Elder Of Ziyon - Israel News: Humanitarian crisis

Showing posts with label Humanitarian crisis. Show all posts

Monday, February 06, 2023

Syria insists it would NEVER accept earthquake aid from Israel. No one thinks this is strange.

The pro-Assad regime Al Watan newspaper on Monday quoted a Syrian official denying reports it relayed a request for Israeli aid in the wake of the massive earthquake that shook the region.
Earlier, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said a request from Syria did arrive and that Israel was prepared to send tents and medical supplies and provide treatment for the injured.

Arabic media reports one of the denials:

The source said, "If Netanyahu had received such a request, it was certainly from his allies and friends in ISIS, Jabhat al-Nusra and other terrorist organizations."

The source added to the Syrian newspaper Al-Watan: "The Israeli occupation entity is the cause of woes, wars and tensions in the region, and it is the last one who has the right to talk about providing aid and assistance. It is disgraceful that Netanyahu exploits the catastrophe of the earthquake that struck Syria to mislead public opinion and cover up the expansionist and aggressive policies of the occupation."

Aid-washing!

The highest priority of any government is to protect its citizens. If Syria is telling the truth now, it is saying quite clearly that hating Israel is a more fundamental tenet than saving people's lives.

That's about as good a definition of antisemitism as there is.

It is exactly the philosophy of BDS, who claim to want to boycott Israel at any cost (for anyone but themselves.)

And just like BDS, the insistence that human lives are less important than having nothing to do with the Jewish state is couched in terms of - morality!

Isn't it strange that the rest of the world doesn't think this is strange? Syria and other Muslim nations having an obsessive hate of Israel is accepted as a law of nature.

And, in some ways, that's also a good definition of antisemitism.

Buy the EoZ book, PROTOCOLS: Exposing Modern Antisemitism today at Amazon!

Or order from your favorite bookseller, using ISBN 9798985708424.

Read all about it here!

Islamic State declares control of Yarmouk camp, "pro-Palestinians" silent

Yesterday, the Islamic State declared that it had seized control of the Palestinian Arab "refugee" camp in Yarmouk, Syria.

While you will sometimes see the "pro-Palestinian" crowd say how terrible things are in Yarmouk, the amount of attention given to it by them - and as a result, by the media - is tiny compared to how they report anything Israel does.

The Action Group for Palestinians in Syria reports that five people of Palestinian origin have been killed in Yarmouk this month, and 1,247 have been killed in the camp alone so far during Syria's civil war.

Yarmouk is yet more proof that most groups that claim to be "pro-Palestinian" are simply anti-Israel - and don't give a damn about Palestinians who are truly suffering anywhere else.

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48 Palestinians in Syria have starved to death so far

From Al Arabiya:

Starvation victim in Syria

Severe hunger in a besieged refugee camp for Palestinians in southern Damascus has claimed two lives, raising the death toll to 48 people killed, an opposition Syrian group said Saturday in a statement.

The Syrian Revolution General Commission (SRGC), a coalition of 40 opposition groups, said Yarmouk camp has depleted its food supplies and medical materials after 180 days of it being encircled by President Bashar al-Assad’s forces.

SRGC accused the Syrian regime for not allowing humanitarian aid to enter the besieged camp, which is home to an estimated 20,000 Palestinians.

Palestinian activists and journalists in reaction launched a nationwide campaign to pressure their government to help the starving refugees.

Hear that sound?

It is the sound of "pro-Palestinian" activists, pundits, politicians and NGOs not caring.

It is the sound of flotillas not being organized, petitions not being written, and demonstrations not being organized by Westerners who pretend to care so much about Palestinian Arab human rights.

It is the sound of articles not being written in the Guardian, the BBC or the New York Times.

Lebanon treating Palestinian Syrians like dirt, no one cares

From IPS:

Over the past year more than 50,000 Palestinian refugees have fled violence, chaos and destitution in Syria to seek sanctuary in Lebanon. The vast majority have found themselves living in dire poverty, and trapped in chronically insecure existence.

