IDF Transfers Truckloads of Goods into Gaza

While Hamas continues its terrorist actions, the IDF continues to transfer goods to Palestinians in Gaza. On August 3, the IDF transferred 186 truckloads of food, medical supplies, fuel and other goods into Gaza via the Kerem Shalom border crossing.

Israel Matzav: Does this look like genocide to you?

While Hamas continues its terrorist actions, the IDF continues to transfer goods to Palestinians in Gaza. On August 3, the IDF transferred 186 truckloads of food, medical supplies, fuel and other goods into Gaza via the Kerem Shalom border crossing.
By the way, in case you missed it, the officer being interviewed, Major Bassem Hinu, is an Arab....
Some genocide.

Elder Of Ziyon - Israel News: Amazing blog post from a Syrian refugee in Istanbul

Yesterday, Israel's prime minister visited the field hospital where Syrian patients are being treated. Here's what he said:

The Syrian opposition condemned Netanyahu!

Khalid Saleh, head of the Media Office, said that “the visit paid by Prime Minister of the Israeli occupation to one of the hospitals where injured Syrians are being hospitalized is nothing more than a publicity gimmick and a deliberate move to hint that there is a certain relationship between the Syrian revolution and the Zionist entity. Israel’s Prime Minister aims at whitewashing his tarnished image in the minds of the Arab and Islamic peoples.” Saleh denounces “Israel’s investment in the plight of the Syrian people and using them as tools to spruce up his besmirched image. Saleh stresses that “the Israeli entity stood against the Syrian uprising from the start when they repeatedly warned of the danger of the weapons falling in the hands of what they described as terrorists. These “terrorists” - wounded civilians who were forcedly taken to Israeli hospitals and are being employed today for marketing their political agenda.” Saleh points out that “forcing some of the wounded civilians to receive treatment in the hospitals of the Israeli occupation as a result of the crippling siege imposed by the Assad regime lays bare Assad’s claims about resisting the Israeli occupation.”

This bizarre response did not go unnoticed by real Syrian refugees.

Aboud Dandachi, a Syrian from Homs, has a blog describing his experiences. Here's what he has to say about this episode:

This one press release by the SNC may very well prove to be one of the most self-damaging statements ever released by a political organization. Not only did the SNC fall into a trap by reacting hastily to goading from its opponents, but by denouncing an act of charity that has saved so many Syrian lives, even from a country that has historically been an adversary to Syria, the SNC has very much called into question the Syrian political opposition’s ability to engage in any post-conflict reconciliation with those communities that stood with the regime during the war. If you can’t even bring yourself to say thank you to medical aid from Israel, how on earth are you ever going to bring yourself to meet the greater challenge of living and let live with those Syrians who fought for the regime over the years. To say nothing of the vindication of those parties very much against any sort of help to the Syrian opposition, whom those parties see as potential adversaries in the future.

Alas, the SNC’s position is by no means an isolated one among the Syrian opposition. Indeed, the coalition probably felt compelled to make a denunciation along these lines to maintain its credibility among the rank and file activists. This one statement is going to have some very far reaching repercussions, especially with respect to any further aid the opposition can expect to receive. Who in their right mind is going to provide MANPADs and advanced anti-tank missiles to an opposition that can’t even reconcile itself to medical aid from a perceived adversary. Frankly, this regrettable episode has demonstrated that the Syrian political opposition still has alot of growing up to do.

The idea that any Syrian should feel apologetic for seeking medical aid from an Israeli hospital is yet one more morally bankrupt notion in a conflict that has already laid bare the moral shortcomings of many formerly esteemed parties and movements. ...This is a regime that has targeted Red Crescent volunteers and murdered a British surgeon for giving the exact same aid the Israelis are providing wounded Syrians. Dr Abbas Khan was rightly hailed as a hero, and Israel’s contribution to treating hundreds of needy Syrians deserves no less praise and appreciation. The pro-regimists have no moral standing or high ground on this issue whatsoever. Far from condemning Benjamin Netanyahu for visiting wounded Syrians, the Assad supporters’ time would be better spent asking where their beloved leader has been hiding out these past months. It is shameful that Angelina Jolie has made more visits to Syrian camps and refugee hospitals than Assad and Asma have combined.

