On the morning of June 5, the MV Rachel Corrie, a 1,200-ton cargo ship named after the young American woman who was crushed to death in Gaza in 2003 by an Israeli bulldozer, was illegally seized by the Israeli Navy and taken against the crew's will to the Israeli port city of Ashdod. Part of the multinational nonviolent humanitarian effort known as the Freedom Flotilla, the Rachel Corrie carried more than 1,000 tons of medical and construction supplies to besieged Gaza. The Irish-owned Corrie carried 11 passengers and 9 crew members from 5 different countries, and included Nobel Peace Prize laureate Mairead Maguire, Malaysian Parliament member Mohd Nizar Zakaria, and former UN Assistant Secretary General, Denis Halliday.

Perhaps to deter another public relations fiasco, Israeli authorities attempted to negotiate a deal with the Irish government under which the Corrie would willingly come to port at Ashdod, where Israeli authorities would then inspect the goods on the ship and allegedly transport into Gaza those items that Israel has not prohibited under its crippling blockade.

1. Why did the passengers of the Rachel Corrie refuse to sail willingly to Ashdod?

2. Is Israel's blockade of Gaza in fact illegal?

3. Did the passengers of the Rachel Corrie have reason to doubt that Israel would in fact let the humanitarian aid enter Gaza?

4. Israel claims that 10,000 tons of food, medicine and other humanitarian supplies are let into Gaza every week. Is this enough?

5. What are some of the items Israel has prohibited from entering Gaza?

1. Why did the passengers of the Rachel Corrie refuse to sail willingly to Ashdod?

According to a statement released by the Ireland Palestine Solidarity Campaign, spokesperson Freda Hughes said, "The significance of this flotilla of aid was two-fold; its intended purpose was to deliver much needed supplies to the people of Gaza and to break the ongoing illegal blockade of the Gaza Strip. This blockade, which has gone on for over three years amounts to collective punishment of 1.5 million people - condemned to face enforced and avoidable poverty, human rights abuses and appalling hardships - often just because of where they were born. It is the duty of every right thinking individual of conscience to ensure that such inhuman treatment is no longer allowed and is no longer ignored by the world."

Ms Hughes continued, "The Rachel Corrie remained committed to this purpose and rightly rejected that Israeli offer to reroute to Ashdod, to accept this offer would be to legitimize the siege of Gaza. We call for an immediate lifting of the blockade and the granting of an autonomous sea port in Gaza that would allow the people of Gaza open and unfettered communication and access to the international community."

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2. Is Israel's blockade of Gaza in fact illegal?

Yes. The stated aim of Israel's blockade is to apply "pressure" or "sanctions" to weaken the economy of Gaza and decrease support for Hamas. [1] This amounts to collective punishment of Gaza's civilians, and as such is a violation of international humanitarian law (Article 33 of the Fourth Geneva Convention of 1949). Further, as an occupying power, Israel is required under Articles 55, 59 and 60 of the Fourth Geneva Convention to ensure free, unimpeded passage of humanitarian relief and is prohibited from impeding the full realization of the occupied people's human rights. Israel's blockade impedes Gazans' rights to food, to an adequate standard of living, to work, and to the highest attainable standard of health.

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3. Did the passengers of the Rachel Corrie have reason to doubt that Israel would in fact let the humanitarian aid enter Gaza?

Yes. According to a guide produced by the BBC, for much of the last three years, Gaza's "1.5 million people have relied on less than a quarter of the volume of imported supplies they received in December 2005."

This falls far short of the minimum required to avoid malnutrition, poverty, and prevent or treat a variety of illnesses. According to Amnesty International's recently-released annual report, the siege has resulted in "mass unemployment, extreme poverty, food insecurity and food price rises caused by shortages." Consider the following statistics:

- 61 percent of households face food insecurity, defined as inadequate physical, social or economic access to food, and rely on assistance from aid agencies. An additional 16.2 percent are considered vulnerable to food insecurity. [2]

- 65 percent of the food insecure are children under the age of 18. [3]

- Unemployment is at 40 percent. [4]

- 10 percent of children under five are stunted (low height for age, usually attributed to a chronic lack of protein and micronutrients, including iron and essential vitamins), a steadily increasing trend over recent years, according to UNICEF. [5]

- More than 10 percent of children are chronically malnourished, according to the World Health Organization, a significant increase since siege began.

- The number of children under five suffering from acute malnutrition nearly doubled between 2006 and 2008 from 1.4 to 2.4 percent, according to UNICEF.

- 65 percent of children aged 9-12 months, and 35 percent of pregnant women are anemic. [6]

- According to a recent poverty survey conducted by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency, the number of Palestinian refugees completely unable to secure access to food and lacking the means to purchase even the most basic items, such as soap, school stationery and safe drinking water ('abject poverty') has tripled since the imposition of the blockade in June 2007.

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4. Israel claims that 10,000 tons of food, medicine and other humanitarian supplies are let into Gaza every week. Is this enough?

