Israeli checkpoints infuriate Gazans

Reuters | 4/23/02 | Nidal al-Mughrabi

[kattracks]

GAZA, April 23 (Reuters) - When Um Khaled wants to see her 
grandchildren on the other side of the Gaza Strip, she faces an 
exhausting, day-long journey of just a few miles. 
    "It's as if you are travelling to another country," Um 
Khaled said of her visits to Gaza City from the town of Khan 
Younis. 
    Gaza has been spared the destruction and fierce fighting of 
Israel's West Bank offensive, but the Palestinians who live 
there say its checkpoints and road closures have guaranteed 
misery as they try to go about their daily lives. 
    Many cannot work because they cannot get to their jobs, food 
shipments have been blocked or cancelled and travel, including 
emergency trips to hospitals, has become an ordeal. 
 When Um Khaled leaves Khan Younis and reaches the Israeli 
checkpoint, the elderly woman and all the other Palestinian 
travellers must abandon shared taxis and lug their baggage over 
a huge mound of sand and rock piled up by Israeli bulldozers. 
 They then face queues under the hot sun that can last for 
hours, before finding onward transport at an amusement park now 
functioning as an impromptu taxi rank. 
    And travellers can never be sure the checkpoint will be 
open, or stay open when they reach it. 

'LIKE CHICKENS' "The Jews treat us like chickens," Um Khaled told Reuters. "They open the gate, close the gate. It's humiliation, my son." Palestinians often suffer the further indignity of seeing Israeli troops stop them in their tracks to allow free passage to convoys of Jewish settlers moving to or from the 19 settlements in the Gaza Strip. Israel tightened travel curbs and blockades in the West Bank and Gaza Strip at the start of an 18-month-old Palestinian revolt that erupted after seven years of peace talks and interim deals failed to end the occupation. It says it needs the restrictions to protect itself from Palestinian gunmen and suicide bombers. Palestinians consider them collective punishment. In Gaza, tanks loom over checkpoints that split the Strip -- the world's most densely populated area separating Israel from Egypt -- into three. Troops filter the movement of people and goods in a heavy-handed fashion that has even drawn a rare rebuke from Israel's most faithful ally, the United States. "Israel should take immediate action to ease closures and allow peaceful people to go back to work," President George W. Bush said on April 4, urging Israel to show compassion at checkpoints and border crossings to spare "innocent Palestinians daily suffering".

POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS Palestinians say Bush's appeal has fallen on deaf ears, with potentially dangerous results. "More and more pressure leads to an explosion. The Israelis must understand that," said Abdel-Razek Kareem, a university student. "We are not animals, we are humans and will always fight to regain our freedom." Palestinians not compelled to travel often choose not to run the checkpoint gauntlet, though social ties to friends and relatives may suffer in consequence. "I do not visit my family unless it is an urgent matter or an important occasion," said Angham Halabi, who lives with her husband in northern Gaza, away from her parents in the south. "Many times Israeli soldiers fire at random at passing vehicles," she said. "It can be a scary trip." With 40,000 Gazans deprived of jobs inside Israel, unemployment has soared to 65 percent in the Gaza Strip, home to more than a million people, from 22 percent before the uprising began in September 2000, Labour Ministry figures show. Many have been forced to borrow money in order to eat, when food is available. Closures at the Karni crossing, the main link for trade between Israel and the Gaza Strip have caused food shortages, according to executives at the strip's only flour mill. The Palestinian Flour Mills company can only produce 80 percent of Gaza's needs. The rest must come from Israel.

DAMAGED PREMISES Board chairman Ali Shaath told Reuters Israeli forces had occupied and damaged the company's premises a month ago. "They have also reduced our working hours from 24 to only eight hours a day," he said. "This has cut daily production to 60 tonnes from 270 tonnes before their presence." Israel denies restrictions were causing shortages of wheat, flour or other essentials. A spokesman for its civil coordination office in Gaza said that, on last Thursday alone, 40 trucks with textiles, sugar, vegetables, fruit, wheat and flour had entered Gaza from Israel. He said "hundreds of tonnes" of flour had reached Gaza since the West Bank offensive began on March 29. Palestinian security officials denied Israel had let through any such quantities. Partly easing the problem, Israel allowed the entry into the Gaza Strip of a food convoy belonging to the U.N. Relief and Works Agency on Monday. It had been held up at Israel's Ashdod port. UNRWA officials say the convoy, carrying 300 tonnes of lentils, 240 tonnes of flour and 54 tonnes of sunflower oil, will be distributed to refugees in eight Gaza camps. They said 124,000 refugee families were getting emergency food aid. Distribution had previously targeted hardship cases, but Israeli closures prompted UNRWA to broaden the handouts. Under interim peace deals signed since 1993, Israel has the final word at all crossings linking Palestinian-ruled areas. "It is a prison," said Ahmed Ayesh, a teacher, echoing the feelings of a million fellow-Gazans. ((Jerusalem Bureau, +972-2-537-0502, jerusalem.newsroom@reuters.com))

23 APR 2002 02:03:15 FEATURE-Israeli checkpoints infuriate Gazans

© 1999 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved

[JohnHuang2]

Israeli checkpoints infuriate Gazans terrorists

[arielb]

a small price to pay for supporting terrorism

[Ronin]

Gee, now if there was some way to be sure that the Gazans were not wearing bombs strapped to their bellies, maybe the lines would go a lot faster.

