clear

Creating new perspectives since 2009

Washington's efforts to ease the siege on Gaza are "not serious"

February 4, 2014 at 11:56 am

A Palestinian MP has said that if the US administration was “genuinely interested” in helping to ease the suffering of his people, it could do so. Instead, claims Jamal Al-Khadry, who is also the President of the Popular Committee Against the Siege in Gaza, recent calls by Washington were to be seen in the context of helping Israel to face UN accusations that it committed war crimes in Gaza a year ago. The Americans, he believes, “are not serious” about ending the Israeli-led siege on Gaza.


“If President Obama wanted to help Palestinians, he could,” said Al-Khadry, “by putting pressure on the Israelis who are, after all, protected and supported politically and financially by the United States.” The siege goes against all standards of human rights and international law, he added. The result, says Al-Khadry, is that “the American government must share the blame with Israel for the consequences of the siege which is now entering its fourth year”.

According to the Independent member of the Palestinian parliament, American inaction is designed to “beautify the image of the cruel occupation and siege” in the face of increasing criticism of Israeli policies around the world.