Hamas Rocketing Deepens Hardship
In Sderot, and Gaza. I’m pretty sure that’s what Reuters meant to say in this report:
Israeli blockade deepens hardship in Gaza
GAZA, Jan 21 (Reuters) - Gaza hospitals will run out of drugs and fuel for generators within a few days unless Israel eases the border blockade it imposed on the Hamas-controlled territory, international organisations said on Monday.
The European Union, which funds fuel for Gaza’s now-idle main power plant, said it understood Israel’s need to defend itself against cross-border rockets but called the restrictions “collective punishment” and said they should be lifted.
Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, speaking by telephone with a concerned Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, assured him that “Israel will not cause a humanitarian crisis”, said an Olmert aide.
I think Hamas beat Israel to it.
Gaza’s main power plant shut down on Sunday after Israel blocked fuel supplies, plunging much of Gaza City into darkness. While it provides only 30 percent of the territory’s electricity, its closure affected a far greater proportion of the population because of the way the power grid system works.
Residents of the impoverished territory awoke to nearly traffic-free streets and shuttered shops, with petrol in short supply since Israel closed Gaza’s border crossings on Friday.
Palestinian officials have warned Israel’s standoff with Gaza militants, who have vowed to continue the rocket fire, could harm U.S.-spurred peace efforts.
“There is no fuel, meaning there is no work,” said Abu Mahmoud, a fisherman. “We have seen bad times before, but never worse than these days.”
Like my old man used to tell me, as ye sow, so shall ye reap. That guy’s a lot smarter than I used to give him credit for. EU, UN, human rights groups, etc. profess to be outraged about “collective punishment.” They should be. As soon as those who have taken it on themselves to administer Gaza stop firing rockets at civilians in Israel, fuel spigot opens.
Captain Quarters sees Israel channeling Mr. Spock, with a logical cut-off of support to the enemy, advises ICRC to begin monitoring the humanitarian crisis in Sderot.
In Israel, the debate is about why Olmert is going so easy on Gaza.
Here’s a little about the humanitarian crisis in Sderot.
JPost: Families mull evacuating their kids to the United States under a new grassroots “Save Israel’s Children” program.
Ha’aretz: Sderot, a shadow of its old self.
AP: Life has become impossible.
Topics: Israel, Palestinians
Posted by Jules Crittenden at 8:15 am on Monday, January 21, 2008
8 Responses to “Hamas Rocketing Deepens Hardship”
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January 21st, 2008 at 8:46 am
Collective punishment is the only way to go if you want to suck support away from the rocketmen.
January 21st, 2008 at 9:31 am
Well, they collectively elected the rocket shooters. Life can be tough when you’re militantly and repetitively stupid.
January 21st, 2008 at 11:08 am
Anyone wringing their hands over the poor, poor Palestinians in Gaza should shut up until they’ve lived a week in Sderot. Hamas, alone, is responsible for the suffering of Gazan Palestinians.
Israel is perfectly correct to deny delivery to Gaza of anything and everything that could possibly be diverted to military use. Creative solutions can be found to avert any possible humanitarian disaster.
January 21st, 2008 at 12:24 pm
Gee, why don’t the Iranians build a nuclear reactor in Gaza? Isn’t that why the Iranians want nuclear plants, to generate electricity? Think of the children in Gaza, Ahmadinnerjacket! Think of the children!!!!
/naive leftie
January 21st, 2008 at 2:03 pm
I say keep Gaza in darkness – makes it easier for night-vision-equipped Israeli commandos to kill terrorists.
January 21st, 2008 at 7:00 pm
I don’t suppose any Palestinian geniuses have stopped to think that if they manage to destroy Israel, all they’re going to be left with is a larger Gaza?
January 21st, 2008 at 10:59 pm
Rebecca,
Not to worry. If the Muslims ever got their wish and destroyed Israel (God forbid) that would soon be followed by the greatest regional war there since Alexander and Darius had their little disagreement. Egypt, Syria, Iraq, The Wahabbist Entity, Jordan, and probably Iran and Turkey would all get sucked in trying to take the place over, or stop an opponent from doing so. Since intra-Arab wars are mostly exercises in the competitive slaughter of civilians, it would not be long before almost all the Palestinian Arabs were dead or fled. The last time Egypt tried to conquer the Levant the war went on for morre than ten years, and ended only because Great Britain intervened on the side of the Turks against Egypt.
January 21st, 2008 at 11:21 pm
TRJS, Ahmadinnerjacket has problems closer to home. Ahmadinnerjacket’s economically submergent presidency is causing people in northern Iran to freeze to death, in the current glowball warming incident, due to a lack of natural heating gas.
Of course the world’s second largest natural gas fields are underneath his country.
Oy vay, he has such a problem. We drop off his radar screen and they make him shut up about Israel and tend to his own country. Life isn’t fair.