Israel Blockade Getting in the Way … UNRWA Says
“UNRWA: Israel’s Gaza blockade became a blockade against the UN” ran a Haaretz headline earlier in the week. It prompted reading the article and wanting to know more.
The quote was attributed to Reuters and the figure behind it was Chris Gunness, UNRWA’s Gaza spokesperson since 2006. Gunness is a highly visible figure, routinely quoted in print stories and seen often on television.
I decided to speak with Gunness to find out firsthand what he meant regarding the UN’s view that the blockade is somehow a personal impediment to his organization.
He started off by acknowledging Israel’s move to ease restrictions last week, calling it a step in the right direction — albeit small. The day the blockade was eased, he was quoted in the press as saying it was a “drop of water” in a large bucket. So this seemed a bit more forthcoming. He then explained the blaring Haaretz headline.
“After the Gaza War, a summit was held in Sharm and the international community pledged 4.5 billion dollars to reconstruct Gaza. It was the international community’s way of saying they would reconstruct and not ‘others,’” Gunness explained.
What has happened, he continued, is that because of Israel’s blockade, hardly any of the allocated funds have been spent since the blockade includes an embargo against construction materials. So the international community has been stopped from doing what it pledged to do because of the blockade.
“The Israeli strategy is to make the international community talk about a bag of cement here, a project there. We need full unfettered access through all the crossings,” he said in the Haaretz story, referring to Israel’s block against incoming cement the government fears terrorists will use to build a series of underground bunkers.
After speaking with Gunness, my Gaza sources confirmed that, indeed, the very people who are least concerned with Israel’s interests — Hamas — are rebuilding Gaza post-Cast Lead. In hundreds of factories across the strip, Hamas is collecting rubble, mashing it up, producing cement, and rebuilding.
But what of Israel’s concern that the cement will be used for building underground hideout bunkers for terrorists to retreat into post-rocket attacks?
“We were told for years that terrorists would steal the cement and build bunkers. For the past two months, UNRWA has had a deal in place with Israel to bring in cement. Terrorists are not stealing it or using it to build bunkers, so we have established a precedent: terrorists won’t take it. If you can do that for two months, you can do it for two years and so on,” Gunness countered.
As the saying goes, it’s not paranoia if they really are after you.
Just sayin’.
What ‘international community’? There is not one that I recognize, just an undemocratic club dominated by murderous, lying, anti-Western Islamic regimes. There is nothing good or legitimate about the UN. As an ‘internationalist’ organization though, it is beloved by the left. Anything anti-Western is strawberries and cake to the freedom hating left which has betrayed Western nations – the homes of various peoples – to any destructive force going since at least the end of WWII.
Israel, as individual a nation as any going, is the prime exemplar of what must be destroyed by the lovers of communist slavery. This is the project of the left and its Muslim allies. If Israel is destroyed due to the negligence of the rest of the West, the rest of us will have earned the same fate.
62 years of lucrative jobs for the UNRWA people. Time, to stiop this madnesss. Stop aid to Palestinans now. They have had 62 years for starting anew. In the meantime Oriental Jews or Hreek Cypriots have made new leves without any need for parasitic UN-sponsored organistation. In the meantime the peole in Darfir are starving and getting nothing from teh UN.
Oh, that has worked sooo well in Lebanon with UNSC 1701, too. 12,000 rockets before 2006; 40,000 upgraded rockets in 2010. Yes. Let’s trust the UN.
And the three Israelis who were kidnapped;
UN allowed Hezbollah to take them to its lair.
They were tortured, murdered, dismembered then
their bodies traded for a live murderer and child butcher.
THAT is the UN for you.
ONE Jewish state, 57 mohammedan states.
You do the math.
If the Gazans would agree to stop trying to kill Israeli’s, there wouldn’t be a blockade in the first place.
Impossible! Read their Charter.
The international coddlers of genocidal Jew haters know no bounds. To wit, they will NOT be satisfied until Israel diasppears-whichever way it happens-ALL their protestations to the contrary.
The UNRA parasites, and their fellow Jew haters, know full well that Israel has been (unfathomably, but Stockholm Syndrome runs deep….)feeding, clothing, fueling the Gazans for years, DESPITE the fact that Gaza is Judenrein & ruled by genocidal terrorists!No matter, Israel lives, so EVERY last of her defenses must be cut to size.
Therefore, unless and until Israel’s leaders are willing to commit staticide-the jury is still out on THAT one-the anti-semitic-yes, they are-jackals won’t be satiated, until they devour EVERY last Jew in Israel.
Really.
The UN is complicit in terrorism and is controlled by brutal authoritarian regimes dominated by genocidal sociopaths. The democracies should leave the UN and let it dry up and blow away.
Here is the problem. Up to now the democracies have kept the dogs at the UN in check. If they leave the UN, the dogs would take it over and formalize a world coalition to destroy Israel. Their plans would include a naval blockade of Israel and even a formal declaration of war.
The Israelis are being asked to accept that an agency of the UN, an institution that’s demonstrated an implacable hostility to Israel for as long as anyone can remember — that’s collaborated both with the Palestinians and with Syrian Hezbollah in shielding terrorist encampments — is there in the name of peace? And the persons making this claim are doing so with a straight face?
Incredible. Literally incredible.
The dismantling of Israel is an open U.N. policy requiring strict adherence from ALL umbrella organizations, UNRWA included!
No one has noted that the Gunness plan would be hideously expensive for Israel.
The small Israeli navy of around 85 watercraft would be preoccupied with escorting ships at the expense of other activities. Civilians with limited training can inspect land cargo and drive inexpensive trucks but only highly trained sailors can operate high cost, military vessels.
Perhaps I didn’t read correctly was Gunness suggesting the so called International community would subsidise Israel’s additional expenses? I thought not!