EU Monitors to Close Rafah Crossing due to Alleged Smuggling, B'Tselem: Gaza Power Plant Attack is a war crime

Al-Jazeerah, September 28, 2006

Palestine Media Center - PMC

The European monitors deployed at the Rafah crossing between the Gaza Strip and Egypt have informed the Palestinian presidency of their intention to close the crossing and not resume their work due to continued violations and smuggling of money and arms.

According to the source, the EU observers have complained that Palestinian Legislative Council member from Hamas, Marwan Abu Ras, smuggled an amount of US $1 million into Gaza, despite the objection of the EU monitors.

The Rafah Crossing over the recent months has witnessed several cases of money smuggling by Hamas figures.

The Palestinian presidency has put blame on all those who continue to smuggle money through the crossings and not respect the reached agreements. The presidency said that these people are taking the Palestinians “hostage to this illegal behavior.”

Meanwhile, Israeli intelligence has warned that Palestinians ‘smuggled’ 19 tonnes of explosives through the border from Egypt into the Strip.

Yuval Diskin, head of the Shin Bet secret service, is claiming that, inspired by the success of Hizbullah, Palestinians in the Gaza Strip are turning Rafah into “the garden of Eden of weapons smuggling”. Israel claims that about 15,000 guns, 4 million bullets, 38 rockets, 10-15 Katyusha rockets, and dozens of anti-tank missiles that have entered Gaza through the Rafah crossing in the past year.

According to the Israeli newspaper ‘Maariv’, the Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert announced his intention to raise the issue of reviewing the agreement regarding the Rafah crossing with the US Secretary of State during her upcoming visit to the Middle East.

B'Tselem calls Gaza power plant attack a 'war crime'

The Israeli Information Center for Human Rights in the Occupied Territories, B’Tselem called on Israeli government to direct the judge advocate general to open a criminal investigation against the persons involved in the decision to bomb the power plant and against those who carried out the attack, with the intention of prosecuting them.

In its 34-pages report, B’Tselem says the cuts in power are harming health care; drastically limiting water supplies to three hours a day; plunging sewage treatment to near crisis levels; limiting the mobility of high-rise dwellers by halting lifts; and threatening residents with food poisoning because of interruptions to refrigeration.

The report, entitled Act of Vengeance, says the cuts in power have also seriously disrupted small businesses in Gaza, deepening an economic crisis already far worse than that faced by Gaza's 1.3 million residents at the peak of the Palestinian uprising three years ago.

Meanwhile, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said that the past week was marked by growing tension inside the Gaza Strip, as the economic situation continued to deteriorate and civil servant salaries remained unpaid.

The ICRC Bulletin No. 8 / 2006 issued Wednesday revealed that the people living in southern Gaza were particularly affected by the incursions and military operations carried out by the Israeli forces.

“In one village, thirteen houses were destroyed and one was damaged, land was levelled, trees were uprooted and the irrigation system was destroyed. At least seven Palestinians were killed and twelve injured in various encounters with the Israeli forces,” ICRC said.

Referring to Rafah border crossing, ICRC pointed out that for the first time since the end of August, the Rafah border crossing reopened for three days last week, allowing thousands of people to cross in both directions.

“The Sofa crossing point was open for humanitarian assistance and for merchants, and the main cargo transit point at Karni remained open for imports and exports. The Erez crossing point was open only for humanitarian cases and staff of international organizations. It was completely closed for two days last week after an attack on the checkpoint,” ICRC added.

It concluded by saying that access to the sea for Palestinian fishermen remains prohibited.

Earth, a planet hungry for peace

Apartheid Wall


The Israeli Land-Grab Apartheid Wall built inside the Palestinian territories, here separating Abu Dis from occupied East Jerusalem. (IPC, 7/4/04).

The Israeli apartheid (security) wall around Palestinian population centers in the West Bank, like a Python. (Alquds,10/25/03).

Opinions expressed in various sections are the sole responsibility of their authors and they may not represent Al-Jazeerah's.

editor@aljazeerah.info