[xm177e2]

Gee, this article fails to quote even a single Israeli. And it doesn't mention why the checkpoints are necessary (TERRORISM!)

[kattracks]

That's Reuters for you.

[JohnHuang2]

BTW, have the Taliban boys at Reuters settled on a definition for 'terrorist' yet? /sarcasm.

[piasa]

This entire article is a target rich environment...

'LIKE CHICKENS' "The Jews treat us like chickens," Um Khaled told Reuters. "They open the gate, close the gate. It's humiliation, my son."

Hmmmm. Was the Reuters reporter this guy's kid? Somehow I wouldn't be suprised. God gave man humiliation in order to help us LEARN... but some folks never do, and require stronger measures because PRIDE retards learning.

If they think humiliation is rough, try having to fill out your will before going to visit a Sbarro's pizza place or a children's party.

Palestinians often suffer the further indignity of seeing Israeli troops stop them in their tracks to allow free passage to convoys of Jewish settlers moving to or from the 19 settlements in the Gaza Strip.

If there were Israeli suicide bombers I am sure they'd have to stop and search everyone.

Israel tightened travel curbs and blockades in the West Bank and Gaza Strip at the start of an 18-month-old Palestinian revolt that erupted after seven years of peace talks and interim deals failed to end the occupation.

Let's rephrase the above statement: "The Palestinian Authority sponsored suicide bombing against Israel and carried out intimidation tactics against its own people in the West Bank and Gaza Strip during an 18 month murder spree which erupted in order to saboutage the peace talks which were threatening to get the Palestinians off-message- their whole reason fdor existance, providing political cover for Arab tyrants, was being lost with the prospect of not having anything to whine about.

It says it needs the restrictions to protect itself from Palestinian gunmen and suicide bombers. Palestinians consider them collective punishment.

As if bombing a mall populated by Israeli youngsters is not collective murder?

Troops filter the movement of people and goods in a heavy-handed fashion

Is Israel supposed to build rest stop welcome centers like Florida and give out orange juice and road maps highlighting its most vulnerable points of interest to weary travelers?

that has even drawn a rare rebuke from Israel's most faithful ally, the United States. "Israel should take immediate action to ease closures and allow peaceful people to go back to work," President George W. Bush said on April 4, urging Israel to show compassion at checkpoints and border crossings to spare "innocent Palestinians daily suffering".

OK, America... here's a crowd of palestinians, most innocent but some fully-equipped suicide bombers tucked in to make it interesting. Create a detection device which will point out the peaceful ones from the murderous ones and the Israelis will let the peaceful ones go through. Then explain why your device is not in US airports to help detect potential hijackers.

Also, explain why when Israelis set up checkpoints and hassle travelers who fit the description of suicide bombers, it is bad and humiliating... but when the US government sets up checkpoints and starts frisking people who do NOT fit the profile of a terrorist, and the US government confiscates our pocketknives and nail clippers at airports, it is not humiliating and is not harassment to be pawed and scrutinized by people who couldn't get a REAL job. Please explain... my last business trip seeemed pretty humiliating to me.

And I have to wonder how humiliating it is to be an American pilot, a military veteran with years of training and discipline, entrusted with the lives of so many passengers... to be denied the right to carry a weapon to defend those same people and his aircraft... while people with a much more limited education and minimal training are entrusted to pick and choose who may get on board the plane?

[kattracks]

Excellent analysis, as usual.

[dread78645]

When Um Khaled leaves Khan Younis and reaches the Israeli checkpoint, the elderly woman and all the other Palestinian travellers must abandon shared taxis and lug their baggage over a huge mound of sand and rock piled up by Israeli bulldozers.
They then face queues under the hot sun that can last for hours, before finding onward transport at an amusement park now functioning as an impromptu taxi rank.
And travellers can never be sure the checkpoint will be open, or stay open when they reach it.

But, but. Gaza was offered to PA control in 2000 ?!?
I'll bet the d@mn sneaky Joos forced the honorable President Arafat to reject the agreement !

[piasa]

Thanks, FreeRepublic has been very educational.

[Fzob]

Israel tightened travel curbs and blockades in the West Bank and Gaza Strip at the start of an 18-month-old Palestinian revolt that erupted after seven years of peace talks and interim deals failed to end the occupation.

Real objective "journalism" at work. < /sarcasm >

[Catspaw]

If the Palestinians do get their demand of a Palestinian state, do they think they'll be travelling freely into Israel? They'll need passports and visas, and approval of the Israeli government to cross an internationally recognized border of another country.

Palestinians are professional victims and have made whining into an art form.

[piasa]

If the Palestinians do get their demand of a Palestinian state, do they think they'll be travelling freely into Israel?

Yes, they probably do think that. Without any Israelis left breathing, they figure they'll be able to travel anywhere they please.

[BlueLancer]

"It's as if you are travelling to another country..."

But if they get their Palestinian state, it WILL be traveling to another country ... and they won't have to let you in. Nor will they have to provide jobs for all of your indigents. Nor will they have to provide hospital services or allow you to come and buy things in their shops.

But that's what you want, isn't it? A separate country?