by David Bedein
Jerusalem - In a special meeting of the inner Israeli government security cabinet that took place on Tuesday, a decision was taken to order the Israeli security establishment to deny the ships of a massive “peace flotilla” entry into Gaza.
These ships are slated to land in Gaza on Saturday or on Sunday.
The plan is for the Israeli navy to stop them upon entering Israel’s territorial waters.
Eight ships-four freighters and four passenger ships-left ports in Greece and Turkey at the beginning of the week, bearing some 800 passengers from 30 countries, most of whom are in one large ship that left Istanbul.
In addition, about 30 members of various European parliaments are on board the ships, as well as an Israeli Arab member of the Israeli Knesset Parliament, Hanin Zuabi.
Dror Feiler, one of the organizers of the flotilla, is a former Israeli and currently a Swedish citizen, made headlines in 2004 when he staged the “Snow White and the Madness of Truth” exhibit at a museum in Stockholm, depicting the figure of the suicide bomber from the Maxim restaurant (21 dead) in a blood-red pool, and elicited great anger in Israel.
Passengers aboard these ships claim to have brought humanitarian supplies, including 10 tons of medicine and medical equipment, construction materials, 100 prefabricated homes and 500 wheelchairs.
The Israeli Navy will issue warnings from different ranges to the ships not to enter Israel’s territorial waters.
The plan is that if the ships decide, nevertheless, to enter, they will be stopped by Naval Commando forces and Navy missile boats, and their passengers will be transferred to a special facility in Ashdod.
From there, passengers will be turned over to the responsibility of the Israel Interior Ministry and Immigration authorities, and sent back to the countries from which they came. The Israeli security establishment will take the cargo and, after security checks, will move it to Gaza.
An Israeli police special counter-terror unit will serve as a backup force if necessary. In addition, dogs from Oketz, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) dog-handlers’ unit, will be put on the ships in order to detect explosives and bombs. In the past few days, Israel Navy Commander Maj. Gen. Eliezer Marom has held special drills in advance of the takeover of the ships and bringing them to Israel’s shores.
Passengers without suitable permits - a valid passport or Israeli ID card - will be arrested on the spot and taken to questioning. The Israel Prisons Service has set up a special detention facility at the port, but it is feared that left wing demonstrators will come from all over Israel and try to disturb the peace.
Information that has reached Israel indicates that participants in the flotilla are preparing to contend with Israel by legal means in order to prevent their expulsion.
According to Israeli law, a foreign national who is a candidate for expulsion must be permitted to file an appeal with the court within 72 hours.
At the same time, Israel is also preparing on the public relations front: Special electronic shielding will prevent broadcasting images from the takeover and arrest to media outlets around the world.
In addition, the Israeli government has issued data showing that the humanitarian situation in Gaza is not as bad as the Palestinians assert, and that every day 100 trucks enter Gaza bearing goods, medicines, clothing and diesel oil. The Prime Minister’s Office also sent foreign correspondents a facetiously-worded e-mail, recommending that they visit the exclusive restaurants and cafés of Gaza. “We were told that the beef stroganoff and cream of spinach soup are highly recommended,” it stated, “you should ask for a discount with your press card.”
The Turkish Factor
The flotilla is spearheaded by IHH, a Turkish humanitarian relief organization that is backed by the Turkish government and is an extension of the Muslim Brotherhood in Turkey.
Turkish government refused the Israeli compromise offers, which proposed to unload the goods in Ashdod and transfer them, after examination, to Gaza.
Israeli diplomatic sources assess that the Turks want a confrontation and that they want images of Israeli soldiers taking over ships and beating civilians.
The Turks speak explicitly about opening a permanent naval line between Turkey and Gaza without Israeli supervision
It is convenient for them to use the IHH, so that if and when a clash takes place on the ships, it will not appear as a direct confrontation between two states.
It is no accident that when the flotilla left Istanbul on May 22, the person who stood beside the organizer of the flotilla, Bulent Yildirim - serves as the leader of the Turkish branch of the Muslim Brotherhood.
