Jimmy Carter Urges European Governments to Break with US Policy and Lift their boycott of Hamas and the blockade of Gaza Strip

Former US President Carter urges EU to end Gaza blockade

Date: 26 / 05 / 2008 Time: 09:51
Bethlehem – Ma'an –

Former US President Jimmy Carter urged European governments to break with US policy and lift the international boycott of Hamas and the blockade of the Gaza Strip on Sunday.

In an interview with the UK's Guardian newspaper published on Monday, Carter called the EU's position on the Palestine and Israel "supine" and its failure to criticize the Israeli blockade of Gaza "embarrassing."

Referring to the possibility of Europe breaking with the US, he said: "Why not? They're not our vassals. They occupy an equal position with the US."
Carter labeled the internationally-backed, Israeli-imposed blockade of the Gaza Strip "one of the greatest human rights crimes on Earth," since it meant the "imprisonment of 1.6 million people, 1 million of whom are refugees."

"Most families in Gaza are eating only one meal per day. To see Europeans going along with this is embarrassing," Carter said.

He called on the EU to reconsider its stance if Hamas agreed to a ceasefire in Gaza. "Let the Europeans lift the embargo and say we will protect the rights of Palestinians in Gaza, and even send observers to Rafah gate [Gaza's crossing into Egypt] to ensure the Palestinians don't violate it."

Carter recently visited the Middle East and broke with current President George W Bush's policy, meeting with senior Hamas leaders in Damascus and Cairo.

Gaza: patient number 163 dies due to the 11 months Israeli siege

Monday May 26, 2008 15:41 by Ghassan Bannoura - IMEMC News

Palestinian sources reported on Monday that a Palestinian patient died in the Gaza Strip on Sunday evening due to Israeli siege imposed on the Palestinian coastal region.

Hind Al-Ashqar, from Al-Nusairat refugee camp located in central Gaza, had kidney failure, doctors said that she applied several times for the Israeli army to grant her permission to leave Gaza for life saving medical care but the army refused.

With the death of Al-Ashqar, the number of Palestinian patients who died due to the 11 month Israeli siege on Gaza now stands at 163.

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