By Mel Frykberg, Inter Press Service, July 15, 2010.

RAMALLAH, Jul 15, 2010 (IPS) – Israel has received international praise for its decision to ease its crippling blockade on Gaza following the country’s deadly assault on a humanitarian flotilla trying to bring desperately needed humanitarian aid to the coastal territory. But according to the UN and human rights organisations, the easing of the blockade is insufficient in meeting Gaza’s needs. Read the rest »»

Siriel-Media :
[EN] Easing a blockade has never been a solution, as a society cannot sustain itself solely on humanitarian aid. It was the tragic case for the people of Iraq where countless suffered and died under a stringent blockade allowing only humanitarian aid (See: The UN failed the Iraqi people; by former UN Chief-Denis Halliday), and we must demand that the people of Gaza not be submitted to the same fate.

[FR] Alléger un blocus n’a jamais été une solution, car une société ne peut subsister uniquement par l’aide humanitaire. Ce fut le cas tragique du peuple irakien où d’innombrables personnes ont souffert et sont décédées sous un blocus permettant seulement de l’aide humanitaire (Voir l’essai Les sanctions économiques globales contre l’Irak), et nous devons exiger que le peuple de Gaza ne subisse pas le même sort.

Recherche d’une paix durable et féconde entre les peuples d’Israël et de Palestine
Pétition, pouvant être signée en ligne, sur le site de l’Assemblée nationale

Nous demandons à l’Assemblée nationale de :

• condamner le raid meurtrier commis contre la flottille humanitaire qui se dirigeait vers Gaza pour alléger les souffrances de la population civile;

• demander la fin immédiate du blocus économique de Gaza;

• interdire à la trentaine d’entreprises qui fabriquent du matériel militaire au Québec d’exporter vers Israël;

• suspendre l’Entente de coopération économique entre le Québec et Israël pour faire pression sur l’État d’Israël et appuyer la campagne internationale de boycott, de désinvestissement et de sanctions économiques, notamment par le retrait des vins et spiritueux en provenance d’Israël des tablettes de la SAQ. »»»

Mise dans la section Urgent-Prévention du Siriel-Média vu l’urgence de mettre fin au blocus inhumain de Gaza. Notons que, dans cette pétition, l’expression « blocus économique » n’était pas nécessaire : ce blocus classique n’est pas qu’économique, il est aussi culturel, humain, etc.

Plus de photos ici »»

Dans la suite ci-dessous…

Propos-discours tenus lors de l’action

Extrait : Notre rôle humain ici est de rappeler qu’Israël et l’Égypte ont appliqué un blocus inhumain à l’ensemble de la population civile de Gaza pendant maintenant trois années

L’annonce-invitation originale

Press release 20 May 2010

On Wednesday, Helén Pettersson, Social Democratic member of the Swedish Parliament, submitted a written inquiry to Foreign Minister Carl Bildt, asking what measures the government intends to take in order to protect Ship to Gaza’s peaceful, lawful, humanitarian initiative. The reason for the inquiry is that Ship to Gaza and the Freedom Flotilla—the coalition in which the Swedish initiative will be included— has been threatened with military resistance from Israeli authorities and private individuals. The following is Petterson’s inquiry in its entirety:

“One and a half million Palestinians are living in isolation on the Gaza Strip, in pure misery. There is a shortage of food, medicine and other necessities, such as building materials to repair homes, schools and other buildings which were destroyed by the bombings during the war around Christmas in 2008. In order to address the situation, Ship to Gaza is planning to take the sea route to Gaza, bringing medicine, desalination plants, cement, etc. in order to help the people in need. Ship to Gaza is a politically and religiously independent, non-profit organization that is working to promote increased respect for human rights and general international law. Israel’s government has now threatened to stop Ship to Gaza and to use force if necessary. Does the Foreign Minister intend to protect this humanitarian initiative?”

