Gaza Latest: What Will Be Done About the Blockade? (Not Much. Care for an Israeli Snack Food?)

As the clash over the Freedom Flotilla recedes into the past, if not memory, the question arises: will anything be done about the Israeli blockade on Gaza?

Well, reading the signals, the provisional answer is...a shrug of the shoulders.

One possibility for a move forward might have been yesterday's meeting between President Barack Obama and Palestinian Authority leader Mahmoud Abbas but --- at least publicly --- there was little of substance on Gaza.

Obama did lead with, "Not only is the status quo with respect to Gaza unsustainable," but that was only the set-up to slide to other areas: "The status quo with respect to the Middle East is unsustainable."

Gaza Flotilla Latest (8 June): The Battle over the Blockade

The President's priority? Not the blockade or even Gaza, but getting back to the Israel-Palestine (West Bank) talks: "It is time for us to go ahead, move forward on a two-state solution." He called for a limit on construction of Israeli settlements in the West Bank, and his announcement of $400 million in aid for Palestinians (of which only $70 million is "new" money) is also of no consequence for Gaza. Given the US ostracism of Hamas, the aid is effectively more support for the Palestinian Authority and the West Bank.

Back to the rhetoric: Obama continued his balancing act, offering sugar-coated words of care for Gazans but effectively saying there will be no immediate moves on the Israeli blockade:

We, and I think President Abbas agrees with this, recognize that Israel should not have missiles flying out of Gaza into its territories. And so there should be a means by which we are able to stop the flow of arms that could endanger Israel’s security.

At the same time we’re doing so in a way that allows the people in Gaza to live out their aspirations and their dreams both for themselves and their children. And that’s something that we’re going to spend a lot of time focusing on, and we’ve already begun some hardheaded discussions with the Israelis in achieving that.

Meanwhile, on the border, the public-relations effort over the blockade reached the level of the darkly humourous, with Israel announcing a relaxation of the blockade to permit "soda, juice, jam, spices, shaving cream, potato chips, cookies and candy" to pass.

This was in no way, however, to be construed as a concession in light of the Freedom Flotilla incident. Israeli defense officials maintained, “We will not allow everything in, since [detained soldier] Gilad Shalit is still held in Gaza and Hamas is still attacking us.”

(The "Fake Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs" offered the sharpest assessment of these developments with this announcement on Twitter: "Humanitarian Situation --- IDF [[Israel Defense Force] transferred 3 bags of potato chips, a diet coke and 6 cherry tomatoes through Keren Shalom crossing into Gaza.)

In Tel Aviv, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was defining the limits not only on imports to Gaza but on an investigation of the Flotilla attack: "Israeli commandos involved in the raid will face IDF  investigators only and will not be subject to any outside probe."

Comments

[Amir in Tel Aviv]

What will be done about the black Emirate, that is being formed 70 km from my home?

Would you agree Scott, that an entity which is calling for your destruction, allowed to act freely 45 miles close to your home?

[Dave]

"I say in front of you, Mr. President, that we have nothing to do with incitement against Israel, and we're not doing that."

Abbas actually had the gall to lie to Obama's face. Obviously Obama is aware of the PA's incitement against Israel in its schools, mosques, and media. Abbas is not a worthy peace partner.

[Catherine]

GAZA: Israel opens border for snack foods, but Gazans aren't biting
Israel’s move impressed almost no one in this impoverished seaside territory and even left some embittered, accusing Israel of tossing them a few scraps to score points with the outside world. “We don’t need jam and chips,’’ said Khitam Abdel Hadi, 30, who lives in a refugee camp near Gaza City. “We need jobs. We need houses. We need the freedom to move around. This is nothing.”
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/babylonbeyond/2010/06/israel-opens-border-for-snack-foods-but-gazans-arent-biting.html#more" rel="nofollow">http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/babylonbeyond/2...

[Bijan77]

The statment Catherine posts, while simple, seems to be over looked by all the politics and the finger pointing from all sides. There exists basic human needs by Gazans that are not being met. It is time that those involved in this discussion, e.g. the politicians or perhaps they themselves need to listen to others outside of their own circles, present a new idea. How are the needs of the people of Gaza met while Israel maintains the level of security it desires? This whole discussion is done so only the context of extremes. As long as Isreal is seen as the reason behind the Palestinians suffering and Hamas postions themselves as the means to end this, how does anyone rationally expect the support for Hamas to end?