Posted on 12/13/2007 5:53:46 PM PST by Alouette
Palestinian officials warned of a humanitarian and environmental disaster in Gaza, due to a shortage of cement to build graves in which to bury the dead.
"The situation in Gaza is tragic," said Deputy Minister Abdullah Jarboa of the Palestinian Ministry of Endowments and Religious Affairs, according to Quds Press.
"The sick are not allowed to seek treatment outside, medicines are not allowed in, and there is no cement to build graves," Jarboa said.
After the Islamic Hamas movement took control of the poor and densely-populated enclave in mid-June, Israel closed the Gaza crossings to all but essential food products.
If the crossings remain closed and no more cement is allowed into the strip, a real crisis will take place, Jarboa warned.
He added that the Ministry builds one thousand graves every year, but there are few left and new ones need to be built.
According to Jarboa, many existing graves are in danger of erosion because they are built using tin sheets instead of concrete from the last time Gaza ran out of cement due to the Israeli blockade seven years ago.
Jerboa pleaded with the International Community, the Arab League, and the Organization of Islamic Conference to exert pressure on Israel to lift the embargo and allow food, medicine, and cement into the strip.
(Translated from Arabic by Sonia Farid).
Why don’t they use their Molotov cocktails and cremate their dead?
Posted on 07/27/2004 11:00:12 AM PDT by SunkenCiv
A damning report by Palestinian legislators, which has been seen by the Telegraph, concludes that Mr Arafat did nothing to stop the deals although he publicly condemned the structure as a "crime against humanity"... The report reveals that the cement originally came from Egyptian companies which supplied it at a huge discount of $22 (£12.50) a ton to help rebuild dilapidated Palestinian houses or buildings bulldozed by the Israelis. Between September 2003 and March this year, 420,000 tons of cement were allegedly sent to three big Palestinian companies. According to the report, however, only 33,000 tons were sold in the Palestinian market. The vast bulk was transported to Israel on trucks owned by the three firms. According to Mr Khreishe, the cement was then sold with a mark-up of at least $15 a ton - and possibly as high as $100 - making profits of well over $6 million (£3.4 million) for company executives.
(Excerpt) Read more at telegraph.co.uk
Is this not a perfect example of Palestinian Politics? You see this pattern repeated over and over, they start a huge military build up and run out of materials or funds. Then they start whining about some humanitarian crisis demanding cash, or guns or in this case cement and America comes to their aid.
Does anyone think a place where the HAMAS government steals the fuel for hospital generators for their Mercedes Benz's that they will suddenly develop a heart for their people given anything of value?
From islam.about.com:
Burial
The deceased is then taken to the cemetery for burial (al-dafin). While all members of the community attend the funeral prayers, only the men of the community accompany the body to the gravesite. It is preferred for a Muslim to be buried where he or she died, and not be transported to another location or country (which may cause delays or require embalming the body). If available, a cemetery (or section of one) set aside for Muslims is preferred. The deceased is laid in the grave (without a coffin if permitted by local law) on his or her right side, facing Mecca. At the gravesite, it is discouraged for people to erect tombstones, elaborate markers, or put flowers or other momentos. Rather, one should humbly remember Allah and His mercy, and pray for the deceased.
God, it’s even worse than we thought...
“Martin Chulov, Middle East correspondent | December 14, 2007
THE last two years have been tough to live in Gaza - and now it’s become difficult to die.
The ever-tightening siege of the Gaza Strip has seen stocks run dry of raw materials for most of death’s necessities. There is no cement for graves, no iron, or mortar to seal them and precious little white cloth in which bodies must be wrapped for a proper Islamic burial.
Since September, Salahedin al-Ayub, the foreman at the Beit Lahiya cemetery in the north of Gaza, has been forced to buy used curbside bricks from the local council to seal his makeshift graves.
He long ago used his last dollop of cement and fears the house bricks he’s now using to fortify the graves will one day collapse on their occupants.
And Mr Ayub has more to worry about; how to hang on to casual gravediggers, all of whom have this week quit after day one of a three-day contract that requires them to lug dozens of 80kg curbside bricks across the sandy cemetery.
“It’s much harder for them this way, but everyday I have to find different workers,” he complained. “The next day they don’t come back. It takes three workers to make a grave and I give them 150 Shekels ($50) each, but they won’t even hang around for that.”
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,22920091-2703,00.html
Hell ain’t half full yet.
In most places there is no law requiring a burial vault. But they are often required by cemeteries. They prevent the ground from sinking in when heavy equipment is driven over the grave, or because of subsidence. This makes maintenance easier for the cemeteries.
Concrete vaults are very common. Some brands are painted a metallic color. Vaults can also be made of metal, fiberglass, or plastic.
Hmmm. (mutters something about air pollution, global warming and deforestation)
I think they’re runnin’ short of fuel - petrol or NG, preventing that.
for thousands of years, we built the funeral pyres out of wood. - so can they.
I will help construct them to burn up as many dead as they wish to supply
Have you seen the pictures of the area? Trees are in short supply there... And wood smoke is very polluting!
Doesn't sound like there's a critical unemployment problem in Gaza, does it?
As for laws in the US that impose all sorts of requirements on graves, the folks in Gaza are in no position to insist on maintaining that kind of standard of living. My ancestors (and everybody elses's) in the westward migration in the US had to stick their dead in the ground along the way, without coffins, burial cloths, or gravemarkers beyond a random rock picked up off the ground nearby or a couple of sticks tied together in the form of a cross. Gaza residents need to learn to make do with what they have, and focus on what's really important. At this point in their history, they've got about a million more important things to work on than fancy burial vaults.
Let me guess - they want the cement to build tunnels.
Wood for caskets I could understand, but cement?
p.
Maybe they can enact a policy of confiscating all the explosives from the Palestinians, and vaporize the bodies while disposing of the ordnance properly. All those groomed on strapping on the explosive packs can have their final wishes observed without harming others while disposing of the hazardous waste.
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