In an article in the Egyptian daily Al-Ahram on the economic situation in the Gaza Strip, journalist Ashraf Abu Al-Houl wrote about the burgeoning recreation industry and of the low merchandise prices.
Also as part of the interest in the economic situation in Gaza, the PA daily Al-Hayat Al-Jadida published articles describing the expensive resorts that have been established for Gaza's newly rich, and a Palestinian website reported on the new mall recently opened in the city. The following are excerpts from the articles: Stores Overflow with Goods Journalist Ashraf Abu Al-Houl wrote in Al-Ahram: "I was last in Gaza in mid-February. Returning three weeks ago, I found it almost unrecognizable... and the greatest surprise was the nature of that change. I would have expected a change for the worse, considering the blockade – but the opposite was the case; it seemed as if it had emerged from the blockade. "A sense of absolute prosperity prevails, as manifested by the grand resorts along and near Gaza's coast. Further, the sight of the merchandise and luxuries filling the Gaza shops amazed me. Merchandise is sold more cheaply than in Egypt, although most of it is from the Egyptian market, and there are added shipping costs and costs for smuggling it via the tunnels – so that it could be expected to be more expensive. "Before I judge by appearances, which can be misleading... [I would like to point out that] I toured the new resorts, most of which are quite grand, as well as the commercial markets, to verify my hypothesis. The resorts and markets have come to symbolize prosperity, and prove that the siege is formal or political, not economic. The reality [in Gaza] proves that the siege was broken even before Israel's crime against the ships of the Freedom Flotilla in late May; everything already was coming into the Gaza Strip from Egypt. If this weren't the case, businessmen would not have been able to build so many resorts in under four months." Significantly Lower Prices "[I] began my search for the truth regarding the siege in Rafah, at the Saturday market, which was loaded with large quantities of merchandise and products of various kinds – at prices mostly lower than in Egypt, particularly for food products. Nevertheless, there weren't many customers, and this for two reasons: One, supply is much greater than demand, and two, the workers were all waiting to get paid their wages. "Business owner Abu Yousuf stood at his shop surrounded by hundreds of cans of food. Their price had dropped significantly in the past two months; in some cases by as much as 50%. Clothing vendor Abu Muhammad Al-Masri noted that there was an unprecedented glut on the clothing market in the Gaza Strip. Clothing comes into Gaza from two sources: the tunnels, which provide large quantities, and the border crossings to Israel, via which even more goods arrive, most of which piled up at Ashdod port [and are now coming into the Strip]. He clarified that the merchants wanted to sell [lots of] goods to get back some of their money... and so had increased the supply in the markets, leading to lower prices. "During my tour of the Rafah and Khan Younis markets, I noticed that the merchants were drastically marking down their merchandise, so as to get rid of goods smuggled in through the tunnels, and to prevent heavy losses... after Israel has decided to allow in Israeli and imported goods, as part of Israeli government measures to ease the blockade following the Freedom Flotilla massacre. "Despite the drop in price due to the plethora of goods in the Gaza markets, the residents sense that even lower prices are on the way, due to the easing of the Israeli blockade. The consumers are carefully watching prices, [particularly for] smuggled electrical appliances and cars, and refrain from buying, expecting that merchandise will arrive via the border crossings [leading to a further drop in prices]. "A Gaza car showroom salesman said that he hoped to sell off his inventory and that he was not bringing in any new vehicles for fear of heavy losses, because Israel had decided to allow vehicles into Gaza for the first time since 2006. Anyone walking in the Gaza streets will see hundreds, if not thousands, of cars that entered Gaza from Egypt via the tunnels, and some of them are stolen. At the home and kitchen appliance dealers, there is a tempting array of all kinds of smuggled goods that sellers want to get rid of, due to the ongoing information about new products that Israel has decided to allow into to the city... " Resorts for the Nouveau Riche "The Gaza resorts paint a picture of prosperity enjoyed by only a few groups, most of which have become rich from the blockade, because they either own tunnels or else work for the many international organizations in Gaza, headed by UNRWA. "The Gaza