Israel Matzav

Red Cross: No humanitarian crisis in Gaza

Well, how do you like that? Even the Red Cross now admits that there is no humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

"There is no humanitarian crisis in Gaza." So states categorically Mathilde Redmatn, the deputy director of the Red Cross in the Gaza Strip.

"If you go to the supermarket, there are products,” she said, as reported on the IDF website. “There are restaurants and a nice beach. The problem is mainly in maintenance of infrastructure and in access to certain goods such as concrete. Israel has the legitimate right to protect [its] civilian population, this right should be balanced with the right of 1.5 million people living in the Gaza Strip.”

...

"Rocket fire from the Gaza Strip is against international law because it is directed at civilians," the Red Cross official said. "We conduct confidential or bilateral dialogue with Hamas on the matter. As time passes, the dialogue also develops."

She said that the Red Cross has also asked to meet with captive soldier Gilad Shalit: "When a person's freedom is taken away, he deserves at least contact with his family. We will continue to ask but we do not have the capability to force anything on Hamas. Hamas' refusal is based on security reasons. Hamas is afraid of the IDF's advanced technological capabilities and believes that allowing contact will lead to the location of Gilad."

Don't expect the mainstream media to pick that up.

Until the last paragraph, I was fine with this interview. But the last paragraph makes it sound like she's excusing Hamas' denial of Shalit's basic rights. Funny, but I don't recall an exception in the Geneva Convention for instances where the prisoner's country has "advanced technological capabilities."

Now, someone please remind me again why there's a flotilla scheduled to come to Gaza next month.

Labels: Gaza, Gaza plenty, Gilad Shalit, Hamas, Red Cross

posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 4:37 AM