Israel made food calculations during Gaza blockade
Source: Agencies |
October 18, 2012, Thursday
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THE Israeli military made precise calculations of Gaza's daily calorie needs to avoid malnutrition during a sweeping blockade imposed on the Palestinian territory between 2007 and mid-2010, according to a document the Defense Ministry released yesterday under a court order.
While Israel says it never limited how many calories went into the territories, critics claimed the document was new evidence the government limited food supplies in order to put pressure on Hamas, the violently anti-Israel group that seized power in the coastal strip in mid-2007. During the height of the blockade, Israel also maintained a list of foods that were permitted and banned from Gaza.
Israeli military spokesman Major Guy Inbar said the calculation, based on an average requirement of 2,300 calories per day, was meant to identify warning signs to avoid a humanitarian crisis in Gaza, and in any case, was never actually used to restrict the flow of food.
The detailed analysis included adjustments for locally grown farm products as well as an assessment of the kinds of food imports that would be needed to sustain the population.
The Israeli advocacy group Gisha, which waged a lengthy court battle to release the Israeli document, contends that Israel calculated the calorie needs for Gaza's population in order to restrict the quantities of goods and basic products it allowed in during the three-year period.
Israel imposed the blockade after identifying Gaza as a "hostile territory" in September 2007, following the Hamas takeover. The government's resolution said it intended severe restrictions on civilians.
Israel maintained the blockade was necessary to weaken Hamas, an armed, Iranian-backed group committed to Israel's destruction.
But critics say the blockade constituted collective punishment against Gaza's more than 1.5 million people in its ultimately failed effort to shake Hamas' hold on the territory. An American diplomatic cable revealed by WikiLeaks last year quoted Israeli diplomats as saying they wanted to "keep Gaza's economy on the brink of collapse."
"The official goal of the policy was to wage 'economic warfare' which would paralyze Gaza's economy and, according to the Defense Ministry, create pressure on the Hamas government," Gisha said yesterday.
While Israel says it never limited how many calories went into the territories, critics claimed the document was new evidence the government limited food supplies in order to put pressure on Hamas, the violently anti-Israel group that seized power in the coastal strip in mid-2007. During the height of the blockade, Israel also maintained a list of foods that were permitted and banned from Gaza.
Israeli military spokesman Major Guy Inbar said the calculation, based on an average requirement of 2,300 calories per day, was meant to identify warning signs to avoid a humanitarian crisis in Gaza, and in any case, was never actually used to restrict the flow of food.
The detailed analysis included adjustments for locally grown farm products as well as an assessment of the kinds of food imports that would be needed to sustain the population.
The Israeli advocacy group Gisha, which waged a lengthy court battle to release the Israeli document, contends that Israel calculated the calorie needs for Gaza's population in order to restrict the quantities of goods and basic products it allowed in during the three-year period.
Israel imposed the blockade after identifying Gaza as a "hostile territory" in September 2007, following the Hamas takeover. The government's resolution said it intended severe restrictions on civilians.
Israel maintained the blockade was necessary to weaken Hamas, an armed, Iranian-backed group committed to Israel's destruction.
But critics say the blockade constituted collective punishment against Gaza's more than 1.5 million people in its ultimately failed effort to shake Hamas' hold on the territory. An American diplomatic cable revealed by WikiLeaks last year quoted Israeli diplomats as saying they wanted to "keep Gaza's economy on the brink of collapse."
"The official goal of the policy was to wage 'economic warfare' which would paralyze Gaza's economy and, according to the Defense Ministry, create pressure on the Hamas government," Gisha said yesterday.
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