The same report claimed that only 7.5 million of Afghanistan’s 17.5 million eligible voters had registered. Free and fair?

If Karzai’s warlord cronies have over-egged the firnee and their boy romps home with an incredible margin, Iran-style riots are almost inevitable. On the other hand, if he narrowly wins, it will be more difficult for the opposition forces to cry foul. Given that he achieved only 54 per cent in 2004, the ‘ideal’ result for Karzai would be a tight margin of victory but no runoff, so we’ll see how these figures change if and when the penny drops. Since Abdullah has already declared the election to be rigged, Karzai has retaliated by declaring that he has evidence that Abdullah engaged in fraud and Ghani has submitted evidence to show that both engaged in fraud (previous post) it would perhaps be pruduent to publicly examine these claims before declaring results and certainly before starting the next Karzai puppet show.

Meanwhile, an Aljazeera film report, broadcast on YouTube shows that rumours of Taliban inactivity during the deeply troubled Afghan election may have been wishful thinking on the part of the UN observers. Indeed, the relative calm from the fundamentally religious fanatics may have more to do with the month of Ramadan, when killing and amputating, especially during daylight hours, especially of other Muslims and women, is strictly prohibited, as any Talib scholar knows. The news clip shows Taliban fighters accusing hapless voters of ‘standing in line with the Jews.’ This pointless and immature anti-semitism should not surprise us but adds another horrid ingredient to the devil’s brew in this terrible conflict. If a central plank of the Taliban’s twisted ideology is to equate the US and occupying forces with ‘Jews’ and the Palestine question, this explains why the US cannot leave (and why AIPAC were so keen to get them in there in the first place). However, it has clearly escaped the attention of the men in black that ‘Jews’ aside,  Hamas themselves have been fighting Taliban/Al Quaeda in Gaza and Fatah is likewise fiercely secularist. Ideologically, the Taliban have more in common with fundamentalist Jewish settlers than they do with secular Palestinians, who have more in common with everyday Israelis than politicians on either side would have us believe.

Elections need a bedrock of governance, and Afghanistan is naturally federalist, to say the least. Given the overwhelming evidence of fraud, intimidation and corruption, it would make most sense to form an interim government of national unity charged with establishing  norms of representative governance, auditable finances, prioritising aid and (preferably) development to the benighted swathes of the population who cannot eat votes.  Easy to say – and actually, relatively easy to do, in principle. A constructive task of nation-building would give everyone hope and put some of the whackjobs on the back foot, whilst buying time for the occupying forces to think up a face-saving exit strategy. Legitimising a joke election will sustain a toxic status quo and will almost certainly lead to more instability and bloodshed, which would suit the Taliban just fine. What price democracy? About $250 million if we’re talking about the UNAMA budget to mismanage this farce.

John J Kelly

The suffering population of another country on another continent was bombed into the stone age in pursuit of its oil, under the pretext of freeing its people and establishing democracy. Torture and illegal detention became the norm, as a ‘war on terror’ was pursued to the detriment of the lives and liberties of large parts of the planet, justified by a systematic disregard of international law. Breathtaking abuses of trust, enacted in the name of liberalisation, destabilised and pillaged the global financial system. Armed and supported by that great nation its Middle East client state annexed territories, built concentration camps, killed thousands of civilians, invaded a neighbouring sovereign state causing billions of dollars of damage and ensured the election of a fellow neocon hawk by murdering over 2300 men, women and children, fanning the flames of despair, hatred and fundamentalist terror. Eight years later, with thousands of its own soldiers dead and wounded, fighting another unwinnable war of aggression with a busted economy and its international reputation in tatters, it was time for another election. This time the good guy won. Or did he?

I’m not talking about Iran.

John J Kelly

That much said, local experts such as the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights believe that the recent major attacks on the Gaza Strip will be successfully prosecuted. “They were well-documented, televised and the world was paying attention,” a member of the Gaza City team commented. Their optimism may be somewhat misplaced, however: charges against Ariel Sharon and others in the past did not get past first base. The public exposure of large-scale atrocities, including the alleged use of white phosphorus bombs in enclosed civilian areas and widespread killing of hundreds of children, for which there is ample evidence, will be difficult to defend in theory, but the the founding texts of the International Criminal Court empowers the UN Security Council to suspend its work, so it is doubtful that prosecutions will proceed, unless the Obama administration demonstrates a new form of resolve. According to PCC, implicated Israelis have been warned internally against leaving its boundaries due to fears of arrest. There may be some truth in this: as reported, (Thus passim) Israel has publicly vowed to grant legal aid to indicted soldiers and officials.

