Physicians for Human Rights Gaza Update - Another Seasonal Shame
Red Cross Condemns World Inaction | 22.12.2007 14:47 | Palestine | World
Keep in mind that these measures violate International Law as well as Israel's own laws. IMC attacks, like the ones that have been occuring worldwide, haven't been this consistent since Israel attacked Jenin. This signals that the Government is frightened of this information getting out, because it knows full well that what it's engaged in is illegal and immoral, but it just doesn't care.
It will continue in its war to wipe Palestine off the map until it is made to stop.
It will continue in its war to wipe Palestine off the map until it is made to stop.
Physicians for Human Rights Gaza Update - Another Seasonal Shame in the Holy Land.
Felicity Arbuthnot & Physicians for Human Rights
December 20, 2007
Another kind of Eid and Christmas. For those listed below and their families, in this Report by Physicians for Human Rights, they are not ticking off days of celebration, or to celebration, with gifts, the sharing of family meals and moments. They are ticking off every hour that those that they love cannot receive treatment, praying for their survival and knowing that short of a seasonal miracle, or the jack boot of Israel being lifted, their life expectancy is next to nil.
This, as the West anticipates and celebrates, amounts to murder by default - and all who are silent and those who man the checkpoints of this siege of Palestinian nationals carry the same weight of guilt as their government.
Felicity Arbuthnot
Physicians for Human Rights-Israel Gaza Update
20 december 2007
Over the past few weeks, Israeli authorities have changed their tactics regarding medical exit permits for Gaza patients: Instead of issuing a permit or a rejection on "security grounds," responses are delayed for weeks and defined as "pending." Since appeals can only be filed after a formal rejection has been issued, the significance of this tactic is denial of the possibility of appeal.
1. Eighteen urgent new medical cases are currently handled at our offices. The majority of these have waited for weeks without receiving any response - negative or positive - from the Israeli authorities. Since appeals can only be filed after a formal rejection has been issued, the significance of this tactic is denial of the possibility of appeal (see list of patients below).
2. Large, unknown numbers of patients are not accessing care, due to delays in processing permits, lack of transparency in the process, rejections on security grounds, and last-minute interrogations. Palestinian MoH estimates over 800 patients whose cases are still pending.
3. Access-related deaths are increasing. On the 9th of December alone, according to Palestinian MoH data, three patients died in connection with denial of access to care.
4. Coercion/blackmail of patients by GSS (Israeli secret service, 'shabac’) continues: Interrogations are increasingly employed against patients on a routine basis, and patients are required to inform on others before being permitted to access care.
5. Passage to Egypt has been initiated but is inadequate.
Bureaucratic obstacles
Over the past few weeks, Israeli authorities have changed their tactics regarding medical exit permits for Gaza patients: Instead of issuing a permit or a rejection on "security grounds," responses are delayed for weeks and defined as "pending."
Since appeals can only be filed after a formal rejection has been issued, the significance of this tactic is denial of the possibility of appeal.
According to Palestinian Ministry of Health data, by the end of October over 200 cases were "pending" and by the end of November over 300 cases were "pending." Palestinian MoH estimates over 800 patients whose cases are still pending.
PHR-Israel is of the opinion that this tactic, as well as recent attempts by the Israeli authorities to block the access of human rights organizations to the names of rejected patients, are a response to recent media exposure and legal scrutiny of serious life-threatening cases whose access to care was denied. Rather than changing its policy, the military is now attempting to veil it by blocking access to information.
GSS policies
Since late November, permits "pending interrogation" have become more frequent. This means patients must undergo interrogation before receiving a response to their request. Interrogations are often held close to or even after the date of the scheduled medical appointment, leading to disruption of care and repeated re-scheduling of appointments.
Before interrogation, patients often wait for many hours at the Crossing, and are sometimes turned back without interrogation and are obliged to reschedule with the GSS.
During interrogation they are requested to provide information, not only about themselves but also about members of their families, neighbors and acquaintances. Some are asked to act as informers on a regular basis. Since PHR-Israel’s intervention in court, threats that non-compliance will lead to denial of care are more veiled. However, non-compliance invariably leads to a negative response and rejection of permission to exit Gaza.
After interrogation, patients are requested to return home and to wait for an answer. Since December, patients are requested to file new requests after interrogation, and to start the process from the beginning, often leading to multiple interrogations.
Intimidation by GSS: One of the patients represented by PHR-Israel was interrogated after High Court petitions had secured his permission to exit. At the interrogation he was threatened by GSS officers and warned not to apply to external bodies and to the courts, with the implication that such actions would lead to denial of a permit.
