NOWHERE TO RUN
                        "We just decided enough is enough … this is self-defence"

 
                    
NOWHERE TO RUN: Palestinians in Gaza have no way to escape the attacks by Israel, which have claimed almost 700 lives. Israel says it has sent in ground troops to minimise civilian casualties as it targets Hamas military infrastructure Picture: KHALIL HAMRA/AP
From The Times
Getting in the way of Gaza war
http://www.thetimes.co.za/News/Article.aspx?id=914061 Jan 8 2009

Israel claims civilians in Gaza are the victims of Hamas, writes Nkululeko Ncana

PALESTINIANS in Gaza are caught between a rock and a hard place, as the saying goes. The Israeli government argues that Hamas militants are holding civilians hostage and using them as human shields, resulting in soaring casualties, many of whom are children.

The Israeli government remains unapologetic for its decision to attack Gaza. Despite a flurry of criticism from around the world, it has intensified its attacks with the aim of destroying Hamas infrastructure used to house arms and ammunition.

During a working political meeting with the European Union this week, Israeli President Shimon Peres told foreign ministers his country was not in the business of improving its image but of “fighting a comprehensive war against murderous terror”.

He argued that no European country would sit back and accept the slaughter of its citizens by unprovoked attacks.

“Hamas is a terror organisation of the worst order that uses its population of women and children as human shields,” Peres said.

But EU commissioner for external relations Benita Ferraro-Waldner said that, as much as every nation has the right to protect itself and its citizens, Israel had used way too much force in Gaza in its attempt to destroy Hamas military bases.

“… Mr President, you have a serious problem with international advocacy, and that Israel’s image is being destroyed,” Ferraro-Waldner said.

The Israeli government has turned a blind eye to the harsh criticism of its attacks on Gaza, dismissing them as “one-sided, unbalanced views”.

Israel’s ambassador to South Africa, Dov Segev-Steinberg, says that while the world is crying foul and accusing it of dis proportionate attacks, Gaza would have been flattened if it had gone on a full attack.

“If we had gone with our full might into Gaza, the situation would have been much worse. We just decided that enough is enough and had to protect our people. They were being killed without reason …this is self-defence.”

The attacks are to continue.

Segev-Steinberg says the only time his government will desist from attacking Gaza is the day Hamas halts the shelling of his country — until then, it will “fight fire with fire”.

Unfortunately, the body count is on the increase and the Palestinians in Gaza are stuck with a conundrum — forced loyalty to Hamas and the desire for peace.

Reports from Gaza say Hamas is firing rockets from people’s backyards and any attempt to question them is tantamount to treason.

A ccording to Segev-Steinberg, this is one of the reasons Israel has sent in ground troops, to get close to targets and minimise casualties.

Segev-Steinberg says Israeli surveillance has shown that missiles are being launched in many instances from civilian homes, schools and mosques.

“It’s difficult to avoid civilian casualties in this instance because, despite the area being densely populated, Hamas is using the people of Gaza to shield themselves and hide arms and ammunition.”

The ambassador vows that Israel will not stop its operation as long as Hamas’s military infrastructure is intact.

“We have made serious progress in destabilising Hamas because most of the strategic infrastructure has been destroyed.

“It is a matter of time before they realise that they have been defeated and will not be able to continue their fight against Israel,” Segev- Steinberg says.

Israel yesterday agreed to temporarily cease fire in the Gaza Strip to allow those living there to stock up on necessities and to allow humanitarian aid to reach the affected.

During the ceasefire, Israeli politicians were pondering whether to accept a truce proposal by Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, who called for an urgent meeting of both sides to plan an end to military action and deal with the root causes of the attacks that have left almost 700 people dead.

The most unfortunate part about this war between Israel and Hamas is that the civilians in Gaza have had nowhere to run. And even with the strongest of condemnations, the attacks are unlikely to be called off any time soon.

The least that can be done for the civilian population, which is the most affected in any war, is to try to get the sides negotiating.

But that is a long shot because neither Israel nor Hamas is willing to be the first to lay down arms.

Wild weekend party time for ANC  

Botha sad to hang up gloves 

Former presidents snub the party?  

Fifth ATM blasted at dawn 

Fighting fury of fraud accused

Audio
llivan blasts Selebi

Smith: Morne dressed me

Smith shows courage

DA calls for matric exams inquiry

DA calls for matric exams inquiry

	O’Sullivan blasts Selebi
	Smith: Morne dressed me
	Smith shows courage
	DA calls for matric exams inquiry

Gaza Strip

Skyline of Gaza

Coat of arms of Gaza

Arabic ???

Founded in 15th Century BCE
Government City (from 1993)
Also Spelled Ghazzah (officially)
Gaza City (unofficially)
Governorate Gaza
Coordinates 31°31'N 34°27'E
Population 409,680 (2006)
Jurisdiction 151,023 dunams (151.0 km²)
Head of Municipality Majid Abu Ramadan

The Gaza Strip (Arabic: ???? ???? transliteration: Qi?a? Gazza/Qita' Ghazzah, Hebrew: ????? ???? Retzu'at 'Azza) is a coastal strip of land along the Mediterranean Sea currently governed by Hamas. It borders Egypt on the south-west and Israel on the north and east. It is about 41 kilometers (25 mi) long, and between 6 and 12 kilometers (4–7.5 mi) wide, with a total area of 360 square kilometers (139 sq mi). The area is not recognized internationally as part of any sovereign country but is claimed by the Palestinian National Authority as part of the Palestinian territories. Since the June 2007 battle of Gaza, actual control of the area is in the hands of the Hamas de facto government.

Israel governed the Gaza Strip from 1967-2005. Pursuant to the Oslo Accords signed between Israel and the Palestinian Authority, Israel maintains control of the strip's airspace, territorial waters, and offshore maritime access, as well as its side of the Gaza-Israel border. This continued control has allowed the Israeli state, which opposes Hamas, to control the inflow and outflow of Gaza's essential resources, including food.^{[citation needed]} When food is in short supply, Gazans have taken in food supplied by World Food Programme workers in the area.^{[citation needed]} Israel's position is that reports of food or fuel crisis are "created and promoted by Hamas." According to Israel, "there is no humanitarian crisis in Gaza" and Hamas purposely shuts down electricity and confiscates the fuel supplied by Israel to Gaza.^[1]

Egypt governed the Gaza Strip from 1948-1967 and today runs the southern border between the Gaza strip and the Sinai desert, a border now famous for the breach in early 2008.

The territory takes its name from Gaza, its main city. It has about 1.4 million Palestinian Arab (or Gazan) residents.^[2]

            ^{Maps of Gaza Strip}

Etymology

According to Zev Vilnay, the name "Gaza," from the Arabic Gazza, originally derives from the Canaanite/Hebrew root for "strong" (?ZZ), and was introduced to Arabic by way of the Hebrew, ?azza, i.e. "the strong one (f.)"; cpr. English stronghold.^[2] According to Mariam Shahin, the Canaanites gave Gaza its name, the Ancient Egyptians called it Gazzat ("prized city"), and the Arabs often refer to it as Gazzat Hashim, in honour of Hashim, the great-grandfather of Muhammed, who is allegedly buried in Gaza City, according to Islamic lore.^[3]

History

Ottoman and British control (1517-1948)

In 1517 Gaza fell to the Ottomans who ruled it without interference from 1517-1799, but Gaza maintained close contacts with the Christian Europe. Napoleon captured Gaza City in 1799. Starting in the early 1800s, Gaza was culturally dominated by neighboring Egypt; Muhammad Ali^[3] Though Gaza was recaptured by the Ottoman Empire, a large number of its residents were Egyptians (and their descendants) who had fled political turmoil.^[4] made Gaza a part of Egypt in 1832.

The region served as a battlefield during the First World War (1914-18), with the British and Ottomans fighting in the Sinai and Palestine. Gaza, which controlled the coastal route, was taken by the British in the Third Battle of Gaza on 7 November, 1917. The British government has financially supported the maintenance of a cemetery for fallen British soldiers from WWI.[5]

Following World War I, Gaza became part of the British Mandate of Palestine under the authority of the League of Nations.^[5], which required Britian to implement the Balfour Declaration establishing in Palestine a "national home for the Jewish people, it being clearly understood that nothing should be done which might prejudice the civil and religious rights of existing non-Jewish communities in Palestine." ^[6]. Jews were present in Gaza from antiquity until the 1929 Palestine riots, when Arabs forced the Jews to leave Gaza. After that the British prohibited Jews from living in the area, though some Jews returned and, in 1946, re-established kibbutz Kfar Darom in central Gaza which had been destroyed in the 1936-39 Arab revolt in Palestine.^[7]

British rule of Palestine ended with the expiration of the British Mandate and the Israeli Declaration of Independence on May 14, 1948.

Egyptian control (1948-1967)

Main article: Occupation of the Gaza Strip by Egypt

According to the terms of the 1947 United Nations partition plan, the Gaza area was to become part of a new Arab state. Following the dissolution of the British mandate of Palestine and 1947-1948 Civil War in Palestine, Israel declared its independence in May 1948. The Egyptian army invaded the area from the south, starting the 1948 Arab-Israeli War.^[5]

The Gaza Strip as it is known today was the product of the subsequent 1949 Armistice Agreements between Egypt and Israel, often referred to as the Green Line. Egypt occupied the Strip from 1949 (except for four months of Israeli occupation during the 1956 Suez Crisis) until 1967. The Strip's population was greatly augmented by an influx of Palestinian Arab refugees who fled from Israel during the fighting.

Towards the end of the war, the All-Palestine Government (Arabic: ????? ???? ?????? hukumat 'umum Filastin) was proclaimed in Gaza City on 22 September 1948 by the Arab League. It was conceived partly as an Arab League attempt to limit the influence of Transjordan over the Palestinian issue. The government was not recognized by Transjordan or any non-Arab country. It was little more than a façade under Egyptian control, had negligible influence or funding, and subsequently moved to Cairo. Palestinians living in the Gaza Strip or Egypt were issued All-Palestine passports until 1959, when Gamal Abdul Nasser, President of Egypt, annulled the All-Palestine government by decree.

Egypt never annexed the Gaza Strip, but instead treated it as a controlled territory and administered it through a military governor.^[8] The refugees were never offered Egyptian citizenship.

During the Sinai campaign of November 1956, the Gaza Strip and the Sinai Peninsula were overrun by Israeli troops. International pressure soon forced Israel to withdraw.

Israeli control (1967-1994)

Israel occupied the Gaza Strip again in June 1967 during the Six-Day War. The military occupation lasted for 27 years, until 1994. However, according to the Oslo Accords, Israel retains control of air space, territorial waters, offshore maritime access, the population registry, entry of foreigners, imports and exports as well as the tax system.^[9]

During the period of Israeli occupation, Israel created a settlement bloc, Gush Katif in the south west corner of the Strip near Rafah and the Egyptian border. In total Israel created 21 settlements in the Gaza Strip, comprising some 20% of the total territory. Besides ideological reasons for being there, these settlements also served Israel's security concerns. The Gaza Strip remained under Israeli military administration until 1994. During that period the military administration was also responsible for the maintenance of civil facilities and services.

In March 1979 Israel and Egypt signed the Israel-Egypt Peace Treaty. Among other things, the treaty provided for the withdrawal by Israel of its armed forces and civilians from the Sinai Peninsula which Israel had captured during the Six-Day War. The final status of the Gaza Strip as with relations between Israel and Palestinians was not dealt with in the treaty. The treaty did settle the international border between Gaza Strip and Egypt. Egypt renounced all territorial claims to the region beyond the international border.

In May 1994, following the Palestinian-Israeli agreements known as the Oslo Accords, a phased transfer of governmental authority to the Palestinians took place. Much of the Strip (except for the settlement blocs and military areas) came under Palestinian control. The Israeli forces left Gaza City and other urban areas, leaving the new Palestinian Authority to administer and police the Strip. The Palestinian Authority, led by Yasser Arafat, chose Gaza City as its first provincial headquarters. In September 1995, Israel and the PLO signed a second peace agreementWest Bank towns. The agreement also established an elected 88-member Palestinian National Council, which held its inaugural session in Gaza in March 1996. extending the Palestinian Authority to most

The PA rule of the Gaza Strip and West Bank under leadership of Arafat suffered from serious mismanagement and corruption. Exorbitant bribes were demanded for allowing goods to pass in and out of the Gaza Strip, while heads of the Preventive Security Service apparatus profited from their involvement in the gravel import and cement and construction industries, like the Great Arab Company for Investment and Development, the al-Motawaset Company and the al-Sheik Zayid construction project.^[10]

The Second Intifada broke out in September 2000. In February 2005, the Israeli government voted to implement a unilateral disengagement plan from the Gaza Strip. The plan began to be implemented on 15 August 2005 (the day after Tisha B'av) and was completed on 12 September 2005. Under the plan, all Israeli settlements in the Gaza Strip (and four in the West Bank) and the nearby Erez bloc were dismantled with the removal of all 9,000 Israeli settlers (most of them in the Gush Katif settlement area in the Strip's southwest) and military bases. On 12 September 2005 the Israeli cabinet formally declared an end to Israeli military rule in the Gaza Strip. To avoid any allegation that it was still in occupation of any part of the Gaza Strip, Israel also withdrew from the Philadelphi Route, which is a narrow strip adjacent to the Strip's border with Egypt, after Egypt's agreement to secure its side of the border. Under the Oslo Accords the Philadelphi Route was to remain under Israeli control, to prevent the smuggling of materials (such as ammunition) and people across the border with Egypt. With Egypt agreeing to patrol its side of the border, it was hoped that the objective would be achieved.However, Israel maintained its control over the crossings in and out of Gaza. Even the Rafah crossing between Egypt and Gaza was monitored by the Israeli army through special surveillance cameras. Official documents like passports, I.D. cards, export and import papers and many others must be approved by the Israeli army.^{[citation needed]}

Dispute over occupation status

Under international law there are certain laws of war governing military occupation, including the Hague Conventions of 1907 and the Fourth Geneva Convention.^[11] Israel states that Gaza is no longer occupied as Israel does not exercise effective control or authority over any land or institutions in the Gaza Strip.^[12][13] Foreign Affairs Minister of Israel Tzipi Livni stated in January, 2008 “Israel got out of Gaza. It dismantled its settlements there. No Israeli soldiers were left there after the disengagement.”^[14]

However, this has been disputed because Gaza does not belong to any sovereign state and because of Israel’s effective control of the borders of Gaza, including its long ocean border. Immediately after Israel withdrew in 2005, Palestine Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas stated "the legal status of the areas slated for evacuation has not changed."^[12] Soon after Palestinian American attorney Gregory Khalil said “Israel still controls every person, every good, literally every drop of water to enter or leave the Gaza Strip. Its troops may not be there…but it still restricts the ability for the Palestinian authority to exercise control.”^[15] Human Rights Watch also contested that this ended the occupation.^[16][17]

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs maintains an office on “Occupied Palestinian Territory” which continues to concern itself with the Gaza Strip.^[18] A July 2004 opinion of the International Court of Justice treated Gaza as part of the occupied territories.^[19] In his statement on the 2008–2009 Israel–Gaza conflict Richard Falk, United Nations Special Rapporteur on "the situation of human rights in the Palestinian territories" wrote that international humanitarian law applied to Israel “in regard to the obligations of an Occupying Power and in the requirements of the laws of war."^[20] In a 2009 interview on Democracy Now Christopher Gunness, spokesperson for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) contends that Israel is an occupying power. However, Meagan Buren, Senior Adviser to the Israel Project, contests that characterization.^[21]

