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Earlier, claimed security concerns were cited - from open borders and goods through them, including "dual use" ones with military potential. Hereafter, a limited "humanitarian minimum" would be permitted excluding everything deemed not "essential for the survival of the civilian population."
What followed were exclusions halting exports, normal economic activity, production, agriculture, and availability of commonplace items like shoes, paper, school supplies, and tea called "luxuries." Gisha called it "economic warfare (and) collective punishment designed to weaken the (Gazan) economy as part of its warfare against the Hamas regime."
Because of Western complicity and regional indifference, Israel maintains tight control, squeezing the life out of Gaza, using Hamas as pretext, a government it doesn't control like Fatah under Abbas.
In a December 2008 paper titled, "Gaza Closure Defined: Collective Punishment," Gisha was blunt in calling Israel's action:
"Not a siege, not a blockade, not economic sanctions (but an imposed) closure for purposes of collective punishment (illegally in place to harm) the civilian population and civilian institutions by blocking the passage of goods necessary for health, well-being, and economic life." It's solely a political act for political gain, unrelated to security or military necessity.
Linking it to Hamas' use of rockets, its right to self defense under international law, is bogus on its face. Claiming foods, medicines, fuel for electricity and other essential to life goods relate to security is outlandish and illegal under international law.
A Gisha May 6 news release said that:
"After 12 months of unsuccessful (Freedom of Information Act) attempts (to) obtain (Israeli) documentation about (its) policy concerning the entry of food and other goods into (Gaza), and after claiming for many months that no such documents exist, Israel has finally admitted that it does indeed possess the information (including) a list of goods whose admission into (Gaza) is permitted." More on this below.
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