US Congressman Gary Ackerman is unhappy about the slow pace of genocide in Gaza, he wants a tighter siege

November 6, 2007

Editor's Note:

This news is published here to give readers an example of how Israel-firsters in US Congress work for the Israeli occupation government, without any regard to US interests.

Here, Congressman Gary Ackerman is angry at the Egyptian government for not being able to prevent Hamas from smuggling between 12 to 20 million dollars a month.

Basically, he wants the genocide of the 1.5 million Palestinians in Gaza Strip to happen faster than the present pace.

Ackerman and people like him harm both Israel, the United States, and of course the besieged Palestinian people by these acts. People around the world perceive this policy of sanctions and embargo against Palestinians of Gaza as genocide.

Ackerman's hate for the children and women in Gaza cannot be understood from a normal person, particularly if we know that they have never caused him or the United States any harm.

Ackerman and people like him should be outside US Congress. They harm America first.

This is a call to peace activists and his constituency to vote him out of office next election, to save Palestinians in Gaza from the genocide he wished for them.

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US Congressman blames Egypt for enabling Hamas to tighten Gaza stronghold

Tuesday November 06, 2007 10:45 by Ghassan Bannoura - IMEMC News ghassanb at imemc dot org

Democratic Congressman Gary Ackerman on Monday stated that the Hamas movement had managed to smuggle between 12 and 20 million US dollars per month through the Gaza-Egypt border, arguing that Egypt was directly responsible for allowing such activity to take place.

In an interview with the Israeli daily Haaretz, Ackerman, who is Chairman of the U.S. House Subcommittee on the Middle East and South Asia, blamed Egypt for smuggling, arguing that Cairo's failure to control the Sinai border with the Gaza Strip had helped ease smuggling into the coastal region.

"The smuggling provides somewhere between 12 million and 20 million dollars to the economy of a rogue government that staged a coup against the wishes of the Palestinian people," Ackerman stated.

Ackerman also accused Egyptian border officials of accepting financial bribes in return for turning a blind eye to smuggling.

The US congressman has a long history of criticizing Egypt for such activity, and spearheaded a campaign several months ago to punish the country for such alleged activity, the result being a cut in aid of 200 million US dollars.

Since Hamas won the Palestinian legislative elections of 2006, elections that the Quartet group admitted were fair and democratic, the coastal region has been placed under a crippling economic embargo in the hope that such a move would force the Hamas movement to renounce armed struggle against Israeli, and accept all previously-signed agreements.

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Repeating Livni's Calls

US estimates $20 million/month smuggled into Gaza; Israel calls for end to smuggling

Tuesday November 06, 2007 18:52 by Saed Bannoura - IMEMC saed at imemc dot org

As U.S. officials estimate that the Palestinian people are smuggling $20 million a month into the Gaza Strip from Egypt, Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni called on her counterpart in Egypt to put an end to the smuggling from the Egyptian side.

With Gaza under a complete and total blockade by Israeli forces which control all the borders of Gaza, including the coastline, the small amount of money that is smuggled in has served as the only lifeline for the 1.3 million people of Gaza who are struggling to survive on a daily basis.

Nonetheless, Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni appeared eager to blame Gazans for the crisis in a meeting with regional leaders held Tuesday in Lisbon. She called on Egypt to violently prevent the people of Gaza from bringing cash in to Gaza.

Livni’s call comes after U.S. Democratic Representative Gary Ackerman, chairman of the U.S. House Subcommittee on the Middle East and South Asia, stated that Egypt's failure to control the Sinai border with the Gaza Strip helps to empower Hamas.

Ackerman went further in his indictment, stepping in to internal Palestinian politics and arguing that democratic elections should not be considered in a place like the Palestinian territories. He stated that, instead of following the results of the democratic elections, all efforts should be made to support the party that lost the election, which is the party that the U.S. government supports. He stated, "Any way that you help the government in Gaza, the illegal government in Gaza, you further hurt Abu Mazen [Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas]."

The Hamas government has made no response to Ackerson’s declaration of their democratically-elected government as ‘illegal’, and Ackerson gave no further explanation as to how a government that was elected in free and fair elections could be considered by him, and the U.S. administration in general, as an ‘illegal’ government.

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Madhoon: Ethical and human responsibility oblige world community to lift siege

[ 05/11/2007 - 06:02 PM ]

GAZA, (PIC)--

Dr. Mohammed Al-Madhoon, director of the PA caretaker government premier's office, on Monday called on the international community to assume its ethical and human responsibility towards the continued siege on the Gaza Strip.

Madhoon, in a press release, said that the international community, the UN and human rights organizations should assume their responsibility towards the "serious conditions" in the Gaza Strip as a result of the Israeli occupation's siege.

He urged all parties concerned to launch field visits to see for themselves the daily crimes against humanity being perpetrated by the Israeli occupation against inhabitants of the Strip.

How could the civilized world accept a ban on entry of enough medicine, foodstuff, electricity and fuel to the Strip and the closure of crossings before patients, he said.

The Palestinian official hailed Egypt for increasing power supply to the Strip and welcomed the stands of a number of western countries such as Sweden and Switzerland that expressed concern over Israel's decision to tighten the siege on Gaza.

He appreciated the "shy" role in refusing the siege and the mass punishment "but we hope for a wider international act and a bigger popular rejection".

Madhoon finally expressed utter dismay and regret over the world's silence especially on the part of the EU and the UN, and warned that if the world community did not act swiftly to break the siege and open the crossings then it should expect a catastrophic human disaster in Gaza that would threaten the security and stability in the entire region.

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