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EU resolution lambastes Israel over Gaza Strip isolation policy
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by con10t | January 26, 2009 at 01:36 pm
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In early 2008, the EU responded to Israel's recent killing of 300 Gazan civilians with this statement:
"The policy of isolation of the Gaza strip has failed at both the political and humanitarian level," the European Parliament said in an adopted resolution. "The civilian population should be exempt from any military action and any collective punishment. The European Parliament calls on Israel to cease military actions killing and endangering civilians, and extrajudicial targeted killings," the EU resolution said.
European Union lawmakers urged Israel on Thursday not to inflict "collective punishment" on Gaza's population, saying its isolation of the territory had failed and its actions were endangering civilians.
They urged Israel to lift a blockade which has cut supplies to the 1.5 million people living in Gaza, run by the Islamist group Hamas, and let in aid and essential goods and services.
Most RecentMost Recommended Comments (8)
at 14:45 on January 26th, 2009
EU OFFICER. HAMAS IS A TERRORIST GROUP
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Michel, told a news conference that Hamas "is overwhelmingly responsible for the war waged by Israel on the Gaza Strip."
"Launching (homemade) rockets at civilians is a terrorist action, which has to be strongly denounced," Michel told the reporters
He added that as he checked out the destruction caused by the Israeli army during a 22-day military air and ground offensive, "we should also remind that in spite of all of this, Hamas is overwhelmingly responsible for the outcomes."
It is the first senior EU official who slammed the Hamas movement, which considered the Israeli offensive as "a great victory for the Palestinians."
"I mean here to say that Hamas is a terrorist movement and must be condemned. If we want the EU to encourage a political dialogue that achieves calm and progress, Hamas should accept two small conditions," said Michel.
"Hamas has to recognize Israel's right of return and abandon the armed struggle which basically has terrorist dimensions," Michel added.
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at 14:56 on January 26th, 2009
this does not sanction massacre, mass murder and maming kids with white phosphours that creates microholes and burrows deep in the flesh and will not stop burning there that israel has terrorized palestinian children with.
to answer real murder by israel with one politician's view of hamas, who by the way at the same time comdemned israel if you read his statement, is petty and the rhetoric of inhumanity.
at 16:38 on January 26th, 2009
And telling Israel to ignore Hamas terrorist threats --as only rhetoric-- to destroy Jews is akin to giving the same advice to German Jews in 1933. My humanity does not embrace the same rhetoric Hitler used in his final solution.
at 04:17 on January 27th, 2009
your bringing up hitler does the current actions by israel no good. your comparison, opens the way to calling israel genocidal, ethinc cleansing. i would prefer not to enter that level, as i do think israel has committed war crimes and massacre and mass murder and great civilian suffering with their robing of land and liberty in the palestinian territories. i hope it doesnt escalate to the third reich level. i doubt it. but there are some wo make the jump and connect the nazis to israel. i think that, as your example is, too extreme.
but to ignore israel as a war criminal leadership right now discredits the tribunals against the african dictators, the serbian mass murderers that are going on now. we have to be fair and hold up the standard for all natons, and israel should be a model for that and prosecute fairly those who used and condoned and approved the banned weapons that have destroyed so many civilian lives and futures in palestine and gaza.
i am not saying one should ignore threats. but to pay attention to threats does not mean mass murdering children and blockading and robbing land and liberty from palestinians. remove the provocation for threats and even the idle threats lose steam and will sound like a persiflage and never be supported by a civilian democratic population in free gaza.
at 15:33 on January 26th, 2009
moonwolf,
With all due respect you are wrong on this. Deliberately firing rockets at Jewish children is a war crime and terrorism. And then bragging in the media that Hamas will "legimate"ly kill Jewish children puts That group in league with Hitler. That is exactly what Hamas leaders have done.
"Hamas are a democratically elected government" You know better. Hamas won a plurality of seats in parliament in 06. In 07 they murdered thousands of Gazans and overthrew the legitimate Palestine government.
Israel is a soveriegn nation, a UN member. The UN charter gives every state the right to attack any group that kills its civilians.
I don't defend Israel but I am informed enough to know no nation would allow rockets to be fired at its children-even firecracker" rockets- without striking back.
I support free Palestine but I condemn anti-semites who kill; Jewish children and brag about it.
at 04:04 on January 27th, 2009
158,
you write: "Israel is a soveriegn nation, a UN member. The UN charter gives every state the right to attack any group that kills its civilians."
are you then extending israeli's 'right' to kill children and civilians to hamas and the palestinians? that is of course what you are clearly saying above. why then do you say that the rocket fire is not hamas' right? makes no sense if you don't.
simply israel must be prosecuted for war crimes against civilians. they must end their blockade, dismantle all settlements, share jerusalem, promise aid to palestine to rebuild, and then if there is any aggression by hamas or other factions, it is clearly terrorism, perhaps reacism, and will be seen as such by the majority in the world.
until israel lifts its aggression, it is very difficult to accept the right of israel to massacer and not the right of the palestinians if very limited circumstances to fight back with the most limited options they have available.
to call them terrorists so quickly would be to call paul revere or menachem begin and his irkut terrorists. begin went on to win a peace prize. menachem begin, as you know, bombed four british missions and killed 91 civilians in his spectacular 'terrorist' attack on the king david hotel. he was fighting for israel's land, and autonomy from external british overbearing influence.
i would see begin as a freedom fighter for his cause. your 'right' must be extended to the palestinians and hamas. the best defense is to recognize the settlements, blockade, invsasions, massacres, and propaganda, media war is not the way for israel. let the palestinians have their rights and then there is no acceptable or even distantly understandable compassion for their rights, as you yourself uphold above.
at 16:33 on January 26th, 2009
No, you and Hamas agree and Hamas is only a small part of Palestine.
IF you read what I write you would not make false charges against me.
I Support a free Palestine within agreed borders, one fully free, in every way, one that will not attack its neighbors. I support a free Israel that meets the same conditions.
Link one one place where I said different.
And if you expect Israel, Egypt, Japan, Cuba, any nation to allow thousands of rockets to be fired at its civilians without striking back, then you are not informed.
You can hate Israel all you wish but when you deny the overwhelming culpability of Hamas in causing this war and the deaths, then you ignore reality.
Show me evidence Hamas did not murder thousands while violently taking over Gaza in 07.
Pointing out Hamas war crimes makes me anti-Hamas terrorists, not pro-Israel. I am anti Castro-both-but not anti Cuba. I am anti Harper but pro Canada.
at 04:09 on January 27th, 2009
what borders do you foresee, and agree to? new borders, or THE borders?
i don't actually like hamas either. they are like israel exploiting a problem, and not solving it, at least with their rhetoric. there are however circumstances that wins them more respect than israel currently. israel is a dastardly country presently, very disappointing, as israel has all the makings of being a shining world ethics model. with their suffering behind, as ben-gurion would say, they could give every oppressed people a model of peace, tolerance and fairness. it is so disappointing that they simple turn from oppressed to oppressor, and in a big and war criminal way.