resorts are divided into several [categories], each of which has its own price range. This is not like it used to be, when all the tables on the beach were for the use of all the residents... I noticed that most of the resorts set a certain price for the tables near the sea, and a different price for tables farther away. This is in addition to high fees to enter the resort – no less than NIS 20 – and each activity within the [grounds] has its own fee. In short, a family visit, with a sandwich for each child, can cost up to NIS 500. "Several months ago, Gaza had only one luxury resort, Zahrat Al-Madain. Today, another one opens up every day, such as Crazy Water, Aqua Park, and Al-Bustan. Most of them are owned by members, or associates, of Hamas. In addition, the Hamas municipalities [also] charge high fees, in Gaza terms, for the use of public beaches." "'Aed Yaghi, senior official of the Al-Mubadara Al-Wataniyya party, which is headed by Palestinian Legislative Council member Mustafa Al-Barghouti, said, 'These resorts make you wonder. It is logical to invest when times are good – but when Gaza is suffering under siege and there is a possibility of renewed aggression [by Israel], no one knows what profitability there is in building resorts.' "Walid Al-'Awwad, a member of the Palestinian People's Party political bureau, said, 'In the past two years, money-laundering has flourished in Gaza, as reflected by the construction of numerous resorts – all of which belong to influential individuals who participate in trafficking via the tunnels. Compared to the tunnel owners' increasing wealth, the [status] of the [established] wealthy families has waned... The spread of the grand resorts reflects the emergence of a bourgeoisie. Some of the fluidity in the Gaza market stems from the activity of clandestine elements – distributors of drugs, arms, and tunnel merchandise.' "Human rights activist and political correspondent Mustafa Ibrahim said, 'Building resorts in the north [of the Strip] is contrary to the most fundamental principles of investment, because they are in regions exposed to shelling and destruction, due to the unceasing Israeli threats. Thus, veteran investors don't dare invest in this area. The elements behind the investment [in the north], who are sometimes hasty, rely on profits from trafficking via the tunnels for funding... This huge investment in the leisure industry is taking place today in Gaza at a time when 80% of the residents depend on aid from UNRWA and other organizations, and unemployment is at 45%. This creates a distorted picture, particularly when merchandise is piling up in the shops in a way that does not reflect the economic situation. Perhaps the current government created this distorted situation in order to show that it had succeeded in breaking the siege..." [1] The Al-Bustan Resort and Bisan Tourism City The PA daily Al-Hayat Al-Jadida stated: "The Al-Bustan resort, on the coast, belongs to an Islamic association linked to Hamas. It offers a cafeteria, a restaurant, and fish ponds; it gets 1,000 visitors a day, and about 2,000 during the weekend, says manager Ahmad Qadoura. A Gaza resident whose home was destroyed in the Gaza war, Abu Kamal Al-Awajeh, expressed his resentment over the resorts' high entry fee of NIS 35... He says, 'priority should be given to rehabilitating Gaza and building housing for those whose homes were destroyed by the occupation in the war.' Nearby, the Wa'ed prisoners' association, which is close to Hamas, has built the Al-Hurriya ["Freedom"] Resort. "In May, Bisan Tourism City was established in Beit Lahiya, in the northern Gaza Strip. Previously a garbage dump, the 270-dunam [site], which belongs to the Hamas government, provides a leisure and vacation [destination] for Gaza residents... It cost $1.5 million, under the oversight of Hamas Interior Minister Fathi Hammad. The city includes an 86-dunam park and a small zoo, and two Olympic-size swimming pools for children and adults. According to its administration, on weekends it hosts some 6,000 visitors... The administration bans hookah smoking and card games, and three religious conventions are held there every week."[2] Mall Opens in Gaza The Palestinian website Firas Press reported: "This week, Gaza's first mall opened. The inaugural ceremony was attended by Hamas ministers and officials, along with merchants and investors. Hamas Welfare Minister Ahmad Al-Kurd said, "The mall will participate in meeting the basic needs of the population, against the backdrop of the siege, with merchants bringing in [goods] via the border crossings and the tunnels."[3] ============ Endnotes: [1] Al-Ahram (Egypt), July 18, 2010 [2] Al-Hayat Al-Jadida (Palestinian Authority), July 22, 2010