According to a report by the Intelligence & Terrorism Information Center, based in Herzlia, Israel senior Islamic terror leaders attended the launching ceremony in Istanbul of a boat participating in the flotilla. Among the participants were Mahmad Tzoalha and Sahar Albirawi, both top Hamas terrorists who today operate in Great Britain, and Hamam Said, a leader of the Muslim Brotherhood in Jordan.
“If the goal of the flotilla was humanitarian, they would have let Israel transfer the aid through, and would not have attempted to infiltrate the Gaza Strip in an illegal way,” explains Col. (res.) Reuven Ehrlich, a former member of the Israeli Intelligence Corps who currently heads the Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center. “Their only goal is to generate a provocation aimed at embarrassing Israel...”
See the original article in the Philadelphia Bulletin
See this and related stories at Israel Behind the News
Showing posts with label blockade. Show all posts
Showing posts with label blockade. Show all posts
Friday, May 28, 2010
Saturday, May 22, 2010
The Philadelphia Bulletin: Israel: We Will Stop The Flotilla To Gaza
by David Bedein
JERUSALEM - The Israeli Foreign Ministry gave an unequivocal message to the ambassadors of several European countries last night that Jerusalem would not allow the flotilla that is intended to aid the Gazan Islamic regime.
The Israeli Foreign Ministry’s deputy director general for Western Europe, Naor Gilon, held a series of meetings with the ambassadors of Turkey, Greece, Ireland and Sweden, whose citizens are connected with the organization. Gilon said that this was a provocation and a blatant violation of Israeli law.
“Israel has no intention of allowing the flotilla to enter Gaza,” he said. Foreign Ministry officials said that anyone who wishes to extend humanitarian aid or transfer goods to Gaza may do so legally, through the coordinator of government activities in the territories.
The international flotilla is expected to set out from the Larnaca port in Cyprus on May 25 and reach Gaza in two days. Behind the initiative is a series of organizations including Free Gaza, which has organized several flotillas to Gaza in the past, and the Turkish Humanitarian Relief Organization (IHH). Ten vessels, with more than 600 people aboard, are expected to participate in the largest solidarity flotilla intended to reach Gaza.
At August 2008 press conference which launched the first ship of aid to Gaza, held in Nicosia, Cyprus, one of the conference organizers, an American Israeli by the name of Jeff Halper, claimed that there the people of Gaza had run out of basic food and medical supplies. Halper could not answer the question put to him by The Bulletin as to where Israel’s daily supply of food and medical supplies to Gaza had gone.
See this report in the Philadelphia Bulletin
See this report at Israel Behind the News
JERUSALEM - The Israeli Foreign Ministry gave an unequivocal message to the ambassadors of several European countries last night that Jerusalem would not allow the flotilla that is intended to aid the Gazan Islamic regime.
The Israeli Foreign Ministry’s deputy director general for Western Europe, Naor Gilon, held a series of meetings with the ambassadors of Turkey, Greece, Ireland and Sweden, whose citizens are connected with the organization. Gilon said that this was a provocation and a blatant violation of Israeli law.
“Israel has no intention of allowing the flotilla to enter Gaza,” he said. Foreign Ministry officials said that anyone who wishes to extend humanitarian aid or transfer goods to Gaza may do so legally, through the coordinator of government activities in the territories.
The international flotilla is expected to set out from the Larnaca port in Cyprus on May 25 and reach Gaza in two days. Behind the initiative is a series of organizations including Free Gaza, which has organized several flotillas to Gaza in the past, and the Turkish Humanitarian Relief Organization (IHH). Ten vessels, with more than 600 people aboard, are expected to participate in the largest solidarity flotilla intended to reach Gaza.
At August 2008 press conference which launched the first ship of aid to Gaza, held in Nicosia, Cyprus, one of the conference organizers, an American Israeli by the name of Jeff Halper, claimed that there the people of Gaza had run out of basic food and medical supplies. Halper could not answer the question put to him by The Bulletin as to where Israel’s daily supply of food and medical supplies to Gaza had gone.
