Should aid ships be allowed to float to Gaza without Israeli intervention?

Key Words: Make a list of a minimum of 12 Boolean keywords to use in your research. Be sure to use keywords that are appropriate and will not be too broad to be helpful. Narrow each keyword using “and” and “or,\" whichever is appropriate. There should be no “one word” key words or keywords that are too broad to narrow and focus your search. Avoid using the same keyword more than 3 times. Use these keywords to search for resources Should aid ships be allowed to float to Gaza without Israeli intervention? 1. Why did Israel impose ban on ships from entering the Gaza Strip? a. Israeli government is defending their territory from attacks b. Gaza-Jercho Agreement (Article II Coordination and Cooperation In Security Matters) 2. Did Israel have the legal right to forbid the passage of ships in Gaza? a. The UN Security Council's Resolution (which calls for a lifting of the blockade to allow humanitarian assistance, confirms that Israel's blockade of Gaza is illegitimate.) b. UN considers Gaza as an occupied territory (where Israel is the occupying territory) because no independent state emerged even after the 1993 Oslo Accords. Hence, under the Fourth Geneva Convention, Israel had the right to impose a blockade. 3. Why is Israel's siege of Gaza illegal under international law? a. International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights which grants all human beings the right to enjoy “civil and political freedom, freedom from fear and want…[which] can only be achieved if conditions are created whereby everyone can enjoy his civil and political rights, as well as his economic, social and cultural rights” (United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, 1966). b. The Israel-Palestine Liberation Organization Letters of Mutual Recognition determined that Gaza Strip is no longer an occupied territory of Israel, hence they have no right to control the airspace, territorial waters and the movement of goods and people by air or sea, in and out of Gaza. 4. Why is the UN not doing anything to remove the Gaza Strip blockade? a. The San Remo Manual on International Law Applicable to Armed Conflicts at Sea gave legitimacy to Israel blockade of the Strip because it helped the country from international threats. (International Lawyers and Naval Experts, 1994). b. The Law of Jus Ad Bellum (Bell, 2009), independent states cannot use military force against other states in any circumstance. Palestine's continued attacks on Israel are against this law. Israel's blockade of Gaza is a countermeasure, and it abides by the two basic rules of international humanitarian law – distinction and proportionality. 5. Is it legal for Israel to block even those ships that provide aid to the people of Gaza? a. “The Fourth Geneva Convention specifies, among other things, that belligerents cannot restrict foodstuffs, medicines and other aid (Art. 23, 38, 55); cannot obstruct medical evacuations (Art. 17); cannot prevent civilians from leaving the war zone (Art. 35); and cannot prevent civilians from pursuing their livelihoods (Art. 39, 52.)” (Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East, 2010). b. Israel's action are nothing more than retorsion to Palestine attacks. It is intended as a punishment but it cannot be classified as “collective punishment” because it simply bans goods, which can be used as fuel or ammunition for attacks (Bell, 2009). 6. What are the responsibilities of Israel with regard to Gaza's supplies? a. Article 23 of the Fourth Geneva Convention prohibits Israel from banning clothing, food and medicines intended for children below 15, expectant mothers and mothers of newborns. It does not, however, mandate responsibility for Israel to provide supplies to the Strip in case such needs are not addressed by the Palestine Authority or sent through humanitarian aid. b. Israel is considered as Gaza's occupying power. According to the ICRC Commentary to Art. 59, the occupying power is obligated to accept relief supplies destined for the occupied territory (Akande, 2010). 7. What are the effects of the Israel ban on aid ships to Gaza? a. Blockade of the Gaza Strip has lead to the increased the transportation cost of humanitarian aids by around $5 million in 2008 alone (Amnesty International, 2010). This money could've been used to fund development in the Strip and to improve wellbeing of Gazans who are currently faced with mass unemployment, extreme poverty and massive inflation of food prices. b. The United Nation's Relief and Works Agency survey in 2007 shows that abject poverty in the Strip has tripled since the start of the blockade. These families are unable to access food and they do not have the means to access even the most basic of items (Baldwin, 2010). 8. How will the removal of the blockade affect Israel's security? a. Under the International Convention for the Suppression of Terrorist Bombings, Palestinian attackers are considered as terrorists. The removal of blockade will allow free arms traffic which can become a threat to the security of Israelis (Bell, 2009). b. The Hamas attacks were considered as genocides as per Article 2 of the Genocide Convention. If the blockade is lifted, Hamas forces can easily enter into Israel territory and has the potential to obliterate the Jewish state (Bell, 2009). 9. Can Israel's security concerns be addressed without such a blockade? a. The entry of weapons through the Strip is uncontrollable if the blockade is removed. Rocket fire, which can be launched from ships, threatens the Israel security (Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East, 2010). b. International law allows shipping merchants to get their cargo inspected and certified as non-military (Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East, 2010). 10. Should Israel lift its ban on ships providing humanitarian aid? a. CNN Report shows that “easing” of the blockade has limited effect because only a fraction of the aid gets to its destination. There are so many restrictions on the types and quantities of goods, and most of them are barred (Khadder, 2010). b. Israel offered organizers of flotilla to transfer the aid onboard directly to Gaza via Israel but it was rejected. The flotilla's main goal was simply to break the blockade (Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 2010).