Terwijl Abbas zijn poot stijf houdt en opnieuw allerlei voorwaarden stelt aan directe onderhandelingen met Israel, vernoemt de PA wederom een zomerkamp naar de terroriste Dalal Mughrabi, die een van de wreedste aanslagen in Israel leidde. Volgens Al Hayat Al-Jadida: "The Ministry of Social Affairs in Ramallah opened yesterday in El Bireh the fourth integration camp for people with special needs, and in Bethlehem the second Shahida (Martyr) Dalal Mughrabi camp [opened]... The second Dalal Mughrabi summer camp was opened in the headquarters of Light of Generations' youth association in Bethlehem, with support from the National Committee for Summer Camps and the One Voice Palestine organization in Ramallah. It aims at training young leaders in the eastern countryside of Bethlehem District. Present [at the opening] were... the Secretary of Fatah's Bethlehem branch, Yusuf Al-Aref, ..., Chairman of the [Light of Generations' youth] association, Ibrahim Mubarak, Muhammad Khalil - camp director... 70 young girls from the Dar Salah village and neighboring villages participated." Als het Westen al kritiek heeft geuit op het feit dat de PA terroristen als rolmodellen voorstelt voor de Palestijnse jeugd en zo geweld verheerlijkt in plaats van dialoog en verzoening te promoten, dan is die kritiek nog niet erg goed doorgekomen bij de Palestijnen. Misschien dat die daarom eens wat meer kracht bijgezet moet worden, bijvoorbeeld doordat duidelijk wordt gemaakt dat de miljardensteun voor de PA van de EU en VS afhankelijk is van voortgang van de PA op dit gebied. Of misschien kan de VS dreigen dat ze zich alleen in blijven zetten voor de creatie van een Palestijnse staat als die bereid is zich aan de Routekaart te houden, die dergelijke geweldsverheerlijking eenduidig verbiedt. RP --------- Palestinian Media Watch Click here to view PMW's new website
A summer camp in Bethlehem is the latest institution in the Palestinian Authority to be named after the leader of the worst terror attack in Israel's history. According to the official PA daily newspaper, the new camp is named after Dalal Mughrabi, who led a 1978 bus hijacking in which 37 civilians, 12 of them children, were killed. The newspaper reports that the camp "aims at training young leaders" in the Bethlehem area: "The Ministry of Social Affairs in Ramallah opened yesterday in El Bireh the fourth integration camp for people with special needs, and in Bethlehem the second Shahida (Martyr) Dalal Mughrabi camp [opened]... The second Dalal Mughrabi summer camp was opened in the headquarters of Light of Generations' youth association in Bethlehem, with support from the National Committee for Summer Camps and the One Voice Palestine organization in Ramallah. It aims at training young leaders in the eastern countryside of Bethlehem District. Present [at the opening] were... the Secretary of Fatah's Bethlehem branch, Yusuf Al-Aref, ..., Chairman of the [Light of Generations' youth] association, Ibrahim Mubarak, Muhammad Khalil - camp director... 70 young girls from the Dar Salah village and neighboring villages participated." [Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, July 29, 2010] As PMW has documented, the PA has turned Mughrabi into a celebrated hero and role model. Schools, summer camps, landmarks and centers for youth and education have been named after her. Click here to see the section of PMW's website about Mughrabi's elevation from terrorist to hero. The camp has received support from the National Committee for Summer Camps, which is under the supervision of the PA's Ministry of Youth and Sports, according to the ministry's website. The general coordinator of the camps committee, Mousa Abu Zaid, is also the PA's Deputy Minister for Youth and Sports. In a recent article, Zaid wrote that Palestinian summer camps teach children "through precept and example about the importance of dialogue and tolerance in life." [http://thisweekinpalestine.com/details.php?id=3134&ed=183&edid=183] The other supporter cited in the article about the Mughrabi camp is One Voice Palestine. According to its website, the members of this international movement are "fed up with the ongoing conflict" and "ready and eager to support a serious process" leading to a peace agreement. [http://www.onevoice.ps/en/faqdes.php?id=1] In March this year, the PA and Fatah named a square near Ramallah after Mughrabi, and her attack has been celebrated by a spokesman for PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas's Fatah faction as "the most glorified sacrifice action in the history of the Palestinian-Israeli struggle" [Al-Ayyam, July 13, 2008]. The PA celebrated the 31st anniversary of her killings with an hour-long TV special that opened with the narrator glorifying the attack. =================== Click here to see PMW's report From Terrorists to Role Models on the PA's policy of glorifying terrorists.
