A human chain in Gaza, in protest of the Israeli siege, 50 protesters detained

A human chain in Gaza, in protest of the Israeli siege

Monday February 25, 2008 15:01 by Rami Almeghari - IMEMC

Thousands of Palestinian men and women including school children and deputy of parliament of the ruling Hamas movement took to main streets in the Gaza Strip Monday, in protest of the ongoing Israeli blockade of the coastal region.

The rally, which began today morning is the largest, since local protests have been widely spread in the besieged Gaza, as the local committee for breaking the siege, launched early this week what it called ' a one-week protest' locally and internationally.

Israel has been enforcing a crippling economic closure on Gaza sine June of last year, when the Islamist Hamas took over the coastal territory amidst a power struggle with Fatah party of Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas.

Speaking to reporters in the rally, Dr.Jamal aL-Khudary, chairman of the committee to break the siege, said " what a fault patients have committed to be denied access to treatment outside Gaza , what a fault the laborers have done to be denied their sources of living".

Since the Israeli embargo has been imposed, 600 patients who are in need for medication at hospitals outside the Gaza Strip, have been unable to get such a treatment, as 57 percent of total unemployment in the Palestinian territories exist in Gaza.

Mr.s Jamila aL-Shanti, a Hamas MP, and chairman of the women committee at the Palestinian Legislative Council, told the IMEMC " we are here to send out a clear message to the world that we still exist that we are steadfast until the siege comes to an end".

Another woman, called Om Ahmad, spoke out against the Israeli closure " we call upon the Arab and Islamic nations to stand by us under this crippling situation. We are here to protest against the siege that has denied us the basic rights to live as human beings".

On both sides of the Salah Eldin main road in the Gaza Strip, school boys and girls, lined up, holding posters , reading " lift the siege, let us live as normal as children"

Demonstrators gathered few hundred meters away from the northern Israeli-controlled checkpoint of Eritz, where a concluding press conference was held by Hamas MP, Yehea Mousa, representing the Hamas-dominated PLC in Gaza.

" On behalf of the Palestinian Prime Minister, Ismail Haniya, I would like to greet all the crowds here, who came from many parts of Gaza to protest the Israeli closure", Mousa told the congregations near Eritz.

On the Israeli side of the border, the Israeli military beefed up presence as Israeli media reports said Israel was fearing a flooding of Palestinian crowds into the border line, the way they did on January, at the Gaza-Egypt border lines in southern Gaza.

On January23, hundreds of Palestinians flooded into the nearby Egyptian town of aL-Arish to bring in essential supplies like foods, medicines and fuel, been made scarce due to the Israeli blockade.

Monday's protests come as the Israel-enforced closure has entered its eight months, as in September of last year, the Israeli government declared Gaza a 'hostile entity' and began in October a series of punitive measures including fuel supplies cut.

Last Thursday, the EU's parliament passed a resolution, branding the Israeli actions against Gaza a 'collective punishment' and urging Hamas to stop homemade shells fire from Gaza onto nearby Israeli towns, which Israel used as a pretext to impose its measures on the Gaza's 1.5 million residents.

Gaza children form longest human chain worldwide

[ 25/02/2008 - 10:19 AM ]

GAZA, (PIC)--

MP Jamal Al-Khudari, the head of the popular committee against the siege, announced that the committee would organize on Monday the "longest human chain" in the world extending along 40km from Rafah to the Beit Hanun crossing with the participation of 40,000 Palestinian children.

In a speech during a festival organized on Sunday by the Islamic university under the title of "together for breaking the siege", MP Khudari stated that participants in the chain would be carrying the Palestinian flag and anti-siege banners, pointing out that there would be also a press conference at the end of the events near the Beit Hanun crossing.

For his part, Dr. Mohamed Awad, the secretary-general of the Palestinian cabinet headed by premier Ismail Haneyya, underscored in the festival that there are parties coordinating with the Zio-American procedures aimed at tightening the siege on the Gaza people and starving them.

