CLARIN. 25-05- 2013
This is the same EU that regularly condemns Israel for building in the settlements or seizing funds belonging to the Palestinian Authority.
More recently, the EU condemned Israel for demolishing 22 Palestinian structures in the West Bank and Jerusalem.
But when it comes to human rights violations committed by Hamas and the Palestinian Authority, the EU is prepared to do its utmost to avoid angering the two Palestinian governments.
In response to the report, which was released by the Palestinian Independent Commission For Human Rights, the EU missions in Jerusalem and Ramallah, in an apologetic tone, only expressed "concern" over recurrent cases of torture and ill treatment of detainees in Palestinian prisons.
And instead of criticizing or condemning Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas for human rights violations perpetrated by his security forces, the EU missions chose to "welcome" his instruction to respect the prohibition of torture in his detention centers and prisons.
It is worth noting that the EU and some Abbas loyalists, including Fatah propagandists and media outlets, were the only ones to "welcome" his decision to ban torture.
So not only is Abbas not condemned for the death of two detainees in his prisons and the crackdown on freedoms of speech and the media, he is in fact being praised by the EU for ordering his security and intelligence officers to stop torturing Palestinians.
One would have expected the EU to take a tougher stance toward the Palestinian Authority and Hamas human rights violations, as indicated by the report.
But the EU missions to Ramallah and Jerusalem are apparently reluctant to take such a position because of their direct and indirect involvement in funding and supporting the Palestinian Authority and various Palestinian institutions in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
The EU also seems to be afraid of criticizing the Palestinian Authority and Hamas out of concern for the safety of its representatives, especially those who operate in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
As the human rights group's report shows, there has been a 10% increase in the number of complaints of torture and mistreatment by Hamas and the Palestinian Authority during 2012 compared with the year before.
More than half of the 306 complaints about torture that were received last year came from Palestinians who had been detained or imprisoned by Abbas's security forces in the West Bank, the report revealed.
Altogether, 11 detainees died in Palestinian Authority and Hamas prisons last year, according to the report.
Still, the EU did not see any need to refer to these cases. Nor did the EU comment on the report's accusations that Abbas's security forces are continuing to crack down on journalists and academics and ignore court rulings.
Expressing "concern" over serious human rights violations will not deter the Palestinian Authority or Hamas from pursuing their anti-democratic practices against their own people.
Praising Abbas for instructing his security forces to stop torturing Palestinian detainees is like welcoming a convicted armed robber's promise to retire.
Gaza se llena de autos lujosos y asoma una élite enriquecida con el contrabando
El 60% de los automóviles son nuevos en un territorio quebrado por la pobreza. En la mira, la corrupción oficial.
Ibrahim al Sakani es taxista. Tiene 32 años y suele compartir con sus pasajeros el enfado por los largos embotellamientos que enfrenta a diario con su automóvil modelo 1996 en Omar al Mujtar, la principal arteria de Gaza capital. Al Sakani, que lleva al volante doce años y debe alimentar a su mujer y a sus cinco hijos, tienen que rogar a sus clientes para que se queden en el taxi pese a las demoras.
Las causas son cada vez más evidentes: en la superpoblada y empobrecida Franja de Gaza comienzan a proliferar lujosos todoterreno llegados de contrabando a través de los túneles con Egipto. Además de perturbar el tráfico, desnudan las acusadas diferencias económicas entre unos palestinos y otros.
“La culpa de este atasco es del aumento del número de coches en la ciudad. Solía tardar diez minutos del oeste al centro y ahora me lleva cuarenta”, se queja el taxista.
La diferencia está en los miles de coches de fabricación coreana traídos a Gaza desde Israel desde 2010, cuando la relajación del bloqueo a la Franja lo permitió, a los que cabe sumar otros miles más lujosos,contrabandeados desde el Sinaí.
El 60% del parque automotor está formado por coches nuevos.
