Rafah Border Crossing COPYRIGHT HOLDER

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

Rafah Border Crossing COPYRIGHT HOLDER STORY NAME: Rafah Border Crossing COPYRIGHT Sawa News Agency/OPEN Media Hub HOLDER: COPYRIGHT Ownership of content belongs Sawa News Agency/ OPEN Media Hub NOTICE: USAGE TERMS: Share & Adapt - Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) https://creativecomMons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ EDITOR’S NOTES: N/A SOURCE: SAWA News Agency Open Media Hub – http://www.openmediahub.com “This production was supported by OPEN Media Hub with funds provided by the European Union” LANGUAGE: Arabic DURATION: 00:20:04 JOURNALIST: Haifa Media EMAIL: [email protected] SLUGLINE: Rafah Crossing: The Gate of a Big Prison - Gaza HEADLINE: No one in the Gaza Strip can count the effects of the continued closure of the gate of their large prison, known as the Rafah border crossing. The Rafah crossing is not the gate but the largest prison in the world that holds More than 2 Million Palestinians in Gaza. The filM is an invitation to see My own experience and that of the passengers at the gate of the Rafah crossing, and to listen to the real stories that were filMed during My travels over the past years. DATELINE: Gaza, Palestine - 12/06/2019 SCRIPT: 00:03 - 00:26 People are hesitant, this is worthless This is not the opening of a crossing In two days they pass only 8 buses, and returns theM All the peoples of the world exercise their natural rights to Move aMong States But not us, because we are the people of Gaza! People die, children, patients, students, the elderly They want to enter and travel, the crossing is our only exit 1 We are in a large prison, please open the Rafah crossing ذﻣ ﻊﯾ وﺻ ﺗ ﻲ < 00:59 - 00:35 A sudden decision by the Egyptian authorities to close the Rafah crossing after it was opened before the crossing included huManitarian aid to the Palestinians SoMe rejected Egypt's position, as the closure would harm the Palestinians And others, in favor of Egyptian stability and security 01:03 - 01:55 Peace be upon you. Peace be upon you This is student AhMed ... froM Gaza WelcoMe , I aM talking to you about the coordination for the crossing, yes Next week I heard that there is an opening for the crossing, I have been awarded a scholarship for a long tiMe The acadeMic year already started Is it possible, to Make a coordination for Me to cross? How much would it cost, and what shall I do? $ 2500 in cash and a copy of the passport Yes, do I register in the interior and how? But this is a direct sign up 02:00 - 02:20 > Saber Abou Laban In 2 months, I did tests The doctor said that I have liver cancer the treatment is not available in Gaza, and I was transferred to Egypt Because of the conditions of the crossing, I could not go I waited for more than 6 to 8 months and did not get treatMent 2 02:37 - 02:57 > Talal Awkal The subject of the crossing was a difficult and thorny file In 12 years it was a disturbing file For Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, the crossing was closed for long periods It was opened froM tiMe to tiMe for short days, every two or three months 02:57 - 03:15 > Yamen Al Madhoun Of course, the Israeli siege on the Gaza Strip One of the Most severe suffering suffered by the civilian population in the Gaza Strip Particularly with regard to freedoM of Movement and Movement to and froM the Gaza Strip The Gaza Strip has thus become a large prison where Palestinians live 03:15 - 03:45 > Salah Abdul Ati The Rafah crossing is often closed This has exacerbated the suffering of Palestinian travelers Sick people, students and owners of residencies, and reflected negatively on citizens In their right to travel, in addition to the closure of the crossings by the Israeli occupation Led to the accuMulation of passengers, especially in light of the policy of security prevention followed by the occupation Even for Palestinian patients and students who wish to travel 03:42 - 03:53 They slept the length of the day at the crossing, on the hope of Morning travel # The news came to an Egyptian decision (closing the Rafah crossing) God is enough, and yes, the agent Slot at all Rafah crossing closure after leaving a few hundred in the worst # About 70% of the departures are Egyptian or passport holders Imagine that the