Subscribe to Print Edition | Tue., April 29, 2008 Nisan 24, 5768 | | Israel Time: 09:29 (EST+7)
Haaretz israel news English
web haaretz.com
  Back to Homepage
Rosner's Domain
Diplomacy
Defense Jewish World Opinion National
Print Edition
Advertising
Books Arts & Leisure Business Real Estate Easy Start Travel Week's End Anglo File
Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh. (Reuters)
Last update - 17:10 20/09/2007
EU calls on Israel to reconsider sanctions against Gaza Strip
By Barak Ravid, Haaretz Correspondent, News Agencies and Haaretz Service
Tags: PA, roadblocks, Israel, IDF

The European Union joined on Thursday a United Nations call for Israel to reconsider its move to declare the Gaza Strip "hostile territory" and appealed for it not to cut key services to the Hamas-run territory.

Israel announced the move on Wednesday, saying it would disrupt electricity and fuel supplies to the coastal strip as a step to prevent continued rocket fire at Israeli civilians.

Following the cabinet's decision, Israel Defense Forces officials on Thursday morning began formulating plans to limit services to the civilian population in Gaza.
Advertisement
"Our first reaction is one of deep preoccupation ... We think the Gaza people should not be deprived of basic necessities," EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana said.

"We join the call by the Secretary-General of the United Nations for the Israel government to reconsider its decision," he added in a statement issued through his spokeswoman.

The European Commission, which helped coordinate emergency aid to Palestinians after militant Islamist Hamas' election victory prompted the West to suspend direct aid to the territories, also urged Israel to reconsider.

"The Commission hopes that Israel will not find it necessary to implement the measures for which the decisions set the framework yesterday," a spokeswoman for the EU executive said.

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon urged Israel on Wednesday to reconsider its decision to declare the Gaza Strip a hostile territory, warning that any cutoff of vital services would violate international law and punish the already suffering civilian population.

In one of his toughest statements aimed at Israel since taking the reins of the UN on January 1, Ban said he was very concerned at the Israeli government's declaration earlier Wednesday and its announced intent to interrupt essential services such as electricity and fuel to the civilian population.

"Such a step would be contrary to Israel's obligations towards the civilian population under international humanitarian and human rights law," he said.

"I call for Israel to reconsider this decision," the secretary-general said in a statement read by UN spokeswoman Michele Montas.

Haniyeh meets with militant factions in bid to halt rocket fire
Deposed Palestinian Authority prime minister Ismail Haniyeh met in the Gaza Strip with leaders from the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) on Thursday, in a bid to bring about a halt to Qassam rocket fire from from the Gaza Strip.

Despite this, Islamic Jihad said it would keep firing rockets at Israel, after the groups leaders met with Haniyeh on Wednesday in his attempt to convince them to halt the rocket fire.

Hamas, which rules Gaza, has urged militants not to fire rockets at Gaza-Israel border crossings, to prevent a cutoff of supplies, particularly during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. However, Hamas militants have fired mortar at Israeli targets.

Abu Ahmed, a spokesman for Islamic Jihad militants, said Thursday that "rockets are an affirmation of our option of continuing holy war and resistance against the occupation. Therefore, resistance will only stop if the occupation ends," he said.

The restrictions the cabinet unanimously voted upon include limiting the supply of fuel and electricity from Israel to Gaza, the transfer of goods through the crossings and the movement of people to and from the Strip. Visits to prisoners will come to a halt, and Israel will increase the monitoring of funds.

Arab, Islamic states denounce Gaza Sanctions at UN human rights body
Arab and Islamic countries on Thursday condemned Israel for declaring the Gaza Strip "hostile territory", and accused Israeli forces of killing Palestinian civilians, detaining parliamentarians, and destroying property.

In speeches to the United Nations Human Rights Council, delegates from the Middle East and the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) said the humanitarian situation in the territories had deteriorated and would worsen further if Israel cut fuel and electricity to Gaza's 1.5 million people.