Palestinian Authority control (1994-2007)

In accordance with the Oslo Accords, the Palestinian Authority took over the administrative authority of the Gaza Strip (other than the settlement blocs and military areas) in 1994. After the complete Israeli withdrawal of Israeli settlers and military from the Gaza Strip on 12 September 2005, the Palestinian Authority had complete administrative authority in the Gaza Strip. Since the Israeli withdrawal the Rafah Border Crossing has been supervised by EU Border Assistance Mission Rafah under an Agreement finalised in November 2005.^{[citation needed]}

Israel continues to assert control over activities that rely on transit through Israel, as well as air space over and sea access to ports in Gaza. Israel approves all immigration to and emigration from Gaza via Israel, as well as entry by foreigners via Israel, imports and exports via Israel, and collection and reimbursement of value-added tax in Israel.^{[citation needed]}

Violence in the wake of 2006 election

In the Palestinian parliamentary elections held on January 25, 2006, Hamas won a plurality of 42.9% of the total vote and 74 out of 132 total seats (56%).^[22][23] When Hamas assumed power the next month, it refused to recognize international demands that it renounce violence and recognize Israel, and in April, several nations, including the United States and the collective nations of the European Union, responded by cutting off direct aid to the Palestinian government, although some of that money was redirected to humanitarian organizations not affiliated with the government.^[24] The resulting political disorder and economic stagnation led to many Palestinians emigrating from the Gaza Strip.^[25]

In January 2007, fighting errupted between Hamas and Fatah. The deadliest clashes occurred in the northern Gaza Strip, where General Muhammed Gharib, a senior commander of the Fatah-dominated Preventative Security Force, died when a rocket hit his home. Gharib's two daughters and two bodyguards were also killed in the attack, which was carried out by Hamas gunmen.^[26]

At the end of January 2007, a truce was negotiated between Fatah and Hamas.^[27] However, after a few days, new fighting broke out.^[28] Fatah fighters stormed a Hamas-affiliated university in the Gaza Strip. Officers from Abbas' presidential guard battled Hamas gunmen guarding the Hamas-led Interior Ministry.^[29]

In May 2007, new fighting broke out between the factions.^[30] Interior Minister Hani Qawasmi, who had been considered a moderate civil servant acceptable to both factions, resigned due to what he termed harmful behavior by both sides.^[31]

Fighting spread in the Gaza Strip with both factions attacking vehicles and facilities of the other side. In response to constant attacks by rocket fire from the Gaza Strip, Israel launched an air strike which destroyed a building used by Hamas. Ongoing violence prompted fear that it could bring the end of the Fatah-Hamas coalition government, and possibly the end of the Palestinian authority.^[32]

Hamas spokeman Moussa Abu Marzouk placed the blame for the worsening situation in the Strip upon Israel, stating that the constant pressure of economic sanctions upon Gaza resulted in the "real explosion."^[33] Expressions of concerns were received from many Arab leaders, with many offering to try to help by doing some diplomatic work between the two factions.^[34] One journalist wrote an eyewitness account stating:

“

Today I have seen people shot before my eyes, I heard the screams of terrified women and children in a burning building, and I argued with gunmen who wanted to take over my home.I have seen a lot in my years as a journalist in Gaza, but this is the worst it's been.[35]

”

Hamas control (2007-present)

Hamas take-over of the Strip

In June 2007, the Palestinian Civil War between Hamas (Islamic Resistance Movement) and Fatah (Palestine Liberation Movement) intensified. Hamas routed Fatah after winning the democratic election, and by 14 June 2007, the Gaza Strip was completely overrun by Hamas, which effectively controlled the Gaza Strip and proclaimed itself to be the legitimate governmentPalestinian National Authority (PNA). Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas responded by declaring a state of emergency, dissolving the unity government and forming a new government without Hamas participation. PNA security forces in the West Bank arrested a number of Hamas members. of the

Abbas's government won widespread international support. In late June 2008 Egypt, Jordan, and Saudi Arabia said that the West Bank-based Cabinet formed by Abbas was the sole legitimate Palestinian government, and Egypt moved its embassy from Gaza to the West Bank.^[36] The Hamas government in the Gaza Strip faces international, diplomatic, and economic isolation.

However, both Saudi Arabia and Egypt supported reconciliation and the forming of a new unity government, and pressed Abbas to start serious talks with Hamas. Abbas had always conditioned this on Hamas returning control of the Gaza Strip to the Palestinian Authority. Hamas was supported by Syria and Iran, and is believed to have brought in large sums of money from the latter. Hamas fighters are also believed to have received training in Iran.^{[citation needed]}Russia, and in the EU countries, opposition parties and politicians called for a dialogue with Hamas and an end to the economic sanctions. Hamas has been invited to and has visited a number of countries, including

After the takeover, Israel closed its border crossings with Gaza.

Following the refusal by Israel and its allies to recognize the democratic election of Hamas, the EU Border Monitors at the Rafah Crossing were unable to perform their functions under the Agreement, citing security concerns, resulting in the Rafah Crossing being mostly closed.^{[citation needed]}Erez and Karni crossings. Meanwhile, Israeli and Egyptian security reports claimed that Hamas continued smuggling in large quantities of explosives and arms from Egypt through tunnels. Egyptian security forces uncovered 60 tunnels in 2007.^[37] The only land access into the Strip to Israel was via the

Conditions after the Hamas take-over

After Hamas' June victory, it started ousting Fatah-linked officials from positions of power and authority in the Strip (such as government positions, security services, universities, newspapers, etc.) and strove to enforce law in the Strip by progressively removing guns from the hands of peripheral militias, clans, and criminal groups, and gaining control of smuggling tunnels. According to Amnesty International, under Hamas rule, newspapers have been closed down and journalists have been harassed.^[38] Fatah demonstrations have been forbidden or suppressed, as in the case of a large demonstration on the anniversary of Yasser Arafat's death, which resulted in the deaths of seven people, after protesters hurled stones at Hamas security forces.^[39]

Christians were also threatened and assaulted in the Gaza Strip. The owner of a Christian bookshop was abducted and murdered,^[40] and on 15 February 2008, the Christian Youth Organization's library in Gaza City was bombed.^[41] Hamas has used hospitals and other public buildings as staging grounds for attacks and retaliation, ^[42] which has resulted in Fatah responding in kind.^[43]

Hamas and other Gazan militant groups continued to fire Qassam rockets from the Strip across the border into Israel. According to Israel, between the Hamas takeover of the Gaza Strip and the end of January 2008, 697 rockets and 822 mortar bombs were fired at Israeli towns.^[44] In response, Israel targeted Qassam launchers and military targets and on 19 September 2007, declared the Gaza Strip a hostile entity, to make it possible to cut fuel and electricity supplies. In January 2008 the situation escalated; Israel curtailed travel from Gaza, the entry of goods, and cut fuel supplies to the Strip on 19 January 2008, resulting in power shortages. This brought charges that Israel was inflicting collective punishment on the Gaza population, leading to international condemnation. Despite multiple reports from within the Strip that food and other essentials were in extremely short supply,^{[citation needed]} Israel countered that Gaza had enough food and energy supplies for weeks.^[45] In early March 2008, air strikes and ground incursions into the Strip by the IDF led to the deaths of over 110 Palestinians and extensive damage to Jabalia.^[46] The Egyptian border continues to remain closed with no significant international pressure to open it. ^[47]

Barrier breach

Main article: 2008 breach of the Gaza–Egypt border

On 23 January 2008, after months of preparation during which the steel reinforcement of the border barrier was weakened,^[48] Hamas destroyed several parts of the wall dividing Gaza and Egypt in the town of Rafah. Hundreds of thousands of Gazans crossed the border into Egypt seeking food and supplies. Due to the crisis, Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak ordered his troops to allow the Palestinians in but to verify that they did not bring weapons back across the border.^[49] Egypt arrested and later released several armed Hamas militants in the Sinai who presumably wanted to infiltrate into Israel. At the same time, Israel increased its state of alert along the length of the Israel-Egypt Sinai border, and warned its citizens to leave Sinai "without delay."