...
Maybe Barack Obama and the naysayers were right after all, maybe they knew us better than we knew ourselves. There are some Israelis and in the West who want nothing whatsoever to do with Syria and its problems, and statements like the SNC’s have validated their worse suspicions, that any Syrian opposition group the West helps are only going to be adversaries after the war. It is an unfortunate fact, that Israeli medical teams have done more for Syrians in the south of the country than all the opposition groups put together, to say nothing of the murderous regime that caused them to seek help in the first place.

...
Of course, nothing happens in the Middle East in a vacuum, and alot of other issues intrude to make any conflict that much more complicated. Some Syrians, and indeed Arabs, are of the opinion that one cannot reconcile even to the slightest degree with Israel and hope to remain loyal to our Palestinian brethren and their aspirations. Frankly, it would not be unfair to say that this sort of hardline stance is most popular among those who have in reality done crap-all in a practical sense for our Palestinian brethren. By all means, go and jump on the BDS bandwagon if it assuages your guilt, and I’m sure the fact that the BDSers have a very flexible and self-serving idea of who is worthy of a boycott makes it that much easier. 

...When the war in Syria is over, one of the things that I as a (hopefully) former refugee would want to see addressed, is the disgraceful treatment of our Palestinian brothers and sisters in the Arab world. If it is solidarity with Palestinians that certain Arabs seek, then nothing can improve the Palestinians’ situation more quickly than by granting them the right to work, study, travel and private property ownership in the Arab countries they currently reside in. Because frankly, I doubt there is a single Palestinian in the Levant or North Africa who wouldn’t swap places with an Arab-Israeli in a heart beat.

....Personally, Israel’s kindness to Syrian refugees has demonstrated to me that Syrians and Israelis need not be adversaries in the future, that there is space and possibility for an accommodation on even the most seemingly intractable of issues. There is goodwill and humanity on the Israeli side, despite everything I have been taught to believe during my life.

I hope that in the future, those of the Syrian opposition who currently regard anything Israel does with hostility and suspicion, ask themselves what is to be gained by pandering to morally bankrupt pro-Assadists, whose beloved leader’s family could not, in forty years, regain the Golan Heights either through war or through negotiations. The whole point of an opposition is to give the country a different way of thinking. Knowing who our true friends are would be a good place to start.

How Do Goods Get to Gaza? We Asked the IDF Officer (from AZ) in Charge

2nd Lt. Nira Lee grew up in Tempe, Arizona, completed her undergraduate degree at American University in Washington, DC, and moved to Israel in May 2010. She joined the IDF in October 2010. Nira currently serves in COGAT as the assistant foreign liaison officer to international organizations in the Gaza Strip. She agreed to answer a few questions about her work.

2nd Lt. Nira Lee

First of all, what is COGAT?

COGAT stands for the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories. It’s the unit of the IDF that is responsible for implementing the Israeli government’s policy in Judea and Samaria as well as facilitating the movement of goods and people to and from Gaza Strip.

What is your specific role?

My primary job is to work with international organizations and delegations in the Gaza Strip to coordinate the entry/exit of the goods and supplies that they wish to transfer. In addition, I also coordinate the movement of international organizations inside the security buffer zone in Gaza — including ambulances and fire trucks in case of emergency — as well as visits to the Kerem Shalom crossing.

It’s a difficult but important job. Remember, Gaza is ruled by Hamas, a terrorist group that wants to destroy Israel and has fired thousands of rockets at Israeli civilians in recent years. The IDF, therefore, does not coordinate with Hamas, which is why it’s important that we maintain strong relationships with the international organizations that work with uninvolved civilians in Gaza.

2nd Lt. Nira Lee coordinates the entrance of Palestinian ambulances into the Gaza Strip.

What’s the difference between the Erez and Kerem Shalom crossings?

Erez is the pedestrian crossing between Gaza and Israel. Every day, about 300 people go through, including employees of international organizations, foreign diplomats, journalists and, of course, Palestinians.

Kerem Shalom is the commercial goods crossing. Every day, around 250-350 trucks go through. Our role is to authorize the materials — food, electrical products, clothing, construction materials – and coordinate the trucks.

There used to be other crossings, but they were closed because due to repeated rocket attacks. In order to maintain the flow of goods into Gaza, we expanded Kerem Shalom, and now the crossing has a greater capacity than there is demand from Gaza.

During Operation Pillar of Defense, the IDF continued to facilitate the transfer of goods into Gaza via the Kerem Shalom crossing.

Who exactly receives the supplies in Gaza? And who pays for them?

