Video Examines Israel's Three Year Blockade of Gaza

This short film examines the blockade of Gaza, where residents struggle to rebuild their lives over a year after 'Operation Cast Lead' - that left more than 1400 residents of Gaza dead.

(GAZA / SALEM) - Israel's blockade of Gaza has been in place for almost three years, and since it was put into place illegally, Israel has also destroyed a large percentage of the homes here through military strikes, and refuses to allow new building material in.

The people of Gaza are forced to live in abject poverty strictly due to the cruel strangulation by Israel.

Even the peaceful fishermen are now restricted to a small part of their own water, and their boats bear the bullet hole marks from Israeli guns, fired at these unarmed fishermen.

Medical Aid for Palestinians said, "Building on existing closures and restrictions, the blockade means the delay or denial of a broad range of items - food, industrial, educational, medical - deemed 'non-essential' for a population largely unable to be self-sufficient at the end of decades of occupation."

Struggling to survive under the Israeli
blockade, fishermen talk about how Israeli
sailors fire guns at their unarmed boats.

They explain that the blockade prevents access by sea, land and air, effectively closing off a population of 1.5 million Palestinians from the outside world.

This short film examines what the blockade means for the people of Gaza, as they struggle to rebuild their lives over a year after 'Operation Cast Lead' - that left more than 1400 residents of Gaza dead.

Thousands more were injured, many children were blinded by Israel's use of white phosphorous, which is illegal under international law.

This 'unpopular' subject that Americans are increasingly becoming aware of, is currently the focus of an Israeli media campaign to convince people the world over, that the war crime accusations leveled against Israel by the United Nations are somehow not important.

It is impossible to believe that so many people throughout the west support the literal decimation of the Palestinian population, but the process by Israel is well underway.

The level of mistreatment is scoffed at and dismissed, but as you are reading this now, so are others.

Slowly, awareness is changing, in spite of all the media blitzes Israel chooses to pay for.

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Tim King is a former U.S. Marine with twenty years of experience on the west coast as a television news producer, photojournalist, reporter and assignment editor. In addition to his role as a war correspondent, this Los Angeles native serves as Salem-News.com's Executive News Editor. Tim spent the winter of 2006/07 covering the war in Afghanistan, and he was in Iraq over the summer of 2008, reporting from the war while embedded with both the U.S. Army and the Marines. Tim holds numerous awards for reporting, photography, writing and editing, including the Oregon AP Award for Spot News Photographer of the Year (2004), first place Electronic Media Award in Spot News, Las Vegas, (1998), Oregon AP Cooperation Award (1991); and several others including the 2005 Red Cross Good Neighborhood Award for reporting. Serving the community in very real terms, Salem-News.com is the nation's only truly independent high traffic news Website. You can send Tim an email at this address: newsroom@salem-news.com

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Ashely for Jim March 16, 2010 4:39 pm (Pacific time)

"No legitimacy"? .... It WAS Legitimate enough that the Video was Itself Testimony at the UN! That the UN saw fit to hear!!!! - But NOT Salem-News. SN Censors Real News it doesn't Like! Amazing. Imagine that.

Ersun Warncke March 2, 2010 12:03 pm (Pacific time)

This is in response to an email from someone identified as "Ashely Kennedy" regarding their attempt to post a video on this site. The video they sent me was put out by an obviously well funded propaganda group (http://www.unwatch.org) with no legitimacy and unknown funding sources. The Goldstone Report is the official report of the UN. To pretend that the testimony of a British military officer who was never in Gaza and demonstrates no evidence for anything he says, while making obviously prejudicial and misleading statements, can in any way undermine a report based on extensive research and documentation is absurd. If the video has any validity, then why doesn't Kemp start by announcing how much he was paid to be there and speak that day. I am not sure why this individual would write to me about this issue, but I reviewed the video, and it is garbage. I wouldn't publish it or link to it either.

Jim McMullan March 2, 2010 4:43 am (Pacific time)

I don't suppose this will be posted, since the Editor SWITCHED OUT MY YOUTUBE For HIS! - - This is Unspeakable Leftist Brownshirting. - -Where are the Champions of Free Speech? -Here is that Video again: xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx - I'm really in shock that here at Salem News, That a Valid counternarrative was Censored.

You just can't imagine being unable to tread on this ground, is that accurate? I find it entertaining that you are emailing to our writers to complain that your weak excuse for Israel's actions in terms of a propaganda video was not posted. It will not be, free speech? This is a business Ashley, not a voting booth This may be the only news site in American that actually publishes the truth about Israel, so you're attempt to balance the truth in your favor will not happen You guys are so used to having control of media; well not this time. Salem-News.com has a mix of Jewish, Muslim and Christian writers who abhor the racist behavior of Israel. Our job is to expose the truth Ashley Kennedy. Maybe you will pay attention to what we are writing instead of just trying to counter it. And please don't be another paid Israeli shill.

