By Zulkarnaev Timur
The blockade of the Gaza strip.
The problem of the human rights in the occupied territories.
First of all we need to define what is the blockade indeed. The 2007–present blockade of the Gaza Strip refers to a land, air, and sea blockade on the Gaza Strip by Israel and Egypt since June 2007. Before talking about violations in the Strip, we should understand the history of this question.
Since June 1989, Israel has formally limited the movement of Gaza citiizens, imposing a magnetic-card system whereby only those with such a card were allowed to leave the Strip: Israeli authorities did not issue magnetic cards to released prisoners, former administrative detainees, or even Palestinians who had been detained and released without charges being filed against them.[1] January 1991 marked the beginning of the permanent closure policy, whereby each resident of Gaza who desired to travel within Israel or the West Bank was required to have a personal exit permit. In March 1993, Israel imposed an overall closure on Gaza with newly built checkpoints; and, from October 2000, Israel imposed a comprehensive closure on the Gaza Strip.
When the Al-Aqsa Intifada broke out in September 2000 Israel put trade restrictions on the Gaza Strip and closed the GazaInternationalAirport. The economic effects worsened after the creation of a ‘buffer zone’ in September 2001, that would seal all entry and exit points in the PalestinianTerritories for "security reasons." After 9 October 2001, movement of people and goods across the ‘Green Line’ dividing the West Bank from Israel, and between the Gaza Strip and Israel, was halted, and a complete internal closure was effected on 14 November 2001. The worsening economic and humanitarian situation raised great concern abroad. According to the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), in January 2003, the Israeli blockade and closures had pushed the Palestinian economy into a stage of de-development and drained as much as US $2.4 billion out of the economy of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.
The Israel Defence Forces left the Gaza Strip on 1 September 2005 as part of Israel's unilateral disengagement plan.
The 2006–2007 economic sanctions against the Palestinian National Authority were economic sanctions imposed by Israel and the Quartet on the Middle East against the Palestinian National Authority and the Palestinian territories following the January 2006 legislative elections that brought Hamas to power[2].
In June 2007 Hamas took control of the Gaza Strip and removed Fatah officials. Following the Battle of Gaza, the international sanctions were terminated in June 2007 while at the same time a new and more severe blockade of the Gaza Strip was initiated[3].
On 22 January 2008, Palestinians clashed with Egyptian police in front of the border, demanding that the Rafah crossing be opened. The clashes included live fire, and there were injuries on both sides. Fifty women managed to cross, and Egyptian police responded with a water cannon assault. Additional Egyptian security forces arrived, and managed to restore calm and prevent Palestinians from crossing.
On January 25, Egyptian forces blocked almost all illegal entry points to stem the flow of Gazans pouring in, and Egyptian riot police erected barbed wire and chain-link fences along the border. Palestinians used a bulldozer to knock down the fence and once again flooded in. Egyptian border police began stopping Palestinians from crossing and sealed the road from Rafah to El Arish. On January 28, Egyptian security forces and Hamas militants strung barbed wire across one of the breaches, sealing it off.
On April 19, Hamas launched another attack against a border crossing in the early morning hours. Three fighters were killed in the operation, and thirteen Israeli soldiers were wounded. Hamas commandeered several Israeli vehicles, including an armored personnel carrier.
Under a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas in June 2008, Israel agreed to lift its blockade of Gaza Strip. It was reported that in August 2008, Israel was still allowing in very few goods.[4]At Egypt's request, Israel did not always respond to Palestinian cease fire violations by closing the border.[5]
Israel accused Hamas of transporting weapons into Gaza via tunnels to Egypt, failing to stop rocket attacks.In January 2009, after the first phase of the Gaza War, Israel said it would allow in some humanitarian aid, but will continue its economic blockade in order to weaken the power of Hamas.[6] In June 2009, on the second anniversary of the blockade, 38 United Nations and non-governmental humanitarian organisations issued a joint press release calling for "free and uninhibited access for all humanitarian assistance in accordance with the international agreements and in accordance with universally recognised international human rights and humanitarian law standards".[7]
A UN study has found that Gazan families are eating fewer meals a day and mainly relying on carbohydrates such as rice and flour because protein foods are expensive or unavailable. Chicken eggs have doubled in price due to the destruction of chicken coops during the Gaza War.[8]
On 31 May 2010 Israeli naval forces seized an aid convoy of six ships known as the "Gaza Freedom Flotilla" aiming to break through the blockade.
Following the Gaza flotilla raid, Israel and Egypt faced mounting international calls to ease or lift their blockade.
On June 1, 2010, the Rafah border crossing from Egypt to Gaza has been partially opened. Egypt’s foreign ministry has made it clear that the crossing will remain open mainly for people, not for aid, to go through.[9] Several aid trucks began making it into Gaza during the following morning including some carrying power generators from the Egyptian Red Crescent, and hundreds of Gazans who had been staying in Egypt returned home, although little traffic, human or cargo, flowed from Gaza to Egypt[10].
On 3 June, the manager of the Gaza side of the Rafah crossing, Salameh Barakeh, explained that the crossing is open for the free travel of patients, foreign passport holders, those with residency status in other countries, students and internationals.
On June 20, 2010, Israel's Security Cabinet approved a new system governing the blockade that would allow practically all non-military items to enter the Gaza strip. According to a cabinet statement, Israel would "expand the transfer of construction materials designated for projects that have been approved by the Palestinian Authority, including schools, health institutions, water, sanitation and more – as well as (projects) that are under international supervision." Despite the easing of the land blockade, Israel announced to continue to inspect all goods bound for Gaza by sea at the port of Ashdod. Internationally, this decision received mixed reactions.
