Israel using Rafah crossing to pressure PA on Shalit release

[Scurrilous]

<snip>

"The Israel Defense Forces and the Shin Bet recommended six days ago that Israel shut down the Rafah crossing to pressure the Palestinians to release kidnapped soldier Gilad Shalit.

This was said during a Defense Ministry meeting whose transcripts Haaretz has acquired.

The document reveals for the first time that the IDF and the Shin Bet are calling for a closure on grounds other than intelligence on pending terrorist attacks."

<snip>

"In practice Israel closes the crossing at will, on the pretext of "intelligence of an imminent attack." This automatically prevents the European observers from reaching the crossing - which ensures that it remains closed.

However, in this document, the IDF's position is that the crossing "should be opened on occasion only after the kidnapped soldier is released and the shooting from the Gaza Strip stops. To use the crossing as a means of applying pressure."

The Shin Bet poses a similar but more blatant stance in this document: "We oppose the opening of the crossing, even for a few hours, so long as the matter of the abducted soldier remains unchanged. Pressure on this matter must remain in place at this stage."

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/756402.html

[pelsar]

1. actually the article "made a mistake"

"In practice Israel closes the crossing at will, on the pretext of "intelligence of an imminent attack." This automatically prevents the European observers from reaching the crossing - which ensures that it remains closed.

damn facts! the observers dont have to go through keren shalom to get to rafah...they can enter via erez...a bit of round trip (instead of 10minutes, its about an hour)....but they dont want to, nor do they want to stay in the Egyptian side of the border of Rafah which would be two minute walk to the crossing.....

so the real question is, why dont the observers want to open Rafah? anybody want to try to answer?....anybody?....somebody......

[Englander]

2. In other words, 'collective punishment'.

Most-Moral-Army; 'Do what we say, or we lock the gates.'

[pelsar]

3. its more like...

stop trying to kill us....and we'll leave you alone.....syria did it, egypt did it, jordan did it.....proof that is works....palestenains might want to try it, but then they'll have to stop making tunnels.

if the gates are now "locked" guess that means they were open before....and open gates can bring in food, goods, humanitarian aid (oops, guess that ruins the gaza is a prison routine thats been claimed for the last year)

remind me again, why the palestenians in gaza are trying to kill israelis? or why are the intl observers so lazy?

I noticed that you couldnt answer the question...

[bemildred]

4. Proof of the already obvious. nt

[Englander]

5. B'Tselem;

30 Aug. 2006: B'Tselem to Defense Minister: Stop using Rafah Crossing to pressure Gaza civilians

On 30 August 2006, B'Tselem wrote to the Defense Minister, Amir Peretz, and informed him there was reason to believe that the security establishment has been using the Rafah crossing to put pressure on Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. The organization demanded that the minister order the IDF to cease its illegal policy.

B'Tselem's action followed publication of the minutes of a meeting held in the Ministry of Defense relating to the Gaza crossings, as reported in Ha'aretz. According to the report, the IDF's Planning Division argued that the crossing "should be opened on occasion only after the kidnapped soldier is released and the shooting from the Gaza Strip stops. (To use the crossing as a means of applying pressure)." The General Security Service opposed opening the crossing even for a few hours, (so long as the matter of the abducted soldier remains unchanged. Pressure on this matter must remain in place at this stage)." The representative of the Coordinator of Government Operations in the Territories also believed that the crossing should remain closed until Shalit is released.

According to OCHA's reports for July-August 2006, the Rafah crossing has been closed to traffic since 25 June 2006. On 18-19 July, it was opened to allow the crossing of 5,178 Palestinian who had been stuck on the Egyptian side of the crossing. On 10, 11, and 19 August, Israel allowed limited movement through the crossing.

Rafah Crossing is the sole exit point for Gazans who want to go abroad. Closing the crossing results in an almost complete siege of the Gaza Strip, during which nobody enters or leaves. In addition to the extensive harm it causes to Gazans who are unable to go abroad to receive medical treatment, to study, of for any other purpose, the closing of the crossing also prevents the return of Palestinians who had gone abroad, requiring many of them to remain for a prolonged period of time on the Egyptian side of the border in harsh conditions.

