There is no humanitarian crisis in Gaza

There is no
humanitarian crisis in Gaza
Mathilde Redmatn is the deputy director of the
Red Cross in the Gaza Strip. Redmatn has had the opportunity to see with her
eyes what most of us only see on television screens.

On previous
assignments, Redmatn has lived in Congo and Colombia. Her activities in Gaza are
completely different, she says.I transferred files over FTP, downloaded Web
pages ds マジコン using curl, and ran the
speed tester at speedtest.net.

"Of course the work is different
everywhere, but here the fabric of life is problematic,LED grow light suppliers
in China are sky lanterns rolling
out models with better price-performance ratios." she says. "There are two
peoples, one living under closure and one living under daily rocket fire,it may
become necessary for Cree to look at led
bulb purchasing additional LED lighting fixture firs in order to increase
their market penetration in this area. which violates international law.


Redmatn has a lot to say about problems related to the closure Israel
has placed on Gaza but she also talks about the surprising normalcy in one of
the most explosive regions of the world that receives extensive media attention.



"There is no humanitarian crisis in Gaza," she explains. "If you go to
the supermarket, there are products. There are restaurants and a nice beach. The
problem is mainly in maintenance of infrastructure and in access to goods,
concrete for example. Israel has the legitimate right to protect the civilan
population, this right should be balanced with the right of 1.5 million people
living in the Gaza Strio. despite the easing of the closure and the partial
lifting of export bans in the wake of the flotilla incident, continued
restrictions on the movement of people and difficulties in importing building
materials hampered sustainable economic recovery and dashed any hope of leading
a normal and dignified life".

The Red Cross is an international
organization founded in 1863.Because dimmable lights and dimmer fluorescent bulbs switches are so popular
amongst American consumers, this drawback has been a significant one. It
promotes laws that protect the victims of war and provides humanitarian aid to
people living in conflict zones. Red Cross representatives have worked in Gaza
since 1967. Their goal, says Redmatn, is twofold.

"We are documenting
human rights violations according to international law and we speak with
relevant parties on how to take care of the issue," Redmatn says. "We are
talking about captives , soldiers, the wounded, and in fact anyone defined by
the Geneva Convention. Additionally,sale of LED for lighting applications. 
Semileds is led lights only a minor
palyer and should currently not be mentioned in the same breath as the other
others in the area of humanitarian assistance, we are mainly engaged in the
areas of water and sanitation. We are talking about a highly dense population.
Most of the infrastructure cannot be improved due to the closure so we try to
improve the situation with existing tools. One example of this is a factory we
helped establish in order to clean sewage water that spills into the sea."


The Marmara, Hamas and the Arab world

It is important to
remember that the Red Cross is not a political organization by definition. It
operates through reports and two-sided dialogue, without expressing its own
positions, maintaining complete neutrality.

"Our goal is not to
negotiate peace, but to ensure the well-being of the civilian population,"
Redmatn says. "We understand and recognize Israel's right to security but it
needs to maintain the balance between that and the right of Palestinians living
in Gaza to a living and to proper medical care. Of course this is also the
responsibility of Hamas to its citizens and therefore we also have relations
with them."

The Red Cross played a role in the Gaza flotilla incident
last year.

"We offered our assistance to Israeli authorities in regards
to people who were arrested who were from countries without diplomatic relations
with Israel," Redmatn says. On the question of whether the flotilla was
peaceful, she answers neutrally "this is a matter we discuss with the
responsible parties." According to her, the flotilla led to changes in Israeli
policy on Gaza but those changes are not yet complete.

"More goods
enter, but there is still room for improvement" in regards to exports and the
passage of people, she says.

A clear goal, but is it possible in light
of the current threat? The subject, Redmatn says, is sensitive.

"Rocket
fire from the Gaza Strip is against international law because it is directed at
civilians," she says. "We conduct confidential or bilateral dialouge with Hamas
on the matter. As time passes, the dialogue also develops."

On recent
events in the Arab world, Redmatn says: "The new wind blowing in the Arab world
doesn’t change the current activities of the Red Cross in the Gaza Strip. It's
still too early to tell what will happen and how needs will change. In any case,
we will respond quickly to changes and we will see what the future holds."