See this report in the Philadelphia Bulletin
See this report at Israel Behind the News
Sunday, May 2, 2010
Senior Iranian MP: Iran Capable of Blocking Strait of Hormuz
(with thanks to IMRA.ORG.IL for bringing this piece to our attention)
TEHRAN (FNA)- The Iranian Navy has the capability to block the Strait of
Hormuz in the Persian Gulf as a tactic to fight back against further
sanctions on the country, a prominent legislator cautioned on Monday.
Referring to the recent attempts made by certain western countries to impose
a fourth round of UN Security Council sanctions against Iran, member of the
parliament's National Security and Foreign Policy Commission Parviz Sarvari
said that if further sanctions are imposed on Tehran, then Iran will not be
the only country to lose something in the game.
"The Strait of Hormuz can provide (us with) potentials that if necessary
they will be used," Sarvari added in a meeting dubbed as "the Future of
Iran's Nuclear Case, the Threats and Opportunities" here in Tehran today.
The Strait of Hormuz, the entrance to the strategic Persian Gulf waterway,
is a major oil shipping route. A major part of world's energy supply passes
through the waterway.
"If the Strait of Hormuz is closed, which is a practical thing to happen, 62
percent of the world energy will be kept away from them. In this case the
world economy will face a big problem," he reiterated.
Sarvari also underlined that Iran's 'Ya Mahdi' speedboats, which went on
display during the recent wargames by the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps in
the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz, have transformed Iran's weak
points in naval combats to strong points.
The IRGC started massive naval exercises, codenamed as Payambar-e Azam 5, in
the Persian Gulf and Strait of Hormuz on Thursday.
A range of home-made missiles were test-fired during the wargames which
experts say showed the IRGC's naval power. Various kinds of short-range
missiles were also fired during the military maneuver which saw its fourth
and last stage on Sunday.
Iranian officials also announced today that all the missiles test-fired in
the wargames, including the Nasr 1 anti-vessel cruise missiles, have already
been mass-produced by the Defense Ministry.
See the original article at Fars News
See this story here at Israel Behind the News
TEHRAN (FNA)- The Iranian Navy has the capability to block the Strait of
Hormuz in the Persian Gulf as a tactic to fight back against further
sanctions on the country, a prominent legislator cautioned on Monday.
Referring to the recent attempts made by certain western countries to impose
a fourth round of UN Security Council sanctions against Iran, member of the
parliament's National Security and Foreign Policy Commission Parviz Sarvari
said that if further sanctions are imposed on Tehran, then Iran will not be
the only country to lose something in the game.
"The Strait of Hormuz can provide (us with) potentials that if necessary
they will be used," Sarvari added in a meeting dubbed as "the Future of
Iran's Nuclear Case, the Threats and Opportunities" here in Tehran today.
The Strait of Hormuz, the entrance to the strategic Persian Gulf waterway,
is a major oil shipping route. A major part of world's energy supply passes
through the waterway.
"If the Strait of Hormuz is closed, which is a practical thing to happen, 62
percent of the world energy will be kept away from them. In this case the
world economy will face a big problem," he reiterated.
Sarvari also underlined that Iran's 'Ya Mahdi' speedboats, which went on
display during the recent wargames by the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps in
the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz, have transformed Iran's weak
points in naval combats to strong points.
The IRGC started massive naval exercises, codenamed as Payambar-e Azam 5, in
the Persian Gulf and Strait of Hormuz on Thursday.
A range of home-made missiles were test-fired during the wargames which
experts say showed the IRGC's naval power. Various kinds of short-range
missiles were also fired during the military maneuver which saw its fourth
and last stage on Sunday.
Iranian officials also announced today that all the missiles test-fired in
the wargames, including the Nasr 1 anti-vessel cruise missiles, have already
been mass-produced by the Defense Ministry.
