While attempting to uphold its siege on Gaza, Israel's brutality has brought its end to hand, writes Saleh Al-Naami Hours before US President Barack Obama met with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Washington yesterday, Reuters reported that Israel announced a symbolic easing of its Gaza embargo to allow snack food and beverages as of next week. This token step comes following an international outcry over Israel's raid on the Gaza-bound Freedom Flotilla, and the killing of nine Turkish activists on board a Turkish ship last week. Talks between Obama and Abbas were expected to focus on means of easing the siege imposed by Israel on the Strip, in an attempt to contain the fallout over Israel's criminal attack. Earlier in the week, a Palestinian Authority (PA) official told the Chinese news agency Xinhua that there are talks between the PA and the European Union to submit a plan to the international Quartet for ending the Gaza blockade. Of this EU role, France's Foreign Minister, Bernard Koushner, said "We could very well check the cargo of ships heading to Gaza." While international efforts -- both official and popular -- to break the siege gain momentum, the spirit inside the Gaza Strip is one of optimism. The cell phone of Palestinian MP Gamal Al-Khodari, who is also chairman of the Popular Committee for Confronting the Siege, does not stop ringing. Al-Khodari is bombarded with calls from NGOs around the world and is delighted to hear that these groups and public figures are promising to continue organising more fleets to breach the siege on Gaza. "It's a snowball that is gaining momentum, and will not stop until all forms of the unjust siege of Gaza come to an end," he told Al-Ahram Weekly. "The outcome of Israel's attack on the Freedom Flotilla has affected them adversely. Through these killings, Israel wanted to deter peace activists who support the besieged Palestinian people from continuing their efforts to challenge the siege and penetrate it. But the blood which was spilled by Israeli bullets has led more international and Arab organisations to sponsor more fleets to break the blockade and reveal Israel's ugly face." Already, a Lebanese ship is expected to land in Gaza next week carrying a large number of Lebanese and Arab journalists, along with European MPs. Also, Jordan's professional syndicates are planning a sea fleet to head towards Gaza's shores -- indeed, organisers are having difficulty finding enough vessels to carry the large number of activists who want to participate. In Kuwait, donations are being given to sponsor a fleet heading to Gaza, and Algeria is beginning to organise a similar expedition. No doubt, the most remarkable reaction of solidarity with Gaza is the announcement of the Jewish community in Germany that it will send out several humanitarian aid vessels to besieged Gaza. Al-Khodari asserted that this would not be the end of it -- he expects the Mediterranean to be jammed with ships heading for Gaza if Israel does not end the siege. The Freedom Flotilla was key in compelling Arabs to play a larger role in ending the blockade, in itself a remarkable development. Writer and researcher Nehad Al-Sheikh believes that Israel's intention with the blockade was to end Hamas's control of the Gaza Strip, but its most recent actions resulted in the opposite occurring, because the world has become more sympathetic to and supportive of Hamas5. According to Al-Sheikh, "Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is very embarrassed with the strong reaction to the siege, because he knows that many blame him for helping to tighten the blockade on Gaza." He continued that Abbas's position is made worse because of bad political choices, at a time when Israel adamantly refuses to freeze settlements in the West Bank and Jerusalem. This makes his visit to Washington to discuss indirect negotiations with Israel a waste of time. One of the important indicators that Hamas has broken free of its international isolation is the sudden announcement by Arab League Secretary- General Amr Moussa that he will visit Gaza. This is especially significant because for more than two years Moussa has evaded repeated invitations by Gaza Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh to visit the coastal Strip. Nonetheless, a delegation of Arab parliamentarians went to Gaza to evaluate the situation on the ground. While Abbas continues to insist that Hamas must sign the Egyptian proposal for reconciliation, Hamas leaders have dug in their heels, saying that their reservations on the document must be taken into account before they put pen to paper. At the same time, Hamas turned down a suggestion by Israel that several crossings with Israel be reopened in return for monthly visits with captured Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit. Ayman Taha, a leading Hamas figure, told the Weekly that progress on the Shalit issue will only be made if Israel agrees to release 1,400 Palestinian detainees. "Separating the issues will not help Israel," noted Taha. He believes that the proposal reflects the predicament facing Israel after the massacre it committed against international activists, which curtailed the ability of decision-makers in Tel Aviv to manoeuvre. According to him, all signs indicate that the siege will end sooner than expected and that Israel is trying to garner as many gains as possible before it is forced to lift the blockade. Taha stressed that Israel must realise that what it was unable to achieve through brute military force, it will not be able to accomplish through manoeuvring and media games. The only solution is ending the siege without linking it to Shalit or reconciliation. Meanwhile, Haniyeh's government said it would not accept any of the aid that the Freedom Flotilla was carrying until Israel releases all activists who were onboard. "We refuse to receive any of the humanitarian aid without the release of all the detainees, without exception," declared Minister of Social Affairs Ahmed Al-Kard. The European Campaign to End the Siege on Gaza (ECESG) revealed that Israel stole the passports of tens of foreign peace activists on board the Freedom fleet. In a statement, ECESG reported that more than 31 foreign activists had their passports confiscated by the Israelis. The group warned that Israel could use these passports in Mossad assassination operations abroad, similar to the killing of Hamas leader Mahmoud Al-Mabhouh in Dubai earlier this year. Calls from inside Israel's government to end the siege on Gaza, as suggested by Welfare Minister Isaac Herzog, reflect the dilemma facing Tel Aviv after it raided the Freedom Flotilla. It also demonstrates that Israel's arrogant actions have ushered in the beginning of the end of the blockade on Gaza. (see pp.2,3, 6-8)