Denied assurances of legal residence many are unsure if and how they can continue to live in the country into the New Year.

"Who, I mean really who from the Palestinian families can pay 200 dollars for the papers for every family member? If the average family is five people, then that is 1,000 dollars. This is impossible as we know most Palestinian refugees are't even sure how they are going to feed their children one day to the next," Mahmoud Assir Saawi, president of the Council for Palestinian Refugees Fleeing from Syria told IPS.

Such sentiments are reiterated time and time again within the squalid camps and overcrowded ghettoes throughout Lebanon. Palestinians arriving from Syria find themselves in an administrative and bureaucratic morass hobbled by decades of troubled history and war that offers them scant security.

The presence of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians in Lebanon has always been a highly divisive issue, with many Lebanese blaming Palestinians for the role they played in the nation's rancorous civil war from 1975 to 1990. The arrival of large communities of their compatriots this past year has further exacerbated existing fears and prejudices.

It is perhaps for this reason that the arriving Palestinians have been classified as "guests", "migrants" or "displaced people". To afford them the more apt title of "refugee" would bring with it legal obligations, most notably under the Geneva convention, which Lebanon would struggle to realise.

Fears of Palestinian, and even Syrian refugees settling in Lebanon permanently, and thus shifting the precarious sectarian balance within the country, are common and are regularly aired in the media and by politicians. As such the refugees' status remains vulnerable and their sanctuary insecure.

Securing residency papers remains one of the biggest problems for Palestinian refugees from Syria. Upon arrival Palestinians fleeing war and hunger are only granted a one-week visa in Lebanon, which then must then extend.

Palestinian journalist Maher Ayoub from Yarmouk Camp in Damascus knows first hand about the vulnerability of life in Lebanon. On a recent trip to renew his papers he was ordered to leave the country within the week, despite assurances from the Lebanese government that it would not throw out any refugees.

Faced with incarceration in Lebanon or a perilous return to Syria, he has taken refuge in one of the Palestinian camps Lebanese security services are not allowed to enter under an agreement reached at the end of the civil war.

"Where can I go? What can I do? I have no options now," Ayoub told IPS.

Many other Palestinian refugees distrustful of the security services or fearful of being unable to pay their annual visa renewal fees are seeking cover within the camps. The reality is a life of incarceration in chronically overcrowded hovels of destitution where unemployment is rife.

"We know they are our brethren and we must help them but this is becoming untenable," said Abu Ahmad, a Lebanese-Palestinian resident from Chatilla camp. "I used to get at least a week's work every month but now there is nothing. Every day we are seeing problems in the camp because of the desperation and the lack of work. People are even starting to pull weapons on each other. We need more support."

Has anyone condemned Lebanon for its policy of treating Palestinians from Syria worse than other Syrian refugees?

Has anyone condemned Lebanon for forcing the Palestinians to return to a war zone?

Has anyone condemned Lebanon for effectively imprisoning them in overcrowded camps that they cannot leave without fear of expulsion?

Nope, this story - like the story of Palestinians in Syria literally starving to death - is all but ignored by the people who love to condemn Israel for the smallest perceived offenses.

When you hear someone say they are "pro-Palestinian," ask them exactly what they are doing for the Palestinian Arabs being oppressed in Lebanon, Syria, Egypt and Jordan. Where are their flotillas, their convoys, their art exhibits, their press releases, their letters to the editor, their church stunts?

Their silence explains exactly how "pro-Palestinian" they really are.

The siege on Palestinian Arabs that the world ignores

The Lebanon Daily Star reported last month:

BEIRUT: Residents and fighters fear they may be starved out of the Damascus suburb of Yarmouk as the siege of the Palestinian area approaches its fifth month, mirroring the increasingly desperate humanitarian situation in many of the capital’s suburbs. The relatively new practice of blockading neighborhoods reflects a shifting strategy among rebel and government forces, analysts say, as both sides hunker down for what is expected to be a long war of attrition.

