Paul McCann: The world's largest prison camp

[idontwantaname]

Paul McCann: The world's largest prison camp

It seems that Israel wants to lock up Gaza and throw away the key

Published: 16 August 2005

There is a Bedouin village - breezeblock shanties built on sand dunes - in the north of the Gaza Strip that has been overlooked by the army watchtowers of the Jewish settlement of Nisanit. On most nights during the intifada, soldiers in these watchtowers fired down into the alleys of the village, keeping everyone hemmed into their homes at night. On occasion, children, disorientated and panicked by the firing, had been known to run out of their shacks and into the line of fire.

There were many randomly-firing watchtowers surrounding the Israeli settlements in Gaza. They have killed hundreds of Palestinians, both militant and innocent, and are hated by the local population. Their removal this week, along with the settlements themselves, will rightly be a moment of celebration. But just because the most visible and oppressive signs of the Israeli occupation will be gone, no one should be under the illusion that Gaza will cease to be the world's largest prison camp.

Last week, the Israeli cabinet has decided that it would maintain troops on the border between Gaza and Egypt for the foreseeable future - along the so-called Philadelphia corridor. It was from a watchtower on this border that peace activist Tom Hurndall was shot in 2003. The same cabinet meeting also decided that Israel must continue to control who enters and exits Gaza through Egypt and proposed a new border crossing at Kerem Shalom where Israel, Gaza and Egypt meet. This busy cabinet meeting also decided that it would allow Gaza to have three miles of territorial waters - after that Israel would control the sea. It had already been decided that Israel will continue to control Gaza's airspace.

Earlier this year, the International Committee of the Red Cross, the guardian of international humanitarian law, sent the Israeli government a confidential position paper making clear that the removal of the Israeli troops and settlers from Gaza will not end the occupation. The paper stated: "Israel will retain significant control over the Gaza Strip, which will enable it to exercise key elements of authority. Thus ... it seems at this stage the Gaza Strip will remain occupied for the purposes of international humanitarian law."

It is a view backed by the highly respected Harvard Programme on Humanitarian Policy and Conflict Research. In a legal brief prepared for the donor community, the programme's director wrote: "The partial redeployment of Israel's military presence in and around the territory is not the controlling factor in international law to determine the end of occupation ... The end of occupation rests essentially on the termination of the military control of the Occupying Power over the Government affairs of the occupied population that limits the people's right to self determination."

more at:

http://comment.independent.co.uk/commentators/article306129.ece

[Jim Sagle]

1. If they want FULL independence they can stop killing Jews. End of story.

[caitlyn]

2. He can't even get his facts right

Israel and Egypt have reached agreement whereby it will be Egyptian, NOT Israeli troops along the Philadelphia road.

If the Palestinians abandoned their constant terror attacks and turned to a diplomatic process instead there would be no need for a fence.

This piece is one-sided pro-Palestinian propaganda filled wih factual errors. There will not be one Israeli left in Gaza. What elements of authority will Israel exercise other than protecting its citizens from terrorist attacks?

[pelsar]

3. i really hate reading lies.....

On most nights during the intifada, soldiers in these watchtowers fired down into the alleys of the village, keeping everyone hemmed into their homes at night. On occasion, children, disorientated and panicked by the firing, had been known to run out of their shacks and into the line of fire.

And i have been across that particular village...I have watched them for hours..and I have been briefed on their activities....(its a center for attacks in N. gaza)

NOT ONCE in over 90 days over the years when I have been across that village did anybody from my unit shoot within the village.....

they send out they're kids to the fence to see how we react...like clockwork the second a new unit comes on line

so if the beginning of the article is BS...i suspect the rest of it is as well......

[idontwantaname]

4. my apologies pelsar...

it is without argument that you know gaza better than i so i apologize for 1. the articles inaccuracy and 2. for offending you.

however i am curious if you can confirm who will be overseeing the gaza-egypt border and whether the planned wall to be constructed around it will be armed remotely or a barrier like the w.bank? im also curious about border crossings in and out of gaza and if internationals will be allowed to enter?

[pelsar]

5. what i dont understand....

the idf does enough rotten things to write about..as do the settlers, so it really pisses me off when someone just makes up lies about me...and i really dont understand it....theres enough happening that one doesnt have to do it......and I'm still pissed, guess cause I really dont understand it...anyway...

i havent been on the philedelphia route in over 5 years.....The rafach area is a real wild west over there, the present wall was built to stop the palestenain shooters...if egypt takes over the security of the area, which is the plan so far...then they'll also be incharge of the internationals as well....but, and I am quite serious about this....when the PA gets control or attempts to control it, It will be a very different place then it is now.

Gaza is different from the west bank, which is far more "international" oriented....the internationals in gaza, once we leave I suspect will not be tolerated by the hamasnikim as they are now...it will be far more dangerous for you guys there.....

[caitlyn]

6. This sort of propaganda bothers me too.

I don't care if it's Palestinian propaganda filled with lies about Israel and the Jewish people or if it's something off of Arutz Sheva or some other really right-wing Jewish site revising history and trying to dismiss the Palestinians as irrelevant.

The mainstream press often takes stuff like the nonsense in this article and publishes it as if it were the truth. It makes me ill.

pelsar: Am I right in assuming from your posts that you are Israeli?

[pelsar]

7. an israeli...

yes....living in a village called zichron yaacov.....


______________________
idontwantaname...dont worry about it....like you and i both now, what ones sees and experiences out there is usually quite different from what we read