Israel's Gaza blockade breaks law, says ICRC

[azurnoir]

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said Monday Israel's blockade of the Gaza Strip violates the Geneva Conventions and called for its lifting.

The neutral humanitarian agency also urged Hamas Islamist militants holding Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit, captured nearly four years ago in a cross-border raid, to allow his family to have regular contact with him, in line with international law.

Israel's raid on a Gaza aid flotilla two weeks ago, in which nine pro-Palestinian Turkish activists were killed, highlighted acute hardships faced by 1.5 million Gazans due to the closure since 2007, it said. They endure unemployment, poverty and warfare, and health care whose quality is at an "all time low."

"The whole of Gaza's civilian population is being punished for acts for which they bear no responsibility. The closure therefore constitutes a collective punishment imposed in clear violation of Israel's obligations under international humanitarian law," the ICRC said in a five-page statement. It was the first time the ICRC has said explicitly that Israel's blockade constitutes a violation of international humanitarian law embodied in the Geneva Conventions, an ICRC spokeswoman said. The Fourth Geneva Convention of 1949, ratified by Israel, bans collective punishment of a civilian population.

Israel is entitled to impose restrictions on military material for legitimate security reasons, but the scope of the closure is disproportionate, covering items of basic necessity, according to the ICRC.

http://af.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idAFTRE65D01120100614

[UndertheOcean]

1. duh ! I thought that was common knowledge ?

[Chulanowa]

2. It is!

So is "Evolution is the change in the inherited traits of a population of organisms through successive generations."

So is "Human-caused emissions of CO2, Methane, and other 'greenhouse gasses' contribute to the warming of the globe"

So is "Barack Obama was born in Honolulu, HI, on August 4th, 1961"

Doesn't mean that there aren't a lot of stupid, stupid, stupid right-wing dumbfucks who are absolutely convinced otherwise.

[Recursion]

3. I hope we can all stop pretending Shalit and the blockade are not linked

Hamas needs to man up and make a reasonable exchange offer now. Yesterday. 4 years ago. And ICRC needs access to him now. Yesterday. 4 years ago.

[azurnoir]

4. While I agree that Shalit should be released

you need to brush up on Israels history of blockading Gaza it started long before Shalit was captured and before Israel removed its settlements

[Recursion]

5. I didn't say it was the cause. I said they are linked. NT.

[azurnoir]

7. ah so you were apparently trying to excuse the current blockade n/t

[Recursion]

9. Someone hasn't been paying attention :) NT

[azurnoir]

10. Oh I have been paying a good deal of attention n/t

[ColesCountyDem]

6. "It was the first time the ICRC has said explicitly that Israel's blockade constitutes a violation"

At least the folks who've been advocating that proposition finally have something to back their POV.

[azurnoir]

8. no just more not that it will make any difference n/t

[aranthus]

11. Gazans are not responsible for their elected leaders? Excuse me?

We can debate the morality and efficacy of the blockade all you want, but for the ICRC to effectively say that is just wrong and stupid.

[EFerrari]

12. What is it about "collective punishment" that is unclear?

The Israeli government just shot or killed more people in one night than Hamas has in the last year. They were from all over the world, too. Should the world take that as a declaration of war and punish the Israeli people for the actions of their government? What do you think we should do to them?

[aranthus]

13. What part of "elected government" is unclear to you?

There are two different issues. How the Israelis conduct themselves in their war against Hamas is one issue, and it's a legitimate issue for discussion. However, that has nothing to do with whether Gazans are responsible for the actions of their elected government, Hamas. You do think that people are responsible for their elected leaders don't you? If Gazans elected a war party (and they did) aren't they responsible for that choice?

[EFerrari]

14. No, these are the same issue. If you elect a fundamentalist war party

you have to deal with the consequences. But lucky for Israel, the 4rth Geneva Convention makes collective punishment illegal.

[azurnoir]

18. The truth is that the people of Gaza did not elect Hamas as their leaders

there were 2 elections one in 2005 for Palestinian President which Abbas won and one in early 2006 for Palestinian parliamentary seats think our mid terms in which Hamas won a majority of seats both elections were voted in by all Palestinians not just those in Gaza as gets put forth here so frequently

[EFerrari]

19. Important clarifications. Thanks. n/t

[azurnoir]

15. The Gazans elected Hamas as their leaders is that your claim?

are you truly that ignorant of recent history or just getting the most mileage you can out of a common misconception?

[aranthus]

16. Yes.there was an election. Hamas won. Did you miss that?

It's one or the other. If Hamas isn't the legitimate representative by virtue of being elected, then it's the PLO, and Israel shouldn't deal with Hamas as some claim.

[azurnoir]

17. what position did the Gazans elect hamas to? n/t