The supplies I send in are shipped directly to the international organizations that I coordinate imports with, such as the Red Cross and UNRWA. They are the ones who place the orders, and they are the ones who pay for it. We don’t deal with payments — this is all done privately between organizations and their suppliers. These organizations either distribute the goods to merchants within the private sector or stock their warehouses with the supply. The Red Cross sends its supplies to the Ministry of Health or to individual hospitals and health centers.

Michael Harvey, the USAID mission director in the West Bank and Gaza (left) and 2nd Lt. Nira Lee (center) near Gaza

What was your role during Operation Pillar of Defense?

I was doing everything I could to assist civilians in Gaza — Palestinians and foreigners — by working closely with the international organizations in Gaza. Like most soldiers elsewhere in the IDF, I did not sleep much during those eight days. I spent a great deal of time coordinating the entrance of goods as well as the evacuation of Palestinian ambulances with medical patients from the buffer zone. I also helped arrange for over 60 foreigners to leave Gaza.

During the operation, rockets were fired at Kerem Shalom and Erez. How did that affect your work?

As you can imagine, working under rocket fire doesn’t make anybody’s job any easier. During Operation Pillar of Defense my unit’s goal was to open Kerem Shalom for several hours each day in order to transfer medical supplies and food shipments into Gaza.

We had to keep shutting the crossing because of Hamas rocket fire. On Nov. 20, right in the middle of transferring goods, there was a rocket attack. Some trucks crossed before the rockets hit, but others were forced to wait. That night, we stayed up trying to figure different ways to to get the medical supplies into Gaza. Eventually we settled on a plan to use forklifts at Erez.

Nira Lee with soldiers in her department

Do you feel that you accomplished your goals?

I do. On the day that we sent the goods through Erez, I called all of the major organizations in Gaza that import medical supplies and drugs and asked them if there was anything they needed urgently. Every organization except one declined the offer. In fact, one of the items that was requested in Gaza during the operation was Bamba — a popular Israeli snack for children.

By the end of the operation, every international organization that had requested to bring in medical supplies or food was able to do so.

Now, only a few weeks after the operation, I have received only a small number of requests for emergency aid, and each of those requests were approved and imported within two days.

2nd Lt. Nira Lee with UN employees

Have you built any kind of personal relationships with people working in Gaza?

Yes, definitely. I won’t soon forget that when I cut my hand while diving for cover from a mortar shell, the UN officers who were stationed on my base helped me clean and bandage the wound.

There is one person who stands out above all others. Every day, I coordinate shipments of goods with a young woman from Gaza who works for one of the major international organizations in the region. Last month, we were together for a meeting in Israel when a rocket siren went off. Not knowing quite what to do, she froze and just looked at me as everyone around us began to run. There was no time to explain, so I just grabbed her hand and we ran — a woman from Gaza and IDF officer — to a shelter together.

When we spoke that evening, her voice shook as she told me that the bond she felt with me that day challenged all she had been taught about IDF soldiers. Not one of the eight days of Operation Pillar of Defense passed without us checking in on each other, without any connection to our work. Every night I made her promise to call me if she needed anything.

I have good relationships with many employees of international organizations in Gaza. Even if our politics may differ, we work together professionally and respectfully. They know me, they know that I treat all of their requests with importance, and they know that I work day and night in order to enable them to do their work.

Gaza to Israel - 150+ Rockets; Israel to Gaza - 34,062 tons of supplies

Gaza Receives 1,200 Truckloads of Goods and Gas Every Week

Some of the Items Transferred into Gaza from Israel on a Daily Basis

Gaza Receives Thousands of Tons in Goods and Materials

4,942 Truckloads: Humanitarian Activities in the Gaza Strip - Monthly Report for May 2011

The month of May showed a 128% increase in truck volume entering Gaza and a 31.5% increase in the number of patients and escorts who entered Israel for medical purposes. Implementation of approved projects continued.

Main Points

•  There was a 128% increase in the volume of truckloads transferred through the crossings compared to the previous month.
• There was a 31.5% increase in the number of patients and accompanying individuals who entered Israel for medical purposes.
• International Projects Status: As of today, 130 projects have been approved, of which 20 have been completed and 50 are under implementation.
• During the month, coordination and meetings with representatives of the PA took place on a regular basis. 

Since the beginning of 2011, 338 rockets and mortar shells were fired at Israeli civilian targets.