Rafah crossing through 2017 coMpleted 20 days open and the rest close # (Open the Rafah crossing) 3 Opening after the closure of several Months of the nuMber of departures froM the Rafah crossing within 3 days # Equivalent to half the number of passengers on the Jordan Bridge in one day, we calculated Haf and yes, the agent for everyone involved in our siege and killed our dreaMs (Open the Rafah crossing 03:55 - 04:27 > Yamen Al Madhoun The Israeli occupation forces through its actions towards the Gaza Strip Many groups in the Gaza Strip have been denied freedom of movement On top of theM patients - students - traders They allow little for these groups to Move around We have indicated through our previous reports How the obstacles and actions put by the occupation forces The trend of citizens in the Gaza Strip contributed to the deterioration of the humanitarian situation The Rafah crossing has not been closed to citizens Which is a gateway to the outside world 04:27 - 04:57 > Salah Abdul Ati The crisis of the Rafah crossing began in the wake of the decision of Egypt's sisterhood since April 2018 , Opening the crossing and continuing this policy, this has led to a lot of relief passengers But still liMited nuMbers of passengers should be increased There are Egyptian proMises to increase the nuMber of passengers and provide facilities and private , The security conditions experienced by the Sinai, and despite our understanding of these conditions and the importance of being , Means all of us seek security and stability to our sister Egypt 05:04 - 05:32 > Saber Abou Laban In this period the crossing was opened in 10 months So they worked for Me to enter the crossing for the journey AlMost the first bus arrived at the Egyptian terMinal But the Egyptians Made Me wait until 3 am waiting They allowed My son to come in and he was My companion 4 It was a surprise how I stop me and prevent me? And how they allow My son to enter for a Month in Egypt! 05: 32 - 05:48 # How to contribute to strangling two Million people Palestine And the Manufacture of a huManitarian disaster? The story in the relationship of Gaza residents with the crossings Especially the closed Rafah crossing And the only outlet between the sector and the Arab world through Egypt 05:48 - 06:16 > Talal Awkal There are always thousands of registered There is a need for coordination, both with the Egyptian and Palestinian parties To Meet some eMergency needs for some people During this period, the crossing was Misused in terMs of travel difficulties Some people were hurt to pay (bribe) practically to get to the crossing 06:17 - 06:36 > citizen We were registered with us for alMost a year and seven Months, we waited on hope to get our naMe But unfortunately he did not see us there, I deliberately go to the stories of coordination and Mediation To pay a sum of Money and by paying the amount to travel And in people who are buried on it and in other people traveling and in people tired froM behind it 06:37 - 06:56 > citizen I have no mode , I have to Miss the second things like coordination I paid about $ 1,700, and I was registered and I had coordination I traveled, and in my presence at the crossing, it becaMe blackMail through the coordinator I pay an increase in order to enter 5 07:11 - 07:40 > Yamen Al Madhoun Egypt if it thinks that it is in danger of those who come to it or enter the Gaza Strip Through the crossings or through the Egyptian border It is a sovereign state that fears its national security and fears the security of our country Do you see her close and do not see her Where do you go to power to facilitate your travel? Whose ? Of the occupying power which controls other crossings This is iMposed by law because I am under occupation authority in one way or another Is bound to facilitate the freedoM of MoveMent to and froM the Gaza Strip This is their responsibility, but that is as Much as the argument to the Egyptian side 07:42 - 08:10 > Saber Abou Laban I was sleeping in the terMinal at the Egyptians at night I returned the authority that allowed my son to enter (the State Security) I entered the director of Egyptian intelligence at the crossing First Xi talked to Me in a very rude and blunt Manner He said to Me, prefer .. say Shaw in you? I told hiM that they told me I was forbidden to enter and I was sick You said you are a Palestinian? I told hiM yes, I am Palestinian "We are not responsible for the Palestinians 08:11 - 08:26 > Talal Awkal Who is responsible for the Gaza Strip, is it occupation, Or is it the Palestinian Authority or HaMas? We are still in the Gaza Strip under the Moral and legal responsibility of the occupying state In accordance with international law and United Nations resolutions 08:52 - 09:50 > Talal Awkal Many students have lost their seats or a scholarship for this reason Many patients have lost their lives, or have doubled the causes of the disease 6 Due to the closure of the crossing, and the inability to access Means social and psychological effects deep and wide on all segments of society Thus Making the Palestinian citizen feel that he is all the tiMe Has no way out of this situation, and can not plan for a day 09:26 - 09:50 > citizen God knows how we got the cost of the bird I mean, I aM not currently managing the cost of the whole trip I have only the costs that bring Me to a certain place I will sit in it until I see the glory
Recommended publications
  • Palestinian Shot Near Rafah Crossing by ASSOCIATED PRESS EL-ARISH, Egypt
    Palestinian shot near Rafah Crossing By ASSOCIATED PRESS EL-ARISH, Egypt Talkbacks for this article: 5 A Palestinian official at the Rafah border crossing with Gaza was wounded in shooting Friday that Egyptian security and border officials described as an assassination attempt. Mustafa Saad Jbour, a 25-year-old Palestinian officer on the Rafah checkpoint sustained several bullet wounds to the leg, Capt. Mohammed Badr of the Egyptian Sinai security service said. Badr said that Jbour, who was in hospital in the nearby El-Arish town, came under machine gun fire Friday evening in the Egyptian district, just a few hundreds meters (yards) from the Egypt-Gaza crossing, when masked militants in a speeding car sprayed him with bullets and fled the scene. The shooting came after Jbour had informed Egyptian authorities earlier in the week about uncovering a tunnel in the border city of Rafah, that allegedly was used to smuggle weapons and Palestinians from the Sinai Peninsula into Gaza. Hospital officials at El-Arish said that Jbour has lost a lot of blood and would be transferred to another hospital for surgery. Badr also said that the tunnel discovered by Jbour contained over 30,000 bullets and was located in the middle of a field, about 5 kilometers (3 miles) north of Rafah and within meters (yards) of the boundary. Egypt was coordinating with Palestinian authorities in Gaza to close the newly discovered tunnel from the other end, Badr added. Israel has long accused Egypt of not doing enough to stop the smuggling of weapons to Palestinian militants.
    [Show full text]
  • Egypt and Israel: Tunnel Neutralization Efforts in Gaza
    WL KNO EDGE NCE ISM SA ER IS E A TE N K N O K C E N N T N I S E S J E N A 3 V H A A N H Z И O E P W O I T E D N E Z I A M I C O N O C C I O T N S H O E L C A I N M Z E N O T Egypt and Israel: Tunnel Neutralization Efforts in Gaza LUCAS WINTER Open Source, Foreign Perspective, Underconsidered/Understudied Topics The Foreign Military Studies Office (FMSO) at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, is an open source research organization of the U.S. Army. It was founded in 1986 as an innovative program that brought together military specialists and civilian academics to focus on military and security topics derived from unclassified, foreign media. Today FMSO maintains this research tradition of special insight and highly collaborative work by conducting unclassified research on foreign perspectives of defense and security issues that are understudied or unconsidered. Author Background Mr. Winter is a Middle East analyst for the Foreign Military Studies Office. He holds a master’s degree in international relations from Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies and was an Arabic Language Flagship Fellow in Damascus, Syria, in 2006–2007. Previous Publication This paper was originally published in the September-December 2017 issue of Engineer: the Professional Bulletin for Army Engineers. It is being posted on the Foreign Military Studies Office website with permission from the publisher. FMSO has provided some editing, format, and graphics to this paper to conform to organizational standards.