Het stond eergisteren groot in diverse kranten, zonder enige context: Israel gooit even een Bedoeienendorp plat, honderden mensen dakloos, waaronder 200 kinderen. Die wrede Israeli's weer, ze doen maar met de Arabieren wat ze willen. De Jerusalem Post gaf wel de andere kant weer: In the statement, the ILA [Israel Lands Authority] said that residents first "invaded" the area in 1998, were soon evicted, and returned a year later. The ILA said residents had been asked to rent the land for agricultural purposes for NIS 2 per dunam (0.1 hectare), but "they refused to pay and continued to infiltrate the land year after year." After an eviction notice was issued in 2003, the residents filed a petition that made its way to the High Court of Justice. While the petition was being heard, the residents "continued to infiltrate and squat on state-owned land, and in fact expanded their infiltration through constructing illegal and unproved buildings, crudely trampling on the law," the ILA said. In 2007, the Beersheba Magistrates's Court dismissed residents' request for a delay in implementation of the eviction orders and ruled that residents were "infiltrators repeatedly seizing state land after being evicted." There are tens of thousands of illegal structures in Beduin communities in the country, and several thousand more are built each year; far more than the number the state manages to demolish. Many of these settlements lack basic services, with residents living "off the grid" and not paying municipal taxes. Of dat de verwoesting van het dorp rechtvaardigt is een andere vraag, en de relatie tussen de Bedoeienen en de staat is sowieso een lastig onderwerp. De Bedoeienen willen eigenlijk een nomadenbestaan leiden, met kleine gemeenschappen (dit dorp was dan ook geen dorp zoals wij dat kennen). Israel wil vastleggen waar mensen mogen wonen (en komen) en waar niet. Een deel van de Negev woestijn wordt bijvoorbeeld voor militaire oefeningen gebruikt. Ook is er veel infiltratie via de Egyptische grens, van zowel migranten als terroristen. Hieronder meer uitleg van de kant van Israel. Nogmaals: ik zeg niet dat dat de hele waarheid is, maar het is het verhaal dat in de Nederlandse media, zoals Telegraaf en Spitsnieuws (opgelet: geen 'linkse' media dit keer) ontbrak. RP -------------- Jul 292010 The demolition of an unrecognized Bedouin settlement in the Negev attracts some foreign media looking to fit the story into their own one-sided agenda. It had all the elements that the foreign press in Israel could have hoped for – a mass eviction accompanied by the destruction of homes, a large Israeli police presence, the potential for confrontation and, even better, the fact that those being evicted belong to the Arab minority within Israel. So it was that CNN, BBC, AFP and the LA Times saw fit to cover the demolition of an unauthorized Bedouin settlement in the Negev region. Indeed, irrespective of the rights or wrongs of the issue, such scenes are never pleasant and involve some level of human suffering. The foreign media, however, based on the quotes of non-governmental organizations, managed to portray a complex story in very black and white terms. Writing in The Guardian's Comment is Free, notorious anti-Zionist academic Neve Gordon, not even bothering to address the wider context of the demolition, even went as far as to state that he suddenly understood how far the state is ready to go to accomplish its objective of Judaising the Negev region; what I witnessed was, after all, an act of ethnic cleansing. While the rest of the media did not sink to Gordon's level of vitriol, most of them certainly did nothing to dispel a one-sided narrative that portrays Israel as the usurper of Arab land. The status of the Bedouin in Israel is far more complex, as is this particular case of the demolished unrecognized village. As the Jerusalem Post explains: In the statement, the ILA [Israel Lands Authority] said that residents first "invaded" the area in 1998, were soon evicted, and returned a year later. The ILA said residents had been asked to rent the land for agricultural purposes for NIS 2 per dunam (0.1 hectare), but "they refused to pay and continued to infiltrate the land year after year." After an eviction notice was issued in 2003, the residents filed a petition that made its way to the High Court of Justice. While the petition was being heard, the residents "continued to infiltrate and squat on state-owned land, and in fact expanded their infiltration through constructing illegal and unproved buildings, crudely trampling on the law," the ILA said. In 2007, the Beersheba Magistrates's Court dismissed residents' request for a delay in implementation