Crossings’ Activity

During the month, 4,942 truckloads were delivered into the Gaza Strip through Kerem Shalom Crossing, including:

• 89 truckloads of clothing and footwear;
• 126 truckloads of electric products;
• 1,840 truckloads of food;
• 26 truckloads of textiles;
• 929  truckloads of construction materials; 
• 96 truckloads of inputs for agriculture.

Movement and Permits

3,295 Palestinians exited the Gaza Strip through Erez Crossing. 

Overall, 3,612 permits were issued to Palestinians, allowing them to cross through Erez, including:

• 1,892 permits for medical cases (986 patients and 906 accompanying individuals), enabling them to receive medical treatment in Israel, the West Bank and abroad;
• 44 permits for embassy visa interviews;
• 115 permits for international organizations employees. 
• 96 permits for traveling abroad;

1,238 businessmen exited the Gaza Strip.

Project Implementation

International Projects Status: Up to today, 130 projects were approved, of which 20 have been completed and 50 are being implemented. 

297 truckloads were delivered for 22 projects under implementation.

The transfer of inputs for internationally funded projects continues, coordinated by the international organizations. 

Water and Sewage projects 

During the month 178 truckloads of building materials and equipment were delivered for 11 water and sewage projects out of the 28 approved water and sewage projects (4 projects have been completed).

• Establishment of a Sewage Drainage Network in Beit Lahia (USAID) – One truckload of equipment was delivered this month.
• Establishment of a Sewage Drainage Network in Khan Yunis (USAID) – 3 truckloads of aggregates were delivered this month.
• Establishment of water reservoir and pumping station in Al Rahma (USAID)-  2 truckloads of aggregates were delivered. 
• Establishment of a Sewage Drainage Network in Ma'an (USAID) – 5 truckloads of aggregates were delivered this month.
• Establishment of a Sewage Drainage Network in Al Amal (USAID) – 15 truckloads of aggregates were delivered this month.
• Establishment of a water network in Khan Yunis (USAID) – One truckload of equipment was delivered this month.
• Upgrading of pumping station in Beit Lahia (USAID) – One truckload of equipment was delivered this month.
• Establishment of water reservoir in Tel Sultan (USAID) - 28 truckloads of aggregates were delivered. 
• The Northern Wastewater Treatment Plant (WTP) - Part B (World Bank) - 2 truckloads of equipment were delivered this month.
• Upgrading of the WTP in Shiekh Ajlin (KFW) – 60 truckloads of aggregates and other equipment were delivered this month.
• Water pipelines in Dir El Balah (parts 3 and 5) (UNRWA) - 60 truckloads of aggregates and cement were delivered.
• Education projects
• During the month 58 truckloads of building materials and equipment were delivered for 5 education projects out of the 41 approved education projects (5 projects have been completed).
• Establishment of 2 schools in Tel Allwa  (#12) (UNRWA) – 24 truckloads of aggregates were delivered this month.
• Establishment of 2 Schools in Tel Allwa (#13) (UNRWA) –27 truckloads of aggregates, cement and iron were delivered this month.
• Reconstruction of Boy’s School in Biet Lahiya (UNRWA) – One truckload of equipment was delivered this month.
• Establishment of a school in Ma’an (UNRWA) - 5 truckloads of cement were delivered this month.
• Establishment of a school in Fahuri (UNRWA) - One truckload of cement was delivered this month.

Housing projects

During the month 24 truckloads of building materials and equipment were delivered for 3 housing projects out of the 10 approved housing projects (one project was completed).

• Construction of 223 housing units in Khan Yunis (UNRWA) - 24 truckloads of iron and cement were delivered this month.
• Construction of 200 housing units in Khan Yunis (UNDP) - 3 truckloads of cement were delivered this month.
• Construction of 147 housing units in Gaza (UNDP) - 8 truckloads of cement and iron were delivered this month.

Other

During the month 28 truckloads of building materials and equipment were delivered for 3 projects.

• Upgrading the electric network in Gaza- (UNRWA) - 22 truckloads of aggregates were delivered this month. 
• Reconstruction of YMCA library (USAID)- One truckload of aggregates was delivered. 
• Reconstruction of the Arab-Orthodox Society in Gaza (USAID) - 5 truckloads were delivered.  

Humanitarian Infrastructure

Israel maintained a continuous supply of electricity and water to the Gaza Strip.

