THE HELL WITH ISRAEL, OPEN THE SEAPORT OF GAZA!

by Sami Jamil Jadallah
RamallahOnline.com

(and, as always, I put in my own $.02 in the darker green)

The Gaza donor conference concluded couple of days ago in the Egyptian city of Sharm-El-Sheik and was attended by more than 70 countries, pledging more than $5 Billion, exceeding any and all expectations. Of course, this sum of money and the US pledge of $300 millions, is dwarfed by the $30 Billion George Bush pledged to Israel in arms and weapons.

Nevertheless, I think the attendance and the generous amounts contributed shows finally how much the world care about the people of Gaza and is an indirect indictment of the crimes committed by Israel during its 22 days of 24/7 assault on the Gaza Strip.

Of course, very few head of states or government officials dared to criticize Israel as it went ahead with its war crimes on Gaza, but the world rallied around to bandage the wounds of the more than 1.5 million Palestinians who had to endure the most criminal war assault since the closing days of WWII, perhaps with the exception of Israel’s summer war on Lebanon couple of years ago when some 1.5 million cluster bombs, gift from George Bush to the Lebanese people, were dropped in the last 10 days of the war. (The gift that keeps on giving as Israel repeatedly floods these farmlands causing the bombs to float to the surface as the people do their best to farm.)

Cluster bomb. Each small ball is capable of deadly results.

The Gaza Reconstruction Conference, in its closing statement, called on Israel to open with immediate effect all crossings for all humanitarian aids, and for construction materials needed for the massive rebuilding ahead. Somehow every one forgot that the geography of Gaza has some 50 km of shoreline and has a sea port.

However, Israel, given the angry unhappy nation it is ~ full of hatred, contempt for the world, decency and human values ~ is a country that will not even consider world opinion because it does not give a damn about the world public opinion to begin with, and is unlikely to open the border crossing with Gaza for pasta let alone front loaders.

The newspapers carried accounts of the secret list of forbidden or restricted items Israel concluded as threats to its own security including “pasta, pasta sauce, lentil and hearing aids”. Israel Senator John Kerry, the Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relation Committee, had to inquire of Ehud Barak, Israel’s Defense Minister why “pasta” is a restricted item? This should tell you ~ and the world ~ how pitiful this nation is! It is “the only killing democracy in the Middle East” and I will not be surprised if Israel added Humus, fool, falafel and kinafeh to the list of forbidden items.

(I have checked into this. Jam, toilet paper, toothpaste, various cheeses, tooth brushes,are also on these lists. Chickpeas and dairy products made the list of ever-changing forbidden items.)

One has to imagine if the Palestinians want to import heavy construction material or cement. Perhaps Israel has new building technology made up of bagels, motzaballs or corn beef as construction materials. Israel needs serious mental help.

What I am most surprised about is the call by almost every one, from Mahmoud Abbas, to Hillary Clinton, to Nicolas Sarkozy, to Husni Mubarak and their calls, ~ almost begging calls ~ for Israel to open the border crossing.

I say "To hell with Israel and its border crossing with Gaza! Let Israel build a 1000 meter high Apartheid Wall between itself and Gaza without taking everything of value with it!"

Who needs Israel and who needs its product and services? Israel gives the impression to the world it is doing the Palestinians a big favor when it allows fuels and food supplies to come into Gaza. For God's sake, Israel and Jewish suppliers get paid for every single item that comes through to Gaza, at much higher prices. Nothing is for free, so why bother with Israel when Gaza has access to the sea and has a port much older than any ports in Israel!?!

Let Israel go to hell, let Israel keep its borders crossing closed, and let the people of Gaza open their port and import everything they need and want through the Port of Gaza.

No need to reward Israeli suppliers with billions of supply contracts. I know the world is concerned about Hamas smuggling weapons, and all I can say is that Hamas is simply too stupid to smuggle any thing of significant threat to Israel such at RPJs and other serious weapons of significant risk to Israel. (Link to article in which Hamas rocket apparently killed Palestinian children.)

After more than 2 years under siege, Hamas managed to smuggle enough material to produce useless, and militarily insignificant Qassam rockets, which out of some 15,000 fired, failed to even totally destroy one single house.

This is not a Grade 8 science experiment; it is a Qassam Rocket.

I believe the issue of weapon smuggling is more political and powerful propaganda tool than strategic issue for Israel, nevertheless I concede that something has to be done to make sure that Hamas or any one else does not use the opening of the Port of Gaza for weapon smuggling. I am not convinced that armed struggle Hamas style is the answer to liberation. (If there were no rockets, how could Israel blame everything, including global warming, on Hamas, to justify their genocidal policies? Perhaps without the pressure of Occupation and poverty, there would not be need for violence.)

I am sure the Americans and Europeans will be very pleased if Mahmoud Abbas and Hamas announced to the world their willingness to entrust the management and operation, including security operation of the Port of Gaza, to the Americans and perhaps some European partners.

This is a prospective Linear Port designed for Gaza at Roger Williams University in 2005. Design would house 60,000 people and have everything necessary to live a decent life. Go to this link and enlarge the thumbs. Amazing!

Let America manage and operate the port making sure only construction materials, food suppliers and consumer goods come through the port.

Let America and Europe break the siege of Gaza and end, once and for all, the criminal Israeli Occupation of Gaza that has lasted some 42 years.

Let America and Europe operate all of the security measures, not to Israel’s satisfaction but to the American and European satisfaction that all materials coming through are for civil purposes and nothing to make atomic weapons from.

And, yes, let Egypt close the Rafah Crossing for all goods, but keep it open for people to cross if they chose to travel through Egypt.

Let the US and Europe open and operate both the Sea Port and Airport of Gaza.

Let the world at this time end the siege of Gaza. Hamas must not hold the people hostage to its own agenda.

And yes, let the US Navy and US Coast Guard patrol the coast lines off Gaza for good measure.

Sami Jamil Jadallah was born in the Palestinian city of El-Bireh ( presently under Israeli Military Occupation, Armed Jewish thugs and settlers). Immigrated to the US in 1962. After graduating from high school in Gary, Indiana, Sami was drafted into the US Army (1966-68) received the Leadership Award from the US 6th Army NCO Academy in Ft. Lewis, Washington. Sami Jamil Jadallah is an international legal and business consultant and is the founder and director of Palestine Agency and Palestine Documentation Center www.palestineagency.com. This article is posted on RamallahOnline.com with the author's permission.