See the original article at Fars News
See this story here at Israel Behind the News
Monday, February 8, 2010
Hamas Faces Fiscal Crisis due to Tight Restrictions and Blockade: sources
by Emad Drimly, Saud Abu Ramadan for People's Daily Online
The deposed government of the Palestinian Islamic Hamas movement, which rules the impoverished enclave of the Gaza Strip, faces a severe fiscal crisis due to the lack of financial liquidity and the tight restrictions of the Israeli blockade, sources close to Hamas said on Sunday.
The sources, which spoke on condition of anonymity, told Xinhua that Hamas government is facing difficulties in bringing money into the blockaded enclave, which resulted in the lack of financial liquidity, adding that "this might lead to a severe financial crisis that Hamas would soon suffer from."
Israel had imposed a tight blockade on Gaza after Hamas and two minor armed groups' militants kidnapped the Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit in a cross-border attack in southeast Gaza Strip in June 2006. Israel tightened the blockade after the movement seized control of the enclave in June 2007.
"Hamas government is about to face so many difficulties, mainly about paying the monthly salaries for its civil and security employees and other running costs," said the sources. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas deposed Hamas government after the movement took control of the Gaza Strip.
In addition to the tight blockade that Israel imposes on the enclave, the international community led by the U.S. had imposed an embargo on the movement after it won the legislative elections four years ago. Hamas rejected the world's requirements, mainly recognizing Israel and denouncing violence.
"The financial crisis is not linked to the sources of finance or its fundamental financial abilities, but it is linked to the difficulties of bringing this money to the Gaza Strip and the shortage of liquidity due to more than three years of Israeli blockades and the restrictions imposed on the banks," said the sources.
The deposed Hamas government hasn't yet paid the salaries of January to its 34,200 employees in the Gaza Strip, said the sources, adding that "there are concerns that the government of Hamas wouldn't be able to pay its employees the salaries of the coming months if the crisis goes on."
There has been no official announcement made by Hamas government officials in Gaza that the government suffers from a financial crisis and a shortage of financial liquidity to cover its monthly running costs.
Gaza economy experts believed that the reason behind the crisis "is the tight security measures Egypt is imposing on its borders with the Gaza Strip," adding that Egypt imposes tight restrictions on money entrance into the Gaza Strip either held by individuals or groups.
Hamas had repeatedly expressed concerns over an underground steel barrier that Egypt builds under the borderline between Egypt and the Gaza Strip. The purpose of building the barriers, according to Egyptian officials, is to secure Egypt's borders and prevent smuggling through underground tunnels.
According to the experts, there is another reason behind the fiscal crisis that Hamas in Gaza is suffering from, where local banks in the Gaza Strip have financially boycotted Hamas and refused to deal with the movement or its deposed government.
According to Hamas government's official figures, there are 34, 200 employees who receive about 16 million dollars as monthly salaries, adding that 16,700 are police and security officers, and 17,500 are civil employees working at the various ministries of the government.
The sources said that the deposed government of Hamas had recently met with several experts to study the possibilities of carrying out cuts off and closing down some of the less influential ministries, merge other ministries together and reduce the monthly invoice of the salaries.
An official source in Hamas ministry of finance, who also spoke on condition of anonymity, admitted to Xinhua that there are " serious difficulties the government suffers from, especially bringing financial liquidity from abroad to the Gaza Strip."
However, the source said that "so far, the government is still able to run its affairs, adding that the delay in paying January salaries to the employees is basically related to "technical problems," adding that "the salaries will be paid within the coming few days."
In December last year, the government of Hamas approved its annual budget which is 540 million U.S. dollars. However, and due to the current difficulties it is not clear if Hamas government in Gaza will be able to continue paying the salaries to its employees in the coming few months.
Hamas officials said there are four basic sources of income into the budget of Hamas government: first is the taxes and customs the government collects from the Gaza Strip population, second is the agricultural investment in Gaza, third is the local donations and fourth is the Arab and Islamic donations.
The Palestinian National Authority (PNA) which is a rival to Hamas accuses Iran, Syria and Qatar for supporting Hamas government in the Gaza Strip by sending huge amounts of money to the movement to keep it surviving and controlling the Gaza Strip.
