Gaza, Lie-Test Lab For Self-Claimed Guardians Of HR

Tehran, Jan 19, IRNA – Secretary General of the Group for Defense of the Palestinian Nation said here Wednesday that Gaza’s 33-day resistance was a lie detector test for the self-claimed guardians of human rights and a window to materializing final victory. Mojtaba Rahmandoust who was speaking at the 3rd Conference on Gaza Symbol of Resistance, held Wednesday evening at Honar (Art) Culture House, further reiterated, “Victory of the people of Gaza provided the chance for ignoring the red-lines of the global oppression and for humiliating the United States and Israel before the eyes of the entire world nations.” The official in direct contact with the rights of the Palestinian nation said, “The 33 day resistance of Gazans in the course of the 33-day War was a picture, the realized manifestation, and a beginning point for the next moves against the occupier forces.” The Secretary General of the Group for Defense of Palestinian Nation Rahmandoust stressed, “On the anniversary of the Gaza people’s resistance we are witnesses to movements in the Middle East region, which are beyond doubt under the influence of the Palestinian nation’s struggles.” A member of the Expediency Council of the System, Hossein Mozaffar, too, said at the event, “Fear from the expansion of greater tendency towards Islam in the region and greed for looting the regional nations’ oil resources are the most important objectives of the Zionists in their occupation of the Palestinians’ lands.” He added, “The Zionists with their racist ideology consider themselves as the superior tribe of the entire mankind, and resorting to tricks, lies, and fabricated propagation, they have introduced themselves as the chosen tribe of the Almighty Allah on the earth.” The official added, “Some nations in the world, or maybe the young generation in many nations, have assumed that the Palestinian problem is an internal and tribal engagement and the other nations mustn’t interfere in it, while the issue is a pre-meditated scandalous plot aimed at exerting political, economic, and cultural hegemony over the entire world.” According to Mozaffar, the Palestinian issue has two different facades, namely its façade of wretched peace and compromising with the enemy, and its façade of resistance and gallantry of that nation in Gaza, which has up to now led to the birth of numerous Intifadas.” The top advisor of the Islamic Republic Broadcasting (IRIB) chief reiterated, “The Gaza resistance defeated the Zionists armed-to-teeth army and defeated it, proving that the defeats of the Arabs from that army was not because of its much propagated super strength, but manly due to the treachery of the Arab leaders.” He meanwhile said that the wave of awakening of the regional nations is definitely Islamic, arguing, “The movements aimed at confronting the totalitarian leaders in the Middle East is a type of negative countdown for the downfall of the usurper racist Zionists.” The former Iranian education minister also expressed hope that with the expansion of the freedom seeking nations’ movement in the region against the dictators, the Islamic Ummah would with the passage of each new day move many steps closer to achieving its truly deserved independence and grandeur.” Former member of the Iranian Parliament’s international and foreign policy commission Hossein Sheikholeslam, too, said in his address at the event that war against Zionism at the international scene is one of the toughest wars, since the global oppression’s entire propagation media are and have always been mobilized to back the Zionists up. He added, “Representatives of Hamas are now present at the human rights committees of the world parliaments and this is a great achievement for the Palestinian movement.” Shekholeslam said, “The presence of Hamas representatives at those committees and narrating the crimes committed continually by the Zionists is a great success for the resistance movement of the Palestinian nation.” The official reiterated, “By taking shape of the Islamic Awakening movement, the Arab and Middle East nations would from now on, be the writers of their own faiths, and beyond doubt that faith would be in the framework of the dear Islam.” On the sidelines of the gathering an exhibition titled “Gaza, Symbol of Resistance” was held at Honar Culture House. Among the oddest news on the greatness of the dimension of oppression imposed against the Gazans, there is the neo-colonialist British government’s crying of crocodile tears for them. According to the Eurasia Review website, the British government gets hot under the collar at the very thought of Gaza smuggling anything in. So much so, that as Israel’s murderous assault on Gaza was coming to an end in January 2009 the then British Prime Minister Gordon Brown promised to send naval units to stop the Hamas government “smuggling” arms which the Gazans desperately needed to defend themselves. He announced: “We will do everything we can to prevent the arms trading at the root of the problems.” Brown was speaking as Israel carried out another 50 air-strikes on Gaza overnight. It was a particularly stupid and ignorant remark considering arms smuggling is certainly not the cause of the problem and, in any case, the Palestinians are perfectly entitled to put up armed resistance against an illegal and most brutal occupier. Now, the British government suddenly says it’s OK for Gazans to smuggle essential fuel for electricity generation through the tunnels they use to import black market goods and we’ve been helping Israel to destroy. “Regarding fuel supplies in Gaza, the UK has not made any specific representations to Israel on this as we do not see Israeli restrictions on supplies of electricity or fuel as being the main cause of electricity shortages in Gaza. “The Gaza Electricity Distribution Company is sourcing industrial diesel for the Gaza power plant through the tunnels so there is no