The following data was compiled by Yousef Munayyer, Executive Director of the Jerusalem Fund and the Palestine Center, from reports of various international aid agencies and human rights groups on the impact of the siege on the population of Gaza:

Electricity: The siege has led to a significant lack of power in the Gaza Strip. In 2006, Israel carried out an attack on Gaza's only power plant and never permitted the rebuilding to its pre-attack capacity (down to producing 80 megawatts maximum from 140 megawatts). According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UN OCHA), the daily electricity deficit has increased since January of 2010 with the plant only able to operate one turbine producing only 30 megawatts compared to its previous average of 60-65 megawatts in 2009. The majority of houses have power cuts at least eight hours per day. Some have no electricity for long as 12 hours a day. The lack of electricity has led to reliance on generators, many of which have exploded from overwork, killing and maiming civilians. Oxfam reported that "[in 2009], a total of 75 Palestinians died from carbon monoxide gas poisoning or fires from generators, and 15 died and 27 people were injured in the first two months of this year."

Water: Israel has not permitted supplies into the Gaza Strip to rebuild the sewage system. Amnesty International reports that 90-95 percent of the drinking water in Gaza is contaminated and unfit for consumption. The United Nations even found that bottled water in Gaza contained contaminants, likely due to the plastic bottles recycled in dysfunctional factories. The lack of sufficient power for desalination and sewage facilities results in significant amounts of sewage seeping into Gaza's costal aquifer--the main source of water for the people of Gaza.

Industry: Prior to the siege, the industrial sector employed 20 percent of Gaza's labor force. One year after the siege began, the Palestinian Federation of Industries reported that "61% of the factories have completely closed down. 1% was forced to change their scope of work in order to meet their living expenses, 38% were partially closed (sometimes means they operate with less than 15% capacity)". A World Health Organization report from this year states: "In the Gaza Strip, private enterprise is practically at a standstill as a consequence of the blockade. Almost all (98%) industrial operations have been shut down. The construction sector, which before September 2000 provided 15% of all jobs, has effectively halted. Only 258 industrial establishments in Gaza were operational in 2009 compared with over 2400 in 2006. As a result, unemployment rates have soared to 42% (up from 32% before the blockade)."

Health: Gaza's health sector, dramatically overworked, was also significantly damaged by Operation Cast Lead. According to UN OCHA, infrastructure for 15 of 27 of Gaza's hospitals, 43 of 110 of its primary care facilities, and 29 of its 148 ambulances were damaged or destroyed during the war. Without rebuilding materials like cement and glass due to Israeli restrictions, the vast majority of the destroyed health infrastructure has not been rebuilt. Many medical procedures for advanced illnesses are not available in Gaza. 1103 individuals applied for permits to exit the Israeli-controlled Erez crossing for medical treatment in 2009. 21 percent of these permits were denied or delayed resulting in missed hospital appointments, and several have died waiting to leave Gaza for treatment.

Food: A 2010 World Health Organization report stated that "chronic malnutrition in the Gaza Strip has risen over the past few years and has now reached 10.2%. Micronutrient deficiencies among children and women have reached levels that are of concern." According to UN OCHA: "Over 60 percent of households are now food insecure, threatening the health and wellbeing of children, women and men. In this context, agriculture offers some practical solutions to a humanitarian problem. However, Israel's import and access restrictions continue to suffocate the agriculture sector and directly contribute to rising food insecurity. Of particular concern, farmers and fishers' lives are regularly put at risk, due to Israel's enforcement of its access restrictions. The fact that this coastal population now imports fish from Israel and through tunnels under the Gaza-Egypt border speaks to the absurdity of the situation." 72 percent of Gaza's fish profit comes from beyond the three nautical mile mark, but further restrictions by Israel's naval blockade prevents Gazans from fishing beyond that mark. Between 2008 and 2009 the fishing catch was down 47 percent.

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5. What are some of the items Israel has prohibited from entering Gaza?

- sage
- cardamom
- cumin
- coriander
- ginger
- jam
- halva
- vinegar
- nutmeg
- chocolate
- fruit preserves
- seeds and nuts
- biscuits and sweets
- potato chips
- gas for soft drinks
- dried fruit
- fresh meat
- plaster
- tar
- wood for construction
- cement
- iron
- glucose
- industrial salt
- plastic/glass/metal containers
- industrial margarine
- tarpaulin sheets for huts
- fabric (for clothing)
- flavor and smell enhancers
- fishing rods
- various fishing nets
- buoys
- ropes for fishing
- nylon nets for greenhouses
- hatcheries and spare parts for hatcheries
- spare parts for tractors
- dairies for cowsheds
- irrigation pipe systems
- ropes to tie greenhouses
- planters for saplings
- heaters for chicken farms
- musical instruments
- size A4 paper
- writing implements
- notebooks
- newspapers
- toys
- razors
- sewing machines and spare parts
- heaters
- horses
- donkeys
- goats
- cattle
- chicks [7]

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