Passage to Egypt
In December, following several High Court petitions, an arrangement was reached with the Egyptians to let out specific patients via Erez and Nitsana Crossings. However, patients were informed on the day of exit itself, 3.12.07, so that they had no time to reschedule appointments in Egyptian hospitals, to file for a passport, or to collect money for the journey. The crossing was closed on the afternoon of the next day. It was re-opened on 11-12.12.07, with no prior notification, and this time dozens of patients who arrived were turned back at the last minute: The Israelis claimed that the Egyptians denied their entry, but the patients claimed Israeli soldiers told them they were denied passage by the Israeli GSS. Currently the Israeli authorities say the passage will be opened again, but cannot say when or for how long.
PHR-Israel is re-opening legal action:
- Demanding exit permits for the 18 new cases.
- Demanding that Israeli authorities stop the new tactic of non-response
- Demanding the right of appeal and transparency in the bureaucratic process: patients must receive answers in writing within a reasonable period of time, and information on number of patients denied access should be available.
- Demanding that the GSS stop its routine use of patients and their intimidation for the collection of intelligence.
- Repeating its demand for a policy ensuring access of patients to medical care outside Gaza.
Additionally, PHR-Israel has not closed its previous court petition, in which it challenges the practice of deliberate withholding of medical care by GSS as a form of coercion against patients, to compel them to act as informers. A third hearing on this petition is pending.
PHR-Israel repeats its minimum demands
- That the State of Israel ensure access of all patients who need care unavailable in Gaza to external medical centers in Israel, West Bank, Jordan or any other country, as a matter of policy
- That the GSS immediately stop coercing patients at the crossing. According to the British Medical Association and others this may constitute cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment as defined under the UN Convention Against Torture and related instruments.
Patients waiting for exit from Gaza:
www.uruknet.info/?p=m39430&hd=&size=1&l=e
In other words, it's time for the world to stop sitting idly and watching the Zionists enact their 'final solution' to the 'Palestinian question'. Like the Jews of the 30's, the Palestinians have to be wondering why the 'civilized' world would allow this to happen.
Red Cross demands Mid-East action
Red Cross workers negotiate access for an injured Palestinian in Gaza
The International Committee of the Red Cross has called for immediate political action to contain the "deep crisis" in the West Bank and Gaza.
The statement was an unusual departure from its normally non-political stance.
The ICRC said the measures imposed by Israel had denied the Palestinian population the right to live a normal and dignified life.
But the Israeli government insisted it was co-operating with the Red Cross to ensure the flow of humanitarian aid.
"We are committed to making sure that the people of Gaza continue to receive vital humanitarian and medical support," Israeli government spokesman Mark Regev said.
But the Israeli government also said restrictions could not be eased too quickly, because Palestinian militants would then try to carry out more attacks.
The ICRC says humanitarian assistance cannot possibly be the solution in Gaza and the West Bank.
Its statement comes just days before a major donor conference in Paris.
Why do we call for political action? Because actually we do not think that humanitarian aid can solve the problem
Beatrice Megevand Roggo
ICRC
The BBC's Imogen Foulkes in Geneva says politics is not usually a word which features in the language of the international Red Cross - the famously neutral organisation tends to work quietly in conflict zones, and when it does speak, it speaks of numbers of injured treated, or numbers of detainees visited.
But the ICRC now says that life in the West bank and Gaza Strip has become so dreadful that no amount of humanitarian aid can really help.
'Situation perpetuated'
"Why do we call for political action? Because actually we do not think that humanitarian aid can solve the problem," said Beatrice Megevand Roggo, ICRC director of operations for the Middle East.
READ THE ICRC REPORT IN FULL at link below.
"In Gaza the whole strip is being strangled, economically speaking, life there has become a nightmare. And for that there is no solution that can be provided by humanitarian organisations.
"We can try to put patches on problems, but we do not have the key to a lasting solution that would address the roots of the problem."
In fact the Red Cross and other UN aid agencies are pouring money into Gaza; senior aid officials, our correspondent says, privately fear they may be perpetuating a situation which really should not continue.
'Dignity denied'
Together with its statement calling for political action, the Red Cross has issued a report called Dignity Denied which paints a harrowing picture of life for the Palestinians - suffering an economic blockade which denies them jobs, medical care, and even food.
"The 1.4 million Palestinians living in the Gaza Strip continue to pay for conflict and economic containment with their health and livelihoods," the report says.