shortage of fuel for the power plant, and in fact we understand there could be up to a month’s worth of fuel in storage.” These words were written as part of what Lord Hylton calls “a comprehensive reply” to questions he had raised with the British Government about Gaza, the West Bank and the wider issue of Palestinian refugees, which he has posted on his House of Lords blog. It’s loaded with the same yellow-streaked drivel I’ve been receiving for several years – the Government “remains concerned”… “We are pressing the Israeli Government”… “we condemn”… “we have urged the Israelis”… There is never any real action, just endless flim-flam. Another gem is this: “With fishing limits and exports, we and EU partners are urging the Israelis to extend the current fishing limit from 3 to 12 miles and to allow increased exports from Gaza to the West Bank, Israel and other third countries.” Israel has no business restricting Gaza’s fishing boats to 3 miles in the first place. Maritime law needs to be enforced. As for the smuggling of essential fuel oil through the tunnels, there is surely someone in the Foreign Office who knows that the Geneva Conventions place a solemn obligation on occupying powers to supply utilities such as water and power to occupied populations. According to the UN, Israel still occupies Gaza. So Britain needs to explain why it approves of forcing Gaza’s civilians to resort to black market methods to obtain vital fuel oil. Gaza Still Starved of Everything Important Oxfam reports that the near total ban on fuel imports for public sale, imposed by Israel in October 2008, still remains in place today. Fuel for home heating, running cars and private industry is only available through the black market. Now fuel oil for utilities including hospitals and basic services is ranked the same, apparently. While on the subject of energy needs, let’s remember that Gaza has an extensive offshore gas field which Israel prevents the Palestinians from exploiting and is trying to steal. According to Oxfam 75 percent of the population currently receives humanitarian aid. Approximately 1.1 million people are receiving food aid from humanitarian organizations, primarily UNWRA and the World Food Program. By doing nothing to end the illegal blockade/occupation the international community milks the West’s taxpayers year-after-year to provide cover for Israel’s crimes. Only 11 percent of construction materials needed for aid agencies and PA approved projects have been allowed into Gaza, therefore people do not benefit as they should from humanitarian organizations’ reconstruction efforts. Only 28 percent of the building plan for UNRWA projects in Gaza has been approved, and these are facing serious delays. Israel’s ban on building materials has prevented the reconstruction of most of the 3,540 homes destroyed and the 2,870 damaged during Operation Cast Lead, which means that extended families are often squeezed into one house or, in some cases, one room. Oxfam reports that 250 schools in Gaza are still out of action. 85 percent of schools that are operational have to work double shifts that means shorter class time and an end to extra-curricular activities. Starved of essential imports, including raw materials, and its exports blocked, Gaza has seen its economy decimated. The private sector has lost 120,000 jobs. 26 percent of the Gazan workforce, including 38 percent of their youth, is unemployed. Materials for 17 water and sanitation projects are held up by the Israeli authorities. In the meantime 90-95 percent of water from Gaza’s only source, the underground aquifer, is undrinkable. Experts warn that at the current rate of depletion, the aquifer will become unusable by 2016, and the damage will be irreversible by 2020. Gaza residents are restricted to an average of 91 liters of water per day compared to 280 liters used by the usurper Israelis. The World Health Organization says that 100-150 liters a day is required meet the most basic health needs. There has been no change to the unilaterally imposed ‘buffer zone’, a restricted-access area around Gaza’s perimeter with Israel, which extends in places up to 1,500 meters into Gaza and on the coast limits fishing to 3 nautical miles. This places 35 percent of Gaza’s farmland and 85 percent of its coastal fishing waters off limits, making a devastating hole in the economy. The lives and livelihood of an estimated 178,000 people are directly affected, including 3,500 licensed fishermen. Israel enforces the buffer zone by sniper fire and shelling. From January to December there were 72 reports of fishermen being shot at. The 2010 annual fishing catch was down by 45 percent compared to 2008 before the 3 mile limit was imposed – a desperate serious matter for a population whose children are undernourished. I have just received a letter from Alistair Burt, the foreign office minister for Middle East affairs, saying the same sort of thing Lord Hylton was quoting… that “We continue to press the Israeli Government at ministerial and official level to ease access restrictions, including to increase the fishing limits from 3 to 12 miles ...” He also claims the Department for International Development “addresses the key access constraints” and “promotes economic growth”. As the situation clearly shows, none of the British government’s diplomatic drivel has made the slightest difference to Israel’s appalling conduct. Nor is it meant to, remembering how foreign secretary William Hague and Middle East minister Alistair Burt, and their boss David Cameron, have pledged undying support for that regime. The 5th Baron Hylton (Lord Hylton) has been sitting in the House of Lords, our “upper chamber”, since 1967 and in his gentlemanly way has done much for the Palestinian cause. But he’s curiously reluctant, in spite of prodding, to name and shame the minister or Foreign Office adviser who wrote the nonsense that appears on his blog. Could it be the same one that wrote to me? /end