‘No-Grow Zone:’ Israel Admits to Spraying Poisons Inside Gaza Strip
PALESTINE - ISRAEL, 4 Jan 2016
Sputnik News – TRANSCEND Media Service
The Israeli Army has admitted that they used crop-dusters to kill hundreds of acres of Palestinian crops, claiming that it was to “enable security operations.”
30 Dec 2015 – Palestinian officials have stated that over 420 acres of land inside the Gaza strip were damaged by the poisons sprayed to kill vegetation.
“For years now, the IDF has unilaterally maintained a lethal ‘no-go zone’ on the Palestinian side of the border with Gaza. Now, it seems, it has also implemented a ‘no-grow zone,’” Michael Schaeffer Omer-Man wrote for +972.
Israeli planes were seen spraying the toxins for several days straight, destroying spinach, pea, parsley and bean crops.
“The aerial spraying of herbicides and germination inhibitors was conducted in the area along the border fence last week in order to enable optimal and continuous security operations,” an IDF Spokesperson told +972 on Sunday.
Along the Gaza border, there is a “no go” zone, where at least 16 Palestinians have been killed and another 379 wounded for entering. Palestinian people often claim that those shot were not actually within the zone, and the Israeli military rarely claim any of their victims were actually armed.
The distance the ‘no go’ zone reaches varies by area, and is often unclear. For example, farmers are allowed to go closer to the fence, but it is unclear how they distinguish between farmers, civilians, and “combatants.”
“Spraying crop-killing pesticides, like opening fire at people of all ages and gender in the vicinity of the fence, puts civilian lives at risk and hurts livelihoods,” Shai Grunberg, spokesperson for Gisha, an Israeli rights group that works to promote freedom of movement for Palestinians in Gaza, told 972+. “By virtue of Israel’s substantial control of the Gaza Strip, international law requires it to facilitate normal life in the Strip.”
Go to Original – sputniknews.com
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PALESTINE - ISRAEL:
Israel is a signatory party to the UN Chemical Weapons Convention (= the Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production, Stockpiling and Use of Chemical Weapons and on their Destruction) although Israel has not ratified it so far. However, the fact that Israel has not ratified the Convention so far does not necessarily justify their use of chemical weapons, especially in the civilian area. It will affect both people living there and the ecological system in the area for decades, perhaps for centuries.
During the Vietnam War, Agent Orange was used. Nearly fifty years have passed since then. People there are still suffering and the US veterans are also still suffering. The damaged ecological system there has not been restored. In the 21st Century, the similar things are being done; Gaza is one of the areas such things are being done. What crop-killing pesticides are actually used to damage the agriculture in Gaza? Why damage the civilian livelihood? STOP IT IMMEDIATELY!
Nearly three years have passed since the last review conference of the Chemical Weapons Convention. It is about time to review the status of the Convention and to discuss the current situations of the use of chemical weapons in the world, including those in Gaza, for instance.
By the way, does Israel want to introduce their people to the polluted area of Gaza?