Israel Said It Would Keep Gaza Near Collapse: WikiLeaks

[Purveyor]

By Reuters
Wednesday, January 5th, 2011 -- 9:47 am

Israel told US officials in 2008 it would keep Gaza's economy "on the brink of collapse" while avoiding a humanitarian crisis, according to U.S. diplomatic cables published by a Norwegian daily on Wednesday.

Three cables cited by the Aftenposten newspaper, which has said it has all 250,000 U.S. cables leaked to WikiLeaks, showed that Israel kept the U.S. Embassy in Tel Aviv briefed on its internationally criticized blockade of the Gaza Strip.

The territory, home to 1.3 million Palestinians, is run by the Islamist Hamas group, which is shunned by the West over its refusal to recognize Israel, renounce violence or accept existing interim Israeli-Palestinian peace deals.

"As part of their overall embargo plan against Gaza, Israeli officials have confirmed to (U.S. embassy economic officers) on multiple occasions that they intend to keep the Gazan economy on the brink of collapse without quite pushing it over the edge," one of the cables read.

Israel wanted the coastal territory's economy "functioning at the lowest level possible consistent with avoiding a humanitarian crisis," according to the November 3, 2008 cable.

MORE...

http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2011/01/israel-gaza-collapse-wikileaks/

[stray cat]

1. Al Qaeda said they would destroy the economy of the US but we did not need help

[azurnoir]

2. Keep them hungry and mal nourished but not actually starving

and then this nonsensical and dishonest comment from Olmert

We will not harm the supply of food for children, medicine for those who need it and fuel for institutions that save lives," Olmert said at the time.