PALESTINIANS IN GAZA STRIP ARE STILL LIVING UNDER EXTREME DIFFICULTIES

Atallah Abu al-Sebah, the Palestinian Justice Minister

Gaza City, 26 Rabiul Akhir 1435 / 26 February 2014 (MINA) – The Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip are still living under extremely difficult economic, humanitarian and health conditions, due to the siege imposed by the Israeli occupation for more than seven years.

This illegitimate siege prevents the entry of fuel, construction materials and other basic necessities into the Gaza Strip, the Palestinian Ministry of Justice said in a statement, according to ALRAY, Palestinian Media Agency report quoted by Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA).

Israeli navy patrols attack fishing boats daily within territorial waters, even within six nautical miles from the shore, said a statement by the Palestinian Ministry of Justice.

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The closure of the crossings aggravates the humanitarian situation and even the makeshift crossings, i.e. the tunnels, were demolished by the Egyptians which disrupted development and increased the unemployment rate among Palestinians in the Gaza Strip to unprecedented levels.

This collective punishment of the Palestinian people is prohibited under article 33 of the Geneva Convention, the Palestinian Ministry of Justice said in a statement regarding the statements of the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in the Palestinian Territories, Richard Falk, on lifting the Blockade imposed on the Gaza Strip.

Despite the international community’s silence on this unjust siege, there are still free men in this world who break it, such as Richard Falk, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in the Palestinian Territories, who called for an immediate end to the blockade imposed on the Gaza Strip and cessation of the attacks against the besieged people of the Gaza Strip.

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Falk asserted that the blockade of Gaza is illegal, and exacerbates the already-critical humanitarian situation in the Gaza strip.

The Palestinian Ministry of Justice statement continues “We in the Ministry of Justice affirm the illegality of the blockade imposed on Gaza. It is a crime of genocide under Article 6 of the Statute of the international Criminal Court.”

The Ministry of Justice emphasizes the following:

• The Israeli leaders must be brought as war criminals before international courts.

• We welcome the stance of Mr Richard Falk, calling for an immediate end to the blockade on the Gaza Strip, and call on all freemen and women of the world to follow his example.

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• We call on the Arab Republic of Egypt to assume its responsibility towards Gaza, and open the Rafah crossing permanently without restrictions or conditions, to allow the free movement of people and goods.

• We call on the international community to break their silence, and help the people of the Gaza Strip who continue to suffer the dire effects of the blockade. (T/E01/IR)

Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA)