WikiLeaks: Israel aimed to keep Gaza economy on brink of collapse
Cable from the U.S. Embassy in Tel Aviv says Israeli officials wanted Gaza's economy 'functioning at the lowest level possible consistent with avoiding a humanitarian crisis.'
By Reuters Tags: GazaIsrael told U.S. officials in 2008 it would keep Gaza's economy "on the brink of collapse" while avoiding a humanitarian crisis, according to U.S. diplomatic cables published by a Norwegian daily on Wednesday.
Three cables cited by the Aftenposten newspaper, which has said it has all 250,000 U.S. cables leaked to WikiLeaks, showed that Israel kept the U.S. Embassy in Tel Aviv briefed on its internationally criticized blockade of the Gaza Strip.
The territory, home to 1.3 million Palestinians, is run by the Islamist Hamas group, which is shunned by the West over its refusal to recognize Israel, renounce violence or accept existing interim Israeli-Palestinian peace deals.
"As part of their overall embargo plan against Gaza, Israeli officials have confirmed to (U.S. embassy economic officers) on multiple occasions that they intend to keep the Gazan economy on the brink of collapse without quite pushing it over the edge," one of the cables read.
Israel wanted the coastal territory's economy "functioning at the lowest level possible consistent with avoiding a humanitarian crisis", according to the Nov. 3, 2008 cable.
In a speech in January 2008, then-Prime Minister Ehud Olmert appeared to spell out that policy, which has since been eased in the wake of an international outcry over a deadly Israeli raid last May on a Turkish aid ship trying to break the blockade.
"We will not harm the supply of food for children, medicine for those who need it and fuel for institutions that save lives," Olmert said at the time.
"But there is no justification for demanding we allow residents of Gaza to live normal lives while shells and rockets are fired from their streets and courtyards (at southern Israel)," he added.
Israel says it has significantly relaxed the blockade since May, with dozens of truckloads of goods entering the territory daily. Aid organizations have said shipments should be increased further.
Palestinians say impoverished Gaza remains effectively a "prison" sealed off by Israel, and have called for an opening to allow normal trade and other links with the world.
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A Palestinian girl stands by sacks of humanitarian aid in Shatie refugee camp, in Gaza City on June 6, 2010. |
| Photo by: AP |
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with food and water and electricity ? or britain and the usa ! yet israel does this for its enemies !! time to cut all sustenance to its avowed enemies hamas !
http://www.jpost.com/Sci-Tech/Article.aspx?id=202294 Anyway, China would repeat US story. Anyway, the ultimate losers are those without any education but fervently support a puppet system misled by its leaders in defending their own interests. Anyway, all data are public for analysis, only opaque to those without education and people who are so assuming and could not change their tone as "the naked king"(kings). Chinese leaders were carefully caculating the manpower, and still today they count the false math and propaganda. More than that, the fundermental fallacy are somewhere in other places, happened over and over again. I give up. Peace and peace.
allow this heinous crime to continue.
Israels strategy has always been to make things as bad as possible for the Palestinians without causing international interference. This is what has been done here. If not for the international pressure, Israel would be happy to starve every Gazan to death. Your attention is directed to a common facet of Israeli behavior. Whenever they cause suffering and pain without actually killing somebody, Israelis look for a pat on the back for their humanitarian behavior.
No one gives a shit about Hama except, to see it exterminated. They are Iran's paid thugs... They have swimming pools, endless funds for their 'terror- tory' war, and still, they manage, with a straight face, to keep repeating such lies.
is one word for the supposed Wikileaks cables appearing in Aftenposten. They are too direct, lack the acronyms and usual lingo as well as the kind of observations you'd expect from diplomats, plus the Israeli officials in the verified cables are not nearly this candid with Americans. In short, obvious frauds, and Haaretz would do well to stop giving them undue attention.
Nice and not surprising
The UN Security Council needs to demand an end of the blockade of Gaza and order a settlement freeze in East Jerusalem or else the UN should impose sanctions immediately on Israel because the Israeli government has no moral compass and no respect for international laws.
North Korea
So the UN will have to impose sanctions on Itself and all its members, but that would also be collective punishment...
If Israelies aren´t allowed to live normal lives because of terror, why should Palestinians live a normal life?