Yarmouk was originally a camp for Syria’s Palestinian refugees but has since expanded into a sprawling neighborhood in Damascus’ rebel-held southern belt. It has been encircled by troops loyal to President Bashar Assad since February.

On the second day of Ramadan, July 10, government forces tightened their grip on the area and sealed off a checkpoint that was the area’s only gateway to the capital, which was previously only sporadically open to allow through aid and fleeing residents.

The movement of food, medicine and people came to a complete halt.

“Civilians are totally forbidden from going out of the camp. At the same time, no food is coming in. They [the soldiers] have refused to let in vaccines for polio, measles, chickenpox and flu,” said Abdullah, an activist who has been stuck inside the neighborhood for over a year.

That siege is now 139 days old.

While the world constantly hears about a "siege" on Gaza where there are no restrictions by Israel on fuel, medicine,food or hundreds of other items,and where hundreds of people enter and leave every week, no one is talking about the real siege of tens of thousands of people in Yarmouk which is now on day 139.

Similarly, the death toll of Palestinians in Syria has now reached 1781, the vast majority of whom are civilians. But there is no Goldstone Report about this. No UN resolutions about Palestinians in Syria. No special sessions of the Security Council, nothing at the UN Human Rights Council, and very little in the media. No political Christmas carols being sung outside Syrian embassies.

I'm sure there is a rational explanation for why the "pro-Palestinian" crowd is exerting so much little effort on helping Palestinians literally starving to death.

And it probably has to do with the fact that they aren't "pro-Palestinian" at all.

(h/t Yerushalimey on caroling)

Abbas refusing to send leukemia medicine to Gaza

This story last month from PCHR seems to have slipped under the radar:

The Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR) is gravely concerned over the lives of 36 patients, who suffer from Leukemia in the Gaza Strip, due to not receiving the necessary treatment they need for 8 months. PCHR is concerned these patients may have serious complications leading to death if they do not receive their treatment immediately. PCHR calls upon President Mahmoud Abbass to promptly intervene to save the lives of these patients and to instruct the Ministry of Health in Ramallah to supply the medicine needed for these patients as soon as possible.

According to PCHR's follow-up, the suffering of the patients of Leukemia, which is a serious cancerous disease that affects blood cells, started in December 2012 when the medicine (Glivec 400 mg tab) fully ran out in the blood section pharmacy at Shifa Hospital. As a result, the patients have not received their medical treatment since then. Doctors in charge stated that this medicine is the sole treatment for Leukemia patients and not receiving this treatment would cause complications and put the patients’ lives at risk. It should be noted that the medicine is only available through the Ministry of Health in Ramallah and cannot be found in medical warehouses or private pharmacies in the Gaza Strip to save the patients' lives.

As part of PCHR's follow-up of the patients' conditions, PCHR's Legal Aid Unit addressed the Ministry of Health in Ramallah on 16 April 2013 and explained the conditions of Leukemia patients in the Gaza Strip. In addition, the unit called upon the Minister of Health to urge the competent bodies to immediately send the medicine to the Gaza Strip patients. On 30 April 2013, the Pharmacy Department at the Ministry of Health in Ramallah responded that the medicine is available at the central wheelhouses in Ramallah and that coordination was being done to send it to the patients. However, the quantity of (Glivec 400 mg tab) that reached the pharmacy in June and for once was very limited. The quantity amounted to 210 tablets that can help treating 7 patients only for one month. However, patients in the Gaza Strip need approximately 1,600 tablets a month. Consequently, the Leukemia patients have been deprived of that medicine, which is the sole treatment for them, and not receiving it would cause serious health complications.

Israel has never withheld medicine from Gaza. But apparently Mahmoud Abbas does.

PCHR doesn't bother to mention that while both Abbas' PLO seems to have no problem getting money to pay terrorists in jail, and while Hamas manages to buy rockets and anti-tank missiles, neither of them can find the money needed to save Palestinian Arab lives.