"In the West Bank, the establishment of Israeli settlements affects every aspect of Palestinians' lives and leads to the loss of much land and income, together with recurrent violence by settlers. Exhausting movement restrictions hinder access to work and have led to unprecedented levels of unemployment and poverty.
"Only prompt, innovative and courageous political action can change the harsh reality of this long-standing occupation, restore normal social and economic life to the Palestinian people, and allow them to live their lives in dignity."
The ICRC says it recognises Israel's right to take measures to defend itself.
"[But this] needs to be balanced against the Palestinians' right to live a normal and dignified life," said Ms Roggo.
Also on Thursday, the World Bank said increased aid and Palestinian government reforms will have no real effect unless Israel eases restrictions on travel and trade.
At the donors conference on Monday in Paris, governments are being asked to provide the Palestinians with US $5.6bn over the next three years.
news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7141875.stm
Palestinian civilians 'hostage' to worsening conflict: Red Cross
Published: Thursday December 13, 2007
Palestinians have become a "hostage to the conflict" between militants and the Israeli armed forces and are bearing the brunt of the hostilities, the international Red Cross warned on Thursday.
"The Palestinian people are paying an exceedingly high price for the continuing hostilities between Israel and Palestinian factions," said Beatrice Megevand Roggo, head of Middle East operations for the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).
"Their situation is made even more difficult by intra-Palestinian rivalries. The Palestinian population has effectively become a hostage to the conflict," she said.
The ICRC said the situation in the Gaza Strip, which has been run by the Islamist Hamas militia since June, is "alarming," with Israel's decision to cut fuel supplies adding further hardship to the beleaguered population.
"The (Gaza) Strip has been progressively sealed off since June: imports are restricted to the bare minimum and essential infrastructure, including medical supplies and water and sanitation systems, is in an increasingly fragile state," it noted.
The ICRC said that immediate political action was needed to resolve the crisis and that humanitarian aid on its own was not sufficient.
It urged Israel to "respect its obligations under international humanitarian law, to ease restrictions on movement in the Gaza Strip and West Bank and to lift the retaliatory measures that are paralysing life in Gaza."
Israeli troops killed six militants in Gaza on Tuesday during a military incursion, with the chief of staff warning that the time was "approaching" for a major offensive in the coastal strip.
www.rawstory.com/news/afp/Palestinian_civilians_hostage_to_wo_12132007.h
Another Cancer Patient Dies Due to Israeli Gaza Siege
Medicine, Water and Fuel Shortages
Mohammed Omer, BBSNews
www.bbsnews.net/index.php?topic=mideast
Collective Punishment Violates Israeli Law, Not Just International Law
www.winnipeg.indymedia.org/item.php?11540C
Felicity Arbuthnot & Physicians for Human Rights
December 20, 2007
Another kind of Eid and Christmas. For those listed below and their families, in this Report by Physicians for Human Rights, they are not ticking off days of celebration, or to celebration, with gifts, the sharing of family meals and moments. They are ticking off every hour that those that they love cannot receive treatment, praying for their survival and knowing that short of a seasonal miracle, or the jack boot of Israel being lifted, their life expectancy is next to nil.
This, as the West anticipates and celebrates, amounts to murder by default - and all who are silent and those who man the checkpoints of this siege of Palestinian nationals carry the same weight of guilt as their government.
Felicity Arbuthnot
Physicians for Human Rights-Israel Gaza Update
20 december 2007
Over the past few weeks, Israeli authorities have changed their tactics regarding medical exit permits for Gaza patients: Instead of issuing a permit or a rejection on "security grounds," responses are delayed for weeks and defined as "pending." Since appeals can only be filed after a formal rejection has been issued, the significance of this tactic is denial of the possibility of appeal.
1. Eighteen urgent new medical cases are currently handled at our offices. The majority of these have waited for weeks without receiving any response - negative or positive - from the Israeli authorities. Since appeals can only be filed after a formal rejection has been issued, the significance of this tactic is denial of the possibility of appeal (see list of patients below).
2. Large, unknown numbers of patients are not accessing care, due to delays in processing permits, lack of transparency in the process, rejections on security grounds, and last-minute interrogations. Palestinian MoH estimates over 800 patients whose cases are still pending.
3. Access-related deaths are increasing. On the 9th of December alone, according to Palestinian MoH data, three patients died in connection with denial of access to care.
4. Coercion/blackmail of patients by GSS (Israeli secret service, 'shabac’) continues: Interrogations are increasingly employed against patients on a routine basis, and patients are required to inform on others before being permitted to access care.
