UN calls on Israel to lift Gaza blockade

[Kondor3]

UN calls on Israel to lift Gaza blockade, says new closures paralyzed construction industry

November 21, 2013 Associated Press - via Fox News

Members of the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine chant slogans against peace negotiations with Israeli, while participating in a demonstration in the West Bank city of Jenin, Thursday, Nov. 21, 2013. The Arabic, front, reads, "People want to end the division. The people want to withdraw soon from the negotiations." (AP Photo/Mohammed Ballas) (THE ASSOCIATED PRESS)

GAZA CITY, GAZA STRIP – A senior United Nations official says new border restrictions on Gaza by Egypt and Israel have paralyzed the territory's construction industry...

Israel and Egypt have imposed restrictions since the Islamic militant Hamas seized Gaza in 2007. In July, Egypt shut down smuggling tunnels under its border with Gaza. Israel barred the import of all construction materials to Gaza last month after it discovered two concrete-lined border tunnels dug by militants.

Robert Turner of the main U.N. aid agency in Gaza on Thursday urged Israel to lift the restrictions that he said put U.N. building projects worth $60 million on hold.

Maj. Guy Inbar, an Israel military official, says Israel first needs assurances the materials won't be diverted to militants.

UN calls on Israel to lift Gaza blockade, says new closures paralyzed construction industry | Fox News

==============================

Yeppers... the Palestinians are using the concrete to reinforce border tunnels, and the idjits at the UN expect the Egyptians and Israelis to allow more to come in... yeah... that makes sense.

 

[MHunterB]

Oh, that makes lots of sense: Egypt has blocked the smuggling tunnels, so somehow that's Israel's fault.

Why are they not asking Egypt as well?

 

[Baruch Menachem]

They could have all the materials they wanted, if they would stop building rockets yo shoot into Israel. Peaceful means they get stuff. warlike they do without.

 

[Lipush]

Ok. And we give a crap, why?

 

[Sweet_Caroline]

List No. 2: Construction Items and Materials to be Allowed Entry into Gaza only for PA-authorized Projects Implemented by the International Community

Israel will only permit their entry into Gaza to facilitate construction projects in Gaza which have been authorized by the PA and implemented and monitored by the international community. The often cited reason is that such materials could be used by Hamas for military purposes (building bunkers, fortifying positions and digging tunnels)

This list includes:

Portland cement and lime (in bulk, bags or barrels)
Natural and Quarry aggregates and all varieties of gravel
Ready concrete
Precast concrete elements and products
Steel elements and/or construction products
Iron for foundations and columns, at any diameter (including wielded steel nets)
Steel cables of any width
Forms for construction elements (plastics or galvanized iron)
Industrialized forms for casting concrete
Plastic or composite beams more than 4 mm thick
Thermal isolation materials and products
Blocs (at any width) - Concrete; Silicate; Ytong or its equivalent; or gypsum
Materials and products for sealing structures
Asphalt and its components (Bitumen, emulsion) in aggregate or packaged
Steel elements or framing products for construction
Cast concrete elements and products for drainage over 1 m in diameter
Precast units and sea-borne containers
Vehicles, excluding private cars and including 4X4 vehicles and other categories of motor vehicles liable to be used in terror activities
Lumber beams and boards more than 2 cm thick, (liable to be used in "offensive" tunneling aimed at penetrating Israeli territory), unless incorporated in finished products
Specific procedures, on a case by case basis, will be established so as to permit the transfer of such lumber for other purposes in Gaza.

Goods allowed or banned for import into Gaza - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[P F Tinmore]

List No. 2: Construction Items and Materials to be Allowed Entry into Gaza only for PA-authorized Projects Implemented by the International Community

Israel will only permit their entry into Gaza to facilitate construction projects in Gaza which have been authorized by the PA and implemented and monitored by the international community. The often cited reason is that such materials could be used by Hamas for military purposes (building bunkers, fortifying positions and digging tunnels)

This list includes:

