Carter Calls Gaza Blockade a Crime and Atrocity

[Nono]

http://today.reuters.com/news/articl...ANS-CARTER.xml

Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter called the blockade of Gaza a crime and an atrocity on Thursday and said U.S. attempts to undermine the Islamist movement Hamas had been counterproductive. Speaking at the American University in Cairo after talks with Hamas leaders from Gaza, Carter said Palestinians in Gaza were being “starved to death”, receiving fewer calories a day than people in the poorest parts of Africa. “It’s an atrocity what is being perpetrated as punishment on the people in Gaza. it’s a crime… I think it is an abomination that this continues to go on,” Carter said. (...) Israel has not accepted Hamas proposals for a truce including an end to Hamas rocket attacks on Israel and to Israeli attacks on Hamas personnel in Gaza and the West Bank. Israeli officials say a truce would enable Hamas to rearm. Carter said Israel and its ally the United States were trying to make the quality of life in Gaza markedly worse than in the West Bank, where the rival Fatah group is in control. “I think politically speaking this has worked even to strengthen the popularity of Hamas and to the detriment of the popularity of Fatah,” he added. The United States has been trying to achieve the opposite outcome. (...)

As usual, the US and Israel are promoting a policy counter to their own interests. And the thousands of individual lives that are being trashed in the process fail to impinge on their consciousness. Just so many laboratory rats.

This and everything else are naturally justified on the grounds of "security". And the more it goes on, the less security there will be.

Good work, boys.

[shrike]

Yes of course its a crime. Crime committed by Hammas they don't care about its own population instead they attack the border checkpoint to halt their work.

IDF checkpoint coordinator blames Palestinians for Gaza fuel crisis - Haaretz - Israel News Colonel Nir Peres said that Gaza's closed fuel depots and excruciating lines at gas stations were the direct result a carefully planned and publicized Hamas campaign to create a fuel crisis, which stems from the group's refusal to transfer available fuel from the Israeli Nahal Oz fueling terminal into the Strip. According to Peres, as of this weekend, the fuel containers on the Palestinian side of the fueling terminal contained some 190,000 liters of gasoline and over 800,000 liters of diesel fuel. Advertisement On Saturday, the director of Gaza's only power plant said he would have to shut it down in two to three days unless Israel resumed fuel shipments. Israel halted supplies after Gaza militants attacked the Nahal Oz fuel depot on the Gaza-Israel border last week and killed two Israeli workers.

But not only Israel says that.Even Palestinians themselves agree with that.

Hussein al-Sheikh, a PA official, confirmed to Haaretz that Hamas seizes half the amount of fuel transferred by Israel to the Strip. The amount confiscated is approximately 400,000 of the 800,000 liters of diesel transferred to Gaza weekly and intended for uses such as generators, hospitals, water pumps and sewage pumps. In contrast, Hamas uses this fuel for militant purposes. Israeli sources said Hamas was preventing the pumping of all the fuel from the Nahal Oz depot's reserves and funneling it to the Strip's gas stations. In the past week, only a small amount of fuel and diesel was pumped from the depot, leaving some 820,000 liters of diesel and 200,000 of gas in the depots, they said.

I personally don't understand why my stupid government supplies anything to the Gazans . Israel has no obligation whatsoever toward Gaza citizens they have open border with Egypt. So I don't understand what the problem at all also if they can smuggle katyashas they can smuggle everything else. I say Israel should help some African country like Namibia instead at least they don't throw rockets at as.

[GHook93]

President Carter's huge failure as a President was a crime and atrocity on the US public. Carter is a chump who is trying to save his legacy, which is amazingly worst than Bush's!

[Domino]

Yes of course its a crime. Crime committed by Hammas they don't care about its own population instead they attack the border checkpoint to halt their work.

So, now that we're in this thread, this nice group punishment is just what they need, huh. A few people attack a checkpoint, and everyone gets to starve for it.

[shrike]

Quote by: domino So, now that we're in this thread, this nice group punishment is just what they need, huh. A few people attack a checkpoint, and everyone gets to starve for it.

There is no punishment whatsoever .Israel have no obligation to keep it international border open. Every country have the right to control its own border.

[Nono]

Quote by: Hook President Carter's huge failure as a President was a crime and atrocity on the US public.

Displaying your usual analytical flair, I see.

I can't believe your claims not to be a Republican, G. You're so well practised at the discredit-the-messenger-while-ignoring-the-issue game.

[GHook93]

Quote by: Nono Displaying your usual analytical flair, I see. I can't believe your claims not to be a Republican, G. You're so well practised at the discredit-the-messenger-while-ignoring-the-issue game.

How is that an endorsement for Republicans. Many on both sides of the idle have made it clear that Carter was a poor President. Interest rates averaged hit 21% at its top and averaged in the teens, inflation was at 13.5% and unemployment at 7%! when Carter was President. When they are dating our current housing and credit crisis to back to an era it goes to Carter's Presidency. Carter ran an even worse Presidency than the Giant Bush.
It is not a right attack, its a facts.
FrontPage Magazine

I have stated many times I am a fiscal and immigration conservative (reason I am voting for McCain), but I am a social liberal. I am pro-abortion, pro-gay marriage rights etc. I also call for repealing the Harrison act (ending the war on drugs). Neither ending the war on drugs or social liberalism are Republican attibutes.

Sorry if I am not going to support a Democrat who wants to raise our taxes 20%+ and will do nothing about the border.