Dr. Awad explained that these parties with the support of the Israeli occupation prevent the entry of humanitarian aid provided to the Gaza people as part of the punishment and siege, highlighting that the Gaza people are living the most difficult siege in their history with the aim of subjugating and forcing them to surrender their rights.

The Palestinian official strongly denounced the international and Arab silence towards the ongoing killing and starvation exercised by Israel against the Gaza people.

In the same context, tens of thousands of Palestinian children have started on Monday to form the longest human chain as a peaceful message to the world to break the unjust Israeli siege imposed on the Gaza Strip.

For its part, the Israeli Ha'aretz newspaper reported that the IOF troops are getting prepared to prevent the possible spillover of this event into 1948 occupied lands, where a state of high alert was declared in the Israeli military units stationing near the Strip.

The newspaper said that these military preparations come in the context of Israeli fears that Hamas might utilize the massive march to breach by force the border walls with the Palestinian lands occupied in 1948.

50 Palestinians detained after anti-siege demonstration moves to Erez crossing

Date: 25 / 02 / 2008 Time: 11:04
Gaza – Ma'an –

The Israeli army detained 50 Palestinians for throwing stones on Monday at Erez border crossing after they formed a human chain to protest the ongoing Israeli siege of the Gaza Strip.

Thousands of Gazans linked arms, stretching along Salahuddin Street, which runs much of the length of the Strip. The protest was organized by the Popular Committee Against the Siege.

When the day's main rally ended peacefully, a few hundred young people then moved to the Erez crossing, throwing stones at Israeli soldiers.

The soldiers fired back with live ammunition as well and tear gas. No casualties were been reported.

The Israeli army later confirmed that they have arrested 50 alleged stone-throwers near Erez crossing.

Organizers had expected 50,000 people to attend the days actions.

Rami Abdo, the spokesperson of the Popular Committee the protest is continuation of the Committee's activities to reject the Israeli-imposed siege. He pointed out that several national and popular organizations as well as schools, universities and government ministries are taking part in the human chain.

"We have been stunned by the large number of people who joined the protest," he added.

He stressed that the human chain is a peaceful action aimed at visually representing the suffering of the people of the Gaza Strip.

Israeli radio stations broadcasting in Arabic said that the Israeli authorities have ordered the soldiers to avoid violence when they encounter the human chain.

However, the Israeli military commandeered the frequency of one local Palestinian radio station, broadcasting warnings to Palestinians not to attempt to break through the border.

"Some organizations are trying to take advantage of civilians and use them as human shields which the army will not allow," the spokesperson of the Israeli army said on the local Gazan radio station.

***Updated at 16:44 Bethlehem time

Gaza children appeal to UN's special envoy to lift the blockade

Sunday February 24, 2008 16:45 by Rami Almeghari - IMEMC & Agencies

Gaza children appealed on Sunday to the Gazan special envoy to use his leverage
to lift the Israeli blockade, enforced since June 07 .

The children, gathered on Sunday morning outside of the UN office, where they handed in a written appeal to the envoy's assistant, Mr. Basem aL-Khaldi.

Mr. Basem aL-Khaldi promised to convey the children's concerns to his seniors.
The appeal stated. " there are many cases that need urgent medication, yet our appeals have fallen on deaf ears . We call upon you to make such treatment possible."
AL-Khaldi pledged that the appeal will be submitted to the United Nations Secretary General, Ban-Ki Moon soon.

"The most significant obstacle underway lies in Palestinian divisions, so there should be a solution to this crisis. Recently many parties have repudiated their responsibilities because of political divisions," AL-Khaldi was quoted as saying.

The 'children's campaign' is part of various local activities, aimed at breaking the Israeli closure of Gaza. Yesterday, the local committee for breaking the siege, launched a one-week-long series of protests in Gaza and other world capitals.

According to the committee, there are 1500 patients in need of medical treatment at hospitals outside the Gaza Strip, many essential supplies have been made scarce because of the Israeli blockade. Israel has placed a crippling closure on the coastal territory after the democratically-elected Hamas party took over the region amidst a power struggle with Fatah party's President Mahmoud Abbas.

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