According to the "crossings agreement," of November 2005, Egypt , the Palestinian Authority, and European observers are responsible for operating the crossing. However, Israel controls the observers' access to the crossing: the observers live in Ashkelon, and to get to work, they have to pass through the Kerem Shalom crossing, which Israel often closes on the grounds that it received information of planned terrorist attacks.

The newspaper report raises the grave suspicion that Israel 's claim of concrete warnings of terrorist attacks is a cover-up for its policy of pressuring the Palestinians to obtain the release of the abducted soldier, Cpl. Gilad Shalit, and stop the Qassam rocket fire into its territory. If this is the case, Israel 's action constitutes collective punishment of the civilian population in the Gaza Strip, in violation of international humanitarian law. Article 33 of the Fourth Geneva Convention is clear: "Collective penalties and likewise all measures of intimidation or of terrorism are prohibited." The article also states that, "Reprisals against protected persons and their property are prohibited."

http://www.btselem.org/english/Gaza_Strip/20060830_Closing_of_Rafah_Crossing.asp

[pelsar]

6. so its the EU fault?.....blame them

the Palestinian Authority, and European observers are responsible for operating the crossing. However, Israel controls the observers' access to the crossing: the observers live in Ashkelon, and to get to work, they have to pass through the Kerem Shalom crossing, which Israel often closes on the grounds that it received information of planned terrorist attacks.

the observers dont have to live in Ashkelon, israel.....they can live in gaza, they can live in Egypt.

the article is not clear who is keeping it closed: the IDF or the EU observers....

[breakaleg]

7. so it's the EU's fault for allowing the observers to live in Israel?

That's quite a leap. The article states the crossing is closed because of Israel controls the observers' access to the crossing they use to get to work.

[pelsar]

8. Its the EUs fault for not going to work and opening up rafah

the article states that keren shalom is closed....there are other access points. They can go through Erez which is the entrance at the north. Or if they are really concerned, they could stay in Egypt (rafah is divided in two, half in gaza half in egypt)...or they could even live in gaza for that matter.

Now the reality is that they dont want to enter via Erez because it means traveling the length of gaza to get to rafah, a journey that can be dangerous given the chaos of gaza amongst the various jihadnikim (kidnapping etc). Living in Rafah amongst the rafah gang (southern gaza is controlled by a family) has its own internal violent politics..and living in rafah Egypt probably in general isnt much fun for the Europeans.

So if your a European Observer, its obvious one would prefer the safety of Israel, but if thats the case, then when israel shuts down keren for whatever the security alert, maybe they shouldnt complain?

They can take up temporary residence in Egyptian Rafah.....For reasons that are unclear, neither the Egyptians nor Europeans seem to be excited about this option....but the option exists....

[breakaleg]

9. So you are suggesting they should go the long way around when

Israel choses to block the most logical entrance. And didn't you also suggest that blocking the entrance from Gaza to Israel was also no big deal since if people REALLY wanted to get from Gaza to the West Bank, they could go the LONG way around through Egypt? Tell me, how is one to get to work and home each day via this route?

You make no sense. But then I don't think you intend to post a logical suggestion, you just want to post a possible, although not practical one, to absolve Israel of any responsibility for essentially locking the Palestinians inside Gaza.

[pelsar]

10. i'm just writing the facts...

and those facts suggest that its the EU observers that have shut down the entrance from Egypt to Gaza.....

and going to the westbank via egypt/jordan from gaza is hardly an easy trip, as well as long, etc....but it does exist. the only ones who travel from gaza to the westbank to work are politicians and other govt employees who do go via erez straight to ramalla in coordination with israel (when israel permits it)

so you were about to tell me why the EU observers cant stay in Rafah in Egypt?....so that they can keep the gates open to Egypt?.....