Switzerland says Israel breaking international law
By BRADLEY S. KLAPPER, Associated Press Writer Bradley S. Klapper, Associated Press Writer – Thu Nov 13, 1:05 pm ET

GENEVA – Switzerland accused Israel on Thursday of wantonly destroying Palestinian homes in east Jerusalem and near Ramallah in violation of the Geneva Conventions’ rules on military occupation.

The Swiss Foreign Ministry demanded that Israel immediately halt the demolitions, which Israel has said are aimed at removing illegally constructed shacks.

An Israeli Embassy spokeswoman in the Swiss capital of Bern said the decision to remove the structures was “not an arbitrary decision,” but was sanctioned by law.

“This demolition of houses was done under a court order,” embassy spokeswoman Shlomit Sufa said Thursday.

Switzerland — as the guardian of the Geneva Conventions — can call meetings of the treaty’s signatories if it finds problems with its implementation, but does not have any special powers to enforce the document.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Lars Knuchel said the demolitions violated the 1949 Geneva Conventions, regarded as the cornerstone of international law on the obligations of warring and occupying powers. The Fourth Convention states that occupying powers must respect the property of civilian populations under their control.

Switzerland said it lodged a formal protest with the Israeli Foreign Ministry over recent demolitions, which now bring the tally to more than 600 destroyed homes in east Jerusalem and 1,600 altogether in the West Bank since 2000.

The Swiss statement, using unusually harsh language, said the neutral country “regards the recent incidents as violations of international humanitarian law” and notes “no military need to justify the destruction of these houses.”

The Swiss statement called east Jerusalem an “integral part of the occupied Palestinian territory” — a phrase that could anger hardline Jewish groups that believe Israel should maintain control over the entire city. Israel captured east Jerusalem in the 1967 Mideast war, but Palestinians claim the territory as the capital of their hoped-for state.

Sufa said the Israeli government “regrets” that phrasing in the Swiss statement, noting the status of east Jerusalem and other territories is still subject to a final peace agreement between Israel and the Palestinian authorities.

The Jerusalem-based Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions said that so far this year dozens of Palestinian homes have been pulled down in east Jerusalem, and activists say the city has issued orders against 90 more homes.

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Link: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081113/ap_on_re_eu/eu_switzerland_israel

If he wanted to report from Gaza at the moment, he would be unable to do so. All checkpoints and all entries are sealed, no journalists are being allowed in, there is no fuel for the power station (hence no bakeries working, no sewage plants operating and no water being pumped from wells) and UNWRA are saying that they they are unable to sustain food distribution. Even a group of UK doctors have been denied entry and their purpose in visiting was to observe and teach. Previously an important conference on mental health scheduled to take place in Gaza had to be cancelled and the conference was held by means of video from Ramallah. Shocking treatment of the citizens of Gaza and another sort of strangulation.

Today ‘Oxfam called on world leaders to do everything they could to break Israel’s blockade of Gaza and urged Israel to resume supplies without delay.’ (BBC)