Gaza Rights Groups Put Pressure on EU Foreign Policy Chief
Terrasanta.net | July 21, 2010
Catherine Ashton with NPA's prime minister Salam Fayyad during a press conference in Ramallah on July 17th. (photo: European Union, 2010)
(Milan/e.p) - Gaza-based rights groups have reminded EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton that calls to ease the siege on Gaza "fall short of addressing the root cause of humanitarian suffering" and have urged her to take decisive action.
A coalition of 13 rights groups issued a letter on July 19, the day after Ashton visited Gaza, where she told reporters she noticed minor improvements in the situation, but said more was required.
The EU foreign policy chief urged Israel to completely end its four-year blockade of the territory (it was partially lifted at the end of June), promising to visit again to ensure the siege is eased and that Israel implements its cabinet decision.
The rights groups wrote a pointed letter to Ashton, stressing that the siege on the coastal enclave remained illegal and seriously hinders Palestinians’ rights to “life, movement, health, education, housing, an adequate standard of living, family, and essentially, their fundamental right to self-determination.”
Calling the continued siege "collective punishment" of all Gaza residents, the letter described it as a "blatant violation of Article 33 of the Fourth Geneva Convention." The groups also urged Ashton to "take concrete and consolidated political action in order to hold Israel accountable for its violations of international and to pressure Israel to end its illegal closure, without delay."
During her visit to Gaza at the weekend, Ashton said she welcomed Israel’s partial lifting of the blockade which should “improve the lives of the ordinary people of Gaza while addressing the legitimate security concerns of Israel.” She added that the blockade was “unacceptable, unsustainable and counterproductive” and not in the interests of any of those concerned.
She said the EU stands ready to support the smooth handling of goods at crossings, adding that she agreed that Israel’s security “is of paramount importance in moving ahead.” She also and met the family of Gilad Shalit, the Israeli soldier held by Hamas since 2006.
On the peace process, Ashton noted a need to see “confidence building measures and at the same time avoid measures that undermine” chances for peace, and expressed her “deep concern” about recent settlement activity in East Jerusalem
Ashton held talks with leaders of both the Israeli government and the Palestinian Authority, including Israeli foreign minister Avigdor Liberman and the PA prime minister, Salam Fayyad. The Palestinian leader told reporters that a policy of openness on both sides needs to be “clearly defined and implemented”, and stressed that Gazans must be allowed to export goods.
Some of Gaza’s hundreds of factories are re-starting for the first time in three years following the recent lifting of Israel’s blockade, but the territory’s entrepreneurs complain that an inability to export is cutting them off from traditional markets in Israel and the West Bank.
In addition, key raw materials, such as cement and steel, continue to be restricted, and imports are funnelled through a single, congested crossing.
"The steps taken by Israel are a great development, but not enough," Amr Hamad of the Palestinian Federation of Industries told Associated Press. He estimated that only a few hundred of Gaza's 3,900 factories and workshops will be able to start up again.
Israel says allowing Gazans to export and travel still poses too much of a security risk. However, it is under growing pressure from the international community to throw open Gaza's gates to allow an economic recovery.
More than 90 percent of Gaza's factories closed and tens of thousands of workers lost their jobs after the blockade was implemented in 2007. About one-third of the labor force are currently unemployed.
On a visit to a UNRWA school and summer camp July 18th, Ashton called for the free movement of people and goods so that the people of Gaza run their businesses and grow their own economy.
“Improving the economic situation in the Gaza Strip is not simply a matter of letting in aid,” she said. “It is a matter of revitalizing the local economy with private sector development and commercial activity, including exports.”