The EU Border Monitors indicated their readiness to return to monitor the border, should Hamas guarantee their safety; while the Palestinian Authority demanded that Egypt deal only with the Authority in negotiations relating to borders. Israel eased up some influx of goods and medical supplies to the strip, but it curtailed electricity by 5% in one of its ten lines, while Hamas and Egypt shored up some of the gaping holes between the two areas.^[50] The first attempts by Egypt to reclose the border were met by violent clashes with Gaza gunmen, but after 12 days the borders were sealed again.^{[citation needed]}

By mid-February the Rafah crossing remained closed.^[51] In February 2008 an Haaretz poll indicated that 64% of Israelis favour their government holding direct talks with Hamas in Gaza about a cease-fire and to secure the release of Gilad Shalit,^[52] an Israeli soldier who was abducted in a cross border raid by Palestinian militants on 25 June 2006 and has been held hostage since.^[53][54][55]

Conflict continues

In February 2008, Israeli-Palestinian fighting intensified with rockets launched at Israeli cities and Israel attacking Palestinian militants. An increase in rocket attacks led to a heavy Israeli military action on 1 March 2008, resulting in over 100 Palestinians being killed according to BBC News, as well as two Israeli soldiers. Israeli human rights group B'Tselem estimated that 45 of those killed were not involved in hostilities, and 15 were minors.^[56]

After a round of tit-for-tat arrests between Fatah and Hamas in the Gaza strip and West Bank, the Hilles clan from Gaza were relocated to Jericho on 4 August 2008.^[57]

Claiming specific intelligence reports, on 4 November 2008, Israel invaded the southern part of Gaza near the Rafah refugee camp, killing six people and seizing six others. It is believed that many of the tunnels that serve to import weapons into Gaza were destroyed. Hamas responded by recommencing the firing of home-made rockets.

Retiring Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said on 11 November 2008, "The question is not whether there will be a confrontation, but when it will take place, under what circumstances, and who will control these circumstances, who will dictate them, and who will know to exploit the time from the beginning of the ceasefire until the moment of confrontation in the best possible way.”

On 14 November 2008, Gaza was blockaded by Israel in response to the retaliatory rocket and mortar attacks by Hamas and other militant groups operating inside Gaza, ^[58] however food, power and water can still enter from Egypt if the Egyptian authorities allow it.

After a 24-hour period in which not a single Qassam rocket or mortar was fired into Israel, on 24 November 2008 the IDF facilitated the transfer of over 30 truckloads of food, basic supplies and medicine into the Gaza Strip, and it also transferred fuel to the main power plant of the area. ^[59] On 25 November 2008 Israel closed its cargo crossing with Gaza due to two rockets being shot at Israel. ^[60]

Current situation

Main article: 2008–2009 Israel–Gaza conflict

On 27 December 2008^[61], Israeli F-16 strike fighters launched a series of airstrikes against targets in Gaza. Struck were militant bases, a mosque, various Hamas government buildings, and a science building in the Islamic University in the Gaza Strip. Strikes against Hamas have resulted in civilian casualties. The attack was a response to Hamas rocket attacks on southern Israel, which totaled over 3000 in 2008 and which intensified during the few weeks preceding the operation. The UN and Palestinian medical staff said at least 434 Palestinians were killed and at least 2800 wounded, including Hamas militants and civilians, in the first five days of Israeli strikes on Gaza. Israel began a ground invasion of the Gaza strip on 3 January 2009. ^[62]

Geography

The Gaza Strip is located in the Middle East (at 31°25'N 34°20'E? / ?31.417, 34.333Coordinates: 31°25'N 34°20'E? / ?31.417, 34.333). It has a 51 kilometers (32 mi) border with Israel, and an 11 km border with Egypt, near the city of Rafah. Khan Yunis is located 7 kilometers (4 mi) northeast of Rafah, and several towns around Deir el-Balah are located along the coast between it and Gaza City. Beit Lahia and Beit Hanoun are located to the north and northeast of Gaza City, respectively. The Gush Katif bloc of Israeli localities used to exist on the sand dunes adjacent to Rafah and Khan Yunis, along the southwestern edge of the 40 kilometers (25 mi) Mediterranean coastline.

Gaza strip has a temperate climate, with mild winters, and dry, hot summers subject to drought. The terrain is flat or rolling, with dunes near the coast. The highest point is Abu 'Awdah (Joz Abu 'Auda), at 105 meters (344 ft) above sea level. Natural resources include arable land (about a third of the strip is irrigated), and recently discovered natural gas. Environmental issues include desertification; salination of fresh water; sewage treatment; water-borne disease; soil degradation; and depletion and contamination of underground water resources.

The Strip currently holds the oldest known remains of a man-made bonfire, and some of the world's oldest dated human skeletons. It occupies territory similar to that of ancient Philistia, and is occasionally known by that name.

Demographics

In 2007 approximately 1.4 million Palestinians live in the Gaza Strip, of whom almost 1.0 million are UN-registered refugees.^[63] The majority of the Palestinians are descendants of refugees who fled from their homes during the 1948 Arab-Israeli War.^{[citation needed]} The Strip's population has continued to increase since that time, one of the main reasons being a total fertility rate of more than 5 children per woman. In a ranking by total fertility rate, this places Gaza 19th of 222 regions.^[64]

The vast majority of the population are Sunni Muslims, with an estimated 2,000 to 3,000 Christians.^[65] In December 2007, Israel has permitted 400 Gaza Christians to travel through Israel to Bethlehem for Christmas. While they are strictly travel permits, many Christian families are taking the opportunity to settle in the West Bank, despite the illegality.^{[citation needed]}

One of the largest foreign communities in the Gaza Strip was the approximately 500 women from the former Soviet Union. During the Soviet era, the Communist Party subsidized university studies for thousands of students from Yemen, Egypt, Syria and the territories. Some of them got married during their studies and brought their Russian and Ukrainian spouses back home. However, over half of them were able to leave the Strip via the Erez crossing to Amman within days of Hamas's takeover. From there they have flown back to Eastern Europe.^[66]

Economy

Economic output in the Gaza Strip declined by about one-third between 1992 and 1996. This downturn has been variously attributed to corruption and mismanagement by Yasser Arafat, and to Israeli closure policies. An important hindrance to economic development is the lack of a sea harbour. A harbour was built in Gaza city with help from France and the Netherlands, but was regularly bombed by Israel.^{[citation needed]} As a result, any international transports (both trade and aid) have to go through Israel, which are hindered by the imposition of generalized border closures. These also disrupted previously established labor and commodity market relationships between Israel and the Strip. A serious negative social effect of this downturn was the emergence of high unemployment.

Israel's use of comprehensive closures decreased during the next few years and, in 1998, Israel implemented new policies to reduce the impact of closures and other security procedures on the movement of Palestinian goods and labor into Israel. These changes fueled an almost three-year-long economic recovery in the Gaza Strip. Recovery ended with the outbreak of the al-Aqsa Intifada in the last quarter of 2000. The al-Aqsa Intifada triggered tight IDF closures of the border with Israel, as well as frequent curbs on traffic in Palestinian self-rule areas, severely disrupting trade and labor movements. In 2001, and even more severely in early 2002, internal turmoil and Israeli military measures in Palestinian Authority areas resulted in the destruction of capital plant and administrative structure, widespread business closures, and a sharp drop in GDP. Another major factor has been the decline of income earned due to reduction in the number of Gazans permitted entry to work in Israel. After the Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, the flow of a limited number of workers into Israel again resumed, although Israel has stated its intention to reduce or end such permits due to the victory of Hamas in the 2006 parliamentary elections.

