Gaza isn’t the only open air prison; Lebanon has 12 of its own. And the people there are denied the most elementary right to apply for a job in more than 50 professions. Worth noting also is that the US Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 could mandate a cut-off of all American aid to Lebanon due to ongoing violations of their human rights. Solidarity—credible, genuine solidarity—is within our grasp; let us reach for it.
The leader of Hamas, Khaled Meshaal, has said the group wants a truce as soon as possible, but with a genuine guarantee to lift the eight-year long siege.
In an exclusive interview with the BBC’s HARDtalk programme, Mr Meshaal said that Palestinians in Gaza wanted to live without the Israeli and Egyptian blockade and open up to the world.
He said the people of Gaza were “being punished with a slow death in the world’s biggest prison”.
He said: “We are eager that the bloodshed should end in Gaza”
Image above: Palestinians gather as rescue workers search for victims under the rubble of a house which witnesses said was destroyed in an Israeli airstrike in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip July 25, 2014. (REUTERS/Ibraheem Abu Mustafa)
by Thomas Adamson Associated Press
One officer, a veteran of Gaza operations, who left the fighting area for a few hours, told Haaretz: “I’ve been to Shujaiyeh before, but I’ve never seen it – or Hamas – like this before. Their equipment and tactics are just like Hezbollah. Missile traps and IEDs everywhere – and they stay and fight instead of melting away like in the past.”
Image above: ‘Dahlan called one of his followers from Fatah who spoke with Hamas officials and they agreed to let the convoy leave immediately,’
MEMO - Forty members of the UAE “aid convoy” which entered the Gaza Strip last week have been revealed as intelligence agents. They were, it is believed, trying to collect information about Hamas and its infrastructure in the besieged territory.
Update July 19, 2014 – Daily Star - The Daily Star
BEIRUT: NBC’s reporter Ayman Mohyeldin, whose removal by the network from Gaza had raised questions and criticism, will go back to report from the city he knows well, an NBC statement said Friday.
“As with any news team in conflict zones, deployments are constantly reassessed,” said the statement issued on the network’s website.
As four boys die in a shell attack in Gaza, Israeli government spokesman Mark Regev says :
“The story with these four boys is a tragedy – let’s be clear the Israeli military does not target civilians.”
Image above: A funeral of people killed in an Israeli strike in Khan Younis refugee camp, southern Gaza Stip, July 9, 2014. Photo by AP
Since the first Lebanon war over 30 years ago, Israel’s main strategy has been killing Arabs. The current atrocious war in Gaza is no different.
Defense Secretary Chuck. Hagel put it. “Make no mistake—and this country should not make any mistake on this, nor anyone in Congress—this is a threat to our country,” Hagel said. “This is a force that is sophisticated, it’s dynamic, it’s strong, it’s organized, it’s well-financed, it’s competent.”