[GHook93]

Quote by: Domino So, now that we're in this thread, this nice group punishment is just what they need, huh. A few people attack a checkpoint, and everyone gets to starve for it.

The crisis is well over-blown by Hamas. They don't allow free access to the press and they dictate what can be filmed, so everything needs to be taken with a grain of salt.

Yes! 1 instance of a terrorist attack must calls for a direct change. The citizens of your countries safety comes first. For example:
(1) Israel allows sick Palestinians to come to Israel, Hamas operatives get fake doctor notices and use it to get into Israel to do terrorist attacks. The program requires.
(2) Israel allow ambulances to pass the border points non-checked and rapidly. Hamas used them to smuggle in bombs, arms and suicide bombers. Now there is no exception, ambulances must be checked like everyone else.
(3) The crossing is arrogantly attacked by Hamas operatives, The crossing policy must change in order to prevent such attacks.

The ignorant left is so quick to call foul, yet they would be the first calling for their country leaders' heads if they weren't protecting them. The leftist hypocrisy.

[Nono]

I mean your mode of argumentation, G.

Well, shazzam! Carter presided over high interest rates, inflation and unemployment while in office in the late '70s? Isn't that simply shocking! All confined to the US, naturally, while the rest of the world was booming, eh G?. And all Carter's personal fault for damned sure (rolls eyes).

[Domino]

GHook, he's saying your debate methods are those commonly employed by Republicans, not that you're supporting their issues. You use Carter's presidency to discredit him, while completely ignoring the current issue. It's a rhetorical gambit that works great in a commercial-bracketed segment of talk news, but not so great in a forum.

Would the Gaza blockade be easier for you to discuss if we were to pretend that Mickey Mouse had brought it up, instead of Carter?

Shrike, are you trying to say that Israel is giving Gaza exactly what they deserve, as a response to Hamas' attack on a fuel depot, yet it's not a punishment? I'm not sure you can have it both ways. It's a retaliatory response, but it's not punishment... is this education, perhaps? Rehabilitation? Negotiation?

Or are you trying to say that the blockade isn't a response to anything, just a whim of the week? Either it's a response to something, which would make it a punishment, in my book, or it's not a response to anything, which would make it a capricious disregard for human life. Either way, starving people isn't generally acceptable.

If Israel wants to claim the territory, they must also claim responsibility for the well-being of the people living there. This isn't foreign aid, this is domestic aid. If it's foreign aid, then Gaza isn't a part of Israel, and they need to just get out and leave them alone.

[Domino]

Yes! 1 instance of a terrorist attack must calls for a direct change.

If you let the terrorists dictate the terms of peace, you will never have peace. Cracking down on the population as a response to a terrorist attack is what we call giving in to the terror. It's exactly what the terrorists want, because it foments discontent amongst the populace and keeps the terrorists in power. Every time Israel responds to Hamas, they are acknowledging Hamas' power, and demonstrating their fear of that power.

Whose side do you suppose the inhabitants of Gaza are on: the government that's starving them, or the terrorists that can smuggle in food in spite of that government's best efforts? If they support Hamas, it's because Israel has left them with no other ally.

[shrike]

Quote by: domino Shrike, are you trying to say that Israel is giving Gaza exactly what they deserve, as a response to Hamas' attack on a fuel depot, yet it's not a punishment? I'm not sure you can have it both ways. It's a retaliatory response, but it's not punishment... is this education, perhaps? Rehabilitation? Negotiation?

I don't know exactly what goes in the head of my government you know...I personally think like I stated before Israel has no obligation towards Gazans that it.

Or are you trying to say that the blockade isn't a response to anything, just a whim of the week? Either it's a response to something, which would make it a punishment, in my book, or it's not a response to anything, which would make it a capricious disregard for human life. Either way, starving people isn't generally acceptable.

I say the borders should be closed forever or at least until the war is over and saying that Israel have to supply anything to Gaza is like Israel should supply something to Namibia there is a starving people there too.

If Israel wants to claim the territory, they must also claim responsibility for the well-being of the people living there. This isn't foreign aid, this is domestic aid. If it's foreign aid, then Gaza isn't a part of Israel, and they need to just get out and leave them alone

But Israel don't want to claim this territory so your argument is void. Palestinians have an elected government that should take care of its own citizens.

[GHook93]

Quote by: Nono I mean your mode of argumentation, G. Well, shazzam! Carter presided over high interest rates, inflation and unemployment while in office in the late '70s? Isn't that simply shocking! All confined to the US, naturally, while the rest of the world was booming, eh G?. And all Carter's personal fault for damned sure (rolls eyes).

Jimmy Carter - give peace a chance

I already stated in another thread I agreed with his efforts with Hamas, however, I don't agree with his holier than now attitude that Big Jimmy knows best since he was a President. He was an utter failure as President at best, so sorry if I attack what he says by stating how poor of a President he was.

I am sure 10 years from now if Bush tries to go over to Iraq to help negotiate a peace treaty with Al Sadr (granted there are any Sunnis still alive in the country and the countries name is still Iraq), then the Democrats will point out Bush's utter failures as President. They will state maybe his aim is correct, but his ineffective as command and chief make him the wrong candidate for the job.

Same with Big Jimmy. You would think that Carter was the most influential and effective President of his time, considering how much he tries to do after his Presidency in respect to other former Presidents. Yet he ranks with the worst of them.