Israel and Water - The pogrom continues

[E.J.Armstrong]

'...Israel is denying Palestinians access to even the basic minimum of clean, safe water, Amnesty International says.
In a report, the human rights group says Israeli water restrictions discriminate against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank.
It says that in Gaza, Israel's blockade has pushed the already ailing water and sewage system to "crisis point".
Israel says the report is flawed and the Palestinians get more water than was agreed under the 1990s peace deal. ...'

From http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/8327188.stm

One of the most appalling examples of the apartheid regime run by the Israeli government in action.

How can the decent democratic world allow this 60 year pogrom to continue?

Luckily the net is closing around the people responsible for the appalling human rights abuse of Palestinians and they are now becoming afraid to leave Israel. I look forward to seeing all the people responsible for this latest human rights abuse being brought before the International Criminal Court where they can keep all those responsible for war crimes company, whether Hamas or the IDF or the Israeli government.

 

[Eyeron]

I just love how people misuse the word apartheid to criticize Israel.

Here's a hint. Stop bombing Israeli citizens and maybe the blockade will stop. If anything it is the Palestinians who are committing Apartheid for their not acknowledging the existence of Israel and their continued belief that all of Israel is occupied territory.

Those are the two keys to ending the blockade and the war. Stop bombing Israeli citizens and acknowledge Israel has a right to exist.

 

[WildCat]

Those are the two keys to ending the blockade and the war. Stop bombing Israeli citizens and acknowledge Israel has a right to exist.

You're making abig mistake thinking the Israel-bashers here will be swayed by that argument. Israel, unlike any other country on earth, is expected to provide the free flow of goods and resources into the territory of an enemy that has vowed to destroy them and in fact actively warring against them.

And this has nothing to do with anti-semitism...

 

[Eyeron]

Oh I know they never will. And that is actually one of the key points that I watch for when determining if someone is actually just criticizing Israel, are double standards such as Israel is alone responsible for humanitarian aid to people who want to kill any Israel civilians. It is one thing to criticize Israel and the policies, but it is another thing entirely when using double standards that are obviously design to limit Israel's actions as much as possible.

(Note: I rewrote the paragraph because of atrocious grammar and writing.)

Not to mention that they often completely ignore problems such as illustrated in this article:

http://www.israelnewsagency.com/gazaidfisraelhumanitarianaidhamasterrorismun66070207.html

In which a truck that was delivering humanitarian aid was fired upon by terrorists.

 

[Darth Rotor]

I look forward to seeing all the people responsible for this latest human rights abuse being brought before the International Criminal Court where they can keep all those responsible for war crimes company, whether Hamas or the IDF or the Israeli government.

Care to make a friendly wager on this, EJ, as to when this fantasy of yours will come to pass?

Willing to put your money where your mouth is?

DR

 

[gtc]

This is the sort of anti-semitic argument that we have come to expect in this debate. The opening poster is claiming that the Jews are so incompetent that, even though they have been conducting a genocide for the last 60 years, the number of Palestinians is still growing. Claims that the Jews are uniquely incompetent should not be allowed! The people responsible must be brought before the ICC, post haste!

Toot, toot.

 

[WildCat]

Toot, toot.

Pip pip

 

[Eyeron]

Cheerio.

 

[paximperium]

Care to make a friendly wager on this, EJ, as to when this fantasy of yours will come to pass?

Willing to put your money where your mouth is?

DR

He seems to look forward to many things that have failed to ever come to pass. He must live a very disappointing life.

 

[Captain.Sassy]

Anyone care to comment on the report itself?

 

[Eyeron]

This is a very common complaint that has been going on for years.

 

[Captain.Sassy]

Do you think the complaint is legitimate?

 

[Eyeron]

No I do not.

 

[arthwollipot]

Heh... "commit Apartheid".

Apartheid is (was) a sociopolitical system, not an act.

 

[Kevin_Lowe]

Anyone care to comment on the report itself?

You must be new.

 

[MikeMangum]

Anyone care to comment on the report itself?

The report from Amnesty International? The same group that referred to Guantanamo as the Gulag of our time? Is this the same group that referred to Israel attacking civilian infrastructure in Lebanon during the war with Hizbollah as war crimes? Is this the same group that absurdly interprets the laws of war to find any way to condemn Israel? Is this the group that completely mischaracterized the concept of "proportionality" during the Israel/Hizb war and used that mishcaracterization to accuse Israel of war crimes? Is this the same group that condemns Israel more than any other country in the middle east with the exception of Iran? The Amnesty International that labelled the use of smoke grenades a war crime simply because they contained White_phosphorus^WP?

White phosphorus (WP) is a flare- and smoke-producing agent and an incendiary[1] agent that is made from a common allotrope of the chemical element phosphorus. The main utility of white phosphorus munitions is to create smokescreens to mask movement from the enemy, or to mask his fire. In contrast to other smoke-causing munitions, WP burns quickly causing an instant bank of smoke. As a result of this, WP munitions are very common—particularly as smoke grenades for infantry; loaded in defensive grenade dischargers on tanks and other armored vehicles; or as part of the ammunition allotment for artillery or mortars.

Let's see, incorrectly condemning common and widely practiced behaviors as "war crimes" when Israel does it, but not condemning any other nation or military that does the same thing. Check.

That Amnesty International? I believe there was a story I learned as a child that is apropos...something about a little boy, a flock of sheep, and a wolf.

 

[Captain.Sassy]

Has there ever been a legitimate critique of Israel?

Like is there a report somewhere that criticized Israeli policy towards the Palestinians or of Israel's actions in the occupied territories that wasn't horribly biased against Israel or tainted by anti-semitism?

Or has Israel been completely blameless?

 

[arthwollipot]

Or has Israel been completely blameless?

I don't think there's anyone that's completely blameless in this area.

 

[Doctor Evil]

Anyone care to comment on the report itself?

Yes. The Israeli water authority:

However, the Water Authority hotly disputed those figures. According to the authority, while Israelis use 408 liters per day of fresh water from natural sources, Palestinians use 200 liters per day. While acknowledging the difference between these two amounts, the authority stressed that it was nowhere near as drastic as Amnesty had portrayed it.

....

The Foreign Ministry also refuted the report on Tuesday, stating that according to the existing water agreement, the Palestinians are allocated 23.6 million cubic meters of water per year, but "in actual effect, they have access to twice as much water."



In its statement, the Foreign Ministry said that Israel has "extensively surpassed the obligatory quantity" of water supplied to the Palestinians, while the Palestinians have "significantly violated their commitments under the water agreement" by neglecting the construction of sewage treatment plants despite "foreign funding earmarked for this purpose," as well as drilling over 250 unauthorized wells.

 

[lionking]

Yes. The Israeli water authority:

Interesting. Victorians have a target of 155 litres per person per day against the Israeli rate of 408 litres a day and the Palestinian rate of 200. At the moment Victorians are using 146 litres a day.

http://www.ourwater.vic.gov.au/target155

I don't agree with the OP, but perhaps people in that region could be a bit more careful how they use such a scarce resource.

ETA, that's household use and not agricultural use, so maybe I'm not comparing apples with apples.