BRUSSELS (IPS) - European Union aid has been given to an Israeli oil company which has reduced the supply of fuel to Gaza as part of an economic blockade internationally recognized as illegal, Brussels officials have admitted. Almost 97 million euros (124 million dollars) in funds managed by the European Commission, the executive arm of the EU, were handed over directly to the firm Dor Alon between February 2008 and January this year. Read more about EU paying for Gaza blockade
One of the main issues raised during the recent conflict in the Gaza Strip — apart from a considerable number of allegations of violations of international humanitarian law that will not be dealt with here — concerns the functioning of rule of law in Israel in cases regarding the freedoms of expression, opinion and access to information. Sharon Weill and Valentina Azarov analyze for The Electronic Intifada. Read more about Israel's authoritarian transformation
Adam Morrow and Khaled Moussa al-Omrani20 February 2009
CAIRO (IPS) - Egyptians seem at best only cautiously optimistic over the appointment of Senator George Mitchell as United States envoy to the Middle East. Mitchell is mandated chiefly with settling the Arab-Israeli dispute. “Mitchell’s prospects for achieving an acceptable settlement are grim,” Ahmed Thabet, political science professor at Cairo University told IPS. “The previous US administration created several facts on the ground which will be very difficult to undo.” Read more about Little hope from new US mediation
GAZACITY, occupied Gaza Strip (IRIN) - Thousands of food-insecure Palestinians in the Gaza Strip are facing an even worse situation after large numbers of livestock and agricultural land were badly damaged or destroyed during Israel’s military assault, which began on 27 December. The already fragile food situation in Gaza has been seriously aggravated by the conflict, according to a report by the United Nations Food and Agricultural Organization. Read more about Food insecurity increasing after war
As the only facility of its kind in Gaza, al-Wafa hospital is set to receive more people who have lost limbs to begin a rehabilitation process that can take weeks, months and even years. Patients receive physical, functional, psychological and clinical support. The number and severity of injuries as a result of the Israeli attack were unprecedented and unfamiliar to Gaza’s doctors.The Electronic Intifada contributor Rami Almeghari reports from the occupied Gaza Strip. Read more about Long road to rehabilitation for Gaza's amputees
GAZACITY, occupied Gaza Strip (IRIN) - Thousands of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip remain homeless after their houses were badly damaged or destroyed during Israel’s recent military offensive there. The Israeli army began with aerial bombardments of the enclave on 27 December and added a ground assault from 3 January. Israel declared a unilateral ceasefire on 18 January while Hamas, the de facto ruling authority in the Strip, declared its own ceasefire later that day. Read more about Thousands of Gazans remain homeless
RAMALLAH, occupied West Bank (IPS) - Israel is bracing for a wave of lawsuits accusing the state of substantial human rights violations during its 22-day military assault on Gaza which left more than 1,300 Palestinians dead and nearly 5,000 wounded, more than half of them civilian. The International Committee of the Red Cross, Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have confirmed that phosphorous bombs were used over Gaza. It is against international law to use phosphorous in densely crowded civilian areas. Read more about Israel braces for wave of lawsuits
The export of unmanned aerial vehicles, techniques of urban warfare and other tools of Israel’s pacification industry is the occupation’s contribution to the sustaining of the global power structures. Jimmy Johnson analyzes for The Electronic Intifada. Read more about Unmanned aerial vehicles and the warfare of inequality management
GAZACITY, occupied Gaza Strip (IRIN) - The Hamas government in Gaza has said it is trying to help thousands of Palestinians who lost their homes and/or loved ones in the 22-day Israeli offensive which ended on 18 January. According to deputy minister of social affairs, Sobhi Redwan, Hamas has so far spent an estimated $50 million on emergency relief assistance, but more aid is needed. Read more about Hamas providing emergency relief in Gaza
As Israelis voted on Tuesday for a new government, Palestinian residents in the Gaza Strip continue to rebuild from the three-week long attack on their territory which killed at least 1,350 people. While many commentators say that the results of the Israeli elections matter to the prospects for peace, Palestinians voiced less optimistic views in bomb-ravaged Gaza. The Electronic Intifada contributor Rami Almeghari reports from the occupied Gaza Strip. Read more about In Gaza, Palestinians react to Israeli elections