of the eviction orders and ruled that residents were "infiltrators repeatedly seizing state land after being evicted." There are tens of thousands of illegal structures in Beduin communities in the country, and several thousand more are built each year; far more than the number the state manages to demolish. Many of these settlements lack basic services, with residents living "off the grid" and not paying municipal taxes. As the Israeli press did, including the JPost and YNet, it is incumbent upon the media to include the necessary context and explanation. One is perfectly within one's rights to agree or disagree with Israeli government policies but it is wholly misleading to report on this story without including legal context. As the ILA explains (PDF format): In recent years, some of the Bedouin residing in the dispersed areas have started claiming ownership of land areas totaling some 600,000 dunams (60,000 hectares or 230 square miles) in the Negev – over 12 times the area of Tel Aviv! The Israel Land Administration (ILA) is doing everything in its power to resolve the problems of the landless Bedouin in the Negev. Although this matter is exceedingly complex given the large number of claimants (15,000) who represent the clans of the original claimants, investigation of all land ownership claims has been recently expedited… Instead of prosecution, Israel proposes to settle the conflict by offering extremely generous settlements in return for the withdrawal of the Bedouin's ownership claims. By 2006, the ILA's efforts to reach compromise agreements with Bedouin land claimants had resulted in agreements regarding 150,000 dunams out of the 800,000 dunams under dispute. In addition: -
Israel is currently building 13 new villages or towns for the Negev Bedouin. -
The government of Israel has allocated more than NIS 1 billion for the benefit of this population. -
The State of Israel is offering far-reaching benefits to Bedouin who leave the dispersion and move into permanent villages. See here (PDF) for more on current Israeli and ILA policy towards the Negev Bedouin. Israeli society and the often forced process of urbanization is fraught with difficulties not to mention legal issues surrounding state owned land in the Negev. Sadly, in today's anti-Israel climate, it is but a small step from one-sided reports to the type of demonizing invective employed by Neve Gordon that promotes the lie of an Israel set on "ethnically cleansing" its Arab minority. Even worse that Comment is Free is more than happy to give Gordon and others a soap box to peddle such extremist and false views. See here for more on the Bedouin in Israel.
Ik zou haast zeggen: kan die hele nederzetting niet worden afgebroken, na zoveel gewelddadige incidenten tegen zowel Palestijnen als Israelische soldaten? Als een Bedoeinendorp in de Negev dat illegaal is gebouwd en steeds meer grond confisceerde, uiteindelijk kan worden ontmanteld, waarom dan geen nederzetting die Israel slechts tot last is? Het is echter een goed begin dat men de yeshiva, illegaal gebouwd, nu af wil breken.
RP By Haaretz Service / Published 08:00 28.07.10
Military sources say army prosecutors have turned down an appeal against plans to raze the yeshiva.
The military is preparing to demolish a Jewish seminary building at the West Bank settlement of Yitzhar after residents lost an appeal against its destruction, Army Radio reported Wednesday. Military sources said that army prosecutors had turned down an appeal against plans to raze the yeshiva, which the government has ruled illegal, in response to attacks by Yitzhar settlers on neighboring Palestinians and the extremist language used by the yeshiva's rabbi, Itzik Shapira. The Civil Administration, the Israeli body that governs Jewish-controlled territory in the West Bank, in May 2010 issued an order to renew proceedings to demolish the hilltop settlement's Od Yosef Hai yeshiva. The order was one in a series of army reponses after settlers clashed with security forces on Israeli Independence Day in April. Three Israel Defense Forces soldiers were wounded by stones thrown near the settlement. A slew of violent incidents in recent months has marked Yitzhar out as the center of the extremist trend in the settler movement. Earlier in July police arrested a Yitzhar man suspected of fatally shooting a Palestinian teenager who had thrown stones at his car. In April, residents marched through a neighboring Palestinian village and attacked a home in response to the arrest of 11 Yitzhar settlers, while in January the Shin Bet security service questioned several residents, including Shapira, over a December arson attack on a Palestinian mosque.