The Israeli settlers of Gush Katif built greenhouses and experimented with new forms of agriculture. These greenhouses also provided employment for many hundred Gazan Palestinians. When Israel withdrew from the Gaza Strip in the Summer of 2005, the greenhouses were purchased with money raised by former World Bank president James Wolfensohn, and given to the Palestinian people to jump-start their economy. However, the effort faltered due to limited water supply, inability to export produce due to Israeli border restrictions, and corruption in the Palestinian Authority. Many Palestinian companies have been repairing Greenhouses damaged and looted in the process of Israeli withdrawal.^[67]

According to the CIA World Factbook, GDP in 2001 declined 35% to a per capita income of $625 a year, and 60% of the population is now below the poverty line. Gaza Strip industries are generally small family businesses that produce textiles, soap, olive-wood carvings, and mother-of-pearl souvenirs; the Israelis have established some small-scale modern industries in an industrial center. Israel supplies the Gaza Strip with electricity. The main agricultural products are olives, citrus, vegetables, Halal beef, and dairy products. Primary exports are citrus and cut flowers, while primary imports are food, consumer goods, and construction materials. The main trade partners of the Gaza Strip are Israel, Egypt, and the West Bank.

Before the second Palestinian uprising broke out in September 2000, around 25,000 workers from the Gaza Strip used to work in Israel every day.^[68]

Israel, the United States, Canada, and the European Union have frozen all funds to the Palestinian government after the formation of a Hamas-controlled government after its victory in the 2006 Palestinian legislative election. They view the group as a terrorist organization, and have pressured Hamas to recognize Israel, renounce violence, and agree to past agreements. Since Israel's withdrawal and its subsequent blockade, the gross domestic product of the Gaza Strip has been crippled. The enterprise and industry of the former Jewish villages has been impaired, and the previously established work relationships between Israel and the Gaza Strip have been disrupted. Job opportunities in Israel for Gaza Palestinians have been largely lost. Prior to disengagement, 120,000 Palestinians from Gaza were employed in Israel or in joint projects. Only about 20,000 have been able to keep these jobs.^{[citation needed]}

After the seizure by Hamas militias of the Gaza Strip on 14 June 2007, all contact between the outside world and the Strip has been severed. The only goods permitted into the Strip through the land crossings are goods of a humanitarian nature.

Health

A study carried out by Johns Hopkins University (U.S.) and Al-Quds University (in Jerusalem) for CARE International in late 2002 revealed very high levels of dietary deficiency among the Palestinian population. The study found that 17.5% of children aged 6–59 months suffered from chronic malnutrition. 53% of women of reproductive age and 44% of children were found to be anemic. In the aftermath of the Israeli withdrawal of August and September 2005, the healthcare system in Gaza continues to face severe challenges.^[69] After the Hamas takeover of the Gaza Strip and the subsequent Israeli declaration of Gaza Strip as a "hostile entity", the health conditions in Gaza Strip faces new challenges exacerbated by the intensified Israeli closure. The WHO expressed its concerns about the consequences of the Palestinian internal political fragmentation; the socioeconomic decline; military actions; and the physical, psychological and economic isolation on the health of the population in Gaza.^[70]

Gazans requiring medical care in Israeli hospitals have to apply for a medical permit. In 2007, Israel granted 7176 permits and denied 1627. Two women who had received permits were arrested at the crossing when it was found they had plans to blow themselves up in the Israeli hospital.^[71]

Religion

Adherents of Islam makes up 99.3 percent of the population and 0.7 percent of the population come from the Christian community.^[72]

Transport and communication

The Gaza Strip has a small, poorly developed road network. It also had a single standard gaugeEgyptian railway system to the south, as well as the Israeli system to the north. railway line running the entire length of the Strip from north to south along its center; however, it is abandoned, in disrepair, and little trackage remains. The line once connected to the

The strip's one port was never completed after the outbreak of the al-Aqsa Intifada. Its airport, the Gaza International Airport, opened on 24 November 1998, as part of agreements stipulated in the Oslo II Accord and the 23 October 1998 Wye River Memorandum. The airport was closed in October 2000 by Israeli orders, and its runway was destroyed by the Israel Defense Forces in December 2001. It has since been renamed Yasser Arafat International Airport.

The Gaza Strip has rudimentary land line telephone service provided by an open-wire system, as well as extensive mobile telephone services provided by PalTel (Jawwal), or Israeli providers such as Cellcom. Gaza is serviced by four internet service providers that now compete for ADSLpersonal computer.^{[citation needed]} People living in Gaza have access to FTA satellite programs, broadcast TV from the Palestinian Broadcasting Corporation, the Israel Broadcasting Authority, and the Second Israeli Broadcasting Authority. and dial-up customers. Most Gaza households have a radio and a TV (70%+), and approximately 20% have a

See also

Israel West Bank Israeli-Palestinian conflict Political status of the West Bank and Gaza Strip Smuggling tunnels

Israel's unilateral disengagement plan 2006 Israel-Gaza conflict Palestinian Civil War Gaza ghetto

References

• This article contains material from the CIA World Factbook which, as a U.S. government publication, is in the public domain.

1. ^ Ynet news
2. ^ CIA World Fact Book - Gaza Strip
3. ^ Remondino (June 5, 2007). "Gaza at the crossroads of civilisations" (PDF). Exhibition: Gaza at the crossroads of civilisations (27 April to 7 October, 2007). Art and History Museum, Geneva, Switzerland. Retrieved on 2008-01-23.
4. ^ Jacob Savage (June 20, 2007). "The three-state solution", Los Angeles Times. 
5. ^ ^{a b} Encarta
6. ^ Palestine Mandate
7. ^ Jewish Virtual Library [1] Paying the Price for Peace
8. ^ The History Channel
9. ^ The scope of Israeli control in the Gaza Strip, B'Tselem.
10. ^ The Atlantic
11. ^ Occupation and international humanitarian law: questions and answers, International Committee of the Red Cross, 2004.
12. ^ ^{a b} Dore Gold, JCPA Legal Acrobatics: The Palestinian Claim that Gaza is Still "Occupied" Even After Israel Withdraws, Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs, Vol. 5, No. 3, August 26, 2005.
13. ^ International Law and Gaza: The Assault on Israel's Right to Self-Defense, Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs, Vol. 7, No. 29 28 January 2008.
14. ^ Israeli MFA Address by Israeli Foreign Minister Livni to the 8th Herzliya Conference, Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Israel), January 22, 2008.
15. ^ Panelists Disagree Over Gaza’s Occupation Status, University of Virginia School of Law, November 17, 2005.
16. ^ "Israel: 'Disengagement' Will Not End Gaza Occupation" Human Rights Watch. October 29, 2004
17. ^ "Human Rights Council Special Session on the Occupied Palestinian Territories" July 6, 2006"
18. ^ Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs office on Occupied Palestinian Territory web site.
19. ^ Summary of the Advisory Opinion: Legal Consequences of the Construction of a Wall in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, International Court of Justice, July 9, 2004.
20. ^ Richard Falk, Statement by Prof. Richard Falk, United Nations Special Rapporteur for Human Rights in the Occupied Territories, United Nations Human Rights Council, December 27, 2008.
21. ^ A Debate on Israel’s Invasion of Gaza: UNRWA’s Christopher Gunness v. Israel Project’s Meagan Buren, Democracy Now, January 05, 2009.
22. ^ Counting underway in Palestinian elections, International Herald Tribune, 1/25/2006.
23. ^ Election officials reduce Hamas seats by two, ABC News Online, 1/30/2006.
24. ^http://www.nytimes.com/2006/04/08/world/middleeast/08hamas.html?scp=4&sq=aid&st=nyt [ U.S. and Europe Halt Aid to Palestinian Government, 4/8/2006
25. ^ More Palestinians flee homelands, Sarah El Deeb, Associated Press, December 9, 2006.
26. ^ Hamas, Fatah continue clashes; 8 killed, jpost.com, 1/3/07.
27. ^ Palestinian Cease-Fire Holds on 1st Day, Ibrahim Barzak, 1/31/07, Associated Press; Cease-Fire Starts Taking Hold in Gaza Ibrahim Barzak, 1/30/07, Associated Press.
28. ^ Hamas attacks convoy Associated Press, 2/1/07.
29. ^ Gaza erupts in fatal clashes after truce, Associated Press, 2/2/07.
30. ^ Hamas kills 8 in Gaza border clash, By Ibrahim Barzak, Associated Press Writer, 5/15/07.
31. ^ Top Palestinian security official quits By Sarah El Deeb, Associated Press, 5/14/07; Resignation deepens Gaza crisis, BBC, 5/14/07.

