"For over five years in Gaza, more than 1.6 million people have been under blockade in violation of international law. More than half of these people are children. We the undersigned say with one voice: 'End the blockade now’.”
With this brief statement, the NGOs not only denounce the illegality of the blockade, but they also point to its human cost and punitive character.
Israel first imposed the blockade in 2001 and tightened it in 2007, the year that Hamas took control of the strip following its victory in the 2006 legislative elections and civil infighting with Fateh following an unsuccessful coup that left hundreds dead on both sides. With Fateh out of the picture, Israel was left without its chosen interlocutors from the Palestinian Authority and fearing a backlash from Hamas’ policies, manifested its disapproval of the Palestinian people’s choice by imposing a strict naval, air and land blockade. The result was the political isolation of the Gaza Strip and its further separation from the West Bank – far more than it was already obvious on any map.
Oxfam International is amongst the NGOs behind the campaign. Last Thursday adverts commemorating five years of the blockade appeared on the website of the British newspaper The Guardian and on the front page of the Israeli daily Haaretz.
"The issue of Gaza has slipped off the international agenda and it needs to be brought back on it," explained Oxfam Media Lead Willow Heske.
"There is no chance of a solution to the conflict without tackling the Gaza blockade." The campaign has acquired a life of its own on Twitter, where #EndGazaBlockade trended on Thursday. Despite the public’s attention, Heske lamented that "there has been as yet no comment by the Israeli government."
This statement also serves the purpose of reigniting the advocacy work carried out by the signatories in their home countries. "With our work we attempt to mitigate conditions that are unsustainable," says Davide Amurri, Terre Des Hommes Italy (TDH-I) country delegate. "The imposed restrictions have catastrophic consequences on the society and especially on children." The NGO has been working in Gaza for the past 4 years and concentrates on the welfare of minors. TDH-I is part of a cluster of Italian NGOs who under the title Piattaforma Medio Oriente, lobby state actors on humanitarian issues. "This statement is an occasion to remind ourselves that the situation is unbearable, illegal and tough," adds Amurri.
A brochure published by OCHA to commemorate this five-year anniversary, helps put the NGOs’ statement into context. The shocking statistics published lead to only one conclusion: the situation is steadily deteriorating. Since 2007, the only period of growth that Gaza witnessed was heavily subsidized by foreign donations. As is the case in the West Bank, this is the kind of growth that is clearly unsustainable and illusory. In fact, in 2012, 44% of Gazans are still food insecure; 34% are unemployed; and 80% depend on humanitarian aid.
And it doesn’t end here. The block on the import of construction materials is leading to widespread de-development of health and education infrastructure and it is also taking its toll on the environment. OCHA points out that due to ancient sewage networks, 90 million litres of untreated or partially treated sewage is discarded into the sea. The blockade has also allowed the flourishing of a black market. Sheep, bricks, people or medicines, are smuggled in an out of the tunnels. However, since 2007, these unsafe arteries under the Egyptian border have claimed 172 lives and caused injuries to a further 318 people.
Following the raid by the Israeli army on the humanitarian ship the Mavi Marmara 2 years ago, where nine Turkish activists were killed in international waters, following attempts to reach the coast of Gaza have failed. More than any humanitarian action ever managed, though, it was the 2008/2009 winter offensive Operation Cast Lead that damaged Israel’s reputation in the eye of its allies. According to the Israeli human rights NGO B’tselem, 1,390 Palestinians were killed over three weeks of incessant attacks by the Israeli army, who pounded the tiny coastal strip from land, sea, and air.
Despite the statistics and the stalemate of the past five years, the NGOs see the situation as reversible. "At this point," says Heske, "ending the blockade is just a first step necessary in order to relieve the people from poverty and suffering." This step though cannot happen without pressure from civil society. "This campaign wants to be an inspiration to all," adds Heske. "People have the power to change things and they should stand up when they see that something is wrong."
Source: Palestine Monitor