the export of flowers and strawberries FROM Gaza TO European markets?

    There is a rather moving open letter to Turkey from Israeli professor Ronen Shamir which is posted at *Today’s Zaman*. Everyone should read this. No doubt Shamir will pay dearly for it:

    http://www.todayszaman.com/tz-web/news-212735-109-centerin-a-different-voice-a-letter-from-israel-bribyi-brronen-shamircenter.html

  3. Ian Arbuckle

    I refuse to accept that two Zionist war criminals can decide whether or not we can send food and medicine to the Palestinian people of Gaza or by how much the level of suffering will be varied or, that is to say, to “ease” an ongoing war crime namely collective punishment.

    Why, first of all, is Israel even being consulted, if we accept that their occupation and siege of Gaza and their occupation of the West Bank and East Jerusalem is illegal under UNSC resolutions? Also the self appointed Quartet again derives its authority from what exactly, the Security Council? What authority and why?

    Hamas is the only legal and representative government of Gaza and the Palestinians, freely and fairly elected. Israel, America, or the EU may rejecting that government. It is pure hypocritical imperialism and also irrelevant. Israel’s right to exist is as valid as Palestine’s which Israel so far denies. When Israel forgoes violence Hamas would not need it either. Yet the Isaelis deny Palestinians a right of self defence. And how many previous agreements have Israel marched over or UN resolutions have they ignored? So get the Zionist imperialists out of the driving seat, and put Israel back it its place, at least behind the 67 borders, and their Zionist war criminal leaders in jail.

    America and Israel form the hub of the Zionist Fourth Reich. Canada, Britain, France, Germany, and a few other minor players provide the spokes. The Russians, Chinese and now the Indians too play their own tune but in reciprocal harmony. The project is global. The Jewish homeland is just a trick and a tool, or did you not figured that out yet. Do you think the economic and financial collapse was not connected?

    Now figure out how to bring it to an end. Forget democracy. It has been dead in Western Europe and North America for years and has been replaced by “inverted tyranny”. See Sheldon Wolin’s “Managed Democracy” (Google it if you don’t know). Democracy has morphed to a simple illusion of consent that is spun and maintained to allow the empire of the Zionist Fourth Reich to expand their oligarchies, while turning the masses into economically subservient brain washed, mostly brain dead slaves. The next phase is going to hurt you, “Global Disaster Capitalism”. Yes you, that’s right, Gaza was just an experiment. You see you are the Palestinians, the Gazans. The less you have and the more you need, the easier you are to manage. That’s why this matters now.

    Oh, You don’t think it has started yet, because you are not a Greek, or a Rumanian, a Bulgarian, a Kyrgyzstani, a Pakistani, an Iraqi, an Afghan, tomorrow an Iranian. Just look around and realise that it is coming to somewhere neer you tommorrow; to Louisiana, Manchester, or Lyon. It’s not “if”, but “when” it comes to you.

  4. Christopher Hoare

    What progress in ending the blockade — Blair and Netanyahu — two men without a shred of credibility have discussed it.
    Bombard the defenseless children of Gaza with Coke and Hershey Kisses and compel their compliance to orders by denying their medical and dental needs. This would be funny if the fools behind it didn’t think it so practical.

  5. rosemerry

    All good comments so far. When I hear Blair the war criminal who has never deigned to visit Gaza and who adores every Israeli crime, and A.Lieberman talking of Hamas terror, I am pleased to read support for Palestinian resistance. A big problem is that Gaza remains separated from the rest of the OPT and the so-called moderates of the West Bank get no benefit for their complicity with the Zionists. Israel must be made to follow international law.

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