A Clear and Present Danger: An Israeli Call for Urgent Humanitarian Action in Gaza

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Written by Israel Human Rights Groups Israel Human Rights Groups

Published: 14 January 2009 14 January 2009

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A Clear and Present Danger

An Israeli Call for Urgent Humanitarian Action in Gaza

January 14, 2009

Prime Minister Ehud Olmert

Defense Minister Ehud Barak

Chief of Staff Lieut. Gen. Gaby Ashkenazi

OC Southern Command Maj. Gen. Yoav Galant

Atty. Gen. Menachem Mazuz

RE: Warning of a clear and present danger to the lives and well-being of tens of thousands of civilians

Since the beginning of the campaign in Gaza on December 27, a heavy suspicion has arisen of grave violations of international humanitarian law by military forces. After the end of the hostilities, the time will come for the investigation of this matter, and accountability will be demanded of those responsible for the violations. At this point we call your attention to the clear and present danger to the lives and well-being of tens of thousands of civilians.

The level of harm to the civilian population is unprecedented. According to the testimony of residents of the Gaza Strip and media reports, military forces are making wanton use of lethal force which has to date caused the deaths of hundreds of uninvolved civilians and destroyed infrastructure and property on an enormous scale. In addition, Israel is also hitting civilian objects, having defined them as "legitimate military targets" solely by virtue of their being "symbols of government."

Caught in the middle are 1.5 million civilians in extreme humanitarian distress, whose needs are not being adequately met by the limited measures taken by the army. That distress is detailed in the Appendix to this letter. Its main points are as follows:

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Jaffa: A Gathering to Mourn and to Protest

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Written by The OTHER Israel The OTHER Israel

Published: 14 January 2009 14 January 2009

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Palestinian death toll in Gaza reaches 1,000

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Written by Rory McCarthy in Jerusalem, Peter Walker and agencies Rory McCarthy in Jerusalem, Peter Walker and agencies

Published: 14 January 2009 14 January 2009

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Ban Ki-moon due in Cairo to press Hamas to accept one-year ceasefire as rifts among Israel's leadership deepen

The Palestinian death toll in the Gaza conflict climbed to more than 1,000 today after nearly three weeks of intensive Israeli bombing and ground fighting.

So far 1,010 Palestinians have been killed, among them 315 children and 95 women, Dr Moawiya Hassanein, head of Gaza's medical emergency services, told the Guardian. The number of injured after 19 days of fighting stood at 4,700, he said.

With Israeli troops fighting on the outskirts of Gaza City after another night of heavy bombing and shelling, the new death toll came as the secretary-general of the UN was in Cairo for urgent talks to end the conflict.

Ban Ki-moon said he wanted "an immediate end to violence in Gaza, and then to the Israeli military offensive and a halt to rocket attacks by Hamas".

"It is intolerable that civilians bear the brunt of this conflict," he said, adding that the "negotiations need to be intensified to provide arrangements and guarantees in order to sustain an endurable cease-fire and calm."

His demand followed a meeting with the Egyptian president, Hosni Mubarak, The UN chief is also scheduled to travel to Jordan, Israel, the West Bank, Turkey, Lebanon, Syria and Kuwait, although not Gaza itself.

There was heavy fighting in northern Gaza and around the edges of Gaza City, from where Israeli troops have mounted raids to within a mile of the city centre. Early today, the old Gaza city hall, a former court building, was destroyed in an air strike which damaged many shops in the nearby market.

Israel's military said it hit 60 sites overnight, including the police headquarters in Gaza City that had been hit on the first day of the operation, as well as rocket launching sites, weapons stores and 35 smuggling tunnels under the border with Egypt. Six Israeli soldiers were injured.

Three rockets fired from Lebanon landed in northern Israel in the second such attack since Israeli forces launched their Gaza offensive. Police said the rockets landed in open areas and there were no reports of damage or injuries. People in northern Israel were advised to head to bomb shelters. Reports from Lebanon said five rockets were fired but that two fell short. Israel's military responded with artillery fire towards the firing sites.

Four rockets were fired on northern Israel last Thursday. Hezbollah denied responsibility and speculation focused on small Palestinian groups in Lebanon.

Rifts among Israel's leaders over the conflict are appearing to deepen. The defence minister, Ehud Barak, is pressing for a one-week halt to the fighting to allow in humanitarian aid, according to a report today in the Ha'aretz newspaper. Barak believes the 19-day offensive has bolstered Israel's deterrent power and believes continuing the fight would bring "only operational complications and casualties", the paper said.

"Barak is proposing the IDF [Israel Defence Forces] cease its fire, hold its positions and keep the reservists under arms, and thus negotiate with Egypt and the United States on an arrangement that would prevent arms smuggling into the strip," it said.

Barak fears that when Barack Obama assumes the US presidency on Tuesday he will demand an immediate Israeli ceasefire. Another risk was a tougher UN security council resolution – a resolution last week calling for a ceasefire was ignored as "unworkable" by Israel.

Tzipi Livni, the foreign minister, favours ending the conflict, according to Israeli reports, although she does not want any agreement with Hamas.

However, the prime minister, Ehud Olmert, has made clear he would rather escalate the conflict in the hope of more seriously damaging Hamas.

Israel's military believes only a few hundred Hamas militia have been killed and that the movement still has many rockets ready to launch into southern Israel. Of the 200 Palestinians detained by Israeli troops, fewer than 30 were found to have any link with militant groups in Gaza, a report said.

Despite nearly three weeks of intense Israeli bombing, Hamas fired 18 rockets into Israel on Tuesday – although that is less than a third of the daily rockets at the start of the offensive.

As well as the Palestinian death toll, 13 Israelis have been killed, including three civilians. At least 35,000 Palestinians are holed up in UN schools operating as emergency shelters. Tens of thousands more are staying with relatives or friends.

Around two-thirds of the territory's 1.5m people have no electricity; the rest have only an intermittent supply, according to the UN said.

Appeal for flood victims of the Lummi Reservation in Washington State

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Written by Lummi Housing Authority Lummi Housing Authority

Published: 13 January 2009 13 January 2009

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SUBJECT:  Flood Victims


To Whom It May Concern:

The Lummi Reservation was hit very hard last week with flooding from the Nooksack River that caused extreme damages to our Tribal family’s homes.  We had over 20 families affected by the flooding with about 11 of these 20 families that lost everything inside their homes.  When the Tribe was finally able to get down to Marietta which was hit the hardest, the workers reported that some homes had at least 5 feet of water in their homes and others which included mostly mobile homes totally under.

Lummi Housing Authority has moved forward to find temporary short/long term housing for these families until their home can be repaired or replaced.  As most of you know these families are pretty devastated by the damages to their homes, but are just happy that no lives have been lost because of the flooding.

We are accepting donations for these families that lost everything in the flooding waters.  They need all household items such as bedding, blankets, sheets, towels, kitchen supplies, furniture, washers and dryers, and dressers just to name a few.   The Housing Authority is working with the Tribe to purchase beds so these families can move out of the shelter into the Lummi Housing Authority homes by the end of the week.

Anything that you can provide for these families would be greatly appreciated.  Please send items to the following address:

    Lummi Housing Authority
    2828 Kwina Rd.
    Bellingham, WA 98226

[You can also send a check payable to  LNSO on behalf of the flood victims you will be able to deduct it as a charitable contribution.
 LNSO is the acronym for Lummi Nation Service Organization.]

Thank you.


Diana R. Phair
Housing Director