Tag: gaza

Killings Could Boomerang on Israel

JERUSALEM – What exactly happened on the high seas off the Gaza-Israel coast remains in murky waters.Already though, the implications of Israel’s assault on the peace flotilla of civilian vessels headed with humanitarian relief supplies for the besieged Palestinian territory are becoming starkly clear. Despite the unexpected loss of lives the killings might just remain … Continue reading “Killings Could Boomerang on Israel”

Israel Winning Its War on Goats

GAZA CITY – Nine-year-old Ismail spends every afternoon herding his family’s flock of sheep and goats, a scraggly group of roughly 20 animals. They live in a shanty house district near Tel el Howa in Gaza City, where growth is sparse to nonexistent. "I walk all over to find food for the animals," he says, … Continue reading “Israel Winning Its War on Goats”

Did Banned Media Report Foretell of Gaza War Crimes?

An Arab member of the Israeli parliament is demanding that a newspaper be allowed to publish an investigative report that was suppressed days before Israel attacked Gaza in winter 2008.  The investigation by Uri Blau, who has been in hiding since December to avoid arrest, concerned Israeli preparations for the impending assault on Gaza, known … Continue reading “Did Banned Media Report Foretell of Gaza War Crimes?”

Gazans Gassed by Silent Killer

GAZA CITY – "You feel very sleepy and dizzy. You put your head down and all you want to do is sleep. Everything feels very peaceful, you are not even aware what is happening, and if there is no immediate intervention you are dead within minutes," Enaam Abu Nada told IPS. Abu Nada is one … Continue reading “Gazans Gassed by Silent Killer”

Opposition Grows Against Egypt-Gaza Barrier

CAIRO – Activists and opposition groups are stepping up pressure on the Egyptian government to stop constructing a barrier along the border with the Gaza Strip. Officials say the barrier will prevent cross-border smuggling, but critics say it will seal the fate of the people on the Gaza Strip. "The Egyptian border was the only … Continue reading “Opposition Grows Against Egypt-Gaza Barrier”

Gazans Denied Justice as Rights Take a Beating

RAMALLAH — Gazans hoping for a modicum of justice following Israel’s indiscriminate military assault on the coastal territory during December 2008 and January 2009 — which left 1,400 Palestinians, mostly civilians, dead — could be waiting in vain. The Israeli government has taken the offensive in the propaganda battle and attacked United Nations-appointed Justice Richard … Continue reading “Gazans Denied Justice as Rights Take a Beating”

Helpless in Gaza

JERUSALEM – Scores of Palestinian women and their children carefully sift through the desert sands. They are looking for hard nuggets. No gold rush here in the Gaza Strip – all they are putting into their sacks are pebbles and pieces of hard rock. Even Israelis were moved when their main commercial channel, Channel 2, … Continue reading “Helpless in Gaza”

US Policy in Gaza Remains Unchanged

One year ago Thursday, the last Israeli tanks were lumbering out of the Gaza Strip, ending the 22-day Gaza War and leaving in their wake a decimated landscape and population. A year later, the humanitarian and security situation in the devastated coastal enclave remains dire, yet the Barack Obama administration continues to overlook the crisis … Continue reading “US Policy in Gaza Remains Unchanged”

Harsher Gaza War Looming on Horizon?

RAMALLAH – According to several prominent Palestinians and Israelis, another major Israeli military assault on Gaza, even harsher than last year’s Operation Cast Lead, is imminent. But will this change anything, and have the underlying causes behind the previous bloody war been addressed? During the last week the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) have carried out … Continue reading “Harsher Gaza War Looming on Horizon?”

Israel’s Rocket Defense System Tightens Screws on Gaza

Israel unveiled “Iron Dome” last week, a missile-defense system that is designed to strike a knock-out blow against short-range rockets of the variety fired into Israel by Hamas and Hezbollah. In the short term, Iron Dome is supposed to herald the demise of the rocket threat to Israeli communities near Gaza four years after Hamas … Continue reading “Israel’s Rocket Defense System Tightens Screws on Gaza”