Matt Johnson February 28, 2010 8:52 pm (Pacific time)

How do guys like Jim McMullen sleep at night? Is he simply being paid to write such ridiculous hateful nonsense? You don't make your people look good there Jim, but you don't give a rip. You could probably run over little kids on your drive to work and never miss a slurp of your coffee. Sorry, but you are a disgusting human being, and you are why people say Israel is the Third Reich of today.

Jim McMullan February 28, 2010 1:47 pm (Pacific time)

You need an HONEST Video --- -- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ev6ojm62qwA

Editor: I'm with you Jim, this doesn't show people how truly murderous Israel's policies are toward innocent human beings. This clip in the link above should do it:

Jim McMullan February 24, 2010 12:26 am (Pacific time)

Hey uh.. Jeff. Go back to tending the indoor crop. Not only has no land benn stolen from tghe Gazans, all of it was returned under 5 years ago. -- whereupon they elected Hamas and became Terror Central. How is it these "Genocidal" Isrealisd aren't "genociding" Isreal Palestinians/20% of tha country. Nr hitting the West bank any more; rather helping Abbas deal with Genociding Hamas and their Jew-Genociding Charter. are we clear Jeff? You deluded Hyperbole is bass ackwards.

You know damned well that Israel illegally closed Gaza off to the public, residents who leave can never return. So you're kosher with the murder of innocent Palestinian children you non human ogre, so what, you think we're surprised? Israel is far more of a terrorist entity than all of the Islamic groups combined, get a life pal and figure out that some place aren't intereststed in your dishonest cruel racist graffiti.

Jeff Kaye~ February 18, 2010 11:13 am (Pacific time)

How right you are, gp... The only help for these captive, helpless, innocent victims of premeditated torture and genocidal atrocities beyond belief, is our voices speaking out against Israel's terrorism. They have the unmitigated gall to proclaim other nations "terrorist states", when they are the one entity in the region truly most deserving of this label. The tragic events of September 11th, 2001 can be traced directly to our nation's blind-eyed-denial and open collusion with these monsters' horrendous mistreatment of the rightful residents of a Biblical land being stolen from its age-old historical occupants in Gaza. All of Palestine is being usurped by the most insidious, deceptive, warped, racist, miserable excuse for a "religious" enclave of Zionist expansionist power-hungry, insatiable, nuclear-armed, fanatical, rabid sociopaths. Our voices, our determination to stand up to Israel despite their financial tentacles' grimy grip on our "leadership", and nefarious control of our banking interests and many powerful players in our own government, is the only hope for the innocent victims in a hellish prison we helped build, and ultimately, the sole redemption for US as well. Should we continue on the "garden path" we've been led down for decades by these increasingly twisted psycopathic land-grabbers bent on middle-eastern (and world) upheaval -- we leave ourselves open to judgment and condemnation by the rest of the world, as guilty as Israel in this huge criminal conspiracy of outrageous, shameless persecution -- relentless attempted eradication of an entire population of over 1.5 million Gazans. And they won't stop there. Should we persist in financial and political support of this unconscionable persecution, by some heinous misguided continuation of this collusion with these supremely hypocritical lunatics, we can blame no one but ourselves, for failing to act -- to speak out vehemently against this unspeakable evil -- when it comes back to bite us in the ass. Again. Much admiration from this humble observer to the brave Salem-News team; one of the few media sources on Earth with the uncompromising journalistic integrity, the sane, sound, fundamental principles to print the truth. Tell all your friends; be informed, and become involved -- for the sake of freedom and peace, Gaza's, Israel's (there are good people there, too), ours, and the world's.

gp February 18, 2010 7:30 am (Pacific time)

I am proud to say there are a few, a small number of high school seniors, boys and girls, who refuse to go into mandatory Israeli military service and are instead going to jail. Israeli high schoolers are also taken to Poland to tour the Nazi death camps. Very soon thereafter, this horrifying memory still fresh in their young minds, they are sent to perform the mission of their elders in Gaza, at the check points and elsewhere in Palestine. We should not be surprised that so few find the strength and intelligence to overcome that kind of brain washing that leads them to think that the Palestinians are bent on murdering them all. I really think that the only way this will end is if more and more people talk about it all the time. Because, if one really examens what is happening there, rather than speaking of political situations and theories, the reality is that torture and murder, slow, methodical and premeditated genocide by many means is what it is about. Thank you SN for continuing to speak the terrible truth. I know it must be hard for you staff to be immersed in this day in and day out.

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