French lawyer Gilles Dovers is handling the complaint in Paris calling for the ‘open investigation into war crimes’ committed by Israeli forces during three weeks in Gaza. Dovers said today that 500 complaints are being submitted by Arab, European and Latin American officials. Bolivia and Venezuela are preparing their own cases. Argentine international prosecutor, Luis Moreno-Ocampo, is deciding whether to go ahead with an investigation. Fifteen specific names are now pending for prosecution in The Hague’s war crimes tribunal. Those listed for prosecution includes Ehud Barak, Amir Peretz, Binyamin Ben Eliezer, Avi Dichter, Carmi Gilon, Dan Halutz, Doron Almog, Ehud Olmert, Eliezer Shkedy, Gabi Ashkenazi, Giora Eiland, Matan Vilani, Moshe Bogi Yaalon, Shaul Mofaz and Tzipi Livni. You can read the allegations on: www.wanted.org.il

Today’s invitation to try at least 15 Israeli officials is being delivered by 30 international lawyers of several nationalities. In parallel, the intention of a group of French lawyers to file a complaint on behalf of French citizens of Palestinian origin to the French courts against Israeli officials is gaining attention in the cities of Paris and eastern France. Co-ordination with other lawyers in Belgium and Spain is underway as similar complaints against the Israeli officials are being made in Brussels and Madrid. Belgium is among the countries who issued charges against Ariel Sharon in the past. Moroccan lawyers also disclosed yesterday practical steps toward filing a lawsuit against “the perpetrators of war crimes” in Gaza. Six lawyers are working with the Minister of Justice of Morocco.

John J Kelly

If you tolerate this, then your children will be next. Donate to the Gaza appeal and don't pay your BBC licence fee

In a display of lip-curling spinelessness, the BBC has refused to air the non-aligned Disasters Emergency Committee appeal for Humanitarian Aid to the victims of the Gaza conflict. Other UK (commercial) TV channels, ITV, Channel 4 and Channel 5, have agreed to air the appeal. Sky Television is considering its position. (UPDATE: unsurprisingly, Sky has now declined to broadcast the appeal).

The decision has been condemned by the usual suspects such as John Sentanu, Archbishop of York, The Archbishop of Canterbury, Tony Benn, George Galloway, 60 MPs and Hazel Blears – with friends like that, you might say – but at least they aren’t scared of the shrill ultras (neither is Thus, by the way). International Development Secretary Douglas Alexander’s statement is particularly balanced: “I think the British public can distinguish between support for humanitarian aid and perceived partiality in a conflict. I really struggle to see, in the face of the immense human suffering in Gaza at the moment, that this is in any way a credible argument. They still have time to make a different judgement, to recognise the immense human suffering and to address the concern – which I think otherwise may develop – that somehow the suffering of people in Gaza is not taken as seriously as the suffering of people in other conflicts.”

UK Culture Secretary, the meaningless Andy Burnham, has sat on the fence uttering platitudes. So far, the BBC has reported that it has received over 11,000 complaints from UK citizens but has neglected to mention the sizeable protests outside BBC HQ. In a display worthy of Ruritania, BBC spinmonkeys have tried to turn the story into a defence of BBC ‘impartiality’, claiming that their political position would be affected by broadcasting this appeal – a curious claim given that there are several precedents for airing appeals for the victims of warfare.

The appeal calls for urgently needed food and medicine. The Disasters Emergency Committee aggregates the efforts of 13 largely non-aligned agencies – ActionAid, British Red Cross, CAFOD, Care International UK, Christian Aid, Concern Worldwide, Help the Aged, Islamic Relief, Merlin, Oxfam, Save the Children, Tearfund and World Vision UK, attributes no blame and makes no political statements. The simple fact is that many hundreds more men, women, children and old people may die without urgent help. Gaza’s hospitals and infrastructure have been pulverised, on top of a long siege and blockade which has depleted resources. Add to this the destruction of the tunnels which were the only way to bring in essentials (never mind weapons) and you have a full scale humanitarian emergency, admittedly created by man, not nature. What part of this does BBC Director General Mark Thompson find difficult to understand? Arguably, by refusing to air the relief message, the BBC is making a political statement – that these people do not deserve the help of the vast majority of the UK citizens who don’t like watching innocent people needlessly suffer and die. A lot of Jewish people would no doubt contribute too, but not if the spin is that for some bizarre reason, it is politically incorrect to do so.