Which pretty much tells you everything right there.

If an appeal for leukemia medicine for Gazans would be made in synagogues this coming Saturday, the meds would be there next week. Yet this was posted on PCHR in late July and there were almost no stories about it in the Arab media.

Somehow the Arab world doesn't seem to care about dying Palestinian Arabs if their deaths cannot be blamed on Jews.

Thirsty in the West Bank? Must be all those chlorinated swimming pools

A couple of years ago I noticed that some organization called Avaaz claimed over a million signatures on a petition for Palestinian Arab statehood - but in reality they inflated those numbers by orders of magnitude.

Not surprisingly, Avaaz is addicted to lies:

It was the hottest week of the year. All Fadel Jaber wanted was some water for his family. But Fadel lives in the occupied West Bank, where the Israeli government has redirected water pipes to provide swimming pools for Jewish settlers and empty faucets for Palestinians like Fadel.

Those poor thirsty Palestinian Arabs!

It must be because all the swimming pools in the Arab areas are taking all of their water!

Here's a partial list of those pools, filled with the scarce water that is causing so many Palestinian Arabs to go thirsty. I am mostly listing clubs with the word "swimming" in their names; many sports clubs and hotels have pools as well.

Haddad Tourism Village, Jenin:

Ein Almarj Tourist Resort in Ramallah:

Palestine Park

Al-Karmel Swimming Pool & Park, Beit Kahil, Hebron
Al-Antoori Swimming Pool & Park, Sofin, Qalqilia
Al-Batroun Swimming Pool & Park, Al-libban Al-gharbi, Ramallah
Al-Dhahiriya Swimming Pool & Park, Jorat Al-dammeh, Al-dhahiriya
Al-Nakheel Swimming Pool & Park, Main St., Downtown, Jericho
Al-Qarawan Swimming Center, Al-Mal'ab St.,Near the Zoo, Ghayyadha, Qalqilia
Al-Qemmah Swimming Pool & Park, Jericho, Jericho
Al-Shaghour Swimming Pool, Main St., Beit Iba, Nablus
Al-Snowbar Diving Pool, Restaurant & Resort Near Y-College, Al-masayef, Ramallah
Al-Waha Swimming Pool & Park, Al-Quds St. Downtown, Jericho
Al-Waha Swimming Pools & Park, Qalqilia St.,Far'un Crossroad, Far'un, Tulkarm
Aroos Al-Shamal Park, Swimming Pool & Hall, Nablus St.,Near Al-Quds Open University Al-sweitat, Jenin
Beit Ummar Swimming Pool & Park, Municipality St.,Near Beit Ummar Municipality Beit Ummar, Hebron
Besan Swimming Pool & Park, Ein Al-Sultan St. Ein Al-sultan, Jericho
Dream Land Tourist Resort & Swimming Pool Nuba, Hebron
Dream Restaurant & Swimming Pool Main St. Jifna , Ramallah
Howara Country Swimming Pool, Howara, Nablus

Jericho Investment & Tourism ( Banana Land, pictured to the left ) Al-Mo'arajat Road Ein Al-dyouk, Jericho
Ni'lin Tourist Park & Swimming Pool, Main St. Ni'lin , Ramallah
Stars Swimming Pool & Park, Main St.,Town Entrance Arraba, Jenin
Tal Al-Marah Swimming Pool & Restaurant, Qoseen Crossroad, Beit Iba, Nablus
Tal Al-Rabee' Swimming Pools, Ezbit Naser, Tulkarm
The Swimming Pool , Park & Restaurant of " Ean El-Hammam ", Behind Birzeit Municipality, Birzeit, Ramallah
Wahat Al-Bathan Swimming Pool & Park, Al-bathan, Nablus

Perhaps Avaaz should send the poor Jabers to their neighbors in "Palestine" where there seems to be no shortage of water.