Portland cement and lime (in bulk, bags or barrels)
Natural and Quarry aggregates and all varieties of gravel
Ready concrete
Precast concrete elements and products
Steel elements and/or construction products
Iron for foundations and columns, at any diameter (including wielded steel nets)
Steel cables of any width
Forms for construction elements (plastics or galvanized iron)
Industrialized forms for casting concrete
Plastic or composite beams more than 4 mm thick
Thermal isolation materials and products
Blocs (at any width) - Concrete; Silicate; Ytong or its equivalent; or gypsum
Materials and products for sealing structures
Asphalt and its components (Bitumen, emulsion) in aggregate or packaged
Steel elements or framing products for construction
Cast concrete elements and products for drainage over 1 m in diameter
Precast units and sea-borne containers
Vehicles, excluding private cars and including 4X4 vehicles and other categories of motor vehicles liable to be used in terror activities
Lumber beams and boards more than 2 cm thick, (liable to be used in "offensive" tunneling aimed at penetrating Israeli territory), unless incorporated in finished products
Specific procedures, on a case by case basis, will be established so as to permit the transfer of such lumber for other purposes in Gaza.

Goods allowed or banned for import into Gaza - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

which have been authorized by the PA

Fatah lost the elections. How did it get to be the "PA" in the West Bank?

 

[Sweet_Caroline]

List No. 2: Construction Items and Materials to be Allowed Entry into Gaza only for PA-authorized Projects Implemented by the International Community

Israel will only permit their entry into Gaza to facilitate construction projects in Gaza which have been authorized by the PA and implemented and monitored by the international community. The often cited reason is that such materials could be used by Hamas for military purposes (building bunkers, fortifying positions and digging tunnels)

This list includes:

Portland cement and lime (in bulk, bags or barrels)
Natural and Quarry aggregates and all varieties of gravel
Ready concrete
Precast concrete elements and products
Steel elements and/or construction products
Iron for foundations and columns, at any diameter (including wielded steel nets)
Steel cables of any width
Forms for construction elements (plastics or galvanized iron)
Industrialized forms for casting concrete
Plastic or composite beams more than 4 mm thick
Thermal isolation materials and products
Blocs (at any width) - Concrete; Silicate; Ytong or its equivalent; or gypsum
Materials and products for sealing structures
Asphalt and its components (Bitumen, emulsion) in aggregate or packaged
Steel elements or framing products for construction
Cast concrete elements and products for drainage over 1 m in diameter
Precast units and sea-borne containers
Vehicles, excluding private cars and including 4X4 vehicles and other categories of motor vehicles liable to be used in terror activities
Lumber beams and boards more than 2 cm thick, (liable to be used in "offensive" tunneling aimed at penetrating Israeli territory), unless incorporated in finished products
Specific procedures, on a case by case basis, will be established so as to permit the transfer of such lumber for other purposes in Gaza.

Goods allowed or banned for import into Gaza - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

which have been authorized by the PA

Fatah lost the elections. How did it get to be the "PA" in the West Bank?

 

[P F Tinmore]

List No. 2: Construction Items and Materials to be Allowed Entry into Gaza only for PA-authorized Projects Implemented by the International Community

Israel will only permit their entry into Gaza to facilitate construction projects in Gaza which have been authorized by the PA and implemented and monitored by the international community. The often cited reason is that such materials could be used by Hamas for military purposes (building bunkers, fortifying positions and digging tunnels)

This list includes:

Portland cement and lime (in bulk, bags or barrels)
Natural and Quarry aggregates and all varieties of gravel
Ready concrete
Precast concrete elements and products
Steel elements and/or construction products
Iron for foundations and columns, at any diameter (including wielded steel nets)
Steel cables of any width
Forms for construction elements (plastics or galvanized iron)
Industrialized forms for casting concrete
Plastic or composite beams more than 4 mm thick
Thermal isolation materials and products
Blocs (at any width) - Concrete; Silicate; Ytong or its equivalent; or gypsum
Materials and products for sealing structures
Asphalt and its components (Bitumen, emulsion) in aggregate or packaged
Steel elements or framing products for construction
Cast concrete elements and products for drainage over 1 m in diameter
Precast units and sea-borne containers
Vehicles, excluding private cars and including 4X4 vehicles and other categories of motor vehicles liable to be used in terror activities
Lumber beams and boards more than 2 cm thick, (liable to be used in "offensive" tunneling aimed at penetrating Israeli territory), unless incorporated in finished products
Specific procedures, on a case by case basis, will be established so as to permit the transfer of such lumber for other purposes in Gaza.