    [Show full text]
  • Reviving the Stalled Reconstruction of Gaza
    Policy Briefing August 2017 Still in ruins: Reviving the stalled reconstruction of Gaza Sultan Barakat and Firas Masri Still in ruins: Reviving the stalled reconstruction of Gaza Sultan Barakat and Firas Masri The Brookings Institution is a private non-profit organization. Its mission is to conduct high-quality, independent research and, based on that research, to provide innovative, practical recommendations for policymakers and the public. The conclusions and recommendations of any Brookings publication are solely those of its author(s), and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Institution, its management, or its other scholars. Brookings recognizes that the value it provides to any supporter is in its absolute commitment to quality, independence and impact. Activities supported by its donors reflect this commitment and the analysis and recommendations are not determined by any donation. Copyright © 2017 Brookings Institution BROOKINGS INSTITUTION 1775 Massachusetts Avenue, N.W. Washington, D.C. 20036 U.S.A. www.brookings.edu BROOKINGS DOHA CENTER Saha 43, Building 63, West Bay, Doha, Qatar www.brookings.edu/doha Still in ruins: Reviving the stalled reconstruction of Gaza Sultan Barakat and Firas Masri1 INTRODUCTION Israelis and Palestinians seems out of reach, the humanitarian problems posed by the Three years have passed since the conclusion substandard living conditions in Gaza require of the latest military assault on the Gaza Strip. the attention of international actors associated Most of the Palestinian enclave still lies in ruin. with the peace process. If the living conditions Many Gazans continue to lack permanent in Gaza do not improve in the near future, the housing, living in shelters and other forms of region will inevitably experience another round temporary accommodation.
    [Show full text]
  • Deprived and Endangered
    January 2009 Number 1 Deprived and Endangered: Humanitarian Crisis in the Gaza Strip SUMMARY Gaza’s 1.5 million people are enduring a serious humanitarian crisis brought on by more than two weeks of major military operations that have magnified the impact of 19 months of a highly restrictive Israeli blockade, reinforced by Egypt. The Israeli government has repeatedly denied that a humanitarian crisis exists. Information from international humanitarian organizations, United Nations agencies and Gaza’s residents themselves starkly refute that claim. Hundreds of civilians have been killed in the fighting, a large percentage of them children. Many wounded and sick have been trapped in their homes, unable to get medical care. Corpses have been left among rubble and in destroyed homes because Israeli forces have at times denied access to medical crews. Increasing numbers are displaced or are trapped in their homes. They have nowhere to flee, caught in a warzone where no place is truly safe. Gaza’s civilians are facing dire shortages of food, water, cooking gas, fuel and medical care due to insecurity, the enforced closure of all of Gaza’s borders, and alleged serious violations of international humanitarian law. Electricity is sharply down, and in some places open sewage is spilling into the streets. Children, who make up 56 percent of Gaza’s residents, are especially vulnerable. Humanitarian law provides that Israel as an occupying power must ensure the safety and well-being of the civilian population. The blockade is a form of collective punishment in violation of international law. Prior to the current military operation, about 80 percent of the Gaza Strip’s population – 1.2 million people – relied on food aid,1 a significant proportion 1 The UN and international organizations distributed 80 percent of this food aid; non-governmental organizations delivered the remainder.
    [Show full text]
  • Israel's Blockade of Gaza, the Mavi Marmara Incident, and Its Aftermath
    Israel’s Blockade of Gaza, the Mavi Marmara Incident, and Its Aftermath Carol Migdalovitz Specialist in Middle Eastern Affairs June 23, 2010 Congressional Research Service 7-5700 www.crs.gov R41275 CRS Report for Congress Prepared for Members and Committees of Congress Israel’s Blockade of Gaza, the Mavi Marmara Incident, and Its Aftermath Summary Israel unilaterally withdrew from the Gaza Strip in 2005, but retained control of its borders. Hamas, a U.S. State Department-designated Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO), won the 2006 Palestinian legislative elections and forcibly seized control of the territory in 2007. Israel imposed a tighter blockade of Gaza in response to Hamas’s takeover and tightened the flow of goods and materials into Gaza after its military offensive against Hamas from December 2008 to January 2009. That offensive destroyed much of Gaza’s infrastructure, but Israel has obstructed the delivery of rebuilding materials that it said could also be used to manufacture weapons and for other military purposes. Israel, the U.N., and international non-governmental organizations differ about the severity of the blockade’s effects on the humanitarian situation of Palestinian residents of Gaza. Nonetheless, it is clear that the territory’s economy and people are suffering. In recent years, humanitarian aid groups have sent supply ships and activists to Gaza. However, Israel directs them to its port of Ashdod for inspection before delivery to Gaza. In May 2010, the pro-Palestinian Free Gaza Movement and the pro-Hamas Turkish Humanitarian Relief Fund organized a six-ship flotilla to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza and to break Israel’s blockade of the territory.