Los monoplazas más lujosos y las 4X4 pertenecen a una élite enriquecida con el comercio de los túneles o en el sector privado. Son una minoría en un territorio donde dos tercios de los 1,7 millones de habitantes dependen de la ayuda humanitaria, la pobreza alcanza el 60% y el paro el 35%. “Los coches de categoría son demasiado caros, por lo que los compran sobre todo dueños de túneles o gente del Gobierno(del movimiento islamista Hamas) en Gaza”, asegura Salem Ghanam, ingeniero de 35 años.
Cuando, tras la toma de la Franja por Hamas en 2007, Israel endureció su bloqueo, los precios de los coches se pusieron por las nubes. Tanto que, hasta 2012, eran los más caros del mundo, según sus vendedores. De repente, este año, los precios bajaron drásticamente por la gran cantidad de oferta.
Jaled Abu Akar, vendedor de automóviles, cifra por debajo del 5% los que pueden permitirse desembolsar los 55.000 dólares que cuestan como mínimo los autos de alta gama, como los Mercedes Benz, los BMW o los Toyota. La clase media se conforma con coches coreanos, más asequibles.
Lean además este otro tema:
Why Doesn't the EU Condemn Palestinian Torture?
The EU has refrained from condemning the Palestinian Authority or Hamas in wake of a report that pointed to an increase in human rights violations in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
More than half the 306 complaints about torture last year came from Palestinians who had been detained or imprisoned by Abbas's security forces in the West Bank; 11 detainees died in Palestinian Authority and Hamas prisons according to a report by the Palestinian Independent Commission for Human Rights.
This is the same EU that regularly condemns Israel for building in the settlements or seizing funds belonging to the Palestinian Authority.
More recently, the EU condemned Israel for demolishing 22 Palestinian structures in the West Bank and Jerusalem.
But when it comes to human rights violations committed by Hamas and the Palestinian Authority, the EU is prepared to do its utmost to avoid angering the two Palestinian governments.
In response to the report, which was released by the Palestinian Independent Commission For Human Rights, the EU missions in Jerusalem and Ramallah, in an apologetic tone, only expressed "concern" over recurrent cases of torture and ill treatment of detainees in Palestinian prisons.
And instead of criticizing or condemning Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas for human rights violations perpetrated by his security forces, the EU missions chose to "welcome" his instruction to respect the prohibition of torture in his detention centers and prisons.
It is worth noting that the EU and some Abbas loyalists, including Fatah propagandists and media outlets, were the only ones to "welcome" his decision to ban torture.
So not only is Abbas not condemned for the death of two detainees in his prisons and the crackdown on freedoms of speech and the media, he is in fact being praised by the EU for ordering his security and intelligence officers to stop torturing Palestinians.
One would have expected the EU to take a tougher stance toward the Palestinian Authority and Hamas human rights violations, as indicated by the report.
But the EU missions to Ramallah and Jerusalem are apparently reluctant to take such a position because of their direct and indirect involvement in funding and supporting the Palestinian Authority and various Palestinian institutions in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
The EU also seems to be afraid of criticizing the Palestinian Authority and Hamas out of concern for the safety of its representatives, especially those who operate in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
As the human rights group's report shows, there has been a 10% increase in the number of complaints of torture and mistreatment by Hamas and the Palestinian Authority during 2012 compared with the year before.
More than half of the 306 complaints about torture that were received last year came from Palestinians who had been detained or imprisoned by Abbas's security forces in the West Bank, the report revealed.
Altogether, 11 detainees died in Palestinian Authority and Hamas prisons last year, according to the report.
Still, the EU did not see any need to refer to these cases. Nor did the EU comment on the report's accusations that Abbas's security forces are continuing to crack down on journalists and academics and ignore court rulings.
Expressing "concern" over serious human rights violations will not deter the Palestinian Authority or Hamas from pursuing their anti-democratic practices against their own people.
Praising Abbas for instructing his security forces to stop torturing Palestinian detainees is like welcoming a convicted armed robber's promise to retire.
Related Topics: Khaled Abu Toamehreceive the latest by email: subscribe to the free gatestone institute mailing list
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