“Crisis” in Gaza
While Israel fights on two fronts against governments hiding behind “terrorists” who violated international borders, kidnapped soldiers and rained rockets into Israeli towns and villages (BEFORE Israel moved against Lebanon), and while the airwaves are filled with Palestinians wailing about starvation, please note the following. From the 7th to the 13th of July, Israel engineered the crossing of the following humanitarian aid into Gaza, navigating among crossing points because of Palestinian terrorist threats against all of the crossings:
- 1,840,000 liters of diesel fuel
While Israel fights on two fronts against governments hiding behind “terrorists” who violated international borders, kidnapped soldiers and rained rockets into Israeli towns and villages (BEFORE Israel moved against Lebanon), and while the airwaves are filled with Palestinians wailing about starvation, please note the following. From the 7th to the 13th of July, Israel engineered the crossing of the following humanitarian aid into Gaza, navigating among crossing points because of Palestinian terrorist threats against all of the crossings:
- 1,840,000 liters of diesel fuel
100 tons of cooking gas
25,000 liters plus 2 additional truckloads of chlorine for water purification *
50,000 liters plus 476 tons of gasoline *
1,080 tons plus 52 additional truckloads of grains *
800 tons plus 13 additional truckloads of sugar *
50 tons plus 8 additional truckloads of flour *
420 tons plus 17 additional truckloads of fruit *
169 tons of cooking oil and 120 tons of salt plus 7 additional truckloads of both together *
160 tons plus 3 additional truckloads of rice *
40 tons of eggs
100 tons plus 6 additional truckloads of meat and fish *
14 refrigerated truckloads of dairy products
2 truckloads of mixed food, 5 of medical supplies, 2 of diapers and 1 of spare parts for a water pumping station
44 truckloads of other international agency aid
18 (presumably gas) generators plus 1 diesel generator
IF Israel had chosen to make the Palestinian people pay a heavy price for electing terrorists to govern them, and IF Israel had told the Palestinian people that there would be consequences when their elected government went to war against the State of Israel, we would not fault Israel for its choice. BUT THAT CLEARLY WAS NOT THE CHOICE ISRAEL MADE. Israel instead has worked under extraordinary circumstances to provide for the Palestinian people what their elected government chooses not to provide for them. We are dumbstruck; we have vast admiration for Israel’s humanity even as we wonder what kind of way this is to run a war.
IN THE MEANTIME, 578 Palestinians were stuck inside the Rafah crossing station between Egypt and Gaza. Israel closed Rafah (normally controlled by the PA) to ensure that Cpl. Shalit could not be taken out that way. Israel had offered to let the Palestinians cross back through Kerem Shalom, which is Israeli-controlled, but the Palestinians refused, saying they would only cross at Rafah. There HAD BEEN 580 Palestinians waiting in the station, but the Red Cross noted that two – including a 15-year-old boy – died there refusing to get on the Israeli buses. In a literally breaking story, it appears that the Palestinians have now demolished the walls of the station and reentered Gaza.
* Measures have been cited by the Embassy of Israel both ways. We don’t know how many tons are contained in each truckload, so we have listed both tonnages and additional truckloads.