The deposed government of the Palestinian Islamic Hamas movement, which rules the impoverished enclave of the Gaza Strip, faces a severe fiscal crisis due to the lack of financial liquidity and the tight restrictions of the Israeli blockade, sources close to Hamas said on Sunday.
The sources, which spoke on condition of anonymity, told Xinhua that Hamas government is facing difficulties in bringing money into the blockaded enclave, which resulted in the lack of financial liquidity, adding that "this might lead to a severe financial crisis that Hamas would soon suffer from."
Israel had imposed a tight blockade on Gaza after Hamas and two minor armed groups' militants kidnapped the Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit in a cross-border attack in southeast Gaza Strip in June 2006. Israel tightened the blockade after the movement seized control of the enclave in June 2007.
"Hamas government is about to face so many difficulties, mainly about paying the monthly salaries for its civil and security employees and other running costs," said the sources. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas deposed Hamas government after the movement took control of the Gaza Strip.
In addition to the tight blockade that Israel imposes on the enclave, the international community led by the U.S. had imposed an embargo on the movement after it won the legislative elections four years ago. Hamas rejected the world's requirements, mainly recognizing Israel and denouncing violence.
"The financial crisis is not linked to the sources of finance or its fundamental financial abilities, but it is linked to the difficulties of bringing this money to the Gaza Strip and the shortage of liquidity due to more than three years of Israeli blockades and the restrictions imposed on the banks," said the sources.
The deposed Hamas government hasn't yet paid the salaries of January to its 34,200 employees in the Gaza Strip, said the sources, adding that "there are concerns that the government of Hamas wouldn't be able to pay its employees the salaries of the coming months if the crisis goes on."
There has been no official announcement made by Hamas government officials in Gaza that the government suffers from a financial crisis and a shortage of financial liquidity to cover its monthly running costs.
Gaza economy experts believed that the reason behind the crisis "is the tight security measures Egypt is imposing on its borders with the Gaza Strip," adding that Egypt imposes tight restrictions on money entrance into the Gaza Strip either held by individuals or groups.
Hamas had repeatedly expressed concerns over an underground steel barrier that Egypt builds under the borderline between Egypt and the Gaza Strip. The purpose of building the barriers, according to Egyptian officials, is to secure Egypt's borders and prevent smuggling through underground tunnels.
According to the experts, there is another reason behind the fiscal crisis that Hamas in Gaza is suffering from, where local banks in the Gaza Strip have financially boycotted Hamas and refused to deal with the movement or its deposed government.
According to Hamas government's official figures, there are 34, 200 employees who receive about 16 million dollars as monthly salaries, adding that 16,700 are police and security officers, and 17,500 are civil employees working at the various ministries of the government.
The sources said that the deposed government of Hamas had recently met with several experts to study the possibilities of carrying out cuts off and closing down some of the less influential ministries, merge other ministries together and reduce the monthly invoice of the salaries.
An official source in Hamas ministry of finance, who also spoke on condition of anonymity, admitted to Xinhua that there are " serious difficulties the government suffers from, especially bringing financial liquidity from abroad to the Gaza Strip."
However, the source said that "so far, the government is still able to run its affairs, adding that the delay in paying January salaries to the employees is basically related to "technical problems," adding that "the salaries will be paid within the coming few days."
In December last year, the government of Hamas approved its annual budget which is 540 million U.S. dollars. However, and due to the current difficulties it is not clear if Hamas government in Gaza will be able to continue paying the salaries to its employees in the coming few months.
Hamas officials said there are four basic sources of income into the budget of Hamas government: first is the taxes and customs the government collects from the Gaza Strip population, second is the agricultural investment in Gaza, third is the local donations and fourth is the Arab and Islamic donations.
The Palestinian National Authority (PNA) which is a rival to Hamas accuses Iran, Syria and Qatar for supporting Hamas government in the Gaza Strip by sending huge amounts of money to the movement to keep it surviving and controlling the Gaza Strip.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