Goods allowed or banned for import into Gaza - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

which have been authorized by the PA

Fatah lost the elections. How did it get to be the "PA" in the West Bank?

Oh no, I question not mentioned in Israeli propaganda.

 

[Peterf]

"UN calls on Israel ..... " it says in the tread title. Well no. One official in one of the hundreds of UN agencies said something. These types of confusion stem from ignorance of what the UN is: A vast collection of over-funded, ill-managed agencies full of careerist officials doing their own thing and answerable to no-one. Each if these hundreds of agencies with its own empire of sub-agencies, working groups etc. I was once a member of the British Mission to the UN in Europe, in Geneva, and learned to detest the Behemoth. When one has seen it up close and nasty the words "UN calls on ... " evoke nothing but contempt.

It was always bad but now than the UN has morphed into the tool of the Islamists and their toadies it is horrendous.

 

[Sweet_Caroline]

"UN calls on Israel ..... " it says in the tread title. Well no. One official in one of the hundreds of UN agencies said something. These types of confusion stem from ignorance of what the UN is: A vast collection of over-funded, ill-managed agencies full of careerist officials doing their own thing and answerable to no-one. Each if these hundreds of agencies with its own empire of sub-agencies, working groups etc. I was once a member of the British Mission to the UN in Europe, in Geneva, and learned to detest the Behemoth. When one has seen it up close and nasty the words "UN calls on ... " evoke nothing but contempt.

It was always bad but now than the UN has morphed into the tool of the Islamists and their toadies it is horrendous.

Absolutely. It panders to the Islamists, and runs down Israel. It discusses perceived misdemeanors by Israel and ignores those done by other regimes, Islamic or not. The UN is a total joke.

 

[Kondor3]

The UN is a mess alright, with the left hand not knowing what the right hand is doing half the time, and the right hand shooting off its mouth without consulting the left hand, the other half of the time, so-to-speak.

As a matter of personal opinion, to my only-sparsely-read and -informed and -considered way of thinking, in connection with the United Nations...

The UN Security Council, with its Permanent Five (US, UK, France, Russia and China) - any of whom can veto a UN Security Council Resolution for any reason whatsoever - is charged with matters of security and war and peace, and Israel usually has enough friends and sympathetic nations sitting on the Council at any given time in order to block anything extreme and overly-detrimental from either being Resolved or Enacted in connection with its existence and well-being.

The UN General Assembly is a Grand Idea but is oftentimes little more than a Global Old Ladies' Debating Society - toothless and powerless - but at least it's a place for the world's peoples to come altogether to showcase ideas and to air grievances and to propose solutions and to pump requests for further action up to the Council, which sometimes acts on those requests, and sometimes does not.

But, unfortunately, it also seems that the UN General Assembly - with its large number of Muslim-dominated states, and the much larger number of oil-poor states who believe that they must kiss Arab (and allied) asses in order to keep the oil flowing - has become, in large part, a pro-Palestinian and anti-Israeli Glee Club...

If the UN was a reasonably well-run, coordinated, effective Guiding or Governing Body - then it, or any one of its subordinate agencies or departments, or any its commissioners or department or agency heads - would manifest an objective, even-handed range of demands and behaviors and outcomes.

In our narrow context here, notice how that 'senior UN official' shot-off his mouth about the Israeli aspect of The Gaza Blockade, without so much as even mentioning the Egyptian aspect of The Gaza Blockade (insofar as we know, from this short article, anyway)?

Rightly or wrongly, this strikes me as symptomatic of the Cancer of Subjectivity that has taken-hold of much of the Body we call the United Nations, in connection with the Israeli-Palestinian Troubles.

Of course, various elements of the UN, from the Secretary General on down, have been calling for the end of The Gaza Blockade for many months now, but seemingly piecemeal, and disjointed, and without regard for how many of the materials presently embargoed have been (and would be) used, should they be allowed back into the region, by a loosening or lifting of The Blockade.

Gazans can blame their idiot masters - Hamas - for getting them into this fix in the first place, and for stupidly using construction materials (like concrete) for purposes certain to alarm or enrage both the Israelis and Egyptians and to cause them to embargo those materials as well.