The BBC has come under constant fire from various Ultra propaganda conduits in the past and during the recent conflict (massacre?) for its perceived pro-Arabist coverage of Israeli-related issues. Its own gormless attempt to spin this decision shows that the corporation has learned a lot from the constant crude fascist barracking from AIPAC and other nutters. Political interference, on one level or another, is apparent. It is cant to pretend otherwise.

Israel, meanwhile, has pledged legal aid to protect its soldiers from prosecution for war crimes in Gaza – as near to an admission that there were war crimes as you’re likely to get. This is entirely their prerogative, and we look forward to the proceedings. I doubt you’ll read much about it on the cowardly BBC, whose executives don’t want their inboxes spammed by gibberish from Zionist PR activists. The Israel lobby has won another victory. The problem with mass murder and terrorising thousands of civilians, bombing hospitals, blockading aid efforts and stifling the international efforts to help is that responsible media organisations might report on it – unless they are intimidated. This was and is part of Ultra-Zionist strategy since the 1982 Lebanon massacres. Neo-fascists in Darfur, DRC, Myanmar, Tibet, Zimbabwe and elsewhere will be taking notes.

You can read about the Disasters Emergency Committee appeal here. Personally, I think Israel should pay full retribution for the damage they have caused – and pay Palestinians in full for the Occupied Territories which they have annexed since 1967 and which are the cause of the Middle East tensions. They can easily afford it. That’s a political statement. Donating isn’t.

John J Kelly.

We certainly won the war on terror - everyone's terrified now

Having reached all ‘the goals of the war, and beyond’ Israeli President Olmert trumpeted a unilateral truce to commence at 00.00 am today, having been told to stop killing so many civilians by the US on Friday, ahead of Obama’s inauguration and with enough dead and wounded Palestinians to ensure election victory. The calculation is that Hamas, who were reluctant to accept the truce, will cause sufficient trouble to make it OK for Israel to resume the killing after Barack has had time to settle down, and that Israel will look magnanimous for stopping the murdering. Given that Israeli Defence Force troops will continue to occupy Gaza and the strip will remain blockaded, the two preconditions of Hamas ‘disengagement’, the ceasefire may not hold very long.  If, on the other hand, the objective was to win an election for the neocons, it has been an enormous success- opinion polls in Israel are overwhelmingly pro-war, and those in the US aren’t that far behind. Israel won the propaganda war, with Australian smoothie Mark Regev (please indict him) trilling out lie after lie with no regard for the intelligence of his audiences. Fox News made sure that the US didn’t see too much, while the prospects of losing dwindling advertising dollars kept CNN and co. in check. So this was a success too.

Israel’s propaganda machine is well-funded – virtually all the US media has been either indifferent or silent about the Gaza massacres – or comprehensively biased towards Israel, a tendency well-satirised by Jon Stuart on January 9. A far less entertaining but deeply educational exegesis of the US media bias can be seen on Peace, Propaganda and the Promised Land. It’s worth watching, especially for the statement of the obvious: Gaza and the West Bank are Israeli occupied territories, yet the US media in particular, rarely mentions this somewhat relevant fact. If you’re feeling up to it, you can watch Biased Media Reports on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The relevant fact amongst many in this piece is that Palestinian deaths (before the latest Gaza bloodfest) outnumber Israelis by 8:1. 200,000 ‘settlers’ colonise Palestinian territory, in contravention of Article 4 of the Geneva Convention. This is ethnic cleansing, but the media has been annexed long ago. 

Indiscriminately shelling schools, hospitals and shooting civilians, especially children (human shields) has met with wild approval in Israel, so it’s Mission Accomplished all round. And just in case there are any hitches in the carefully planned Israeli democratic elections, Israel has banned Arab political parties from participating, (January 15)  adding accusations of apartheid to the UN calls for war crimes investigations – but the world scarcely noticed this act of blatant totalitarianism. Ironically, the three (3) Israeli civilians killed in this conflict were Bedouin construction workers – ‘Israeli’ Arabs. Israel lost ten soldiers – seven killed by their own forces – which means that Hamas didn’t claim a single victim in the ‘fierce’ street fighting which allegedly took place – itself a worrying contradiction, given that they were and are allegedly well-armed and trained by Iran. Since neither Egypt not Israel would allow observers in, the truth will remain under the rubble, but it’s also worth conjecturing as to why the highly ineffective Hamas rockets are of such poor, often home made quality if they again are supplied by Iran through immense tunnels.  

