Israeli Sanctions - Article Example

Summary “Hamas Dismisses Israeli Sanctions,” BBC News: International Edition, February 20, 2006. < http news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/4731058.stm> This article discusses the reaction to previously announced Israeli sanctions against Palestine pointing out three distinct viewpoints among the key players. The new Palestinian Prime Minister, Ismail Haniya, provides the Hamas point of view that Israel’s new sanctions will have little to no effect upon the Palestinian Authority. However, Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas, further supported by former US President Jimmy Carter, disagrees, indicating that the Palestinian Authority is already facing financial crises as a result of the threat of sanctions. Finally, the article details the sanctions being imposed and the response of Israel’s acting Prime Minister Ehud Olmert. Response This article does a good job of succinctly presenting the positions of three primary points of view regarding sanctions between Israel and Palestine. By discussing the sanctions being presented, it allows the reader to begin to form their own opinion regarding the question at hand. However, before going into just what the sanctions are, it discusses the positions of apathy, concern and threat that hangs over the issue as they are held by prominent individuals involved. The newly-elected Palestinian Hamas Prime Minister Ismail Haniya holds to an almost apathetic opinion regarding the sanctions, indicating that the rest of the Arab world will come to the aid of Palestine in the face of the sanctions rather than see Palestine lay down their arms and go home. He associates Israel’s stance with that of the rest of the Western world as well as his disdain for their attempts to subdue Palestine by an application of pressure at the financial point. His disregard for the effectiveness of sanctions to change the will of the Palestinian people is tempered by his expressed sadness that the Western world has not responded more favorably to this same will as it was expressed in the recent elections. However, Mahmoud Abbas has indicated that the Palestinian Authority is already under duress from the threat of sanctions and will fail financially if Israel does not collect customs revenues for them. Although he has been working to try to get Haniya to appoint a cabinet to help make decisions such as how to respond to sanctions and the worldwide community, Abbas has only managed to arrange a meeting. However, Abbas’ concerns regarding the effect sanctions will have on the Palestinian Authority are supported by former US President Jimmy Carter. Carter indicated sanctions would only serve to provide more significant obstacles to an effective government in Palestine and would only serve to alienate the Palestinians further as well as the rest of the Arab world. At the same time, Carter said sanctions would help to increase the amount of influence and esteem the Hamas group would have in the world by an open defiance against such sanctions as violent measures increased. The acting Israel Prime Minister withheld his own response to all this opposition as he announced the sanctions his country would be imposing. These are enumerated in the article, including withholding the monthly tax payments Israel has been paying to the Palestinian Authority, increasing security checks at crossings, banning the transfer of equipment to Palestinian security forces, tightening restrictions on the movement of Hamas leaders and asking foreign donors to stop all payments to the Palestinian Authority. It is indicated in the article that these measures on the part of Olmert is in reaction to increased hostilities between the two groups in the West Bank that are presumably at the instigation of the Palestinian side as it was Palestinians who were killed in the West Bank, Nablus and the Gaza Strip. Despite the hostility and the sanctions, though, Olmert announced that humanitarian aid would not be prevented from entering or exiting Palestine. Conclusion By presenting the differing reactions of the Palestinian factions as well as the matter of fact sanctions being imposed upon them by Israel, this article slightly favors the Israel point of view. It presents Haniya as an unrealistic belligerent terrorist leader, Abbas as a concerned diplomat interested in telling the truth and Olmert and the sanctions as a reasonable solution to increased incursions by Palestinian nationals into Israeli held territory. Appendix A – Article contents Hamas dismisses Israeli sanctions Palestinian Prime Minister-designate Ismail Haniya has dismissed the effect of Israeli financial restrictions on the Palestinian Authority (PA). Mr Haniya told the BBC that Arab and Islamic states would offset a drop in Western aid and said Hamas would not disarm and recognise Israel. Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas is due to meet Hamas leaders and is expected to ask Mr Haniya to form a cabinet. On Sunday, Israel approved a series of punitive measures against the PA. Hamas, which won last months Palestinian election, has carried out suicide bombings against Israel in recent years, although it has been observing an informal truce since last year. We have other Arab and Islamic countries and members of the international community who are ready to stand next to the Palestinian people Ismail Haniya The EU, the biggest donor to the PA, has threatened to stop funding unless Hamas recognises Israel and renounces violence. Mr Haniya told the BBC he regretted that Israel had labelled Hamas a terrorist group, adding that "it should have responded differently to the democracy expressed by the Palestinian people". Regarding the withholding of foreign aid, he said: "The West is always using its donations to apply pressure on the Palestinian people." He said the Palestinians had "lots of alternatives". "We have other Arab and Islamic countries and members of the international community who are ready to stand next to the Palestinian people." Financial concern Mr Abbas said on Sunday the PA was in a "real financial crisis" after Israel said it would stop collecting customs revenues on the Palestinians behalf. Hamas should adopt the way of dialog with Israel Mumtaz Abbasi, Muzaffarabad "The pressures have begun and the support and the aid started to decrease," he said. Former US President Jimmy Carter, who led a team to observe the recent election, criticised Israels actions, which he said would present "significant obstacles" to an effective PA government. Writing in the Washington Post, Mr Carter reprised US news reports - denied last week - that the US and Israel have colluded in an effort to disrupt Hamas accession to power. "The likely results will be to alienate the already oppressed and innocent Palestinian, to incite violence, and to increase the domestic influence and international esteem of Hamas," he wrote. Israels acting Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has said Israel would "not hold contacts with the administration in which Hamas plays any part - small, large or permanent". The measures he announced include: Withholding monthly tax payments to the PA. Increased security checks at crossings between Israel and the Gaza Strip. A ban on the transfer of equipment to Palestinian security forces. Tightening restrictions on the movement of Hamas officials. Asking foreign donors to stop all payments to the PA. Israel would however allow humanitarian aid to reach the Palestinians, Mr Olmert said. The row over Palestinian finances came amid renewed violence in the West Bank. Israeli troops operating in the centre of Nablus killed two suspected militants, Palestinian sources said. Four others were injured in fighting. The Islamic Jihad militant group, responsible for recent suicide bombings in Israel, said one of the men killed was its senior commander in the West Bank. The killings came a day after two other Palestinians died in clashes in Nablus, and two suspected militants were killed in Gaza. Story from BBC NEWS: http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/middle_east/4731058.stm Published: 2006/02/20 09:51:39 GMT © BBC MMVI Read More