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[Piecake]

Jerusalem — Since the end of the 2014 Gaza war, top Israeli generals and politicians have stressed the need to boost Gaza’s economy and loosen the nine-year blockade on the strip. This summer, though, Israel quietly started doing the opposite — and many of the aid workers who help keep Gaza afloat fear another war is looming.

The dozens of nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) operating in Gaza have come under close scrutiny since Aug. 4, when Israel accused World Vision, a U.S.-based Christian humanitarian organization, of funneling aid money to Hamas, the Islamist group that has controlled the strip since 2007.

The new restrictions on NGOs are threatening Gaza’s already fragile economy and raising the odds of a fourth round of conflict between Israel and Hamas. Travel permits for aid workers and ordinary Gazans have been revoked on vague security grounds, and Israeli banks are increasingly reluctant to transfer salaries to workers in Gaza, something they have willingly done for years.

Maj. Gen. Herzl Halevi, the Israeli army intelligence chief, told the Knesset in February that economic development in Gaza would be the “most important restraining factor” that prevents a fourth war. His comments have been echoed across the political spectrum — not only from the left, but also from hawkish voices on the right. Education Minister Naftali Bennett, the head of the settler-backed Jewish Home party, said last year that it was “time to change the policy” in Gaza by striking a deal with Hamas to rebuild the strip. Transportation Minister Yisrael Katz has even tried to advance plans for an offshore Gaza seaport, showing journalists a mockup of the proposed complex.

The one notable exception to this consensus is Avigdor Lieberman, the nationalist lawmaker who became defense minister in May. Lieberman, who served as foreign minister in the previous Netanyahu government, was one of the most belligerent voices during the previous war, repeatedly calling for a ground offensive to topple the Hamas government.

http://foreignpolicy.com/2016/09/20/israel-declares-war-on-gazas-ngos-palestine-hamas/

 

[Newt]

Classy Israel.

 

[Kolx]

But I'm sure all they want is peace.

 

[orochi91]

The one notable exception to this consensus is Avigdor Lieberman, the nationalist lawmaker who became defense minister in May. Lieberman, who served as foreign minister in the previous Netanyahu government, was one of the most belligerent voices during the previous war, repeatedly calling for a ground offensive to topple the Hamas government.

I hate war-hawks with a fucking passion.

Topple Hamas's government and then what? Absorb the population, along with the land? Set up a puppet government?

 

[commedieu]

D.FENCE

 

[NEO0MJ]

Wonder how people would defend this.

 

[Vagabundo]

Time for the UN to step up and take the Gaza strip away from Israel.

 

[themandu]

Sickening.

 

[Piecake]

Time for the UN to step up and take the Gaza strip away from Israel.

The United Nations, however, is one of the international organizations that has found its work in Gaza increasingly challenged by Israeli restrictions. In 2015 and early 2016, only about 3 percent of U.N. employees were denied permits. Over the past few months, that number has increased to nearly 30 percent, a tenfold increase. At least eight staffers from the U.N. and foreign NGOs had their permits revoked at the border for unclear “security reasons” this year, something that happened only twice in all of 2015, according to U.N. statistics.

Might be difficult if they can't get into Gaza

 

[KimiNewt]

Can you detail what the actual change is?

The new restrictions on NGOs are threatening Gaza’s already fragile economy and raising the odds of a fourth round of conflict between Israel and Hamas. Travel permits for aid workers and ordinary Gazans have been revoked on vague security grounds, and Israeli banks are increasingly reluctant to transfer salaries to workers in Gaza, something they have willingly done for years.

This is quite vague and I can't find more detail in the article, or other articles about it.

Time for the UN to step up and take the Gaza strip away from Israel.

The Gaza strip isn't under Israeli control, it's its borders which are (hence the problematic things being allowing access and merchandise, etc.), aside from the Egyptian border. How would the UN "taking it away" help or even work?

 

[timetokill]

Damn has Obama's check even cleared yet?

 

[Kill Your Masters]

War lol

It's a dog shelter for humans controlled by Israel, they are "declaring war" on their own dog shelter.

 

[Condom]

Wonder how people would defend this.

What would you do if you had 1 billion million rockets attacking you every day? Genocide those doing it of course.

 

[Alucrid]

Wonder how people would defend this.

let's say there's a bowl of skittles

 

[FreedomFighter]

Israel ready to put those $38 billion USD to work, eh.

Since the end of the 2014 Gaza war, top Israeli generals and politicians have stressed the need to boost Gaza’s economy and loosen the nine-year blockade on the strip

The one notable exception to this consensus is Avigdor Lieberman, the nationalist lawmaker who became defense minister in May. Lieberman, who served as foreign minister in the previous Netanyahu government, was one of the most belligerent voices during the previous war, repeatedly calling for a ground offensive to topple the Hamas government.

It amazes me how Israel controls every aspect of Gaza: coastal waters, drinking water, airspace, and even banking it seems here, but then want to pretend Gaza is a completely foreign, sovereign nation once it's time to start bombing.

 

[Piecake]

Can you detail what the actual change is?

This is quite vague and I can't find more detail in the article, or other articles about it.

I thought the article was pretty clear.

Since the new defense minister came into office, Israel's refusal to grant travel permits to NGOs in Gaza has dramatically increased and Palestinian businessmen have also seen their permits revoked it in dramatic numbers based on vague security reasons.

Israel Banks are refusing or wary about wiring money to these NGOs, which makes actually paying the people working at these NGO's a lot more difficult. These banks were fine doing that in the past.

The NGO highlighted in the article is literally being accused of an impossible charge. There is absolutely no way he could have embezzled that much money. The ludicrousness of it makes it seem like its a trumped up charge, especially since the NGO still hasn't received evidence from Israel that support their case against the leader of their NGO operation in Gaza. Moreover, this was just one example of pressure besides the travel permits and banking issues that the NGO's are facing.

All of these actions will severely hurt the economy in Gaza because they depend on these NGOs and depend on these few businessmen who get travel permits to keep their floundering economy barely above water.

If the people in Gaza are pushed into economic collapse then they are going to lash out at the people who they feel that caused it, and that would be Israel. That would give this defense minister the excuse to bomb the shit out of Gaza and destroy Hamas.

 

[Dryk]

Being a public servant must be so frustrating

 

[Discotheque]

let's say there's a bowl of skittles

And some are bad? Throw the bowl of skittles on the ground and stomp on them repeatedly. And then bomb the factory they came from too, just to be safe.

 

[Machina]

Netanyahu isn't much different to Putin

 

[leroidys]

But I'm sure all they want is peace.

But war is peace. Try to keep up.

 

[efyu_lemonardo]

Israel desperately needs to kick Netanyahu out of office.

 

[Mr. Giggles]

The shining beacon of democracy in the Middle East everyone.

Truly a model for all to follow

 

[sirap]

Waiting for the post that says the Palestinians deserve it.

Or the one that says both sides are suffering. War is bad etc etc.