Informed sources aver that ‘phase 3′ of the ‘plan’ to ensure Israel’s security will take the form of an assault on the West Bank later this year in retaliation for  yet-unspecified acts of terrorism by Arab groups, ‘funded and armed by Iran’. This might explain the huge US weapons shipment reported last week, or, looking on the bright side, they may be destined for an assault on Iran’s nuclear enrichment facilities (despite the departing Head of US Intelligence’s report that it would be at least two years before Iran got anywhere near military grade nuclear weapons fuel, Israel claims they will be ready by the end of the year). 

Despite the heavy Zionist lobby in bomb-em Hilary Clinton’s department, Barack Obama might have the courage, good sense and statesmanship to put warmongering state terrorists on notice, as part of the urgent  process of rehabilitating America’s reputation. This turkey shoot marks the time when the civilised world ran out of sympathy for Israel. Nobody except ineffectual extremists  believe its existence is threatened, and nobody will allow it to use this tired excuse to enact acts of wanton murder and mayhem in Lebanon and Gaza with virtually no effective international sanctions.

Nobody believes the neocons either (except true believers and paid apparatchiks). For some reason we’ve sat back and allowed pinheads, state psychopaths, media monkeys and ‘intellectuals’ to tell us black is white. This happened in Germany and elsewhere and led to the last world war with all its attendant horrors. Israelis, of all people, should be mindful.

We are not all Hamas now. We never were. Neither were the ordinary people of Gaza, but probably the majority are now. Does this give Israel the right to wipe them out? Yes, according to the twisted logic of the Zionist extremists, even if they are defenceless women and children. If Hamas, PFLP, Hizbollah, Al Quaeda and all their various grisly provisional offshoots and splinter groups had any sense (which they generally haven’t) they would work hard to ensure that Israel was hung out to dry in the wind of international (dis) opprobrium – and preferably in the courts – rather than take more vicious potshots which will lead to more civilian massacres. But they won’t. They’ll do Israel’s bidding and we can look forward to a bloody summer, unless Obama show he is a man, not a politician. 

John J Kelly

These GBU-39 bunker busters weigh around 2.2 tons each. How many are in the 3000 ton shipment now en route to Israel and is Iran their final destination?

Israeli newspaper Haaretz reports that the US have cancelled plans to ship the 3000 tons of munitions from Greece  to Israel (that it wasn’t sending) ‘due to the Gaza conflict’. This confirms the earlier speculation that the weapons were not requisitioned for the Gaza operation. Before we all breathe a sigh of relief and applaud the new direction of the incoming Obama diplomats, however, the same report also says that the US will find a different way to deliver hundreds of uranium-tipped bunker-busting WMDs for the ‘missile defence system’ in Israel. According to Pentagon spokesman Lt Col Ryder: ”I can confirm that the U.S. munition shipment has been delayed and that EUCOM (U.S. European Command) is developing an appropriate course of action to deliver the items to the U.S. stockpile in Israel.”  (Reuters) For security reasons, he declined to elaborate further, but the fact that its existence is now out in the open means that the Obama administration in waiting is both aware of and has condoned this shipment.

Hilary/Chuckie. No regime change in the White House.

Meanwhile, here is a clue as to what it might be used for. As predicted, Secretary of State designate Hilary Clinton has adopted the mantle, demeanour and even some of the phrases of her highly successful predecessor, Condi ‘Peacemaker’ Rice: “As we focus on Iraq, Pakistan and Afghanistan, we must also actively pursue a strategy of smart power in the Middle East that addresses the security needs of Israel and the legitimate political and economic aspirations of the Palestinians,” Clinton said in prepared remarks for her confirmation hearing before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. She went on to say that the United States must pursue a foreign policy that “effectively challenges Iran to end its nuclear weapons program and sponsorship of terror and persuades both Iran and Syria to abandon their dangerous behavior and become constructive regional actors.” (No mention of Israel’s ‘dangerous behaviour,’ which includes allegedly dropping white phosphorous onto civilian populations amongst other ‘legitimate acts of warfare’ copied from US ‘operations’ in Fallujah and elsewhere).