Maintenance equipment was transferred for the electricity network, in accordance with the PA’s requests:

• 5 truckloads of equipment were delivered for the electricity lines.
• 8 truckloads of equipment were delivered for the communication network

During the month 580,000 carnation flowers were exported.

     Since the beginning of the season (Nov. 28, 2010), 368 tons of strawberries, 9,767,678 carnation flowers, 6.59 tons of cherry tomatoes and 6 tons of bell peppers have been exported to European markets.

     The transfer of cooking gas and fuel for transportation continued throughout the month, in accordance with the PA’s requests:

o 340,000 liters of diesel fuel for UNRWA were transferred.

o 2748 tons of cooking gas were transferred into the Gaza Strip.

o 73,000 liters of gasoline were transferred for UNRWA.

Exports

4 truckloads of flowers were exported from the Gaza Strip destined for European markets.

Goods Delivered to the Gaza Strip, by category

Product Truckloads

Food Products 

      Milk Powder and Baby Formula 44

      Rice 65

      Wheat 324

      Produce (Fruits and Vegetables) 225

      Meat / Chicken / Fish Products 113

      Dairy Products 142

      Sugar 18

      Legumes 9

      Flour   376

      Cooking Oil 59

      Salt 25

      Mixed\Additional Food Products 440

     Total of Food Products 1,840

Aggregates 530

Glass, Wood Profiles and Aluminum Profiles 153

Cement 218

Iron 28

Total of Construction Materials 929

Inputs for Agriculture 96

Electric Products 126

Clothing & Footwear 89

Animal Feed 520

Hygiene Products 123

Transportation 72

Textile 26

Plumbing and Ceramics   302

Essential Humanitarian Products 583

Medicine and Medical Equipment 32

Mixed Products 204

Total Truckloads         4,942

Total Weight             127,353

Israel Delivers Tons of Goods to Gaza, Despite Rocket-Fire

• 50,000 tons of goods, humanitarian aid transferred to Gaza biweekly
• Israel treats thousands of Gazans in hospitals 
• 133 infrastructure projects underway in Gaza

Erez Crossing, April 13 - Two hundred and fifty trucks cross from Israel into Gaza daily, Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories for the Gaza Region Col. Moshe Levy said at a briefing at Israel’s Erez crossing into Gaza on Wednesday.

That figure will approach 400 trucks a day by the end of 2011.

Israel transfers 50,000 tons of goods to Gaza every two weeks, exceeding the 40,000 Israel told Quartet on the Middle East Envoy Tony Blair it would transfer. Israel has also built new platforms for grains, wheat, raw materials and other aggregates at the Kerem Shalom border-crossing despite the fact that it is a Hamas-target, Levy added.

“With all the security concerns going on, we are still here, trying to improve the conditions [for Gazans] and trying to make things better,” said Assaf Sheli, a security coordinator at the border-crossing.  A Hamas building sits just feet away from the crossing, he added.

Over the weekend, Israel was targeted with well over 100 mortars and rockets from Gaza, forcing children and families into bomb shelters.

The Erez crossing was created for the “future” so that Israel has the infrastructure to accommodate an increase in the flow of goods between Gaza and Israel, said Sheli.

In addition to accelerating the flow of construction materials to Gaza, Israel received 1,500 applications from Gazans for healthcare in Israel since the start of 2011, representing a 63 percent increase from 2010. Eighty percent of the applicants were approved.

Also, 423 tons of medicine and medical supplies were shipped in Gaza, via 538 trucks, in 2010.

The Palestinian Authority (PA) sets the priority of what goods Gaza needs and the list is sent to Israel daily. There are dozens of weekly meetings between PA and Israeli officials at Erez in order to improve the transfer of goods to Gaza.

Israel has also upped Gazan exports to the West Bank and overseas. The goods include strawberries, tomatoes, flowers, peppers and a new focus on furniture and textiles. Farmers in Gaza, for example, have established relationships with Israeli agricultural associations, Levy explained.

Israel also provides electricity and water to Gaza’s civilians. Thirty-seven educational facilities and new housing units, 14 health centers and 13 agricultural units are currently being developed in Gaza.

Israel approves these projects despite Iran-backed Hamas’ targeting and exploitation of the Israeli-Gaza crossings.Hamas prevents Israel from delivering diesel fuel to Gaza and makes it difficult for Israel to deliver items to Gaza’s civilian population.