Ha’aretz reported that Secretary of State Hillary Clinton sent messages to Israel expressing anger at Israel’s obstruction of humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip.
“Israel is not making enough effort to improve the humanitarian situation in Gaza,” senior U.S. officials told Israeli counterparts last week, and reiterated Washington’s view by saying that “the U.S. expects Israel to meet its commitments on this matter.”
Israel is letting in fewer than 200 trucks daily, which is double how many it was allowing a month ago. The U.S., the EU and the UN are demanding that at least 500 trucks carrying aid be allowed into the Strip daily, while some aid groups were calling for 900.
Israel’s absurd restrictions on what constitutes aid led to the bizarre banning of pasta from Gaza.
When Senator John Kerry visited, he learned that many trucks loaded with pasta were not permitted in. When the chairman of the Senate Foreign Affairs Committee inquired as to the reason for the delay, he was told by United Nations aid officials that “Israel does not define pasta as part of humanitarian aid – only rice shipments.”
The embargo is being upheld even to the detriment of basic needs because of the predominance of rightists in Israel who see Palestinian survival as “concessions” to Hamas. This does not seem to rest well with the Obama administration, nor should it if they expect to have any credibility as peacemakers.
Along with the American pledge of $900 million to Gaza rebuilding, we can see the Obama administration is committed to cleaning up Israel’s mess, or should I say crime scene.
The question arises, is Clinton just talking tough to project a new image of impartiality — after all which Israel is she talking to when the regime has no shape yet? It is like Hamas’s quandary of which Israel to recognize, Israel with occupation or Israel without it.
The best test of her and the new administration’s sincerity will be in Israeli action. Anyone who has seen US-Israeli relations over the years knows that when America really insists, Israel delivers. When American postures for public indulgance, and winks at Israel, little happens.
If the Obama administration is serious about it, the aid will flow. Still, we should just see it as part of the stage-show meant to prep the Palestinians for undignified surrender in the form of a two-state non-solution. That is not to say aid is good, it is just a substitute for ending the Israeli occupation. American policy would be credible if it called for Palestinian freedom rather than further aid dependency; the latter is leverage they will use against the Palestinians to push through the illusion of peace.
Related posts:
- Israel Risks the Talibanization of Gaza: the Long-View on Israel and Palestine
- The Myth of Israel’s “Targeted” Killing
- McCain on North Korea: It’s Clinton’s Fault
- Media Bias on Gaza Crisis Favors Israel
- Gaza: The Hole in Obama’s Outreach
You’re so jaded and utterly twisted in logic/conspiracy knots. I don’t blame you. Most Kabobers have become highly radicalized over the last year.
I think if you guys read your own comments from a year ago, you’ll find you were more witty, less depressed and just overall more interesting and hopeful to read.
Just to note, I still have not seen a SINGLE article that describes the situation in post-war Gaza. You’re accepting the Israeli/American frame of the Palestinians being nothing more than aid recipients.
Where is the critique of Palestinian institution building? Where is the demand for LGBT rights? Where are the cries for political reform?
Arabs are a cynical bunch. I can tell you Jewish sites – from progressive to conservative – are abuzz in vigorous policy talk. Here, you just get cynical snide remarks.
Posted by Anonymous | February 24, 2009, 11:35 pmDo you care to share?
Posted by Anonymous | February 25, 2009, 12:16 amThat “undignified surrender in the form of a two-state non-solution” comment is where you lose those of us who are not fanatical Israel fans and might be otherwise be more sympathetic, indeed, some of us used to be on your side once.
If even you guys on this blog, who seem fairly reasonable sorts, will not settle for anything other than the total destruction of Israel as a nation then I’m afraid nothing will ever be sorted. A two state solution (provided it is not one mostly on Israel’s terms, which must be a real concern unless US policy really changes) is the only reasonable and possible one.
All western aid to Gaza should stop until at least the possibility of a more realistic approach is agreed by Hamas. If Palestinians want to continue an unwinnable struggle then pick up the bill yourselves.
It is rather absurd for some to accuse us of inhumanity in not supplying more aid if Hamas are not willing to avoid all the casualties in the first place.
Posted by xoggoth | February 25, 2009, 6:51 amAnon 11:35, You should be thankfull for lame jaded Arabs, they’re the reason why the alien Zionist entity exists in the heart of the Arab world.
Posted by Anonymous | February 25, 2009, 12:10 pmA world without Palestinians would be a world without terror.
God Bless the IDF.
Posted by pat1425 | February 25, 2009, 7:13 pmA world without Palestinians would be a world without Zionuts to suck. God bless Zionuts in my mouth.
Posted by pat1425 | February 25, 2009, 8:36 pmKabob isn’t reporting videos like this. I wonder why. Remember when we heard about Hamas breaking legs of Fatah collaborators in Gaza? It’s all so neat and clean in black and white letters. Behind each pair of those broken legs is a human being.
Watch for yourself how acts the Palestinian government of Gaza.
Posted by Anonymous | February 25, 2009, 11:06 pmWe barely have LGBT rights in the United States. So how dare we expect people living under a miserable blockade and occupation to somehow be more progressive than us in the United States where people in the LGBT are still beat down and lynched on the streets.
If you want to find something to pick on Palestinians for, try harder.
Posted by Arayus | February 27, 2009, 5:50 pm