Français & English

January 1, 2010 – For months international, Israeli, and Palestinian activists have been planning the Gaza Freedom March. Organizers hoped an international delegation of 1300 activists from around the world would break the siege on Gaza by marching through Gaza to the northern border and through the Erez crossing, join the Israeli march. The Real News attended the Israeli side of the protest, and though the Egyptian government prevented the activists from entering Gaza, hundreds gathered to raise awareness of the desperate situation in Gaza a year after Operation Cast Lead. [transcript and TheREALnews here »»]

Le groupe Codepink dans la délégation canadienne vers Gaza

:: Video for the Canada/Quebec delegation (sous-titré en français)

By Mel Frykberg, Sept. 16, 2009 – Copyright© IPS-Inter Press Service.

RAMALLAH, Sep 16 (IPS) – The International Committee of the Red Cross has warned that Gaza’s access to safe supply of drinking water could cease at any time. The World Health Organisation (WHO) says outbreaks of disease could be triggered as a consequence.

... During Israel’s bombardment of Gaza during the December-January war, the strip’s already degraded infrastructure was heavily targeted.

... Javier Cordoba, the ICRC water and habitation coordinator who is supervising Red Cross reconstruction efforts in Gaza says the situation is very fragile. “A lack of construction material and parts has led to a de-development of the water infrastructure, which could collapse at any minute,” Cordoba told IPS.

The population of Gaza is submitted to an Israeli and Egyptian blockade.
     / La population de Gaza est soumise à un blocus israélien et égyptien.

Israel/Occupied Palestinian Territories
Israeli authorities must authorize access to the Gaza Strip !

The International Federation for Human Rights denounces the Israeli decision to deny its representatives access to Gaza.

May 22, a delegation from Quebec was blocked when they attempted to enter Gaza from the Israeli border; though they were invited by a UN agency. May 26, delegations of 66 people —mosty from Canada, but also from New York and Cairo— were able to enter Gaza from the Egyptian border! Here is their messagd… – Michael Lessard (Quebec City Collective for peace)

Report from Cairo, Tuesday, May 26 :

We have some great news to report!!! The day started out with a 3am call from one of our delegations in Al Arish saying that secret police had contacted them at 2pm to intimidate them and say they would not get into Gaza. We, in Cairo, told them to go on to the border and see what happens. [...]

Source: AFP, posted on Yahoo News

GENEVA (AFP) – The World Health Organisation on Friday called on Israel to immediately lift an aid and fuel blockade of the Gaza Strip saying it was causing a “serious shortage of medicines and medical supplies.”

The WHO’s annual World Health Assembly taking place in Geneva this week passed a resolution demanding that Israel “facilitate the transit and entry of medicine and medical equipment to the occupied Palestinian territory.”

And it said it wanted Israel to reverse policies that had “led to the prevailing dire health conditions and severe food and fuel shortages in the Gaza Strip.”

Earlier this month, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon called on Israel to end the blockade on aid and fuel to the 1.5 million inhabitants of the impoverished Gaza Strip.

Life in the enclave, he said, remains “extremely difficult” three months after the end of an Israeli offensive targeted at Gaza’s rulers, Islamic movement Hamas.

Source des info: www.ochaopt.org (English, Arabe, Hebrew)

   Selon les Nations unies, le blocus qu’Israël impose, à l’ensemble de la population civile de la bande de Gaza en Palestine, a des effets humanitaires néfastes et bloque ses interventions humanitaires. Medecins sans frontière déclarait le 25 novembre dernier : « Presque tous les points de passage commerciaux de la bande de Gaza ont été totalement fermés, limitant drastiquement l’approvisionnement alimentaire et médical ». Même des rapporteurs de l’ONU se font bloquer l’entrée par l’armée israélienne.

Le 18 décembre dernier, le blocus israélien a forcé l’UNRWA, l’agence onusienne responsable d’aider les personnes réfugiées au Proche-Orient, de cesser sa distribution de nourriture. Imaginez, 750,000 personnes réfugiées à Gaza dépendent de la nourriture distribuée par l’UNRWA ! [...]