Olmert Vows “Disproportionate Response” Against Palestinians
Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has threatened to use “disproportionate response” if Palestinian militants continue to fire rockets into Israel. On Sunday, a wing of al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades claimed responsibility for firing two rockets. The group is the militant wing of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’s Fatah faction. Meanwhile, Israel continues to carry out air strikes inside Gaza.
UN’s John Ging: Israel Is Blocking Humanitarian Aid from Gaza
The United Nation’s top official in Gaza, John Ging, said the humanitarian situation remains dire.
John Ging: “It’s almost two weeks since the declaration of the ceasefires here in Gaza, and I can tell you that the mood has very definitely moved from one of overwhelming grief to a pervasive sense of anger. People here are, of course, coming to terms with their new reality. Tens of thousands of them have no homes anymore; it’s just piles of rubble. And also, the aid effort is hampered by the lack of access.”
John Ging also accused Israel of blocking humanitarian aid from entering Gaza.
John Ging: “Shamefully, there are thousands of tons of aid waiting on the borders of Gaza that need to be connected right now with the people here. The donors have been very generous. You know, the operation in getting it from all over the world to this part of the world has been a success, and very quick. But now we have the bottleneck. And of course, it has to be that the government of Israel, in the first instance, has to find operational solutions to get the crossing points open.”
Obama Releases $21 Million to Palestinians
Over the weekend, President Obama released $20 million from the US Emergency Refugee and Migration Assistance Fund for use in the Palestinian region. Obama’s Middle East envoy George Mitchell announced the aid package during a stop in Jerusalem.
George Mitchell: “President Obama has expressed his deep concern about the recent loss of life and the substantial suffering in Gaza. I am pleased to announce that this week the President directed the use of another $20.3 million to provide emergency food and medical assistance to the wounded and displaced in Gaza.”
The $20 million in aid is a fraction of the over $3 billion the US sends annually in aid to Israel.
Spain to Amend War Crimes Law
The Spanish government has announced plans to amend its laws to make it harder for Spanish judges to investigate torture and war crimes committed outside of Spain. In recent years, Spanish courts have investigated several prominent cases under the principle of universal jurisdiction. In 1998, former Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet was arrested in London under an international arrest warrant issued by Spanish Judge Baltasar Garzon, who sought to extradite him to Spain for trial. The Spanish government’s decision comes days after a Spanish judge launched an investigation into seven current or former Israeli officials over a 2002 bombing in Gaza that killed a top Hamas leader, Salah Shehadeh, and fourteen other people, including nine children. Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni praised Spain’s decision.
Tzipi Livni: “I was just told by the Spanish foreign minister that Spain decided to change the legislation in accordance to the universal jurisdiction in order to change the possibility of different organization, political organization, to abuse the legal system in Spain in order to put charges against Israelis and others that are fighting terror. I think that this is a very important news, and I hope that other states in Europe will do the same and will follow this.”
Israel Pays $2 Million to Family of Slain British Journalist
In other news from the region, Israel has paid around $2 million in damages to the family of a British cameraman who was shot by an Israeli soldier in Gaza in 2003. The family of James Miller accepted the payment, saying it was as close to an admission of guilt from Israel as they were ever likely to get. Miller was in Gaza working on a documentary about Palestinian children caught up in the conflict. The documentary, Death in Gaza, later aired on HBO and won three Emmys.
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