    [Show full text]
  • The Fatah-Hamas Reconciliation Agreement of October 2017
    Introduction Stiftung Wissenschaft und Politik German Institute for International and Security Affairs Comments The Fatah–Hamas Reconciliation Agreement of October 2017 WP S An Opportunity to End Gaza’s Humanitarian Crisis and Permanently Overcome the Blockade Muriel Asseburg Ten years after Hamas violently seized power in Gaza, and following a string of failures to reconcile the Palestinian factions, there are now signs of a rapprochement between Fatah and Hamas. In September 2017 the Hamas leadership announced it would dis- solve the administrative committee it had established in March, opening the way for the Palestinian Authority (PA) to take over the government in the Gaza Strip. In mid- October representatives of Hamas and Fatah signed an Egyptian-mediated reconcilia- tion agreement. On 1 November PA forces were deployed to the Palestinian side of the Rafah border crossing with Egypt. Even if there are still major obstacles to merging the two security apparatuses, establishing a unity government, restoring the democratic process and achieving comprehensive reconciliation – the chances of the rapproche- ment preventing another round of armed conflict and improving the situation for the population in crisis-ridden Gaza are considerably better this time around. Germany and its European partners should help to accentuate the positive dynamics, support permanent improvements of the situation in Gaza through practical steps and work towards comprehensive reconciliation between the Palestinian factions. In practical terms the 12 October 2017 agree- further reconciliation measures are also to ment between the two largest Palestinian be discussed. On 21 November the smaller factions foresees the Palestinian Authority Palestinian factions are invited to put their assuming control of Gaza’s border crossings signatures to the agreement in Cairo, too.
    [Show full text]
  • Who Won the Gaza War? Not Hamas | the Washington Institute
    MENU Policy Analysis / Articles & Op-Eds Who Won the Gaza War? Not Hamas by Neri Zilber Aug 27, 2014 ABOUT THE AUTHORS Neri Zilber Neri Zilber, a journalist and analyst on Middle East politics and culture, is an adjunct fellow of The Washington Institute. Articles & Testimony Hopefully, the latest ceasefire agreement will herald a new beginning for Gaza, liberating the innocent people of that shattered place from the dead-end ideology of a terrorist regime and any more of its "victories." f the reported terms of the Gaza ceasefire agreement reached Tuesday are accurate, Hamas just spent nearly two I months and more than 2,000 Palestinian lives fighting for three more nautical miles of fishing waters and 200 meters of additional border land. Hamas leaders may declare for the cameras that they achieved a great victory over Israel, but the details of the agreement -- and what it augurs for the possible future of Gaza -- should worry them. It's not a coincidence that up to the end, Khaled Meshaal, Hamas's political chief sitting in the comfort of a Qatari hotel room, was reportedly fighting a rear-guard action inside his own movement -- against compromise, and against the Egyptian-brokered deal. Hamas officials in Gaza, sitting in rather less comfort in their underground bunkers, better understood the massive toll the war was exacting on the people of Gaza and on Hamas personnel and infrastructure. But Meshaal likely better understood the high politics of the ceasefire negotiations: The only leverage Hamas had was continuing to fire rockets, in the bitter hope of improving the terms offered it.
    [Show full text]
  • Access Through Rafah Border Crossing, the Gaza Strip November 2015
    Access through Rafah Border Crossing, the Gaza Strip November 2015 The following provides a factual overview of the situation regarding access to the Gaza Strip via Egypt based on publicly available sources (noting that UNHCR does not have a presence in the Gaza Strip).1 This document is based on information available up to 15 November 2015. Since mid-2013, severe restrictions on the movement of people have been imposed on the Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Egypt in the context of political uncertainty and military operations in northern Sinai.2 Following a deteriorating of the security situation in Northern Sinai since October 2014, the Rafah Crossing has remained mostly closed.3 According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), between 24 October 2014 and October 2015, the Rafah border crossing was open for passage for a total of only 37 days. During the months of February, April and July 2015, the border remained completely closed.4 Egyptian authorities opened the border for three days, on 8, 9 and 17 September 2015, but limited passage to Palestinian pilgrims travelling to Mecca, in one direction only, from the Gaza Strip to Egypt.5 The border reportedly was subsequently opened for five days in September/October 2015, also in one direction, mostly to allow Palestinian Hajj pilgrims to return to the Gaza Strip.6 The sustained near-closure of 1 UNHCR’s Position on Deportations to Gaza (February 2015) is available at: http://www.refworld.org/docid/5448f2bea.html. For an overview of the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip, see UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), Internal Displacement and Humanitarian Situation in the Gaza Strip, November 2015, http://www.refworld.org/docid/564ec6914.html.
    [Show full text]
  • Israel and Hamas: Conflict in Gaza (2008-2009)
    = 87&*1=&3)= &2&8a=43+1.(9=.3=&?&=,**28,**3== .2=&3499.`= 447).3&947= 3&1>89=.3= .))1*=&89*73=++&.78= &741=.,)&14;.9?= 5*(.&1.89=.3= .))1*=&89*73=++&.78= *7*2>=_=-&75= 5*(.&1.89=.3= .))1*=&89*73=++&.78= &8*>=_=)).8= 3&1>89=.3= .))1*=&89*73=++&.78= -7.8945-*7=_=1&3(-&7)= 3&1>89=.3= .))1*=&89*73=++&.78= -4)&=&7,*8843= 5*(.&1.89=.3=39*73&9.43&1=:2&3.9&7.&3=41.(>= *'7:&7>=+3`=,**3= 43,7*88.43&1= *8*&7(-=*7;.(*= 18/1**= <<<_(78_,4;= .*+*+= =*5479=+47=43,7*88 Prepared for Members and Committees of Congress 87&*1=&3)= &2&8a= 43+1.(9=.3=&?&=,**28,**3== = :22&7>= On December 27, 2008, Israel launched a major military campaign dubbed “Operation Cast Lead” against Hamas in the Gaza Strip. The Israeli offensive came in response to markedly increased Palestinian rocket fire following the expiration of a six-month cease-fire on December 19. On January 3, 2009, Israel began a ground offensive into Gaza. Despite international pressure to halt the fighting (including the passage of U.N. Security Council Resolution 1860 on January 8), the conflict continued until January 18, when Israel unilaterally ceased fire and Hamas followed suit shortly thereafter. Israel’s technological superiority and reliance on heavy armor and firepower contributed to a wide disparity in casualties—approximately 1,440 Palestinians have died (with some organizations estimating that at least half of the dead are civilians), compared with 13 dead (including four civilians) on the Israeli side.
    [Show full text]
  • Egypt: Palestinians Stranded on the Al- Areesh and Al-Rafah Borders
    Egypt: Palestinians Stranded on the Al- DREF operation n° MDREG005 Areesh and Al-Rafah 8 February 2008 Borders The International Federation’s Disaster Relief Emergency Fund (DREF) is a source of un-earmarked money created by the Federation in 1985 to ensure that immediate financial support is available for Red Cross Red Crescent response to emergencies. The DREF is a vital part of the International Federation’s disaster response system and increases the ability of national societies to respond to disasters. Summary: CHF 100,000 (USD 81,300 or EUR 60,350) was allocated from the Federation’s Disaster Relief Emergency Fund (DREF) on 20 July, 2007 to support the national society in delivering assistance to some 5,000 beneficiaries. This DREF Operation aimed to assist the Egyptian Red Crescent (Egyptian RC) in its efforts to assist thousands of Palestinians stranded at Al-Areesh and Al-Rafah borders. With this assistance, in total, 5,110 people have been reached . <click here for the final financial report, or here to view contact details> Location of Rafah border crossing The situation The internal fighting in Gaza which ended with Hamas taking full control of Palestinian Authority institutions including security, and the ensuing political developments led the European observer team that had been stationed at the Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Egypt to withdraw. As a consequence, the border crossing between Gaza and Egypt was closed from 15 June until a political solution was found at the end of July, allowing the Palestinians to gradually return home. During the closure of the Rafah outlet between Egypt and Gaza region of Palestine, more than 6,000 Palestinians were stranded mainly in the cities of Al Areesh and Rafah in North Sinai, close to the Egyptian- Palestinian border.
