Al Mezan, 17.10.07. Israel has continued to tighten its siege of the Gaza Strip and to employ Hamas' control over the Strip as a pretext to justify collective punishment and other crimes against civilians. This situation continues under full complicit silence from the part of the international community. Besieging Gaza has influenced all aspects of civilian life. More than 6,000 of those who entered Gaza before 9 June 2007 have been unable to leave, in a violation to their right to free movement. Restrictions on the movement of the population have been expanded impacting the enjoyment of many other basic rights. Students who joined, or in the process of joining, universities outside the Gaza Strip have been deprived from free access to education owing to the prolonged closure of the Rafah Crossing since early June 2007. Al Mezan calls the international community to uphold its legal and moral responsibilities towards the civilian population of the OPT, and to take effective steps to halt the violations of human rights in OPT. In particular, the international community is called upon to exert pressure on Israel to lift the unjustified siege of the OPT; and especially the Gaza Strip, and provide protection for civilians. The full closure started just after the commencement of summer vacation, when hundreds of students came to the Gaza Strip to spend the holiday with their families. Moreover, the 2007 secondary school graduates who registered in universities outside the Gaza could not join to their universities.
The closure has separated thousands of families who came to the Gaza Strip to visit their relatives and/or apply for ID to their children. The closure of Rafah and Erez Crossings deprived those from joining their families. In addition, many are threatened loosing their residency and employment abroad; especially as many countries impose severe restrictions on the Palestinians' entry to their territory. Additionally, many schoolchildren are threatened by missing the school year where they are supposed to live.
The Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) closed Rafah Crossing since 26 June 2006 allowing for limited numbers of Gazans to pass it in a sporadic way. Since 9 June 2007, which marks the start of clashes that ended with Hamas' control over Gaza, the IOF has imposed a complete closure of the Crossing. As an alternative, Israel allowed a few thousand Palestinians, who were then stranded in Egypt, to enter Gaza through Al Ouja Crossing via Erez. A few hundreds were also allowed to leave from the same route; however, on a highly sporadic way. This mechanism has been halted recently.
Al Mezan Center for Human Rights strongly condemns the escalation of the siege imposed on the Gaza Strip by the IOF. It reasserts that this siege represents a severe form of the collective punishment that recklessly violates the rules of the International Humanitarian Law (IHL) and the principle of human rights.
The Center also condemns the silence of the international community and the absence of serious and affective action to halt the violations of human rights in the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPT) and to provide the protection for the civilian population; which lies at the heart of the obligations of the international community under the provisions of the IHL and Human Rights Law. Al Mezan emphasizes that IOF bears responsibilities that extend beyond ensuring civilians' life and welfare to include ensuring the enjoyment of their basic rights, including the right to movement and access.
Al Mezan calls the international community to uphold its legal and moral responsibilities towards the civilian population of the OPT, and to take effective steps to halt the violations of human rights in OPT. In particular, the international community is called upon to exert pressure on Israel to lift the unjustified siege of the OPT; and especially the Gaza Strip, and provide protection for civilians.
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