Second - the failure of the Palestinian Liberation Organization. The PLO extension of its careless mistakes 15 years ago and its unconditional recognition of Israel.

No words can express the harsh situation inside the largest concentration camp on earth, the Gaza Strip. The siege was completed two weeks ago, when the Israelis decided to prevent the entry of funds (Israeli shekel and U.Sl dollar) to the banks and currency exchange offices in Gaza.

Due to the economic embargo, many Gazans are unemployed today. Some ten thousand servant workers have not received their pay checks from the PA Ramalla office. Gaza residents can not afford to pay the high price of food and other necessities such as medicine, electric batteries that are being smuggled trough the Gaza life-nerve, the underground tunnels.

The electricity is turned off on in an unpredictable manner. As a result there are many complications: the sewer systems are collapsing; there is not enough hot water and the drinking water is unfiltered, a particular problem in the refuge camps.These rigorously coordinated Israeli measures, are meant to cause great physical and mental harm to the Palestinian society in Gaza.

On Sunday evening, the first day of the Eid Al-Adhaa, when the fasting normally begins, people have no money to buy food and other supplies to celebrate this major Palestinian Holy day. People are standing in lines; others sit around nearby, waiting by the ATM machines, hoping the money transfer system will open its service.

This time, for two weeks (it has happened before) the Israels have deliberately manipulated the transactions of funds (Israeli shekel and U.S. dollar) to the banks in Gaza. The Israeli disruption of the money flow in Gaza is coordinated with the blockade of food transports, medicine and fuel to complete the devastation against 1.5 million Palestinian citizens, in the largest concentration camp in the world, the besieged Gaza Strip.

On Thursday, the Palestinian Monetary Authority in Gaza announced that all Palestinian banks based across the Gaza Strip are closed. Signs placed in all Gaza bank offices on Thursday afternoon stated,

"The bank will be closed, because of the Israeli ban on cash entry to Gaza". Jihad Alwazir the minister in the Gaza, Monetary Authority said that money is available to be transferred; however, the Palestinian monetary authority is unable to ensure the funds, due to the Israelis stopage of money transfers to Gaza."

Alwazir said that "the Gaza monetary authority will exert every possible effort to ensure the funds as the Palestinians in a few days will begin the Eid Al-Adha celebration." There are indications that the Gaza monetary authority has been in contact with the World Bank, the Quartet Committee and Israeli Central Bank, in order to solve the Gaza monetary crisis.

One month ago the Israelis allowed the ships - "Free Gaza Movements Breaking the Siege", the "Liberty" and the "Free Gaza" - to dock in the Gaza seaport. The people in Gaza had been patiently waiting since early morning, for boats loaded with humanitarian aid. They were disappointed to find out that the cargo was not what they had hoped for, much needed food and other basic supplys; instead the ship was loaded with Israeli and International activists.

One month later a ship from socialist Libya, Al Marva, set to sail to Gaza Strip but was turned away on international waters. The crew was threatened at gunpoint by Israelis in navy war vessels. Al-Marwa carried over 3.000 tons of humanitarian aid, including medicine and food to the starving Palestinians in Gaza. After a short stay on Egyptian waters, the ship Al Marwa, was forced to reroute her course back to Libya.

At a meeting in the United Nations on Wednesday, past week, the Libyan government accused Israel of piracy, breaching the law of the sea. Libya called on the United Nations Security Council to convene for a special emergency session, in protest of the Israelis interdiction of the ship. The Libyan UN Ambassador Giadallah Ettalhi, told the Security Council and its delegates from 15 nations, that the Israeli action was "an act of piracy" as it is defined by the UN law of the sea.

Ettalhi said that, the Libyan ship Al-Marwa was " explicitly threatened" with destruction in case it failed to follow orders from Israeli authorities". Ettalhi also reminded the UN Security Council of the Israelis measures against the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), the prevention of delivery of supplies to over 700.000 starving Palestinians living in refuge camps across the Gaza Strip.

1.500.000 Gazans, are suffering from a criminal embargo. Under pretext of security, the Israelis, its ally, the United States and other Zionist supporters and lobbyists, are strangling Gaza to death.

Can we deny that Palestinian citizenz in both Gaza Strip and in the West Bank actually are the victims of this conflict, in need of security? The people whose lives have been violated and oppressed by Israel on a daily basis, since decades back in time,

Should we ask the Palestinians to lay down on the ground as humble meek lambs, at a time when their homes are being robbed of small savings and bulldozed, farmers working on their fields are killed, and their fertile land razed from the ground? When fisherman in their boats on Palestinian territorial waters, are being shot at and sometimes killed, their livelihood, boats and fishing equipment destroyed? When Palestinian civilians including the children are targeted and assassinated by Israeli ballistic missiles, rocket fire and high tech automatic guns?

Can we deny that it is Israel and its supporters of Nazi-Zionism, who are violating International and International Human Rights Law? Regarding the facts and judging their importance, can we believe that the Israelis are worthy and also capable of having a state of their own? What do we do about it?

© Copyright reserved 2003 - 2008 PalestineFreeVoice

Original Source: Palestine Free Voice

(Edited and republished on Axis of Logic with permission from Palestine Free Voice)

Hiyam Noir is a passionate human rights advocate & activist, environmentalist, freelance writer and poet. She is the author and editor of Palestine Free Voice and Poetry4Palestine. Her reports from Gaza have been published in many journals world-wide. Her first collection of poetry with the title "Poetry4Palestine - cause of justice", was published in a small first edition year 2005. Hiyam Noir initiated the project "Gaza Youth Fund" in year 2005, together with Palestinian-American and local Palestinian friends, students at a university in Gaza City. "Gaza Youth Fund" delivered food packages and water filters to needy families and small funds to student tuition's. In year 2003, she launched the project "100 Children Building Heritage", together with local Gazans. Unfortunately, this great project is stalled for now, as they have not received enough funding required to continue the project. Please go to Palestine Free Voice and contribute to this most important project!