99 % of the Palestinian population would gladly trade their "normal lives" for their Israeli counterparts'.
There are Israelis killed by drunken drivers in one month than by ten years of Qassams from Gaza. Get your priorities right.
if they manage to keep firing rockets into Israel, they continue the war on Israel. They plan for more 'cast lead'.
Thanks again for exposing the ugly face of racism. Your ugliness helps to bolster the world's commitment to support Palestinains.
I'm not wholly convinced that this was an official policy per se, but it was and remains an inevitable consequence given all the characters in play. However, Israel must realise that the eventual payback for long term abuse will inevitably be horrendous, that's the way of it with humans. It will take at the very least a generational turn over before the abused population will be able to put aside their fear loathing and hatred of the abuser.
like other local ethnic groups ;)
They are the ones who will be loathed. Israelis will not be loved, but the Hamas is responsible for the fate of Gaza.
Seems like Israeli economic sanctions on Gaza are by far less severe then the ones the UN and the whole world agreed on imposing on Iraq.
1. Iraq sanctions were a result of a UN resolution backed by many countries. 2. Oil for food program 3. Iraqi Borders were not sealed there are many other ways it is different. Get your facts and history right TJ. The Gaza blockade is harsher than any other in modern history.
1 Collective punishment is ok and not a violation of some law, its just ok for some people to do use it and not for others. 2 In Gaza there is a much better program called Food for free, alot similar to food for oil but no one gets any oil in return for the food UNRWA Israel the EU and other countries are paying for and there are a whole lot less hungry people ast than there were in Iraq. Hundereds of thousands of people are estimated to have died from Iraq sanctions which didn't allow any sort of trade with the country much harsher than sanctions imposed on Gaza. Get your facts and history right teeboy.
the purpose of a siege is to let in just enough goods to take care of the humanitarin needs of the population without giving it a good standard of living. for example, chocalates are a high luxury. most medicines are a necessity. classical music is a luxury, but a necessary luxury.
Anybody who'd been paying attention already new this, but many will act like this is a huge revelation. All it demonstrates, as many reported, that Gazan's weren't "starving"
The irony is Hamas is controlling th smugglers' tunnels and making more profit. This blockade financially aided Hamas, so that they can buy more and improved rockets to fire upon Israel.
International laws states: A siege, a blockade cannot aim to punish civilians.
PA and Hamas are likely to reunited later this year but how is the question, with peace deal or election.
because any aid reaching Gaza falls into the hands of Hamas first, inhabitants last.
Sometimes when actions are taken to harm the economy of your neighbour it is "economic terrorism" and sometimes it is "legitimate defense". It is strange how the same thing can have two different names depending on who does it, but that's the way it is and it is only Israeli politicians who can tell the difference.
isreal provides gaza with food, electricity, water, and large money handovers to the government (hamas in this case) they do so entirely at their own expense... they are not wagin economic warfare if all the resources and aid comes solely from israel... boycotting is an evil towards israel in the form of economic warfare and israel hardly whispers a complaint.. it really goes to show what the israelis do for the palestinians and how the rest of the world keeps pointing fingers at israels lack of solid democracy when surrounded by enemies.. give us a break.
yes, open borders to allow links to the outside. yes, and allow more terrorism in Israel. why should Israel subject itself to more attacks. its bad enough now with what is already going on.
which blind to the injustice and totally imprisoned by endless self-justice.
Ha'aretz used to report routinely about this policy. So now it's official. Big deal.
Why is this not the case in the West Bank?? Because they have better ideas.
You don't want terrorists thriving and you can't let them starve.
Yawhol! That says it all!
... after Soviets tried to ship missiles to Cuba to be targeted at USA. The Soviet ships carrying the missiles turned back. USA imposed a total embargo on shipments of goods including medicine and no trade with Cuba. Taht lasts since 1962. USA keeps Cuba on a "diet". Cubans do not starve but lack many goods to lead a comfortable life. Its Prima Facie war crime, isn't it.
Hamas should start sending home Gilad's body parts until the blockade is lifted. I mean, if we're just throwing around unrelated, r-tarded ideas ...
giad is the only reason gaza has not been obliterated and hamas know this better than anyone !