Israel slams UN 'provocation' at Erez

[bemildred]

The office of the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories slammed UNRWA on Monday and accused the United Nations organization of creating a provocation at the Kerem Shalom crossing by bringing trucks to it carrying supplies that had not been approved by Israel for entry into the Gaza Strip.

On Monday, the Kerem Shalom crossing was opened for the delivery of humanitarian supplies to Gaza, including some 50 trucks with supplies provided by UNRWA. The night before, UNRWA had asked the Gaza Coordination and Liaison Administration to permit the transfer of paper and plastic bags to Gaza, and had been told the request was under consideration.

Despite not having received approval, UNRWA, COGAT officials said, drove several trucks carrying the supplies from Jerusalem to the crossing and coordinated their arrival with several media outlets, which filmed the trucks being turned away.

COGAT Spokesman Maj. Peter Lerner called the incident a "regretful provocation" by the UNRWA spokesman's office and added that while Israel may eventually approve the transfer of office supplies to Gaza, it was currently focusing on humanitarian aid.

http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1233304663715&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull

[Smith_3]

1. Who put Israel in charge of deciding what goods the UN ships into Gaza?

Last I checked they don't have any jurisdiction there.

[ProgressiveProfessor]

5. Actually they do...its coming from their country

Israel has but in place a way to get things approved before shipping them. It got ignored. They get to choose what they let through.

We don't have to like it, but it is what is there.

[bunnies]

2. A relief organization is "provoking" them?

Geezus. Now I've officially heard it all. And what the hell gives Israel the right to "approve" the kind of relief the people of Gaza get?

The collective punishment continues.

[LeftishBrit]

3. How is this 'provocation'?

OK, it may be against the administrative rules; but the word 'provocation' especially in such a context makes it sound like an act of war!

[bemildred]

4. Sounded like "desperation" to me.

But I confess I do wonder what brought this lunacy about?

[ProgressiveProfessor]

6. It could be a planned approach to end the control of content at the border.

Israel is checking materiel as it moves into Gaza to minimize that which Hamas can use to rebuild it military infrastructure. They are checking all trucks the day before.

If you bring unchecked vehicles with innocuous cargo to checkpoint and then whine when they don't get through, you discredit the process and hopefully force Israel to drop it.

[henank]

10. Perhaps because

explosives come in all sorts of disguises.

It's so nice to see how you all club together and immediately pile on Israel and accuse it of war crimes/lunacy/desperation. I get such a nice warm fuzzy feeling from reading your posts. After all, one mustn't allow Israel any benefit of the doubt or, heaven forfend, consider that perhaps Israel has genuine reasons to wish to examine all cargo entering Gaza.

:sarcasm:

[bemildred]

11. The problem lies with calling it a "provocation".

It may be a mistake, or mis-communication, or something, but it seems unlikely they set out to deliberately piss the Israelis off.

[henank]

12. I guess it depends if the Israelis gave them adequate

notification ahead of time. If they did, then they are justified in calling it a provocation. If they didn't, or it wasn't clear enough, then they're a bit over the top.

[bemildred]

13. Well, the Professor thinks it's deliberate, I find that doubtful.

At the least we ought to be told more of the circumstances before dishing out the blame.

[ProgressiveProfessor]

18. I'll stand by my assertion as being more likely true than not

The inspection requirements are well known. Various aid groups have been complaining in the international media about the perceived delays. If someone lines up an uninspected truck at this point I assert its most likely intentional. That it makes the media including a description of its cargo adds to that. Its only assertion at this point, and its probably from well motivated desire to help.

Just my take, nothing to back it up other than my experience with human nature

[bemildred]

20. Well, I certainly didn't expect you were going to give it up.

It certainly seems possible that they just wanted to move goods into Gaza, not really caring a fig about anything else. That is not provocation, it's a different set of concerns. Silly of them, I know, but being adamantly wrong is nothing new, is it?

[aranthus]

15. It is very likely that the UN intended to create an incident. n/t

[bemildred]

17. Based on what?

You see the UN as some sort of agent provocateur here? Ban Ki-Moon is a Hamas stooge?

[shira]

19. it was a provocation

"Despite not having received approval, UNRWA, COGAT officials said, drove several trucks carrying the supplies from Jerusalem to the crossing and coordinated their arrival with several media outlets, which filmed the trucks being turned away."

=======================

Looks like a slimy setup by UNRWA. Probably to make up for their "error" in blaming Israel for targeting their school.

[ProgressiveMuslim]

7. "administrative rules" .. that's a nice new euphemism.

Makes the crimes Israel continues to commit against the people of Gaza sound all nice and "official" and lawyerly.

[LeftishBrit]

9. Most crimes by most governments against other states and against their own people...

ARE all "official" and lawyerly.

That's part of the problem IMO.

ETA if you want one of the biggest euphemisms of all time, try 'coalition of the willing'! Especially as 'coalition' usually refers to something that happens in parliament.

[aranthus]

14. "Set up" would be a better term.

The UN knew that Israel would have given the okay to pass the trucks through if the UN had gone through the usual channels as they have for other aid shipments that they really wanted to get through (food, medicine and such). Conversely, the UN knew that the Israelis would have to stop any trucks that hadn't been authorized through proper channels. This was a shipment of school supplies, so it was not essential that it get through. So instead of going through usual channels, the UN decided to just head to the crossing without getting Israel's approval, and then alerted the media. The hoax was to create a media event where it would look like Israel was unreasonably blocking aid to Gaza. Why is UNRWA involved in perpetrating this kind of propaganda fraud against a member state, and the world at large?

[azurnoir]

16. Set up not going through channels?

oh and school supplies? From the article

On Monday, the Kerem Shalom crossing was opened for the delivery of humanitarian supplies to Gaza, including some 50 trucks with supplies provided by UNRWA. The night before, UNRWA had asked the Gaza Coordination and Liaison Administration to permit the transfer of paper and plastic bags to Gaza, and had been told the request was under consideration.

what the incident caught was bureaucratic foot dragging on innocuous items

[azurnoir]

8. "regretful provocation" lol

what is Israel afraid that the bags will filled with what I read IDF was leaving in cooking pots of homes commandeered in Gaza lit them ablaze and flung back over the fence?