32. ^ Israel attacks in Gaza amid factional violence, by Nidal al-Mughrabi, Associated Press, 5/16/07.
33. ^ Hamas Blames World, Associated Press, 5/16/07.
34. ^ Gaza bloodshed alarms West's Arab allies by Hala Boncompagni, Associated Press, 5/16/07.
35. ^ Eyewitness: Carnage in Gaza, By Ibrahim Barzak, Asoociated Press, (via Jpost website), 5/16/07.
36. ^ Ha'aretz
37. ^ [2]
38. ^ "Torn apart by factional strife". Amnesty International (24 October 2007). Retrieved on 2007-10-23.
39. ^ Hamas kills seven at Arafat rally in Gaza , AFP, (via SBS World News Australia), 11/13/07.
40. ^ [3]
41. ^ [4]
42. ^ http://news.aol.com/article/hezbollah-like-tactic-used-by-hamas/291104
43. ^ http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/868784.html
44. ^ Israeli MFA
45. ^ Ynet news
46. ^ Dozens die in Israel-Gaza clashes BBC News. 2 March 2008.
47. ^http://washingtontimes.com/news/2008/dec/30/militants-attack-egypt-refuses-open-border/
48. ^ Ha'aretz
49. ^ {{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7205668.stm|title=Egypt 'won't force Gazans back'|publisher=BBC News|date=23 January 2008|accessdate=2008-01-23}}
50. ^ Abu Toameh, Khaled (January 29, 2008). "Fatah, Hamas fight for border control", Jerusalem Post. Retrieved on 4 January 2009. 
51. ^ Maan news
52. ^ Yossi Verter (2008-02-27). "Poll: Most Israelis back direct talks with Hamas on Shalit", Haaretz. Retrieved on 27 February 2008. 
53. ^ 'Israelis threaten a broader action' by Ian Fisher and Steven Erlanger, International Herald Tribune
54. ^ Gilad Shalit's birthday marked
55. ^ 'Militants issue Israel hostage demands'(CNN)
56. ^ Israeli Gaza operation 'not over'
57. ^ Jerusalem Post 4 August 2008 IDF: Hilles clan won't boost terrorism by Yaacov Katz And Khaled Abu Toameh
58. ^http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-gaza14-2008nov14,0,5998371.story
59. ^http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1226404825125&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull
60. ^http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1226404835055&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull
61. ^ http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/28/world/middleeast/28mideast.html
62. ^http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/2009/01/03/world/international-palestinians-israel.html
63. ^ UNRWA: palestine refugees
64. ^ CIA.gov
65. ^ Middle East Christians: Gaza pastor BBC News, 21 December 2005
66. ^ Jpost
67. ^ Thanassis Cambanis (2005-10-31). "Greenhouses in Gaza symbolize Palestinian hopes and barriers". Boston Globe.
68. ^ AFP
69. ^ http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm//lf_nm/mideast_gaza_health_dc
70. ^ WHO | WHO statement on the situation in the Gaza Strip
71. ^ Berg, Raffi. Israel's dilemma over sick Gazans. BBC News, April 30 2008
72. ^ the World Factbook

External links

General

• Gaza Strip entry at The World Factbook
• Palestinian Territories at the United States Department of State
• Gaza Strip at UCB Libraries GovPubs
• Gaza Strip at the Open Directory Project
• Gaza.net directory of Palestinian related websites

Maps

• Gaza Strip at Google Maps
• 1991 Map of the Gaza Strip showing roads and Israeli towns
• 1999 Map of the Gaza Strip (annotated photo)

Other

• B'Tselem The Israeli Information Center for Human Rights in the Occupied Territories on the status of Gaza since the disengagement.
• Bregman, Ahron (2002). Israel's Wars: A History Since 1947. London: Routledge. ISBN 978-0415287166 - on Google Book Search
• Ward, Richard J. (1977). The Palestine State: A Rational Approach. London: National University Publications. ISBN 978-0804691598
• Nutritional Assessment of the West Bank and Gaza StripPDF (72.0 bytes)
• Gaza women join Hamas fighters by Khaled Abu Toameh, published in the Jerusalem Post August 21, 2005.
• Rashdan, Abdelrahman (2008-04-29), Myths and Facts about Gaza (FAQs)IslamOnline.net
• Israel and Palestine: A Brief History - MidEast Web for Coexistence
• Special: Gaza kidnapping Israeli News - Ynetnews English version of Yedioth Ahronoth
• History of Gaza from Aldameer
• War Enters the Classrooms - the consequences of the Mideast conflict for the children of the Gaza Strip, by Inter Press Service, February 5, 2007
• "Gaza Still Occupied" by Mazan Human Rights organizationPDF (29.6 KiB)
• Hamas In Control of Gaza Strip
• New Palestinian Cabinet Sworn In

Cities in Palestinian National Authority areas
West Bank

Israel

Israel (Hebrew: ??????????, Yisra'el; Arabic: ????????, Isra'il) officially the State of IsraelHebrew: ???????? ?????????? (help·info), Medinat Yisra'el; Arabic: ???????? ????????????, Dawlat Isra'il), is a state in Western Asia located on the eastern edge of the Mediterranean Sea. It borders Lebanon in the north, Syria in the northeast, Jordan in the east, and Egypt on the southwest, and contains geographically diverse features within its relatively small area.^[5] The West Bank and Gaza Strip are also adjacent. With a population of about 7.28 million,^[3] the majority of whom are Jews, Israel is the world's only Jewish state.^[6] It is also home to other ethnic groups, including most numerously Arab citizens of Israel, as well as many religious groups including Muslims, Christians, Druze, Samaritans and others. (

The modern state of Israel has its roots in the Land of Israel (Eretz Yisrael), a concept central to Judaism since ancient times,^[7] and the heartland of the ancient Kingdom of Judah to which modern Jews are usually attributed. After World War I, the League of Nations approved the British Mandate of Palestine with the intent of creating a "national home for the Jewish people."^[8] In 1947, the United Nations approved the partition of Palestine into two states, one Jewish and one Arab.^[9] On May 14, 1948 the state of Israel declared independence and this was followed by a war with the surrounding Arab states, which refused to accept the plan. The Israelis were subsequently victorious in a series of wars confirming their independence and expanding the borders of the Jewish state beyond those in the UN Partition Plan. Since then, Israel has been in conflict with many of the neighboring Arab countries, resulting in several major wars and decades of violence that continue to this day.^[10] Since its foundation, Israel's boundaries and even the State's very right to exist have been subject to dispute, especially among its Arab neighbors. Israel has signed peace treaties with Egypt and Jordan, and efforts are being made to reach a permanent accord with the Palestinians.^[11] However several countries, including Syria and Iran, refuse to recognise Israel's right to exist.