Hamas = Savage, Incompetent Fools.

Now, had the UN at-large - or any of its supposedly-responsible department heads - called for a lifting of the embargo upon concrete and included within that call a proposal to undertake a strict accounting by a mutually-agreeable third-party to ensure that those bulk materials were not being diverted or 'cut' (diluted) to any substantial degree, well, the call might have had a bit more credibility.

But when these un-thinking, blinkered, single-purpose types get on their high horse, and fail to address the underlying cause for those materials to have been embargoed in the first place, well, it simply serves to showcase either the bias or tunnel-vision of such folk, or both - incompetency on the macro level.

When the UN begins to adequately address concerns on both sides of that divide, consistently and effectively, then, perhaps, I'll find myself doing more than laughing as the Blockaders brush them off like an annoying flea buzzing about their heads.

Ditto for the Israeli-Palestinian Troubles at-large; a much larger issue than The Gaza Blockade or any particular embargoed material(s).

 

[P F Tinmore]

The UN is a mess alright, with the left hand not knowing what the right hand is doing half the time, and the right hand shooting off its mouth without consulting the left hand, the other half of the time, so-to-speak.

As a matter of personal opinion, to my way only-sparsely-read and -informed and -considered way of thinking, in connection with the United Nations...

The UN Security Council, with its Permanent Five (US, UK, France, Russia and China) - any of whom can veto a UN Security Council Resolution for any reason whatsoever - is charged with matters of security and war and peace, and Israel usually has enough friends and sympathetic nations sitting on the Council at any given time in order to block anything extreme and overly-detrimental from either being Resolved or Enacted in connection with its existence and well-being.

The UN General Assembly is a Grand Idea but is oftentimes little more than a Global Old Ladies' Debating Society - toothless and powerless - but at least it's a place for the world's peoples to come altogether to showcase ideas and to air grievances and to propose solutions and to pump requests for further action up to the Council, which sometimes acts on those requests, and sometimes does not.

But, unfortunately, it also seems that the UN General Assembly - with its large number of Muslim-dominated states, and the much larger number of oil-poor states who believe that they must kiss Arab (and allied) asses in order to keep the oil flowing - has become, in large part, a pro-Palestinian and anti-Israeli Glee Club...

If the UN was a reasonably well-run, coordinated, effective Guiding or Governing Body - then it, or any one of its subordinate agencies or departments, or any its commissioners or department or agency heads - would manifest an objective, even-handed range of demands and behaviors and outcomes.

In our narrow context here, notice how that 'senior UN official' shot-off his mouth about the Israeli aspect of The Gaza Blockade, without so much as even mentioning the Egyptian aspect of The Gaza Blockade (insofar as we know, from this short article, anyway)?

Rightly or wrongly, this strikes me as symptomatic of the Cancer of Subjectivity that has taken-hold of much of the Body we call the United Nations, in connection with the Israeli-Palestinian Troubles.

Of course, various elements of the UN, from the Secretary General on down, have been calling for the end of The Gaza Blockade for many months now, but seemingly piecemeal, and disjointed, and without regard for how many of the materials presently embargoed have been (and would be) used, should they be allowed back into the region, by a loosening or lifting of The Blockade.

Gazans can blame their idiot masters - Hamas - for getting them into this fix in the first place, and for stupidly using construction materials (like concrete) for purposes certain to alarm or enrage both the Israelis and Egyptians and to cause them to embargo those materials as well.

Hamas = Savage, Incompetent Fools.

Now, had the UN at-large - or any of its supposedly-responsible department heads - called for a lifting of the embargo upon concrete and included within that call a proposal to undertake a strict accounting by a mutually-agreeable third-party to ensure that those bulk materials were not being diverted or 'cut' (diluted) to any substantial degree, well, the call might have had a bit more credibility.

But when these un-thinking, blinkered, single-purpose types get on their high horse, and fail to address the underlying cause for those materials to have been embargoed in the first place, well, it simply serves to showcase either the bias or tunnel-vision of such folk, or both - incompetency on the macro level.

