This is a guest post by Israelinurse.
The ‘Free Gaza’ flotilla with its cargo of civil rights activists and humanitarian aid is due to reach Israeli waters on Saturday morning, but recent developments would appear to confirm what many of us have suspected for some time: that the concept of human rights has been hijacked by certain elements for political ends and that in the eyes of certain ‘human rights activists’, some humans are apparently more deserving than others.
An article on the ‘Ynet’ Hebrew website reports that lawyer Nick Kaufman, acting on behalf of the Shalit family, approached the organisers of the ‘Free Gaza’ campaign and pledged the family’s support on condition that in addition to their demand to lift the partial embargo on Gaza, they would also work opposite Hamas to demand that international organisations be allowed to visit Gilad Shalit and pass on to him letters and packages from his family.
Mr. Kaufman’s proposition was turned down by the legal advisor of ‘Free Gaza’ and he is quoted in the article as saying “I thought that this organisation supported human rights, as it declares about itself, but this reaction would indicate that it is interested in creating provocations and expressing support for a terrorist organisation and is really not interested in human rights”.
Gilad has of course been held in captivity by Hamas for four years under conditions which violate international law and conventions and deny him even basic humanitarian rights such as regular contact with his family through letters and visits from the Red Cross.
If the concept of human rights is to have any meaning whatsoever it must be applied universally, regardless of nationality, religion, colour, sexual orientation, gender or any other criteria, otherwise it becomes nothing more than empty rhetoric. That politically motivated groups supporting terror organisations which brazenly mock internationally accepted conventions are allowed to cynically manipulate the subject of human rights reflects miserably upon the international community’s commitment to the importance of the universality of that principle.
The many respectable charities and organisations which work in the area of humanitarian aid and human rights need to urgently reclaim their field from those who seek to misuse it purely for political ends. If they shirk this admittedly unpleasant responsibility they not only risk being tarred with a brush which is ultimately very damaging to their own aims, but are selling out the people who really need their help. Sadly, there are still too many of those people in our world today and one of them is called Gilad.
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Sadly reflective of how Israeli humanitarian concerns are perceived. While the overwhelming of proportion who call themselves pro-Israel also see themselves as pro-Palestinian, they same cannot be said the other way round.
While we routinely worry about possible contraventions of the law and/or human rights committed by the IDF, that concern is rarely shared by other parties. We are willing to criticise Israel if it ever strays from that which is acceptable (and it does on occasion,) but that criticism is not seen on the other side of the divide.
“Israel deserves everything it gets,” goes the reasoning. If you occupy a people, it is only natural for them to react violently and unreasonably against you. These people systematically attempt to deny Israelis’ of their basic human rights. What a sickening double standard.
Well said.
Also, here are some other interesting facts that show this to be a funny sort of ’siege’:
- Since the ceasefire last January, 133 million litres of fuel entered Gaza from Israel. But who knows what that number really represents? Is it actually a lot? yes, actually, it is: it’s more than enough fuel to fill the petrol tank of every car and truck in Israel.
- Since the ceasefire, well over a million tons of humanitarian supplies entered Gaza from Israel. The is almost a ton of aid for every man woman and child in GAza.
- Israel transfers 15,000 tons of real aid to Gaza EACH AND EVERY WEEK, so a flotilla claiming to carry 10,000 tons of concrete is clearly about a different agenda (Hamas wants concrete to to build its reinforced bunkers).
- International aid groups send their aid to GAza through the Israeli humanitarian pipeline, while publicity seekers merely exploit the humanitarian agenda to promote their own media stunts.
- if there is a humanitarian crisis and food shortage in Gaza, it’s not caused by any ’siege’. The food and medical aid crosses the border from Israel in the vast amounts mentioned above. If some are worried about it not making it to those in need, they should address the Hamas regime that prevents that from happening.
- No Palestinian is denied medical care in Israel. However, if the Hamas regime does not grant permits for medical care, the Israeli government can do nothing to help the patient. Israel will facilitate all cases of medical treatments from Gaza, unless the patient is a known perpetrator of terror.
- about 200 medical staff go through the crossing each month.
- In 2009 alone, 10.544 patients and their companions left the Gaza Strip for medical treatment in Israel.
- Since 2005, Palestinians exploited medical care arrangements more than 20 times to carry out terror attacks.
- According to the UN report of May 2010, 120 megawatts (over 70%) of the Strip’s electricity supply comes from the Israeli electric grid, while 17 MWs come from Egypt and 30 MWs are produced by the Gaza city power station. Since January 2010, there has been deterioration in the supply of electricity to the Gaza Strip since the Hamas regime is unwilling to purchase the fuel to run the Gaza City power station.
- Throughout 2009 Israel transferred 41 trucks of equipment for the maintenance of Gaza’s electricity grid.
- Israel facilitates the transfer of fuel through the border, and maintains that the diversion of fuel from domestic power generators to other uses is wholly a Hamas decision. Over 133 million liters of fuel entered Gaza from Israel over the last 18 months.
Also, this Palestinian Telegraph article might be of interest:
“Israel allows building materials to enter Gaza for UNRWA”: http://is.gd/csVTT
Free Gilad Shalit. Free him unharmed and free him now.
I like your name. Davey Crockett, of course, was quite an enthusiast for dispossessing and killing people on the basis of their ethnicity, a bit like, er,
Surely there’s more to the anti-Israel position than just being A. Wanker?
Clearly A. Wanker or Onanist would not have heard of me. I am the late great Mickey Katz’s great defender of Yiddishkeit Duvid Crockett, King of DeLancey Street. Here are the first few verses of my eponymous song, which can also be viewed gratis on Youtube.
born in the wilds of delancey street
home of gefilte fish and kosher meat
handy with a knife, oh her zich tzi
he flicked him a chicken, when he was only 3
duvid, duvid crocket, he sat in the sun und gerocket (rocked) und gebaket (baked)
duvid, duvid crocket, king of delancey street
In eighteen thoiteen he fought indianers, then came the litvaks and the galitzianers, avekgeharget redskins all over the shtetl, he never lost his head, he never lost his sheitel
d-d-crocket, he chewed tobacky und gehissed und gechrocket, d-d-c king of delancey streeet
he went down south, looking for a maidel,
met a little tzatzkale called daisy fraidel
from near and far, they came to the chippe
elected him president of the bnei missisipi
mazel tov duvid crocket ah mazel tov der mame und der alter crocket, mazel tov d-c kods
DS Al Coda