She added that the incoming Obama administration would take no options off the table when dealing with Iran over its nuclear ambitions but a policy review was being done over how to tackle Iran. (Reuters). Where have we heard the ominous phrase ‘take no options off the table’ before? Bombing Iran looks more certain as time goes on. Welcome to Armageddon. It’s just down the road from Iraq. Ask one of the horsemen for directions.

John J Kelly

The contents of this article, which can be viewed in full at the link below, are summarised here with no endorsement or comment by Thus Magazine or guarantees as to their accuracy, save that, where indicated, attributed sources or comment in the public domain has been checked.

This piece, which contains some elements of conjecture, alleges that 3000 tons of ‘ammunition’ is destined to sail from Greece to Israel to arrive by 31 January. The US have not denied the existence of this shipment. The size and conjectured nature of the shipment make it highly unlikely that this was or is part of the ongoing Gaza ‘operation.’ This adds weight to the growing fear that the assault on Gaza is a prelude to a larger engagement by Israel on one or more fronts with its neighbours, but particularly with Iran. Given that the armaments possesed by Hamas (and Hizbollah) are of a relatively primitive order, and their defences scarcely merit ‘bunker-buster’ uranium-tipped missiles (especially at this stage of the operation) the article speculates that this ‘unusually large’ consignment of heavy ‘ammunition’ is destined for an Israeli attack on Iran. The US has allegedly refused support for an Israeli attack on Iran, stating as recently as September 2008 that Israel would need to give ‘prior warning’ before attacking Iran and that Israeli warplanes flying through Iraqi airspace en route to Iran would run the risk of being shot down by US forces. However, Iraqi President Nouri Al-Maliki would now make that call, were it deemed necessary to do do, drawing Iraq into conflict with Iran, were one to arise.

The article also claims that in early January 2009, the Pentagon dispatched over 100 military personnel to Israel from US European Command (EUCOM) to assist in setting up a new sophisticated X-band early warning radar system, part of the military aid package to Israel approved by the Pentagon in September 2008, and is designed to track and destroy missiles from Iran. Meanwhile, Russia has recently opened talks to supply its trading partner, Iran, with S-300 surface-to-air missiles, opening up the real prospect of a new cold war should Israel proceed with its actions, which will require US approval, notwithstanding the ‘independent’ status of Iraq since the US controls the missile defence system and is supplying the armaments.

The entire article may be read here: Global Research, January 11, 2009.

To repeat: Thus Magazine takes no responsibility for the accuracy of its content.

Vengeful sky, Sunday 11 January, Gaza.

Tony Blair has come back from yet another much-needed holiday and New Year at his multi-million pound country seat, formerly owned by that other consummate actor, Sir John Geilgud, to go through the motions with beacon of democracy, President Hosni Mubarak of Egypt, earning his corn with insights such as: ”I am hopeful we can put an agreement together but it’s going to have to be worked on very hard and it’s got to be credible.” Amazing. We all thought an agreement that was knocked together and was entirely incredible would have done the trick, Tony. His sudden frenzy of diplomacy may be connected to criticism from various quarters, including the Telegraph and Sunday Times that he and the ‘Quartet’ have been remarkable for their absence since hostilities commenced (as pointed out by Thus on 27 December 2008). His headquarters – a floor of the appropriately named American Colony Hotel in Jerusalem, which he rarely visits, are maintained at a cost of £700,000 per year, allegedly funded by none other than the UN Development Programme. Meanwhile, the world’s most lucrative after-dinner speaker (who’d listen to him before dinner?) will receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom from George W Bush as a reward for his unwavering toadying during the Iraq farrago, for the WMD Yellow Cake jape that helped start same, for the jumper he knitted for W and for walking like a cowboy during and after their meetings. Tommy Franks, Dick Cheney, Kissinger, Rumsfeld and other apocalypse jockeys have also received this prized gong. Who says war crime doesn’t pay?

38 more people died in Gaza on Sunday 11 January, 2008. As predicted, in what Israel terms as the 'final phase' or 'endgame' reservists are trundling into Gaza to have a crack at the shocked and awed locals. The body count is now 900 with 4100 wounded and rising. Seven Palestinians, including two women and two children, were killed this morning. 1500 should be just enough to secure another Intifada. Foreign minister Tzipi Livni, who told the world there was no humanitarian crisis in Gaza then went on to cement one, said on Israeli army radio "I am not going to negotiate with Hamas and don't need them to sign anything for me. What they said is meaningless." So that's alright then. In other words, massacre away.