When the UN begins to adequately address concerns on both sides of that divide, consistently and effectively, then, perhaps, I'll find myself doing more than laughing as the Blockaders brush them off like an annoying flea buzzing about their heads.

Ditto for the Israeli-Palestinian Troubles at-large; a much larger issue than The Gaza Blockade or any particular embargoed material(s).

OK, but why can't Gaza export anything? What does that have do do with security?

 

[Kondor3]

"...Fatah lost the elections. How did it get to be the 'PA' in the West Bank?"

Outsider perceptions of 'Who Is In Charge' matter.

Hamas is considered a Terrorist Organization by the US and much of The West and others.

Most nations worth their salt are reluctant to negotiate with such filth.

Regardless of whether or not the foolish voters of the region elected them to govern.

To make matters worse, Hamas split Gaza from the West Bank.

Leaving Hamas in de facto control of Gaza, and Fatah in charge of the West Bank and the PA umbrella with (to the outside world) de jure control over Gaza.

Most regimes do not recognize the split and, given Hamas' terrorist classification, revert to Fatah (controlling the PA umbrella) as the legal governing authority.

Rump Palestine is small enough and fractured enough as it is, without acknowledging yet another round of endless subdivision.

The only reason why Hamas was elected in the first place is because Fatah was doing a crappy job on behalf of the Palestinians in the wake of Arafat's death.

The Palestinians (more like the Gazans) elevated Hamas to power as a desperation move, thinking that any change would be better than what they had at-present.

Sounds a little like voting for Obama in 2008 because any change would be better than continuing down the same path.

Many voters here in the US have come to regret voting for Obama's kind of change, even though they saw nothing better to choose-from at the time.

I suspect that the Gazans who voted-in Hamas feel much the same way; worse, actually.

Hamas has single-handedly triggered a vast worsening of conditions for Gazans.

If they were truly concerned about the welfare of their people - realizing that Israel and Egypt and much of the rest of the world does not want them in power, they would let go of that power - participating in new Pan-Palestinian Elections designed to move Gaza and the West Bank back together again, and to alleviate Israeli and Egyptian concerns over border activity and rocket barrages and the like, and to cause the Blockade to be lifted.

But we have seen no such outreach by Hamas and are not likely to.

Like all despots, once in power, they won't let go, until they're face-down in the streets.

Hamas might very well have won the election.

But it was a Phyrric Victory.

Yielding a Vote of No-Confidence by Israel, Egypt, and much of the rest of the world.

When you cannot govern without seriously injuring your own people, you make arrangements to step aside, regardless of whether or not you won the election.

But that would be demonstrating more concern for The People than it would be for Hanging Onto Power, and we can't have that, can we?

 

[Kondor3]

"...OK, but why can't Gaza export anything? What does that have do do with security?"

I dunno. Somebody else is gonna have to addess that one.

 

[Sweet_Caroline]

The UN is a mess alright, with the left hand not knowing what the right hand is doing half the time, and the right hand shooting off its mouth without consulting the left hand, the other half of the time, so-to-speak.

As a matter of personal opinion, to my way only-sparsely-read and -informed and -considered way of thinking, in connection with the United Nations...

The UN Security Council, with its Permanent Five (US, UK, France, Russia and China) - any of whom can veto a UN Security Council Resolution for any reason whatsoever - is charged with matters of security and war and peace, and Israel usually has enough friends and sympathetic nations sitting on the Council at any given time in order to block anything extreme and overly-detrimental from either being Resolved or Enacted in connection with its existence and well-being.

The UN General Assembly is a Grand Idea but is oftentimes little more than a Global Old Ladies' Debating Society - toothless and powerless - but at least it's a place for the world's peoples to come altogether to showcase ideas and to air grievances and to propose solutions and to pump requests for further action up to the Council, which sometimes acts on those requests, and sometimes does not.

But, unfortunately, it also seems that the UN General Assembly - with its large number of Muslim-dominated states, and the much larger number of oil-poor states who believe that they must kiss Arab (and allied) asses in order to keep the oil flowing - has become, in large part, a pro-Palestinian and anti-Israeli Glee Club...

If the UN was a reasonably well-run, coordinated, effective Guiding or Governing Body - then it, or any one of its subordinate agencies or departments, or any its commissioners or department or agency heads - would manifest an objective, even-handed range of demands and behaviors and outcomes.

