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Israel; Palestine;
Jump to: 2017; 2018; 2019;
2020;
Undated:
The Gaza Strip or simply Gaza, is a
self-governing Palestinian territory on the eastern coast of the
Mediterranean Sea that borders
Egypt on the
southwest for 11 kilometers (6.8 miles) and
Israel on the
east and north along a 51 km (32 mile) border. Gaza and the
West Bank
are claimed by the
State of Palestine.
The territories of Gaza and the West Bank are separated from each other by
Israeli territory. Both fell under the jurisdiction of the
Palestinian Authority,[12]
but Gaza has since June 2007 been governed by
Hamas, a
Palestinian Islamic organization[13]
which
came to power in free elections in 2006. It has been placed under an Israeli
and U.S.-led international economic and political boycott from that time
onwards.[14]
The territory is 41 kilometers (25 mi) long, and from 6 to 12 kilometers (3.7 to
7.5 mi) wide, with a total area of 365 square kilometers (141 sq mi).[15][16]
With around 1.85 million
Palestinians[3]
on some 362 square kilometers, Gaza ranks
as the 3rd most densely populated polity in the world.[17][18]
An extensive Israeli buffer zone within the Strip renders much land off-limits
to Gaza's Palestinians.[19]
Gaza has an annual population growth rate of 2.91% (2014 est.), the
13th highest in the world, and is often referred to as overcrowded.[16][20]
The population is expected to increase to 2.1 million in 2020. By that time,
Gaza may be rendered unliveable, if present trends continue.[21]
Due to the Israeli and Egyptian border closures and the
Israeli sea and air blockade, the population is not free to leave or enter
the Gaza Strip, nor allowed to freely import or export goods.
Sunni Muslims make up the predominant part of the Palestinian population in
the Gaza Strip.
Despite the 2005
Israeli disengagement from Gaza,[22]
the United Nations, international human rights organisations, and the majority
of governments and legal commentators consider the territory to be still
occupied by Israel, supported by additional restrictions placed on Gaza by
Egypt. Israel maintains direct external control over Gaza and indirect control
over life within Gaza: it controls Gaza's air and maritime space, and six of
Gaza's seven land crossings. It reserves the right to enter Gaza at will with
its military and maintains a no-go buffer zone within the Gaza territory. Gaza
is dependent on Israel for its water, electricity, telecommunications, and other
utilities.[22]
The system of control imposed by Israel is described as an "indirect
occupation".[23]
Some other legal scholars have disputed the idea that Israel still occupies
Gaza. In addition, the extent of self-rule exercised in the Gaza Strip has led
some to describe the territory as a de facto independent state.
When Hamas won a majority in the
2006 Palestinian legislative election, the opposing political party
Fatah refused to
join the proposed coalition, until a short-lived
unity government agreement was brokered by
Saudi
Arabia. When this collapsed under joint Israeli and United States pressure,
the Palestinian Authority instituted a non-Hamas government in the West Bank
while Hamas
formed a government on its own in Gaza.[24]
Further economic sanctions were imposed by Israel and the
European Quartet against Hamas.
A brief civil war between the two groups had broken out in Gaza when,
apparently under a U.S.-backed plan, Fatah contested Hamas's administration.
Hamas emerged the victor and expelled Fatah-allied officials and members of the
PA's security apparatus from the Strip,[25][26]
and has remained the sole governing power in Gaza since that date.[24]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gaza_Strip
-- 2017 --
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May 19: As Trump Alights
in Israel, Palestinians are Descending into Darkness
President Trump plans a 22-23 May visit to Israel and Palestine in pursuit
of the “ultimate deal”. But behind the scenes, rising tensions between
Palestinian factions may be drawing Gaza and Israel closer to a new war.
https://www.crisisgroup.org/middle-east-north-africa/eastern-mediterranean/israelpalestine/trump-alights-israel-palestinians-are-descending-darkness
-- 2018 --
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May 15:
Trump, Gaza, and the “blank check” approach to Israel
Trump is transforming America’s Israel policy into something new: completely
unconditional support.
https://www.vox.com/world/2018/5/15/17355628/gaza-embassy-jerusalem-trump-policy
August 24: Trump
administration yanks $200 million in economic aid from Gaza and West Bank
The move came after a State Department review examining whether the funding was
in “U.S. national interests” and of value to American taxpayers. In a terse
announcement, the State Department said it would redirect the $200 million to
“high-priority projects elsewhere.”
“This decision takes into account the challenges the international community
faces in providing assistance in Gaza, where Hamas control endangers the lives
of Gaza’s citizens and degrades an already dire humanitarian and economic
situation,” the State Department notice said.
The move drew immediate fire from Democrats in Congress, who said it would roil
an already volatile part of the world and undermine U.S. efforts to resolve the
Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2018/08/24/trump-administration-yanks-200-million-aid-gaza-and-west-bank/1088489002/
-- 2019 --
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March 4:
Trump’s Cuts To Aid For Palestinians Have Totally Disrupted Women’s
Breast Cancer Treatments
More than 1,000 women who had mammograms done through a US-funded program and
were flagged for follow-ups have had to seek other treatment options.
Women confronting breast cancer are being hit hard after the Trump
administration stopped USAID programs benefiting Palestinians, say aid groups,
doctors, health care workers, and patients.
The US effectively stopped government aid programs benefiting Palestinians in
February, and humanitarian aid groups and hospital administrators in Gaza and
Jerusalem say aid cuts are doing serious harm to vulnerable patients at a time
when health care systems used by Palestinians are already heavily strained.
https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/meghara/palestinian-women-breast-cancer-trump-usaid-aid-cuts-gaza
March 25:
Israel announced Monday that it began bombing Gaza
again.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, speaking at a joint press conference at the
White House alongside President Donald Trump,
announced that his country was "responding forcefully" to a rocket
fired earlier in the day from Gaza that injured seven people near Tel Aviv.
An unnamed senior Hamas official
told Haaretz that the rocket may have been a mistake or a decision
by an individual member of the group.
The Israeli military
said the rocket was fired by Hamas and
that it was
directing its bombing at "Hamas targets."
https://www.commondreams.org/news/2019/03/25/trump-gives-thumbs-illegal-annexation-israel-starts-bombing-gaza-again
https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/2019/04/09/whether-israel-annexes-west-bank-could-be-up-trump-not-netanyahu/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.fc54f33c9be2
April 30:
Israel and U.S. put financial squeeze on Palestinian
Authority ahead of Trump peace plan
A police officer in Gaza said his wages were slashed
by 65 percent in March. "Salary cuts? Please say: catastrophic cuts."
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/israel-u-s-put-financial-squeeze-palestinian-authority-ahead-trump-n1000571
May 6:
Israel and Gaza reach ceasefire agreement amid tense calm
Officials tell Al Jazeera a ceasefire came into force at 1:30 GMT after three
days of air raids and rocket attacks.
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/05/palestinians-truce-reached-israel-vowed-massive-strikes-190506022134617.html
-- 2020 --
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