Dit is misschien wel de beste manier om anti-Israel boycots te pareren: een buycott. Wanneer de geboycotte producten alleen maar meer verkocht worden, gaat de lol er wel af voor de boycotters, al zullen ze dat niet direct toegeven. En aangezien winkeliers en bedrijven zich doorgaans vooral door de verkoopcijfers laten leiden, is dit een zeer goed antigif. Dus wanneer je van een boycot hoort, mail of Twitter dan je vrienden met de oproep bij de betreffende winkel zoveel mogelijk Israelische producten te kopen! Over de boycot campagne tegen Israel zie ook op YouTube de video: RP ------------
Pro-Israel shoppers defy Ahava products boycott call By HILARY LEILA KRIEGER
25/07/2010 Best sales weekend Maryland store has ever seen. WASHINGTON – A call to boycott Israeli-made Ahava products in a Maryland beauty supply store backfired last week when pro- Israel activists countered by purchasing the shop's entire Ahava inventory.
When the Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Washington found out that the pro-Palestinian group Sabeel DC had organized a protest and boycott call at Ulta in Silver Spring last Saturday, the organization sent out an action alert urging supporters to visit the store and buy Ahava.
"They cleaned the shelves out. It was the best Ahava sales weekend the store has ever seen. They had to order an expedited shipment" afterward, said Arielle Farber, director of Israel and International Affairs for the Community Relations Council. "The greater Washington community is not going to stand for this campaign to delegitimize Israel."
Rona Kramer, a Maryland state senator, was among those answering the Community Relations Council call. When she heard of the boycott, she though "it's a good opportunity for the community to show its support for Israel."
Though in the midst of a re-election campaign, Kramer pushed back her schedule to hit the store on Saturday morning. When she got there at 10:15 a.m. the store had already sold out of many Ahava lines, but she managed to tally up a $200 bill.
It was the first time she had ever bought Ahava products, a brand that uses Dead Sea minerals in hand creams, body lotions and other beauty products. "I've been using them since I bought them and they're wonderful," she said.
Faith McDonnell, another area pro-Israel activist, was moved to show up on Saturday morning because she figured many members of the Jewish community wouldn't be able to come due to observance of Shabbat.
"There were a lot of Christians who were standing with the Jewish people and Israel on this," McDonnell said.
In its literature announcing the event, the Sabeel DC Metro chapter that organized the action said it was held on Saturday morning to take advantage of the large crowds attending a farmers' market held by the store.
Paul Verduin, who cocoordinated the Saturday event and was one of 12 participants, said he wasn't disappointed by the outcome, which saw Ahava sales boosted.
"We operate under the concept of witness. We're trying to testify to the fact that Ahava is one of the products being sold in the US claiming to be an Israeli product when it is made in the West Bank," he said, saying that Sabeel is a nonviolent organization that seeks a "just peace" between Israelis and Palestinians.
In his letter announcing the boycott, Verduin described Ahava products as "made by West Bank settlers from natural resources stolen from the Palestinian people."
In a statement on the subject, Ahava countered that "the mud and materials used in Ahava cosmetics products are not excavated in an occupied area. The minerals are mined in the Israeli part of the Dead Sea, which is undisputed internationally."
Further, it states that Mitzpe Shalem, a West Bank kibbutz where Ahava products are produced, "is not an illegal settlement."
Ahava North America CEO Michael Etedgi told The Jerusalem Post that despite boycott actions in California, New York and Texas as well as in Washington, DC, business has not suffered, nor has he heard from any company that plans to stop selling Ahava as a result.
"None of our retail partners are thinking about it, and we have a complete and open dialogue with them about the situation," he said. "I'm happy and they're happy. They're trying to put the political issue aside."
But he added, "I'm not saying it's not disruptive or annoying... No one wants to have people demonstrating outside their front door."