Israel is a representative democracy with a parliamentary system and universal suffrage.^[12][13] The Prime Minister serves as head of government and the Knesset serves as Israel's legislative body. In terms of nominal gross domestic product, the nation's economy is estimated as being the 44th-largest in the world.^[14] Israel ranks highest among Middle Eastern countries on the bases of human development,^[15] freedom of the press,^[16] and economic competitiveness.^[17] Jerusalem is the country's capital, seat of government, and largest city, while Israel's main financial center is Tel Aviv.^[1]

Etymology

Over the past three thousand years, the name "Israel" has meant in common and religious usage both the Land of Israel and the entire Jewish nation.^[18] According to the Bible, Jacob is renamed Israel after successfully wrestling with an angel of God.^[19]

The earliest archaeological artifact to mention "Israel" (other than as a personal name) is the Merneptah Stele of ancient Egypt (dated the late 13th century BCE), where it refers to the people of the land.^[20] The modern country was named Medinat Yisrael, or the State of Israel, after other proposed names, including Eretz Israel ("the Land of Israel"), Zion, and Judea, were rejected.^[21] In the early weeks of independence, the government chose the term "Israeli" to denote a citizen of Israel, with the formal announcement made by Minister of Foreign AffairsMoshe Sharett.^[22]

History

The Land of Israel, known in Hebrew as Eretz Yisrael, has been sacred to the Jewish people since Biblical times. According to the Torah, the Land of Israel was promised to the three Patriarchs of the Jewish people, by God, as their homeland;^[23][24] scholars have placed this period in the early 2nd millennium BCE.^[25] According to the traditional view, around the 11th century BCE, the first of a series of Israelite kingdoms and states established rule over the region; these Israelite kingdoms and states ruled intermittently for the following one thousand years.^[26] The sites holiest to Judaism are located within Israel.

Between the time of the Israelite kingdoms and the 7th-century Muslim conquests, the Land of Israel fell under Assyrian, Babylonian, Persian, Greek, Roman, Sassanian, and Byzantine^[27] Jewish presence in the region dwindled after the failure of the Bar Kokhba revoltRoman Empire in 132 CE and the resultant large-scale expulsion of Jews. In 628/9, the Byzantine Emperor Heraclius conducted a massacre and expulsion of the Jews, at which point the Jewish population probably reached its lowest point. Nevertheless, a continuous Jewish presence in the Land of Israel remained. Although the main Jewish population shifted from the Judea region to the Galilee,^[28] the Mishnah and part of the Talmud, among Judaism's most important religious texts, were composed in Israel during this period.^[29] The Land of Israel was captured from the Byzantine Empire around 636 CE during the initial Muslim conquests. Control of the region transferred between the Umayyads,^[30] Abbasids,^[31] and Crusaders over the next six centuries, before falling in the hands of the Mamluk Sultanate, in 1260. In 1516, the Land of Israel became a part of the Ottoman Empire, which ruled the region until the 20th century.^[32] rule. against the

                  NOWHERE TO RUN
                        "We just decided enough is enough … this is self-defence"

 
                    
NOWHERE TO RUN: Palestinians in Gaza have no way to escape the attacks by Israel, which have claimed almost 700 lives. Israel says it has sent in ground troops to minimise civilian casualties as it targets Hamas military infrastructure Picture: KHALIL HAMRA/AP
From The Times
Getting in the way of Gaza war
http://www.thetimes.co.za/News/Article.aspx?id=914061 Jan 8 2009

Israel claims civilians in Gaza are the victims of Hamas, writes Nkululeko Ncana

PALESTINIANS in Gaza are caught between a rock and a hard place, as the saying goes. The Israeli government argues that Hamas militants are holding civilians hostage and using them as human shields, resulting in soaring casualties, many of whom are children.

The Israeli government remains unapologetic for its decision to attack Gaza. Despite a flurry of criticism from around the world, it has intensified its attacks with the aim of destroying Hamas infrastructure used to house arms and ammunition.

During a working political meeting with the European Union this week, Israeli President Shimon Peres told foreign ministers his country was not in the business of improving its image but of “fighting a comprehensive war against murderous terror”.

He argued that no European country would sit back and accept the slaughter of its citizens by unprovoked attacks.

“Hamas is a terror organisation of the worst order that uses its population of women and children as human shields,” Peres said.

But EU commissioner for external relations Benita Ferraro-Waldner said that, as much as every nation has the right to protect itself and its citizens, Israel had used way too much force in Gaza in its attempt to destroy Hamas military bases.

“… Mr President, you have a serious problem with international advocacy, and that Israel’s image is being destroyed,” Ferraro-Waldner said.

The Israeli government has turned a blind eye to the harsh criticism of its attacks on Gaza, dismissing them as “one-sided, unbalanced views”.

Israel’s ambassador to South Africa, Dov Segev-Steinberg, says that while the world is crying foul and accusing it of dis proportionate attacks, Gaza would have been flattened if it had gone on a full attack.

“If we had gone with our full might into Gaza, the situation would have been much worse. We just decided that enough is enough and had to protect our people. They were being killed without reason …this is self-defence.”

The attacks are to continue.

Segev-Steinberg says the only time his government will desist from attacking Gaza is the day Hamas halts the shelling of his country — until then, it will “fight fire with fire”.

Unfortunately, the body count is on the increase and the Palestinians in Gaza are stuck with a conundrum — forced loyalty to Hamas and the desire for peace.

Reports from Gaza say Hamas is firing rockets from people’s backyards and any attempt to question them is tantamount to treason.

A ccording to Segev-Steinberg, this is one of the reasons Israel has sent in ground troops, to get close to targets and minimise casualties.

Segev-Steinberg says Israeli surveillance has shown that missiles are being launched in many instances from civilian homes, schools and mosques.

“It’s difficult to avoid civilian casualties in this instance because, despite the area being densely populated, Hamas is using the people of Gaza to shield themselves and hide arms and ammunition.”

The ambassador vows that Israel will not stop its operation as long as Hamas’s military infrastructure is intact.

“We have made serious progress in destabilising Hamas because most of the strategic infrastructure has been destroyed.

“It is a matter of time before they realise that they have been defeated and will not be able to continue their fight against Israel,” Segev- Steinberg says.

Israel yesterday agreed to temporarily cease fire in the Gaza Strip to allow those living there to stock up on necessities and to allow humanitarian aid to reach the affected.

During the ceasefire, Israeli politicians were pondering whether to accept a truce proposal by Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, who called for an urgent meeting of both sides to plan an end to military action and deal with the root causes of the attacks that have left almost 700 people dead.

The most unfortunate part about this war between Israel and Hamas is that the civilians in Gaza have had nowhere to run. And even with the strongest of condemnations, the attacks are unlikely to be called off any time soon.

The least that can be done for the civilian population, which is the most affected in any war, is to try to get the sides negotiating.

But that is a long shot because neither Israel nor Hamas is willing to be the first to lay down arms.

Wild weekend party time for ANC  

Botha sad to hang up gloves 

Former presidents snub the party?  