In our narrow context here, notice how that 'senior UN official' shot-off his mouth about the Israeli aspect of The Gaza Blockade, without so much as even mentioning the Egyptian aspect of The Gaza Blockade (insofar as we know, from this short article, anyway)?

Rightly or wrongly, this strikes me as symptomatic of the Cancer of Subjectivity that has taken-hold of much of the Body we call the United Nations, in connection with the Israeli-Palestinian Troubles.

Of course, various elements of the UN, from the Secretary General on down, have been calling for the end of The Gaza Blockade for many months now, but seemingly piecemeal, and disjointed, and without regard for how many of the materials presently embargoed have been (and would be) used, should they be allowed back into the region, by a loosening or lifting of The Blockade.

Gazans can blame their idiot masters - Hamas - for getting them into this fix in the first place, and for stupidly using construction materials (like concrete) for purposes certain to alarm or enrage both the Israelis and Egyptians and to cause them to embargo those materials as well.

Hamas = Savage, Incompetent Fools.

Now, had the UN at-large - or any of its supposedly-responsible department heads - called for a lifting of the embargo upon concrete and included within that call a proposal to undertake a strict accounting by a mutually-agreeable third-party to ensure that those bulk materials were not being diverted or 'cut' (diluted) to any substantial degree, well, the call might have had a bit more credibility.

But when these un-thinking, blinkered, single-purpose types get on their high horse, and fail to address the underlying cause for those materials to have been embargoed in the first place, well, it simply serves to showcase either the bias or tunnel-vision of such folk, or both - incompetency on the macro level.

When the UN begins to adequately address concerns on both sides of that divide, consistently and effectively, then, perhaps, I'll find myself doing more than laughing as the Blockaders brush them off like an annoying flea buzzing about their heads.

Ditto for the Israeli-Palestinian Troubles at-large; a much larger issue than The Gaza Blockade or any particular embargoed material(s).

OK, but why can't Gaza export anything? What does that have do do with security?

They can and do export. Why not look it up.

 

[P F Tinmore]

The UN is a mess alright, with the left hand not knowing what the right hand is doing half the time, and the right hand shooting off its mouth without consulting the left hand, the other half of the time, so-to-speak.

As a matter of personal opinion, to my way only-sparsely-read and -informed and -considered way of thinking, in connection with the United Nations...

The UN Security Council, with its Permanent Five (US, UK, France, Russia and China) - any of whom can veto a UN Security Council Resolution for any reason whatsoever - is charged with matters of security and war and peace, and Israel usually has enough friends and sympathetic nations sitting on the Council at any given time in order to block anything extreme and overly-detrimental from either being Resolved or Enacted in connection with its existence and well-being.

The UN General Assembly is a Grand Idea but is oftentimes little more than a Global Old Ladies' Debating Society - toothless and powerless - but at least it's a place for the world's peoples to come altogether to showcase ideas and to air grievances and to propose solutions and to pump requests for further action up to the Council, which sometimes acts on those requests, and sometimes does not.

But, unfortunately, it also seems that the UN General Assembly - with its large number of Muslim-dominated states, and the much larger number of oil-poor states who believe that they must kiss Arab (and allied) asses in order to keep the oil flowing - has become, in large part, a pro-Palestinian and anti-Israeli Glee Club...

If the UN was a reasonably well-run, coordinated, effective Guiding or Governing Body - then it, or any one of its subordinate agencies or departments, or any its commissioners or department or agency heads - would manifest an objective, even-handed range of demands and behaviors and outcomes.

In our narrow context here, notice how that 'senior UN official' shot-off his mouth about the Israeli aspect of The Gaza Blockade, without so much as even mentioning the Egyptian aspect of The Gaza Blockade (insofar as we know, from this short article, anyway)?

Rightly or wrongly, this strikes me as symptomatic of the Cancer of Subjectivity that has taken-hold of much of the Body we call the United Nations, in connection with the Israeli-Palestinian Troubles.

Of course, various elements of the UN, from the Secretary General on down, have been calling for the end of The Gaza Blockade for many months now, but seemingly piecemeal, and disjointed, and without regard for how many of the materials presently embargoed have been (and would be) used, should they be allowed back into the region, by a loosening or lifting of The Blockade.

