UN's Ban welcomes Greek initiative to help deliver humaniarian aid to Gaza Strip

2011-07-05 07:17:41 GMT+7 (ICT)

UNITED NATIONS (BNO NEWS) -- United Nations (UN) Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Monday voiced support for a Greek Government initiative to use its vessels to deliver humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip through regular existing channels and in consultation with the UN.

On Sunday, Ban spoke with Greek Foreign Minister Stavros Lambrinidis, who briefed him on the details of the Greek initiative, and the Secretary-General said the initiative "could help to reduce tensions in the region and ensure much-needed aid is delivered to those who need it in Gaza."

In addition, Ban said the UN would work closely with Greece, Israel and Palestinian authorities on the matter, hoping the organizers of a flotilla of ships – currently docked in Greece and aiming to break the Israeli blockade of Gaza and deliver aid to Palestinians living there – would agree to the Greek initiative.

Meanwhile, the Middle East Quartet - the diplomatic grouping of the UN, the European Union, Russia and the United States - on Saturday issued a statement in which they urged all those wanting to deliver goods to Gazans to do so through established channels.

Quartet members also expressed regret at the deaths and injuries resulting from a similar flotilla last year, urging restraint and called on all governments to use their influence to discourage additional flotillas, "which risk the safety of their participants and carry the potential for escalation."

-- © BNO News All rights reserved 2011-07-05

Congratulations to the Greek government for refusing to allow the Hate Flotilla to try to run the legal defensive blockade of Hamas-run Gaza.

Edited July 5, 201115 yr by Ulysses G.

Congratulations to the Greek government for refusing to allow the Hate Flotilla to try to run the legal defensive blockade of Hamas-run Gaza.

Beware Greeks bearing gifts, that's if you are a terrorist sympathiser trying to make a political statement, as oppose to wanting to deliver actual supplies which can be screened for weapons using existing methods. :jap:

Greeks stop ship of activists from sailing to Gaza

Canadian boat ‘Tahrir’ forced to return to Crete shortly after departure; refusing to identify captain, all 50 flotilla activists taken into custody.

A spokeswoman at the Greek embassy in Tel Aviv said that Greek commandos boarded the boat, named the Tahrir, shortly after it set sail, just as they did Friday in stopping an American vessel that was taking part in the Gaza-bound flotilla. When the passengers on Monday refused to identify the captain of the ship, all 50 of them were taken into custody, she said.

http://www.jpost.com/International/Article.aspx?id=227940

'Hamas leader is brain behind Dutch flotilla'

The participation of a Hamas member in the Gaza-bound flotilla proves that the flotilla does not have humanitarian intent, but is actually a provocation and a terror operation.

http://www.jpost.com/International/Article.aspx?id=227353

Yep, I clocked this one too, a rare case of the useful idiots becoming less useful and less idiotic. No wonder the 'peace flotila' ships seem unwilling to give the names of their captains.

http://www.jihadwatch.org/2011/06/dutch-pro-palestinian-activist-backs-out-of-gaza-flotilla-after-discovering-its-a-hamas-organized-ji.html

"Dutch pro-Palestinian activist" backs out of Gaza flotilla after discovering it's a Hamas-organized jihad mission masquerading as humanitarian relief.

Well fancy that! This is the least surpised I've been all year.

it's got nothing to do with concern about monitoring what comes in

“And Israel admits the open border causes no security concerns.

Opening of Rafah crossing spells end of Israel's blockade of Gaza

Move heralds closer ties between Hamas and Egypt; Israel objects to gesture but does not see it causing major security damage.

http://www¬.haaretz.c¬om/misc/ar¬ticle-prin¬t-page/ope¬ning-of-ra¬fah-crossi¬ng-spells-¬end-of-isr¬ael-s-bloc¬kade-of-ga¬za-1.36463¬4?trailing¬Path=2.169¬,2.225,2.2¬26,

So if the open Gaza border isn't a security concern then perhaps the Hasbara specialist¬s would tell us why, other than collective punishment of a civilian population (a war crime), Israel blockaded Gaza.”

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/social/chinchilla/egypt-gaza-border-reopened_n_868390_90317203.html

it's got nothing to do with concern about monitoring what comes in

Of course. Why would anyone suspect those nice guys at Hamas of trying to smuggle in weapons?

In case anyone hasn't checked lately, the only items on the restricted list are munitions related materials. Cement and some steel is allowed, but only to foreign aid agency supervised projects. Aside from that, the list of materials allowed into Gaza is open. What is blocking many imports is, wait for it, the import duties and paperwork the PA/Hamas require. The Egyptian border is open and nothing except the greed and corruption of the locals prevents goods from being brought in from the Egyptian side.

One of the goals of the Hamas/PA unity government was to address the crippling bureaucracy and maze of import tariffs and duties. Haven't heard much from the unity government yet, so I guess this issue takes a backseat again.

In case anyone hasn't checked lately, the only items on the restricted list are munitions related materials. Cement and some steel is allowed, but only to foreign aid agency supervised projects. Aside from that, the list of materials allowed into Gaza is open. What is blocking many imports is, wait for it, the import duties and paperwork the PA/Hamas require. The Egyptian border is open and nothing except the greed and corruption of the locals prevents goods from being brought in from the Egyptian side.

One of the goals of the Hamas/PA unity government was to address the crippling bureaucracy and maze of import tariffs and duties. Haven't heard much from the unity government yet, so I guess this issue takes a backseat again.

We have not heard from the unity government because they have not formed one yet

They just talked about it, agreed on having one and then disagreed, so the usual only talk with no action

Long live the friendship between the people of the Greek state of GREECE and the Jewish state of ISRAEL. The Kurdish state of Turkey, oh well ...

Edited July 5, 201115 yr by Jingthing