5. Passage to Egypt has been initiated but is inadequate.
Bureaucratic obstacles
Over the past few weeks, Israeli authorities have changed their tactics regarding medical exit permits for Gaza patients: Instead of issuing a permit or a rejection on "security grounds," responses are delayed for weeks and defined as "pending."
Since appeals can only be filed after a formal rejection has been issued, the significance of this tactic is denial of the possibility of appeal.
According to Palestinian Ministry of Health data, by the end of October over 200 cases were "pending" and by the end of November over 300 cases were "pending." Palestinian MoH estimates over 800 patients whose cases are still pending.
PHR-Israel is of the opinion that this tactic, as well as recent attempts by the Israeli authorities to block the access of human rights organizations to the names of rejected patients, are a response to recent media exposure and legal scrutiny of serious life-threatening cases whose access to care was denied. Rather than changing its policy, the military is now attempting to veil it by blocking access to information.
GSS policies
Since late November, permits "pending interrogation" have become more frequent. This means patients must undergo interrogation before receiving a response to their request. Interrogations are often held close to or even after the date of the scheduled medical appointment, leading to disruption of care and repeated re-scheduling of appointments.
Before interrogation, patients often wait for many hours at the Crossing, and are sometimes turned back without interrogation and are obliged to reschedule with the GSS.
During interrogation they are requested to provide information, not only about themselves but also about members of their families, neighbors and acquaintances. Some are asked to act as informers on a regular basis. Since PHR-Israel’s intervention in court, threats that non-compliance will lead to denial of care are more veiled. However, non-compliance invariably leads to a negative response and rejection of permission to exit Gaza.
After interrogation, patients are requested to return home and to wait for an answer. Since December, patients are requested to file new requests after interrogation, and to start the process from the beginning, often leading to multiple interrogations.
Intimidation by GSS: One of the patients represented by PHR-Israel was interrogated after High Court petitions had secured his permission to exit. At the interrogation he was threatened by GSS officers and warned not to apply to external bodies and to the courts, with the implication that such actions would lead to denial of a permit.
Passage to Egypt
In December, following several High Court petitions, an arrangement was reached with the Egyptians to let out specific patients via Erez and Nitsana Crossings. However, patients were informed on the day of exit itself, 3.12.07, so that they had no time to reschedule appointments in Egyptian hospitals, to file for a passport, or to collect money for the journey. The crossing was closed on the afternoon of the next day. It was re-opened on 11-12.12.07, with no prior notification, and this time dozens of patients who arrived were turned back at the last minute: The Israelis claimed that the Egyptians denied their entry, but the patients claimed Israeli soldiers told them they were denied passage by the Israeli GSS. Currently the Israeli authorities say the passage will be opened again, but cannot say when or for how long.
PHR-Israel is re-opening legal action:
- Demanding exit permits for the 18 new cases.
- Demanding that Israeli authorities stop the new tactic of non-response
- Demanding the right of appeal and transparency in the bureaucratic process: patients must receive answers in writing within a reasonable period of time, and information on number of patients denied access should be available.
- Demanding that the GSS stop its routine use of patients and their intimidation for the collection of intelligence.
- Repeating its demand for a policy ensuring access of patients to medical care outside Gaza.
Additionally, PHR-Israel has not closed its previous court petition, in which it challenges the practice of deliberate withholding of medical care by GSS as a form of coercion against patients, to compel them to act as informers. A third hearing on this petition is pending.
PHR-Israel repeats its minimum demands
- That the State of Israel ensure access of all patients who need care unavailable in Gaza to external medical centers in Israel, West Bank, Jordan or any other country, as a matter of policy
- That the GSS immediately stop coercing patients at the crossing. According to the British Medical Association and others this may constitute cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment as defined under the UN Convention Against Torture and related instruments.
Patients waiting for exit from Gaza:
www.uruknet.info/?p=m39430&hd=&size=1&l=e
In other words, it's time for the world to stop sitting idly and watching the Zionists enact their 'final solution' to the 'Palestinian question'. Like the Jews of the 30's, the Palestinians have to be wondering why the 'civilized' world would allow this to happen.
Red Cross demands Mid-East action
Red Cross workers negotiate access for an injured Palestinian in Gaza
The International Committee of the Red Cross has called for immediate political action to contain the "deep crisis" in the West Bank and Gaza.
The statement was an unusual departure from its normally non-political stance.
The ICRC said the measures imposed by Israel had denied the Palestinian population the right to live a normal and dignified life.
But the Israeli government insisted it was co-operating with the Red Cross to ensure the flow of humanitarian aid.