Carrie Lannon, Ulta's director of public relations, said in a statement that "Ulta selects the products that its stores carry based strictly on products' sales and customer interest. Ulta does not take a position on or get involved with politically charged issues in relation to the merchandise that it offers in its stores."
Still, Verduin said that his Sabeel chapter intended to carry on with its efforts.
"We will continue this until the occupation stops," he said.
The Sabeel Ecumenical Liberation Theology Center is a Christian liberation theology organization based in Jerusalem. It was founded by a Palestinian Anglican priest, Rev. Naim Ateek, the former canon of St. George's Cathedral in Jerusalem, and is an official partner of the Presbyterian Church USA.
Waterpijp schijnt ook voor mannen verboden te zijn. Eerder al werd vrouwen verboden om zonder partner of mannelijk familielid naar het strand te gaan, en alcohol is al lang verboden. De Gazastrook wordt steeds meer een gevangenis, niet vanwege de zogenaamde Israelische blokkade maar omdat Hamas mensen, en vooral vrouwen, het ene na het andere plezier ontzegt. Films, uitgaan, dansen en ander plezier wordt binnenkort waarschijnlijk ofwel alleen voor propaganda gebruikt, of verboden, alleen voor vrouwen dan wel voor iedereen. RP ---------
Gaza - Ma'an - Gaza police announced Wednesday restrictions on women's lingerie and dress stores across the Strip.
Among the prohibitions include displaying lingerie or pajamas in store windows, having fitting rooms or cubicles inside shops, and using tinted glass for store windows. Security cameras inside women's stores will also be banned.
Gaza police spokesman Brigadier Ayman Al-Batniji said the new restrictions will "protect morals and allow people to feel comfortable as they walk down the street."
The announcement follows a wave of new regulations aimed at women.
On 18 July, the Gaza Interior Ministry issued a ban on women smoking water pipes (arghileh) in public places, with Batneiji telling Ma'an that the practice "contradicts" Palestinian traditions and values.
Other bans include a prohibition on women from riding motorcycles and attending wedding parties extending over midnight.
On Saturday, Gaza government police seized inventory from several shops and vendors, which a police report said displayed "immoral words." The clothing, manufactured in Gaza City, was mostly cotton shirts with the words "Porn Man Clothing" written on them in bold letters.
Onfaire, eenzijdige kritiek op Israel en stilzwijgen over de misdaden van Hamas is zeker niet voorbehouden aan links, zo blijkt maar weer. Camerons liefde voor Turkije komt waarschijnlijk vooral voort uit economische motieven, net als de Britse houding tegenover bijvoorbeeld Libië. De kritiekloze houding tegenover Hamas, dat natuurlijk in de eerste plaats verantwoordelijk is voor de problemen in de Gazastrook, is een groot obstakel voor vrede. Zolang Hamas aan de macht is in de Gazastrook lijkt een oplossing van het conflict onmogelijk. RP ----------------- Britse premier haalt in Turkije hard uit naar Israël
dinsdag 27 juli 2010 19:07 Door Jeroen Langelaar - Elsevier
De Britse premier David Cameron heeft tijdens zijn bezoek aan Ankara, de hoofdstad van Turkije, opvallend hard uitgehaald naar Israël. Zo vergeleek hij de situatie op de Gazastrook met die van een 'gevangenenkamp'.
De toespraak van Cameron was doorspekt met lovende woorden over Turkije en de Brits-Turkse relaties.
Hij beloofde zich 'gepassioneerd' in te zetten voor toetreding van Turkije tot de EU. Toetreding is volgens de Conservatief 'vitaal voor onze economie, vitaal voor onze veiligheid en vitaal voor onze diplomatie'.
Gaza
Cameron maakte ook van de gelegenheid gebruik om hard uit te halen naar Israël. De Britse regeringsleider noemde het optreden van de Israëlische marine tegen een boot met Gaza-activisten eind mei – waarbij negen doden vielen – 'onacceptabel' en eiste nogmaals een uitputtend onderzoek naar het incident.