    [Show full text]
  • Blockade of Gaza
    Question for Short Debate on 8 February: Blockade of Gaza This Library Note aims to provide background reading for the question for short debate to be held on 8 February: “To ask Her Majesty’s Government what arrangements they have in place to monitor the impact on humanitarian aid for the population of Gaza of the blockade by the Government of Israel; and what representations they have made to the Government of Israel about the blockade” This Note provides an overview of the blockade of Gaza by the Government of Israel, including its history, attempts to bypass the blockade and recent developments. It then examines the impact of the blockade on the humanitarian situation in Gaza, and finally the response of the British Government. James Tobin 3 February 2012 LLN 2012/002 House of Lords Library Notes are compiled for the benefit of Members of Parliament and their personal staff. Authors are available to discuss the contents of the Notes with the Members and their staff but cannot advise members of the general public. Any comments on Library Notes should be sent to the Head of Research Services, House of Lords Library, London SW1A 0PW or emailed to [email protected]. Table of Contents 1. Map of Gaza Illustrating the Extent of the Blockade .................................................... 1 2. History of the Blockade, the Mavi Marmara Incident and Recent Developments ......... 2 2.1 Origins of the Blockade .......................................................................................... 2 2.2 Early Years of the Blockade and Operation Cast Lead .......................................... 2 2.3 Attempts to Bypass the Blockade........................................................................... 3 2.3.1 Tunnel Network ..............................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • From Cast Lead to Protective Edge: Lessons from Israel's Wars in Gaza
    From Cast Lead to Protective Edge Lessons from Israel’s Wars in Gaza Raphael S. Cohen, David E. Johnson, David E. Thaler, Brenna Allen, Elizabeth M. Bartels, James Cahill, Shira Efron C O R P O R A T I O N For more information on this publication, visit www.rand.org/t/RR1888 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available for this publication. ISBN: 978-0-8330-9787-3 Published by the RAND Corporation, Santa Monica, Calif. © Copyright 2017 RAND Corporation R® is a registered trademark. Cover photos (clockwise): Nir Elias/Reuters; Amir Cohen/Reuters; Abu Mustafa/Reuters; Tsafrir Abayov/AP Photo Limited Print and Electronic Distribution Rights This document and trademark(s) contained herein are protected by law. This representation of RAND intellectual property is provided for noncommercial use only. Unauthorized posting of this publication online is prohibited. Permission is given to duplicate this document for personal use only, as long as it is unaltered and complete. Permission is required from RAND to reproduce, or reuse in another form, any of its research documents for commercial use. For information on reprint and linking permissions, please visit www.rand.org/pubs/permissions. The RAND Corporation is a research organization that develops solutions to public policy challenges to help make communities throughout the world safer and more secure, healthier and more prosperous. RAND is nonprofit, nonpartisan, and committed to the public interest. RAND’s publications do not necessarily reflect the opinions of its research clients and sponsors. Support RAND Make a tax-deductible charitable contribution at www.rand.org/giving/contribute www.rand.org Preface This report examines the Israel Defense Forces operations in Gaza from the end of Operation Cast Lead in 2009 through Operation Pillar of Defense in 2012 to Operation Protective Edge in 2014.
    [Show full text]