Israel allows limited humanitarian supplies from aid organizations into the Gaza Strip. According to the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories of the Israel Defense Forces, in May 2010, this included over 1.5 million litres of diesel fuel and gasoline, fruits and vegetables, wheat, sugar, meat, chicken and fish products, dairy products, animal feed, hygiene products, clothing and shoes[11].
According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs at various times, Israel has blocked goods including wheelchairs, dry food items, and crayons, stationary, soccer balls, and musical instruments[12].Israel was also reported to have prevented aid groups from sending in other items, such as paper, crayons, tomato paste and lentils.
According to the Failing Gaza after one year report by Amnesty International and other organisations cement, glass, steel, bitumen, wood, paint, doors, plastic pipes, metal pipes, metal reinforcement rods, aggregate, generators, high voltage cables and wooden telegraph poles are "high priority reconstruction materials currently with no or highly limited entry into Gaza through official crossings."[13] A UN report by Kevin M. Cahill called the restrictions "Draconian", and said that reconstruction is halted because Israel does not permit the importation of steel, cement or glass, among other building materials, and has restricted importation of lentils, pasta, tomato paste and juice, as well as batteries for hearing aids for deaf children.Israeli policy tied the easing of the blockade on success in reducing rocket fire.Israel permitted a 20% increase in goods trucked into Gaza in the pre-lull period, up from 70 to 90 truckloads a day., including not only humanitarian supplies but also clothes, shoes, refrigerators, and construction materials.[14]
There have been several reports and studies analysing the effect of the blockade on Gaza.
In July, 2008, an UNRWA report on the situation in Gaza stated that "the number of households in Gaza below the consumption poverty line continued to grow, reaching 51.8 percent in 2007 (from 50.7 percent in 2006)"[15]. In the same year, a Palestinian Bureau of Statistics study concluded that 80% of families in Gaza were living below the poverty line[16].
A World Health Organisation assessment conducted in 2009 claimed that the level of anemia in babies (9–12 months) was as high as 65%, while a Socio-economic and Food Security Survey Report stated that 61% of Gazans are food insecure and reliant on humanitarian aid. Of those that are food insecure, 65% are children under 18 years. Lastly, a European Network of Implementing Development Agencies (EUNIDA) report notes that, because of the security buffer zone imposed around Gaza as part of the blockade, as of June 2009, 46% of agricultural land was either inaccessible or out of production.[17]
The International Committee of the Red Cross noted that the increasing scarcity of items has led to rises in cost of goods while quality has fallen. There is also "an acute electricity crisis", where electricity supplies are "interrupted for seven hours a day on average". As a consequence, they note that public services, particularly health services, have suffered, posing "a serious risk to the treatment of patients". In addition, medical equipment is difficult to repair, and medical staff cannot leave to gain more training[18].
A 25 May 2010 United Nations Development Programme report stated that, as a result of the blockade, most of Gaza's manufacturing industry has closed, and unemployment stood at an estimated 40%, a decrease on previous years. The blockade has also prevented much needed construction, noting that almost "none of the 3,425 homes destroyed during Cast Lead have been reconstructed, displacing around 20,000 people".[19]
It is an awful statistic, which shows that the problem of citizens of Gaza is very important today. People are deprived of all rights.
On March 7, 2008, several international aid groups, including Amnesty International, CARE International UK, and Oxfam, issued a report saying that the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip was more acute than at any time since the beginning of the Israeli occupation in 1967. While critical of Palestinian militants firing rockets from Gaza into Israel, and acknowledging that "Israel has the right and obligation to protect its citizens", they said that as the "occupying power in Gaza" it also has a legal duty to ensure Gaza civilians have access to food, clean water, electricity and medical care. They urged Israel to lift the blockade, characterizing it as collective punishment against the 1.5 million residents of the territory[20].
[1]The IIC for human rights in the occupied territories,
[2] Erlanger S., Hamas Leader Faults Israeli Sanction Plan. The New York Times. Retrieved April 22, 2010.
[3] Black, Ian; Tran, Mark, Hamas takes control of Gaza, Guardian (London). 3 June 2010.,
[4] Aleem Maqbool, Truce barely eases Gaza embargo, BBC.,
[5]Israel reopens Gaza border crossings, USA Today. 2008-07-06.,
[6] Tavernise, S., In Gaza, the Wait to Rebuild Lingers, NYTimes.com. 2010-06-04.,
[7] Statement by Humanitarian Organisations, NGOs and UN Organisations On the Second Anniversary of the Gaza Blockade, United Nations. 2009-06-17,
[8] Prusher, Ilene R., Pope's urging brings Gaza blockade to forefront,
[9] A Crack in the Blockade , Egypt Today, July 2010,
[10] Jack Shenker, Opening Rafah crossing as lifeline for Gaza poses dilemma for Egypt, guardian.co.uk, 02-06-2010,
[11]
[12] Summary of the weekly transfer of humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip by the IDF Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (CoGAT), IDF Spokesperson's Unit. 2010-05-05.,
[13]Franks, Tim. Details of Gaza blockade revealed in court case, BBC News.,
[14]
[15]Sheera Frenkel,. Israeli document: Gaza blockade isn't about security. McClatchy Newspapers. June 10, 2010. ,
[16]Memarian, Omid, Poverty in Gaza Hits "Unprecedented" Level, IPS,
[17] CIA - The World Fact Book - Gaza Strip
[18] Farming without Land, Fishing without Water: Gaza Agriculture Sector Struggles to Survive, May, 2010,
[19]Gaza closure: not another year!., Icrc.org. 2010-06-14.,
[20] Press Availability with Romanian Foreign Minister Teodor Baconschi After Their Meeting,