Ook vergeleek hij de situatie op de Gazastrook met die van een 'gevangenenkamp'. 'Laat me duidelijk zijn dat de situatie in Gaza moet veranderen,' aldus Cameron. 'Humanitaire goederen en mensen moeten in beide richtingen de grens over kunnen. Gaza kan niet en mag niet een gevangenenkamp blijven.' Hamas noemde hij niet.
Vriendschap
Wel riep Cameron zowel Turkije als Israël op, om de vriendschap tussen de twee staten, waar de afgelopen tijd de klad in is gekomen, niet te laten verwateren.
Ron Prosor, de Israëlische ambassadeur in Groot-Brittannië, vindt de uitspraken van Cameron ongepast. 'De mensen in Gaza zijn gevangenen van de terroristische organisatie Hamas,' aldus Prosor. 'De situatie aldaar is een direct gevolg van Hamas' regels en prioriteiten.'
Een groot deel van gedoneerde medicijnen en medische apparatuur aan de Gazastrook blijkt niet bruikbaar. Een deel hiervan is afkomstig van de Free Gaza Flotilla. Deze spullen zijn geen hulp maar een last, want ze moeten wel worden verwerkt. Gebruiken sommige 'vredesactivisten' Gaza als illegale dumpplaats? Reporter: "These are disintegrating machines, and medicines that have passed their expiry date by months and even years. They arrive here without any supervision, under the slogan of breaking the siege on Gaza, the population of which is grateful for any initiative to support it. But here, we face a different story with regard to donations."
Mounir Al-Boursh: "These burial shrouds were donated to us. This shroud is 125 cm long. It is deplorable that our Arab brothers are sending burial shrouds for the children of Gaza."
Reporter: "While they await the medicines that they really need, the workers are busy loading these medicines, on their way to the garbage dumps rather than to hospitals. In Gaza, the decomposition of these medicines creates a huge problem, in the absence of incinerators or designated places. Even if the sick are saved from this medicine, the environment will definitely not be spared their perils and catastrophic effects, above and below the ground."
RP -----------
MEMRI Special Dispatch|3120| July 26, 2010
Palestinians/Inter-Arab Relations
Gaza Health Ministry Officials Complain that Medical Donations Supplied by Aid Convoys Are Past Their Expiry Date or Otherwise Useless
Following are excerpts from an Al-Jazeera TV report on the medical supplies delivered by aid convoys to Gaza. The report aired on July 20, 2010.
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Reporter: "This is the warehouse of the Ministry of Health in Gaza. To visitors it seems as if everything is fine, but officials here think otherwise. These are medicines donated by various countries and institutions. Much of it has become a burden rather than a blessing."
Gaza Health Ministry official Mounir Al-Boursh: "This is Tamiflu, for swine flu, or H1N1. This is two million dollars worth of aid, but the epidemic is over, and unfortunately, some countries get rid of their stocks..."
Reporter: "Munir Al-Boursh, the head of the donations department in the Health Ministry in Gaza, says that only 30% of the medical aid donated after the war benefited the hospitals and health services."
Mounir Al-Boursh: "A certain country sent ten truckloads of medicine, accompanied by an official delegation, but all these medicines were past their expiration date."
Reporter: "We asked about these dialysis units, standing in a corner of the warehouse, which had arrived in one of the aid convoys.
"Why are they not taken to the hospitals?"
Gaza Health Ministry official Bassam Barhoum: "These devices were past their expected life span when we got them. In other words, all operational hours were used up in their country of origin."
Reporter: "These are disintegrating machines, and medicines that have passed their expiry date by months and even years. They arrive here without any supervision, under the slogan of breaking the siege on Gaza, the population of which is grateful for any initiative to support it. But here, we face a different story with regard to donations."
Mounir Al-Boursh: "These burial shrouds were donated to us. This shroud is 125 cm long. It is deplorable that our Arab brothers are sending burial shrouds for the children of Gaza."
Reporter: "While they await the medicines that they really need, the workers are busy loading these medicines, on their way to the garbage dumps rather than to hospitals. In Gaza, the decomposition of these medicines creates a huge problem, in the absence of incinerators or designated places. Even if the sick are saved from this medicine, the environment will definitely not be spared their perils and catastrophic effects, above and below the ground."
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