"We are committed to making sure that the people of Gaza continue to receive vital humanitarian and medical support," Israeli government spokesman Mark Regev said.
But the Israeli government also said restrictions could not be eased too quickly, because Palestinian militants would then try to carry out more attacks.
The ICRC says humanitarian assistance cannot possibly be the solution in Gaza and the West Bank.
Its statement comes just days before a major donor conference in Paris.
Why do we call for political action? Because actually we do not think that humanitarian aid can solve the problem
Beatrice Megevand Roggo
ICRC
The BBC's Imogen Foulkes in Geneva says politics is not usually a word which features in the language of the international Red Cross - the famously neutral organisation tends to work quietly in conflict zones, and when it does speak, it speaks of numbers of injured treated, or numbers of detainees visited.
But the ICRC now says that life in the West bank and Gaza Strip has become so dreadful that no amount of humanitarian aid can really help.
'Situation perpetuated'
"Why do we call for political action? Because actually we do not think that humanitarian aid can solve the problem," said Beatrice Megevand Roggo, ICRC director of operations for the Middle East.
READ THE ICRC REPORT IN FULL at link below.
"In Gaza the whole strip is being strangled, economically speaking, life there has become a nightmare. And for that there is no solution that can be provided by humanitarian organisations.
"We can try to put patches on problems, but we do not have the key to a lasting solution that would address the roots of the problem."
In fact the Red Cross and other UN aid agencies are pouring money into Gaza; senior aid officials, our correspondent says, privately fear they may be perpetuating a situation which really should not continue.
'Dignity denied'
Together with its statement calling for political action, the Red Cross has issued a report called Dignity Denied which paints a harrowing picture of life for the Palestinians - suffering an economic blockade which denies them jobs, medical care, and even food.
"The 1.4 million Palestinians living in the Gaza Strip continue to pay for conflict and economic containment with their health and livelihoods," the report says.
"In the West Bank, the establishment of Israeli settlements affects every aspect of Palestinians' lives and leads to the loss of much land and income, together with recurrent violence by settlers. Exhausting movement restrictions hinder access to work and have led to unprecedented levels of unemployment and poverty.
"Only prompt, innovative and courageous political action can change the harsh reality of this long-standing occupation, restore normal social and economic life to the Palestinian people, and allow them to live their lives in dignity."
The ICRC says it recognises Israel's right to take measures to defend itself.
"[But this] needs to be balanced against the Palestinians' right to live a normal and dignified life," said Ms Roggo.
Also on Thursday, the World Bank said increased aid and Palestinian government reforms will have no real effect unless Israel eases restrictions on travel and trade.
At the donors conference on Monday in Paris, governments are being asked to provide the Palestinians with US $5.6bn over the next three years.
news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7141875.stm
Palestinian civilians 'hostage' to worsening conflict: Red Cross
Published: Thursday December 13, 2007
Palestinians have become a "hostage to the conflict" between militants and the Israeli armed forces and are bearing the brunt of the hostilities, the international Red Cross warned on Thursday.
"The Palestinian people are paying an exceedingly high price for the continuing hostilities between Israel and Palestinian factions," said Beatrice Megevand Roggo, head of Middle East operations for the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).
"Their situation is made even more difficult by intra-Palestinian rivalries. The Palestinian population has effectively become a hostage to the conflict," she said.
The ICRC said the situation in the Gaza Strip, which has been run by the Islamist Hamas militia since June, is "alarming," with Israel's decision to cut fuel supplies adding further hardship to the beleaguered population.
"The (Gaza) Strip has been progressively sealed off since June: imports are restricted to the bare minimum and essential infrastructure, including medical supplies and water and sanitation systems, is in an increasingly fragile state," it noted.
The ICRC said that immediate political action was needed to resolve the crisis and that humanitarian aid on its own was not sufficient.
It urged Israel to "respect its obligations under international humanitarian law, to ease restrictions on movement in the Gaza Strip and West Bank and to lift the retaliatory measures that are paralysing life in Gaza."
Israeli troops killed six militants in Gaza on Tuesday during a military incursion, with the chief of staff warning that the time was "approaching" for a major offensive in the coastal strip.
www.rawstory.com/news/afp/Palestinian_civilians_hostage_to_wo_12132007.h
Another Cancer Patient Dies Due to Israeli Gaza Siege
Medicine, Water and Fuel Shortages
Mohammed Omer, BBSNews
www.bbsnews.net/index.php?topic=mideast
Collective Punishment Violates Israeli Law, Not Just International Law
www.winnipeg.indymedia.org/item.php?11540C
Red Cross Condemns World Inaction
