Israel Deliberately Choked Gaza Economy: WikiLeaks
By AFP
January 05, 2010 "AFP" -- OSLO - Israel deliberately maintained the economy
of the Gaza strip "on the brink of collapse" without "pushing it over the
edge," a leaked US diplomatic cable from 2008 showed Wednesday.
According to a cable from the US embassy in Tel Aviv dated November 3,
2008 -- obtained by WikiLeaks and posted online by Norwegian daily
Aftenposten -- Israeli officials told US diplomats of their intention to
strangle the economy of Gaza.
"As part of their overall embargo plan against Gaza, Israeli officials have
confirmed ... on multiple occasions that they intend to keep the Gazan
economy on the brink of collapse without quite pushing it over the edge,"
the secret cable, posted online in its original version, read.
Israel first imposed a blockade on the Gaza Strip in June 2006 after
militants there kidnapped Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit, and tightened it a
year later when Hamas seized power in the territory of 1.5 million people,
ousting its moderate rivals.
Israel says its limits on exports from Gaza are justified by several
incidents in which Palestinian militants have concealed themselves or their
weapons in crates being moved into Israeli territory.
Wednesday's cable said "Israeli officials have confirmed to Embassy
officials on multiple occasions that they intend to keep the Gazan economy
functioning at the lowest level possible consistent with avoiding a
humanitarian crisis."
The unemployment rate in Gaza stood at 35 percent last year, one of the
highest in the world.
Following the May 31, 2010 Israeli commando raid on a Gaza-bound aid
flotilla, in which nine Turkish activists were killed, international
pressure has forced Israel to ease its blockade and allow in all purely
civilian goods.
Israel continues to restrict what it says are "dual-use" goods which can be
used for both military and civilian means, and only allows in limited
amounts of building materials for projects run by international
organisations.
Aftenposten said last month it had obtained all the diplomatic documents
leaked to WikiLeaks and that it would publish stories based on them
independently of the whistleblowing website's own releases.
WikiLeaks has so far only made public around 2,000 of the some 250,000
cables in its possession, in cooperation with publications El Pais, The
Guardian, The New York Times, Le Monde and Der Spiegel
***
http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/darrell_issa_step_away_from_the_corporations_20110104/
Darrell Issa, Step Away From the Corporations
By Amy Goodman
Truthdig: January 5, 2011
Remember "freedom fries"? That's what the House Republicans, when they were
last in the majority, renamed french fries, after France refused to support
the invasion of Iraq. It seems like renaming fries might be just about the
extent of food regulation that some in Congress are willing to support.
The new Republican majority threatens a barrage of investigations.
California Republican Darrell Issa is the new chair of the House Committee
on Oversight and Government Reform. Issa has been tweeting about the
subjects he intends to investigate: "CONTINUED INITIAL OVERSIGHT
INVESTIGATIONS LINEUP: WikiLeaks, the safety of American food/medicine and
effectiveness of @FDArecalls ..."
The timing of his tweet on food safety was impeccable, coming just one day
before President Barack Obama was scheduled to sign into law the FDA Food
Safety Modernization Act, one of the last bills passed by the House before
Congress recessed in late December. The new law will give the Food and Drug
Administration authority to order a food recall, among other tools intended
to protect people in the U.S. from foodborne illnesses. Believe it or not,
before now, the FDA could only recommend a recall, not order one.
The new law won't come in time to help Shirley Mae Almer. She died Dec. 21,
2008, after becoming infected with salmonella, which she contracted from
tainted peanut butter. Almer and at least eight others died of the illness,
caused by King Nut peanut butter and other products made using infected nuts
from the Peanut Corporation of America. Two years have passed since Almer's
death, and her family has just filed suit in federal court. The Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention reports at least 714 people were sickened by
the outbreak in 46 states. The CDC says foodborne illnesses cause millions
of people to get sick every year, sending 128,000 to the hospital and
killing 3,000-that's more than eight people a day.
The American Public Health Association, a member of the Make Our Food Safe
coalition, celebrated the bill, which, it writes, "will finally begin to
address the dangerous gaps in our nation's woefully outdated food safety
system." Just because a bill is signed into law, though, doesn't mean it
will get funded. Republicans in Congress can still hold up funding (as it
seems they will do for sections of the health insurance reform law passed
last year). Rep. Jack Kingston, R-Ga., who sits on the Appropriations
subcommittee that funds the FDA, told The Washington Post: "No one wants
anybody to get sick, and we should always strive to make sure food is safe.
But the case for a $1.4 billion expenditure isn't there."
Really? It's comforting to know that Kingston doesn't want anybody to get
sick. But that doesn't alter the fact that millions do. When it comes to
food safety, as with airline safety, mine safety, pick an industry:
Regulations save lives.
Nevertheless, Darrell Issa, reported Politico, sent letters to 150 trade
associations, companies and think tanks, seeking advice on which regulations
to investigate. An excerpt of the letter, posted by NBC News, read: "I ask
for your assistance in identifying existing and proposed regulations that
have negatively impacted job growth in your members' industry. Additionally,
suggestions on reforming identified regulations and the rulemaking process
would be appreciated."
The Issa approach is similar to that of the new chair of the House Financial
Services Committee, Spencer Bachus, R-Ala., who told The Birmingham (Ala.)
News, "In Washington, the view is that the banks are to be regulated, and my
view is that Washington and the regulators are there to serve the banks."
It should be clear now why the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and its member
corporations poured so much money into the election. A new survey done by
the Union of Concerned Scientists shows a large number of government
scientists and inspectors believe corporate interests are undermining food
safety in the United States.
Darrell Issa is the wealthiest member of the House, with a net worth of at
least $160 million. He earned it from the Viper car alarm system-you know,
the one that blares (in his own voice), "Step away from the car."
Chairman Issa, protect the American people-step away from the corporations.
Denis Moynihan contributed research to this column.
Amy Goodman is the host of "Democracy Now!," a daily international TV/radio
news hour airing on more than 800 stations in North America. She is the
author of "Breaking the Sound Barrier," recently released in paperback and
now a New York Times best-seller.
© 2010 Amy Goodman
Distributed by King Features Syndicate
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