The world has largely tut-tutted as it watched the economic siege of Gaza move to ‘shock and awe’ air raids and now to ground troop massacres in a grotesque echo of Iraq. Whether Livni, Barak or Netanyahu, the odds have shortened on Israel’s chances of forcing the real ‘endgame’ – attacking Iran on the pretext of thwarting its nuclear ambitions, using the 20,000 weapons of mass destruction helpfully supplied by the US last year. Only a lunatic or a nihilist would see this as positive for peace in the Middle East or for enhancing Israeli security, but the evidence of this continued barbarity shows that there are plenty of these around. Not that anyone cares any more, but strictly for the record, here are some highlights from the Fourth Geneva Convention:

Civilians are not to be subject to attack. This includes direct attacks on civilians and indiscriminate attacks against areas in which civilians are present.

There is to be no destruction of property unless justified by military necessity.

Civilians must not be subject to outrages upon personal dignity.

Civilians must not be subject to collective punishment and reprisals.

Civilians must not receive differential treatment based on race, religion, nationality, or political allegiance.

Warring parties must not use or develop biological or chemical weapons and must not allow children under 15 to participate in hostilities or to be recruited into the armed forces.

The last part of the Convention relates directly to the alleged activities of Hamas: “The presence of a protected person may not be used to render certain points or areas immune from military operations.” (Geneva Convention Relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War, August 12, 1949, 6 U.S.T. 3516, 75 U.N.T.S. 287, art. 28). Tony, you’re a lawyer (and your wife is a human rights lawyer). Advise your Israeli Neocon friends that they might be breaking the law, and while you’re at it, please turn yourself in to the ICC. A whip round at Bilderberg will provide sufficient funds for Cherie to defend you (and make sure you get off) then someone can make a film about it.  Strike that last part, someone already has.

John J Kelly

Hopeless in Gaza, John Keane, 2002

Despite the early optimism of UK Foreign Minister, David Miliband, who greeted last night’s UN Security Council Resolution for an immediate ceasefire as ‘the world speaking with one voice,’ the problem was – it wasn’t. Although the vote was carried 14-0, the US, as predicted (Thus passim) abstained. Israel, which doesn’t care much for the UN anyway (Thus passim) resumed its bombing this morning with a vengeance, carrying out at least 50 air strikes into Gaza. Outrageously, Hamas also rejected the ceasefire resolution. According to the BBC: Ayman Taha, a Hamas spokesman in Gaza, said: “even though we are the main actors on the ground in Gaza, we were not consulted about this resolution and they have not taken into account our vision and the interests of our people.” Run that one by me again, Ayman. What part of ‘immediate ceasefire to avoid humanitarian tragedy’ don’t you understand? The term ‘criminal sociopaths’ (Thus passim) springs to mind, this time appended by ‘idiot’.

Meanwhile, witnesses told the UN that about 30 Palestinians died earlier this week as Israeli forces shelled a house in Gaza City into which Israeli soldiers had previously moved more than 100 people, half of them children. According to the BBC, Israel said the allegations, reported by Allegra Pacheco of UNHCR, into the shelling of the house in the Zeitoun district were being investigated (but reject the claims). International Red Cross (ICRC) witnesses say they were denied ambulance access to the incident by Israeli soldiers. The UNHCR state )the obvious) that, if true, this incident is a war crime. The UNHCR have also accused Hamas of atrocities – using civilians as human shields – and repeated the calls for journalists, NGOs and independent observers to be allowed access. Israel has rejected this call, claiming that there are plenty of journalists in Gaza and citing the Orwellian reason that the closure of the crossings from Israel to Gaza makes it problematic to allow access. 

Since the current conflict began on 27 December, it is estimated that 770 Palestinians and 14 Israelis have been killed (seven by ‘friendly fire.’) Over 250 civilian deaths have been of children and teenagers. When the Israelis implement ‘Phase 3′ of this action, sending in 7000 reservists on the ground, it is likely that deaths and injuries will at least double (history indicates the probability of more ‘friendly fire’ and random massacres when the trigger-happy territorials get pushed into combat. Given that Israel and Hamas have ignored the authority of the UN, and opinion polls in Israel and the US are reacting favourably to the massacre, this seems likely. Good morning, Vietnam.

John J Kelly