Fifth ATM blasted at dawn 

Fighting fury of fraud accused

Audio
llivan blasts Selebi

Smith: Morne dressed me

Smith shows courage

DA calls for matric exams inquiry

Hamas

Hamas (???? ?amas, an acronym of ???? ???????? ????????? ?arakat al-Muqawamat al-Islamiyyah, meaning "Islamic Resistance Movement") is a Palestinian Sunni Islamist paramilitaryorganization and political party which holds a majority of seats in the elected legislative council of the Palestinian National Authority.^[1]

Hamas was created in 1987 by Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, Abdel Aziz al-Rantissi andMohammad Taha of the Palestinian wing of the Muslim Brotherhood at the beginning of theFirst Intifada. Notorious for its numerous suicide bombings and other attacks^[2] on Israelicivilians and security forces, Hamas also runs extensive social programs^[3] and has gained popularity in Palestinian society by establishing hospitals, education systems, libraries and other services^[4] throughout the West Bank and Gaza Strip.^[3] Hamas' charter calls for the destruction of the State of Israel and its replacement with a Palestinian Islamic state in the area that is now Israel, the West Bank, and the Gaza Strip.^[5] Hamas describes its conflict with Israel as political and not religious^[6] or antisemitic.^[7] However, its founding charter, writings, and many of its public statements^[8] reflect the influence of antisemitic conspiracy theories.^[9]

Hamas's political wing has won many local elections in Gaza, Qalqilya, and Nablus. In January 2006, Hamas won a surprise victory in the Palestinian parliamentary elections, taking 76 of the 132 seats in the chamber, while the previous ruling Fatah party took 43.^[10] Many perceived the preceding Fatah government as corrupt and ineffective, and Hamas's supporters see it as an "armed resistance"^[11] movement defending Palestinians from the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories.^[12] However, since Hamas's election victory, particularly sharp infighting has occurred between Hamas and Fatah.^[13][14]

Following the Battle of Gaza in June of 2007, elected Hamas officials were ousted from their positions in the Palestinian National Authoritygovernment in the West Bank, replaced by rival Fatah members and independents in an action that many Palestinians and other experts considered illegal.^[15][16] On 18 June 2007, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas (Fatah) issued a decree outlawing the Hamas militia and executive force.^[17]

Hamas is listed as a terrorist organization by Canada,^[18] the European Union,^{[19][20][21][22]} Israel,^[23] Japan,^[24] and the United States,^[25]and is banned in Jordan.^[26] Australia^[27] and the United Kingdom^[28] list only the military wing of Hamas, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, as a terrorist organization. The United States and the European Union have both implemented restrictive measures against Hamas on an international level.^[19][29]

Hamas
???? ???????? ?????????

Leader Khaled Mashaal, Ismail Haniyah, Mahmoud Zahar

Founded 1987 Ideology

Palestinian nationalism,

Sunni Islamism,

Bodies of Palestinians are laid out at Shifa hospital in Gaza after Israeli missile strikes. Photograph: Suhaib Salem/Reuters

Israel launches deadly Gaza attacks

• Death toll nears 200 after air raids aimed at Hamas bases
• Campaign will 'expand as necessary', says Israeli defence minister

• Jenny Percival and agencies
• guardian.co.uk, Saturday 27 December 2008 15.54 GMT
• Article history

Bodies of Palestinians are laid out at Shifa hospital in Gaza after Israeli missile strikes. Photograph: Suhaib Salem/Reuters

Nearly 200 Palestinians have been killed and hundreds injured after the Israeli air force launched dozens of air raids on the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip.

Palestinian health officials said at least 195 people were killed and more than 250 wounded in one of the bloodiest days for decades in the long-running Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Many were members of the security forces of the Islamic group Hamas, but civilians were also killed.

In an indication of how the operation may yet expand, the Israeli defence minister, Ehud Barak, said Israel's air offensive against militant sites in Gaza "will widen as necessary". He told a news conference: "There is a time for calm and there is a time for fighting, and now is the time for fighting. The operation will expand as necessary." It was unclear if this would include a ground offensive.

The Israeli military said it attacked "terrorist infrastructure". Hamas vowed to avenge what it called "the Israeli slaughter" and Palestinian militants responded with rocket salvos that killed an Israeli man and wounded others.

The strikes come just over a week after a six-month ceasefire between Israel and Hamas expired, and follow a series of warnings by Israeli officials that they were planning an operation in response to rockets fired into Israeli towns and villages by Hamas and other militant groups based in Gaza. More than 50 rockets have been launched from Gaza in recent days, according to Israeli military officials. Israel yesterday reopened crossings into the Gaza Strip, allowing in humanitarian aid after an eight-day closure, in what has been seen as an attempt to pre-empt international criticism ahead of today's attacks.

Despite the warnings, the timing and scale of the assault came as a surprise to many residents of Gaza. The raids had been expected to begin tomorrow, and the fact that they took place mid-morning rather than at night meant many official buildings and schools were full. Some of the missiles struck densely populated areas as children were leaving school. Parents rushed into the streets to search for them.

Television footage from Gaza showed bodies scattered on a road and the dead and wounded being carried away. Civilians rushed to the targeted areas and tried to move the wounded in their cars to hospital.

Hamas said it would seek revenge, including launching new rocket attacks on Israel and sending suicide bombers to Israel. "Hamas will continue the resistance until the last drop of blood," said a Hamas spokesman, Fawzi Barhoum, speaking on a Gaza radio station.

Residents reported hearing two waves of explosions, with at least 15 blasts in the first wave. Plumes of black smoke billowed over Gaza, where the dead and wounded lay scattered on the ground after air strikes destroyed Palestinian security compounds, including two where Hamas was hosting graduation ceremonies for new recruits.

One man sat in the middle of a street in Gaza City close to a security compound, slapping his face and covering his head with dust from the bombed-out building. "My son is gone, my son is gone," said Sadi Masri, 57. The shopkeeper said he sent his son out to buy cigarettes minutes before the air strikes and could not find him. "May I burn like the cigarettes, may Israel burn," Masri said.

International reaction has been swift, with many world leaders calling for an immediate ceasefire. "We are very concerned at the events in Gaza. We call for an immediate ceasefire and urge everybody to exert maximum restraint," said a spokesman for Javier Solana, the EU foreign policy chief.

The Foreign Office said it was "deeply concerned by the reports of deaths and injuries of innocent civilians" in Gaza. A spokesman said: "The only way to achieve peace in Gaza is through peaceful means. While we understand the Israeli government's obligation to protect its population we urge maximum restraint to avoid further civilian casualties. We also call on militants in the Gaza Strip to immediately cease all rocket attacks on Israel."

The United States urged Israel to avoid civilian casualties, although it did not call for an end to the Israeli strikes. "Hamas's continued rocket attacks into Israel must cease if the violence is to stop. Hamas must end its terrorist activities if it wishes to play a role in the future of the Palestinian people," said a White House spokesman, Gordon Johndroe. "The United States urges Israel to avoid civilian casualties as it targets Hamas in Gaza."

Arab foreign ministers will meet in Cairo tomorrow or Monday to take a common position on the Israeli raids. Libya, the only Arab country on the UN security council, would seek an urgent meeting, said the Arab League secretary general, Amr Moussa. "We are facing a continuing spectacle which has been carefully planned. So we have to expect that there will be many casualties. We face a major humanitarian catastrophe," Moussa said.

In the West Bank, the moderate Palestinian president, Mahmoud Abbas, said in a statement that he "condemns this aggression" and called for restraint.

In a statement, the Israeli Defence Force (IDF) said the attacks were in retaliation for "the continuation of terrorist activity by the Hamas terror organisation from the Gaza Strip, and the continuation of rocket launching and targeting Israeli civilians". The strikes were based on recent intelligence and aimed at Hamas terror operations emanating from its headquarters, training camps and weapons warehouses, according to the IDF statement.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/dec/27/israelandthepalestinians

7 Jan 2009

Simon Tisdall: At last, France and others are filling the diplomatic vacuum in the present Gaza conflict

7 Jan 2009

Ian Black looks at the latest developments in the Gaza Strip

6 Jan 2009

Khalid Mish'al: This brutality will never break our will to be free

6 Jan 2009

Lessons of Lebanon may have been learned, but even sophisticated arms kill civilians as risks of urban warfare loom

Palestine: Israel Attacks Schools, Ambulances

Israel bombed 'safe' house with evacuees, says UN

United Nations accuses Israeli forces of evacuating 110 Palestinians into a Gaza house and then shelling it.

09 Jan 2009

UN calls for immediate ceasefire in Gaza

The UN Security Council has called for an "immediate, durable" ceasefire in the Gaza Strip leading to the "full withdrawal" of Israeli forces, in a vote that the United States abstained from.

09 Jan 2009

Israeli conflict on the web