TEL AVIV, August 31, 2010 (WAFA)- Ahead of today's testimony by Maj. Gen. Eitan Dangot, the Israeli Coordinator of Government Activities in the Occupied Territories, the Israeli human rights organization Gisha sent a letter to The Public Commission to Examine the Maritime Incident of 31.5.10 (Türkel Commission)
The letter revealed that the closure of Gaza was not imposed only for security reasons but also in order to wage 'economic warfare' against the Gaza Strip. In the letter, Gisha asks the commission to question Gen. Dangot about the real motives for imposing the closure.
Gisha attached to its letter documents by state representatives that show that the closure of Gaza was imposed not only to prevent the entry of war matériel but also in an attempt to exert pressure on the Hamas regime by disrupting civilian life in Gaza.
In the letter written by Adv. Tamar Feldman, Gisha points out that despite the 'easements,' the economy in Gaza is still paralyzed: export is completely banned, local manufacturing has almost shut down and exit permits from Gaza are issued only in very exceptional cases. Likewise, the letter asserts the State declared its goal of paralyzing the Gaza economy in order to exert pressure on the civilian population, and therefore 'the closure is based not only on security considerations but is also a declared attempt to hurt the civilian population.'
Even though the Israeli Prime Minister announced after the flotilla events that 'Any goods, any humanitarian aid to Gaza, can enter,' the Cabinet decision on easing the closure from June 20, 2010 continues to restrict the import of goods into the Gaza Strip. Furthermore, the government also bans export from the Gaza Strip and refuses to conduct individual inspections of goods bound for markets in Israel, the West Bank and abroad, which could have enabled the economic recovery of Gaza's manufacturers.
The letter indicates that for three years Israel has maintained a policy of ambiguity and refusal to reveal the criteria for prohibiting and permitting the import of goods to Gaza, despite a petition by Gisha under the Freedom of Information Act.
In the letter to Justice Türkel, lawyer Tamar Feldman, Director of Gisha's Legal Department, asks: 'Is a policy of a tight and continuing closure of a civilian population of 1.5 million people - in order to pressure it to stop actions for which it is not responsible and change political circumstances that are beyond its control - a legitimate and reasonable policy?' Furthermore, is this a policy that contributes to Israel's security interests? According to Feldman, the motives for imposing the closure have direct implications for one of the questions the commission is to address, namely the legality of the 'naval blockade' of the Gaza Strip.
