According to Palestinian officials, the Israeli government has made one of its most significant revisions to the Gaza blockade in three years, allowing the importation of shoes and certain types of clothes into the tiny enclave.
Israel has not allowed any shoes to be legally brought into the Gaza Strip since 2007, and officially cemented the ban in 2008 under the claim that shoes were a ‘dual use technology.’ This argument was based on claims that since militaries wear shoes as part of their uniforms, any shoes imported into the strip might be used as part of a military uniform. This same argument was made in the banning of many types of clothing.
For those who could afford it, this meant having to import shoes by way of the tunnels into Egypt, which regularly come under Israeli bombardment because they allow the importation of banned goods, from shoes to iPods to cars. For Gaza’s poor however, importation is not an option and they must make do with what they have or go without.
Officials say that the move is a concession by the Israeli government after pressure from the Obama Administration. The shoes will be allowed in later in the week, after the Passover holiday blockade is lifted. It is unclear if the move signals a semi-permanent end to the ban on shoes, or if the shipment will be a one-shot deal.
The milk of human kindness runs through them by the quart in every vein.
Yes, they are the light unto the world and all that BS. Next thing you know, they'll declare the Palestinians themselves to be "dual use" as any of them could be a suicide bomber.
"hey there pal ive been thinking, after the 30 billlion dollars a year in weapons and the complete destruction of your homes, the aerial bombardment of you infrastructure and laid seige to all your land….
we have decide that you having shoes is no long a threat to our national security"
"most moral army ever….."
Again, we are forced to obediently – bound by the 'manufactured consent' that surrounds us and forces us willynilly into lockstep – sit still as absurdity and insanity reign. Israel is allowing shoes in and that's supposed to be a "major" concession? It isn't a concession at all, of course, since it was always a crime for Israel not to allow shoes in, but again, even if it is a concession – depending on how the word is interpreted – this is major?
What a pathetic piece of crap the Obamian government is and the owned media are.
"Ofiicials say that the move is a concession by the Israeli government…"
Note to the editor: what a joke…
Gaza shod? What is the world coming to? Or it is a case of Schindler's List–with Israeli wholesalers importing them from China for sale to their own little Warsaw Ghetto?
To deny people even the right to wear shoes shows how barbaric the Isreali/US government can be.
These people are monsters. How the civilized world could have stood by them thus far is an abomination.
Israelis are barbarians. they should have to live under the same conditions they impose on the Palestinians.
Let's hope those shoes end up permanently lodged in the faces of those who enforce this kind of spiteful cruelty.
Oh yes, the most moral and enlightened people, with the most moral military in the world. How kind of them to concede shoes. Who knows, maybe next they'll concede bags of cement. Indeed, such a giving people surely are a light to the world.
While the Gazans are now allowed to have shoes its time to harrass the the Christians.
Holy Land Christians protest Israeli police restrictions during Easter celebrations
Palestine-Israel Ecumenical Forum Action Alert
Holy Land Christians are protesting the denial of the freedom of worship by the Israeli occupation police during Easter celebrations. In a press release, they have complained that Israeli Police will impose restrictions and limit the movement of all Christian worshipers during the celebrations. These restrictions will particularly affect the Holy Fire Saturday in Jerusalem, which has been celebrated from as far back as 1106 AD. The celebrations have been governed for the past decades by the status quo of 1852 covering the processions within the boundaries of the Holy Sepulcher Church in addition to traditions by the local community and pilgrims in its vicinity.
Palm Sunday, Good Friday, Holy Fire Saturday, and Easter Sunday are the Holiest days celebrated in Jerusalem for Christians. Christians are denied their fundamental right of freely exercise their religion because of road blocks in the old city, police presence with machine guns, as well as rude and hostile attitudes from police and Army officers. The curfews and forced closures make these movements almost impossible. In sharp contrast, Israel allows Jews to freely access their temples.
Today when a debate has been initiated regarding the freedom of worship in Jerusalem due to the constant settler aggressions against Al Aqsa Mosque (Al Haram Al Sharif) and despite the fact that Israeli officials have made public assurances that "only Israel" can keep freedom of religion in Jerusalem, the Holy Land Christians denounce Israel's discriminatory and restrictive policies. Palestinian Christian organizations in occupied East Jerusalem have initiated a legal process "to preserve the right to freely access our churches and shrines".
Palestinian Christians now "call upon the international community, and particularly to the Christian World, including its churches and civil society to put pressure on Israel to end the illegal occupation of East Jerusalem as well as in this particular case to stop limiting Holy Land Christians from exercising their basic religious rights."
The Israelis are a bunch of disgusting neo-nazi.
Disgusting behaviour and disgusting country!
"Zum gotzen" like the Germans like to say!
Israel watch out!!! One of these days these " shoes" are gonna walk all over you!!!
Wow. Just wow. The barbaric f*ckers never cease to amaze.
This is just another tactic of de-legitimizing Israel. Further proof that Antisemitism is alive and well.