Illegal Blockade?
International Piracy?
Israel???
Come on, get real!!
Israel Only Stops Materials That Can Be Used to
Build Weapons or Tunnels to Smuggle Weapons
Israel transfers over 15,000 tons of humanitarian aid each week into Gaza. That’s approximately one ton of humanitarian aid for every man, woman and child in Gaza over the course of the past 16 months.
In spite of what you’ve heard, the living standard of the average resident of Gaza is higher than the living standard of the average Egyptian, Jordanian or Syrian or Lebanese.
Israel does not permit combustible fertilizer that can be used to build explosives, for example, but it does permit non-combustible fertilizer. Same with other materials. If it can be used to make a weapon, Israel won’t let it through. If it cannot be used to make a weapon or to build a tunnel to smuggle weapons, Israel permits its passage.
Anyone who tells you that Israel is stopping humanitarian aid from getting through to the people of Gaza doesn’t know what they are talking about, or is lying.
Israel’s Blockade of Gaza is Not Illegal
Let’s make this simple. Under international law, a nation has the right to deny its opponents access to weapons and to materials that can be used to make weapons.
Let’s look at just a two examples:
1. During the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis, the US completely blockaded Cuba – all ships in international waters heading to Cuba were first to be boarded and inspected by the US Navy.
2. During World War II, the US and England intercepted, stopped and boarded all ships in international waters that appeared to be heading toward Germany, Italy or Japan.
The United State and the EU identify Hamas, the government of Gaza, as a terrorist organization. Since 2001, more than 10,000 missiles and mortars have been fired from Gaza into Israel, aimed intentionally at civilian targets.
Each of these missile launches is a violation of international law and a war crime. Israel has the right under international law to protect itself from these attacks and to deny Hamas access to materials that Hamas uses to make these missiles.
Anyone who tells you that Israel’s blockade of Gaza is illegal doesn’t know international law or is lying.