That attack: Some background

Whilst one has to salute those brave souls on the boats attacked by Israel yesterday, many people are not across the situation of the 1.5 million Gazans locked in, under siege and blockade by Israel, in a very small area of land.

In "covering" the attack from various dimensions, Glenn Greenwald [lawyer and blogger] on Salon backgrounds the plight of the Gazans:

"Regarding the blockade of Gaza itself -- about which "Dov Weisglass, an adviser to Ehud Olmert, the Israeli Prime Minister [said when it was first imposed]: 'The idea is to put the Palestinians on a diet, but not to make them die of hunger'" -- this post documents just some of the effects, with ample links to U.N. reports, including:

* since the intensification of the siege in June 2007, "the formal economy in Gaza has collapsed" (More than 80 UN and aid agencies [.pdf])

* "61% of people in the Gaza Strip are … food insecure," of which "65% are children under 18 years" (UN FAO)

* since June 2007, "the number of Palestine refugees unable to access food and lacking the means to purchase even the most basic items, such as soap, school stationery and safe drinking water, has tripled" (UNRWA)

* "in February 2009, the level of anemia in babies (9-12 months) was as high as 65.5%" (UN FAO)"

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Mahler's Prodigal Son

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