Gazans can blame their idiot masters - Hamas - for getting them into this fix in the first place, and for stupidly using construction materials (like concrete) for purposes certain to alarm or enrage both the Israelis and Egyptians and to cause them to embargo those materials as well.

Hamas = Savage, Incompetent Fools.

Now, had the UN at-large - or any of its supposedly-responsible department heads - called for a lifting of the embargo upon concrete and included within that call a proposal to undertake a strict accounting by a mutually-agreeable third-party to ensure that those bulk materials were not being diverted or 'cut' (diluted) to any substantial degree, well, the call might have had a bit more credibility.

But when these un-thinking, blinkered, single-purpose types get on their high horse, and fail to address the underlying cause for those materials to have been embargoed in the first place, well, it simply serves to showcase either the bias or tunnel-vision of such folk, or both - incompetency on the macro level.

When the UN begins to adequately address concerns on both sides of that divide, consistently and effectively, then, perhaps, I'll find myself doing more than laughing as the Blockaders brush them off like an annoying flea buzzing about their heads.

Ditto for the Israeli-Palestinian Troubles at-large; a much larger issue than The Gaza Blockade or any particular embargoed material(s).

OK, but why can't Gaza export anything? What does that have do do with security?

They can and do export. Why not look it up.

Gaza is only allowed to export little dribbles. About 90% of Gaza's factories are out of business. Farmers do not know until harvest time whether their crops can be exported or just sit and rot.

 

[Sweet_Caroline]

OK, but why can't Gaza export anything? What does that have do do with security?

They can and do export. Why not look it up.

Gaza is only allowed to export little dribbles. About 90% of Gaza's factories are out of business. Farmers do not know until harvest time whether their crops can be exported or just sit and rot.

Link?

 

[docmauser1]

Gaza is only allowed to export little dribbles. About 90% of Gaza's factories are out of business. Farmers do not know until harvest time whether their crops can be exported or just sit and rot.

Oh, if they can afford export, then they aren't all that starving out there, are they?

 

[RoccoR]

P F Tinmore, et al,

It is a matter of Peace and recognition.

OK, but why can't Gaza export anything? What does that have do do with security?

They can and do export. Why not look it up.

Gaza is only allowed to export little dribbles. About 90% of Gaza's factories are out of business. Farmers do not know until harvest time whether their crops can be exported or just sit and rot.

(COMMENT)

Obviously the Palestinians appreciate the arrangements. Otherwise they would sue for peace.

I have not seen one peace rally in the news. What I have seen are terrorist on parade.

• Air Defense: MANPADs Show Up In Gaza Parade
  October 11, 2013: On September 15 th, Hamas held a parade in Gaza where some of their ... seized a number of stolen Libyan weapons headed for Gaza. These Libyan missiles apparently went to other terrorist groups as well. In early 2013, at an al Qaeda ...
  Strategy Page · 10/12/2013

• Hamas marks anniversary of 2012 Israeli airstrikes, retaliatory rocket attacks with parade
  Thousands of Hamas security men staged a military parade in the Gaza Strip on Wednesday in a massive show of force marking the anniversary of an eight-day battle against Israel last year.
  Despite suffering heavy losses, the Islamic group has claimed victory and vowed Wednesday to continue its violent struggle against Israel.
  Hamas' Interior Minister Fathi Hamad, who commands the security forces in the coastal Palestinian strip, called on Arabs in the Gaza Strip, West Bank and Israel to unite in a holy war to "uproot the Jews" from Israel.
  ASSOCIATED PRESS | Nov 13, 2013 6:20 AM CST in World

If the want peace, if they want prosperity and trade, then they need to demonstrate it through action and deeds. All the world hears is that they want conflict, war and death.

Be careful what you wish for. You might just get it.​

Most Respectfully,
R

 

[Sweet_Caroline]

Everyone, just imagine a world where Israel could live with Gaza and Palestinian-controlled West Bank. Imagine how wonderful that would be, living in peace, harmony, prosperity, and happiness. Instead Israel's neighbors in those two regions would prefer the Jews out of the area.