HRW denounces that the blockade of Gaza is part of Israel's "apartheid" against Palestinians

The NGO highlights that Gaza "is an open-air prison" and speaks of "a 15-year confinement" for Gazans

MADRID, 14 Jun. (EUROPA PRESS) -

The non-governmental organization Human Rights Watch (HRW) has denounced this Tuesday that the blockade imposed 15 years ago on the Gaza Strip is part of the crimes of "apartheid" against millions of Palestinians and has highlighted that the situation "has devastated the economy " of the enclave and has contributed to the fragmentation of the Palestinian people.

"Israel, with the help of Egypt, has turned Gaza into an open-air prison," said HRW Israel and Palestine director Omar Shakir. "While many people around the world travel again two years after the start of the coronavirus pandemic, the more than two million Palestinians in Gaza remain under what amounts to a 15-year lockdown," he argued.

Thus, the organization has highlighted that the bloc prevents the majority of Gazan residents from traveling to the West Bank or abroad, which limits their right to work and education, a situation exacerbated by the restrictions imposed by the Egyptian authorities at the border crossing. of Rafa, including unnecessary delays and mistreatment of travellers.

"The blockade of Gaza prevents talented and professional people, with much to give to their society, from pursuing opportunities that people in other parts of the world take for granted," Shakir said. "Preventing Palestinians from Gaza from moving freely in their homeland undermines their lives and underscores the cruel reality of apartheid and persecution of millions of Palestinians," Shakir said.

For this reason, HRW has called on the Israeli authorities to end the general travel ban on Gaza residents and to allow freedom of movement subject to personal inspections for security reasons.

The NGO has indicated that between February 2021 and March 2022 it interviewed 20 Palestinians who tried to leave Gaza through the Erez -with Israel- and Rafá crossings and has added that it wrote to the authorities of both countries to request his version of the conclusions, without having received a response at the time of publication of the report.

In this regard, he recalled that the Government of Israel has prohibited since 2007, with few exceptions, Palestinians leaving the enclave through the Erez crossing, while preventing the Palestinian authorities from operating the Gaza airport and port and They drastically limit the entry and exit of goods from the Strip, controlled since that year by the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas).

This situation, derived from Israel's security concerns regarding the activities of Hamas, considered a terrorist group by the Israeli authorities, the United States and the European Union (EU), has led to serious limitations on freedom of movement and the labor and educational rights of residents of the Strip.

HRW has highlighted that during its investigation it has interviewed seven people who claimed that the Israeli authorities did not respond to their requests to travel through the Erez pass, while three others have highlighted that Israel rejected their permits because they did not fit the strict criteria. fixed.

Ualaa Sada, a 31-year-old filmmaker, has revealed that she applied for permits to participate in a film course in the West Bank in 2014 and 2018 after spending years trying to convince her family to allow her to travel alone, although Israel did not respond. to your requests.

The impossibility of participating in the courses, which required face-to-face attendance and work on studies, meant that remote participation was ruled out. Thus, Ella Sada has recounted that "the world narrowed" when she received Israel's response and added that she felt that she "was trapped in a small box."

"For us in Gaza, the hands of the clock have stopped. People from all over the world can book a flight and travel quickly and easily, while we die waiting our turn," he lamented.

The situation has been exacerbated by the impact of the closure of Rafah by the Egyptian authorities and, although more regular reopenings have been carried out since May 2018, Palestinians continue to face numerous obstacles to travel to the neighboring country, which requires wait weeks for travel permits unless hundreds of dollars are paid to companies with ties to the Egyptian government.

In this sense, Sada has stated that he also had the opportunity to participate in a course in Tunisia in 2019, but could not afford to pay the 2,000 dollars (about 1,915 euros) that he was asked to pay for the services that would guarantee that he could travel to weather. Finally, the turn was granted six weeks later, when the course had already finished.

Raed Isa, a 42-year-old artist, has pointed out that the Israeli authorities did not respond to his request for a travel permit in early December 2015 to participate in an exhibition at an art gallery in the West Bank city of Ramallah that he was aim to highlight the situation in Gaza after the 2014 war.

Thus, he pointed out that the Palestinian Civil Affairs Committee continued to identify his status as "sent and awaiting a response" until the beginning of the exhibition, in which he finally participated by videoconference, which prevented the promotion of his work and damaged sales of his works, as he explained in statements to HRW.

Ashraf Shauiil, 47, chairman of the board of directors of the Gaza Center for Heights and Culture, has acknowledged that Gazan artists frequently receive no response after requesting Israeli permits. The man, who is a painter, has submitted seven applications between 2013 and 2022, although on all occasions he went unanswered or was rejected.

The situation is similar for athletes from Gaza, who do not receive permits to compete against teams from the West Bank despite the fact that Israeli army regulations specifically identify the entry of "athletes" as part of those authorized despite the closure.

Hilal al Ghauash, 25, has said that her soccer team, Jadamat Rafa, was unable to attend the match in July 2019 against West Bank Balata Youth Center for the Palestine Club final, the winner of which gives Palestine permission to represent in the Asian Cup. Although permission was requested for the 22 players and thirteen team members, the authorities only granted permission to four, including one player.

Israeli authorities later issued 11 permits -- including six players -- following an appeal to a Jerusalem court, noting that the other 24 were refused on unspecified security grounds. Finally, the Palestinian Football Federation canceled the final due to the inability of the Gazan team to travel for the match.

For all these reasons, HRW has recalled that Israel, as the occupying power, has obligations under Humanitarian Law to guarantee the well-being of the population in the Gaza Strip and has stressed that the current restrictions do not meet the requirements of proportionality.

Likewise, he has pointed out that, although Egypt's legal obligations are more limited, as it is not an occupying power, the authorities should work to ensure that the Geneva Conventions are respected "in all circumstances", including the provision of protection to civilians. who live under military occupation and who cannot travel due to the restrictions imposed.