On the fifth anniversary of the Gaza closure, the Euro Mediterranean Human Rights Network (EMHRN) calls on the EU take all measures at its disposal, including in the context of its bilateral relations with Israel to ensure an immediate, unconditional and complete lifting of the blockade and urges Israel to immediately allow free access to healthcare, education, and other basic services outside Gaza needed for the wellbeing of the population, to guarantee access to Gaza’s agricultural land and fishing grounds, and ensure the protection of civilians in these areas.
The government of Israel argues that the closure of the Gaza Strip is part of a policy of legitimate ‘economic warfare’ against the authorities in Gaza. International law remains clear however: the closure is a form of collective punishment imposed on the entire civilian population of Gaza and is in clear violation of international humanitarian law. In a rare public statement, this position has been confirmed by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).
The closure of the Gaza Strip and in particular the restrictions on movement of Palestinian between the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, recognised by the international community as a single territory, is – together with Israeli policies in East Jerusalem and area C – part of a general Israeli policy of fragmentation of the Palestinian territory which is undermining the Palestinian right to self-determination. These policies are putting the EU-backed two-state solution at risk, as highlighted in the EU Heads of Mission report on Area C and the latest EU Foreign Affairs Council Conclusions.
‘Decisions by the Government of Israel to ease some restrictions on the Gaza Strip over the last two years have failed to improve the lives of most Palestinians living in the Gaza Strip, whose basic rights continued to be violated,’ declared Mahmoud Abu Rahma EMHRN Executive Committee member and Communications & International Relations director of Al Mezan Centre for Human Rights.
‘We want the EU to realise that the current “eased” closure risks becoming institutionalised by the international community if there is no increased pressure on Israel for a full lifting of the closure. Lifting the full closure of Gaza remains a legal, economic and political imperative for those seeking a lasting resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict,’ he added.
The closure has had a major impact on all aspects of the lives of the 1.6 million Palestinians living in Gaza. It severely restricts their freedom of movement and trade, and violates their basic human rights, including the right to life, health, education, food, water, standard of living, and adequate housing. Several aspects of the closure regime have brought about violations that amount to torture and ill treatment and must be stopped immediately.
Read more from EMHRN members:
– PCHR’s press release: 5 Years and Counting: International Organizations and Donors Continue to Fund Israel’s Illegal Closure on the Gaza Strip
– Al Mezan fact sheets:
Fact Sheet: Gaza Victims of Israel’s Five-Year Closure of Gaza:Fishermen, 14 June 2012
Fact Sheet: Gaza Students Anxious to Complete Their Educations in the West Bank, 14 June 2012
Fact Sheet: Five Years of Closure: Gaza Patients as Victims of the Referrals System, 14 June 2012
Read EMHRN statement ‘The EU Must Step-up Action to End the Illegal Closure of Gaza and Protect Civilians’