Israel's Ambassador Itzhak Levanon denounced the 47-member state forum for "bashing" Israel, while the U.S. delegation called for a "balanced and forward-looking approach"

Mohammad Abu-Koash, Palestinian representative to the UN in Geneva, told the talks: "Israel's recent declaration that Gaza Strip is hostile territory contravenes the Oslo agreements and mutual agreements in which I was involved."

Israeli raids had caused death and injuries among civilians, and destruction of homes, farms and infrastructure, he said.

"Kidnapping of civilians and officials go on unabated and by now there are 11,000 Palestinians in Israeli detention centers, including parliamentarians," the Palestinian envoy said.

Pakistan's ambassador Masood Khan, speaking on behalf of the OIC, decried the "deteriorating humanitarian and human rights situation in Palestine and other occupied Arab territories."

"The Palestinians face military incursions, extra-judicial and targeted assassinations, restrictions on movement and demolition of houses and infrastructure," Khan said.

The OIC, a 57-nation alliance representing 1.3 billion Muslims, urged Israel to reverse its decision to interrupt basic services in Gaza, saying that would violate international law.

Western powers including Switzerland and the European Union denounced both Israeli restrictions in the territories and extreme militants who fire cross-border rockets.

Switzerland said that cutting fuel and power supplies would amount to "collective punishment" of the civilian population.

The debate was sparked by Israel's denial of access to UN human rights investigators seeking to probe alleged violations in the territories last year, including the death of 19 Palestinian civilians in errant Israeli shelling of the Gaza town of Beit Hanun in Gaza.

Syria's envoy Faysal Khabbaz Hamoui said the stalled UN investigations should not be forgotten, adding: "This will determine credibility of the Council."

Related links:
Just another empty threat
Legal Analysis / Turning off all lights unlikely
Bookmark to del.icio.us  
 
