Becuase Everything Else Sucks

Connection to Katrina: Power Cuts Leave Gaza Residents Powerless

By Manila Ryce
Published Thursday, November 8th, 2007, 2:33 am
Filed under: Videos: Political, World: Asia, Videos: News, Human Rights, Economic, Videos, Society/Culture, World Issues, US Politics

The illegal measures of collective punishment which Israel continues to inflict on occupied Gaza just get worse by the day. Al-Jazeera’s Nour Odeh shows how some Gaza residents will be personally affected by Israel’s power cuts.

WPvideo 1.10

Similarities can be drawn between the loss of life experienced in New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina, due to power outages, water shortages, and loss of medical services, and the similarly inescapable situation purposely imposed on Gaza’s 1.5 million residents by Israel. UN refugee agency UNRWA chief, Karen Koning- Abu Zayd, detailed exactly what such power cuts would create: “Most people, even in some of the refugee camps, live in high-rise apartments in Gaza and if you don’t have electricity, you don’t have water, you probably don’t have food and if you’re older or sick in any way you probably can’t climb up and down all those stairs.” A cut in fuel would have a “very serious” effect on civilian movement.

There is at least one more connection between Gaza and New Orleans. In 2005, The Bush administration gave each Israeli family, that illegally settled in occupied Gaza, over $200,000 each to relocate. As for the poor American families devastated by Katrina and the subsequent failure of the federal government afterwards, they were eventually given just $4,400 each. So Israeli settlers received even more aid from our government than American citizens. And what of the Palestinians? Do they received anything when their houses are bulldozed, their land taken away, or for being under 40 years of occupation sponsored by the US government? Well, just harsher collective punishment now that the Jewish settlers are out of harms way.

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One Response to “Connection to Katrina: Power Cuts Leave Gaza Residents Powerless”

  1. Manila, you know I read every day, but can not stay silent on this topic in particular.

    I just wish I had all the words to write about this topic. There are so many things I want to say, but the rush of feelings and emotions make is a challenge. My words of commentary on your blog may be the most cohesive thoughts I get out on this subject. And even then- maybe not so cohesive.

    While commenting on the Israeli/Palestinian situation in the past, I have mentioned my own travel to Israel and my very, very zionist cousins. For the record, for those who have not read my words- I am a Catholic (albeit a very progressive and liberal one) but have a large Jewish portion of my family.

    Well all I can think of is my many hours of conversation with my 22 year old cousin. Just another suburban Jewish kid- vegan, pot-head, peacenik, until he couldn’t figure out what to do with his life and made aliyah to Israel in 2004. Nothing has been the same.

    All his ennui and anger found a home there. Seeing this video reminds me of how he espouses the idea that so-called “good” Palestinians, like Achmed in the video I guess, should make the “bad” Palestinians stop shooting the rockets from Gaza into Israel.

    This specific thought entered my head watching this broken man and his wife- that was what brought tears to my eyes by the way, his wife! Well watching them I wondered how they should be getting the “bad” people to stop.

    That is like me trying to get George W. Bush to behave - inane and ludicrous.

    It is a no-win game and many Israelis- not all, but many, just want to eliminate all the Palestinians in any way shape or form.

    Wait, that sounds awfully familiar… Did you see this post on my blog, BTW? Maybe that is a hint.

    People never learn, do they?

    FranIAm
    11/8/07 at 12:08 pm

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