Obscene gestures
Alleged 'Heil Hitler' comment lands German lawyer Horst Mahler in court
AMOS-3 video
Israel's sophisticated new communications satellite launched into orbit.
  1.   Attacking civillians? 10:18  |  PETER SM 20/09/07
  2.   Targeting civilians, as usual 10:22  |  Tony Price 20/09/07
  3.   this is a repeat of yesterday , haniyeh even knows what to do 10:34  |  victor hardman 20/09/07
  4.   Tony Price 10:41  |  Jasmine Murphy 20/09/07
  5.   Reaping what they sew. 10:57  |  Charles Smyth 20/09/07
  6.   #1 Peter SM 11:00  |  Begood 20/09/07
  7.   response to tony price 11:02  |  akoun jean 20/09/07
  8.   MAKE IT QUICK AND PAINLESS FOR THE GAZANS 11:08  |  indrajaya 20/09/07
  9.   PRIORITIES 11:08  |  Mer 20/09/07
  10.   Its About Time!! 11:09  |  No Innocents 20/09/07
  11.   Support for # 1 and # 2 11:13  |  Andrew Watson 20/09/07
  12.   Chicken Or Egg 11:15  |  Barry 20/09/07
  13.   I`ll repeat here what I wrote before too late 11:18  |  S 20/09/07
  14.   Against any humanitarian "laws" 11:21  |  Anne 20/09/07
  15.   gaza 11:23  |  sean 20/09/07
  16.   disruption of services 11:27  |  chaia antara 20/09/07
  17.   civillians 11:33  |  alon frank 20/09/07
  18.   The Science of Suffering 11:33  |  Natallie Durson 20/09/07
  19.   international law 11:39  |  Naim S. Mahlab 20/09/07
  20.   Yes Tony from New Zealand #2 11:44  |  Hilda 20/09/07
  21.   SO MUCH TALENT; SO LITTLE IMAGINATION 11:46  |  Brant 20/09/07
  22.   "We`ll keep firing" IJ 11:48  |  Henry 20/09/07
  23.   CONTINUE BOMBING? SO HOW ABOUT ISRAEL GOV. STOP PUSSYFOOTING AND 11:53  |  Gary 20/09/07
  24.   Tony 11:57  |  Spoff 20/09/07
  25.   collective punishment?? 12:00  |  Dawn 20/09/07
  26.   Answer to PETER SM 12:03  |  Honest 20/09/07
  27.   More Suffering.... 12:03  |  Anton 20/09/07
  28.   UN 12:11  |  sami 20/09/07
  29.   Peter SM #1 12:16  |  Ariel 20/09/07
  30.   GAZA 12:16  |  Zed 20/09/07
  31.   People who play with fire.... 12:19  |  Joe 20/09/07
  32.   FAKE PETER SM@1.If you need to ride on somebody else`s coattails. 12:21  |  PETER S .M. 20/09/07
  33.   QASSEM bombing of mainly Israeli civillians use services 12:26  |  PETER S .M. 20/09/07
  34.   Here we go again (Hilda #7) 12:32  |  Hanoman 20/09/07
  35.   Lost the plot yet again 12:45  |  kiwi girl 20/09/07
  36.   Palistinian agression 12:49  |  Frank 20/09/07
  37.   Hitler only sent Jews to heaven? 12:49  |  Dutch Dirk 20/09/07
  38.   International law and Hamas. 12:58  |  Charles Smyth 20/09/07
  39.   ARIEL&HONEST #1 is a CHEAP FRAUD as is his message. 13:00  |  PETER S .M. 20/09/07
  40.   DONT STOP QASSANS 13:05  |  indrajaya 20/09/07
  41.   natallie durson "the science of suffering" 13:05  |  benzion 20/09/07
  42.   MORE TRIBAL THINKING FROM ISRAELI OFFICIALS 13:06  |  Dutch 20/09/07
  43.   #5Akoun Jean, #17 Hilda 13:07  |  Tony Price 20/09/07
  44.   #9, No Innocents-How does that sound to you? 13:09  |  Anton 20/09/07
  45.   first kill the leaders in gaza. 13:11  |  benzion 20/09/07
  46.   "declaration of war." 13:12  |  akiva 20/09/07
  47.   tell egypt israel has no more to do with gaza 13:13  |  benzion 20/09/07
  48.   is israel really supplying gaza with electricity? 13:15  |  ravi and lakshmi 20/09/07
  49.   Israel will not get away with this war crime 13:22  |  Clickfool 20/09/07
  50.   Israel will not get away with this war crime 13:22  |  Clickfool 20/09/07
  51.   free world 13:25  |  mo 20/09/07
  52.   Whay hipocracy! 13:41  |  Murray of Montreal 20/09/07
  53.   TRADING PLACES 13:41  |  Vann 20/09/07
  54.   #42 - Dutch 13:44  |  JES 20/09/07
  55.   Switch off Aza`s water + wait 1 week = Peace Now 13:45  |  Jo Levine 20/09/07
  56.   Not Targeting civilians 13:46  |  real vision 20/09/07
  57.   When was the last time that Hamas respected international law? 13:54  |  Ian Robertson 20/09/07
  58.   Mo (#51) 13:54  |  Hanoman 20/09/07
  59.   #13 Anne on "unjustified collective punishment" 13:58  |  Alice of Wonderland 20/09/07
  60.   # 50 C/FOOL 14:05  |  17 20/09/07
  61.   Stupid move by a stupid PM 14:10  |  Jonathan S 20/09/07
  62.   jo Levine and peace 14:13  |  truth 20/09/07
  63.   The Butcher, The Baker, The Candlestick Maker 14:14  |  Klaudia 20/09/07
  64.   The Butcher, The Baker, The Candlestick Maker 14:14  |  Klaudia 20/09/07
  65.   # 13 S 14:14  |  Lynn 20/09/07
  66.   i have always known the palestinians were deficient 14:18  |  benzion 20/09/07
  67.   # 50 Clicky 14:18  |  Lynn 20/09/07
  68.   we must be mad 14:19  |  benzion 20/09/07
  69.   Dark ages 14:22  |  kastner