JERUSALEM (AFP) – Amnesty International on Monday accused Israel of “collectively punishing” the population of Gaza with border closures tightened after the Islamic resistance movement took power in June 2007 after securing a historic election victory in January 2006.

The British-based rights group said the firing of home-made rockets by some militants did not justify the sanctions.
“The blockade does not target armed groups but rather punishes Gaza’s entire population by restricting the entry of food, medical supplies, educational equipment and building materials,” said Malcolm Smart, the group's Middle East and North Africa director, in a statement.
“The blockade constitutes collective punishment under international law and must be lifted immediately.”
Amnesty said Egypt was partly to blame because it only occasionally opens its Rafah crossing with the Gaza Strip -- the only terminal bypassing Israel.
Israel controls three sides of the Gaza strip. The Northern and Eastern borders are blocked by the Israeli army, the Western border by the Israeli navy. The fourth border, the Southern one, is controlled by Egypt. Now Egypt has started building an iron wall along the full length of the Gaza border, consisting of steel pillars thrust deep into the ground, in order to block all these economic tunnels.
It also faulted Cairo for starting work on an underground border wall in a bid to halt the economic tunnels that have become an economic lifeline to the territory.
“However, as the occupying power, it is Israel that bears the foremost responsibility for ensuring the welfare of the inhabitants of Gaza,” Amnesty said.
Monday was the one-year anniversary of the mutual ceasefires that ended the 22-day Gaza war, which killed about 1,400 Palestinians and flattened entire neighborhoods.
Israel imposed strict sanctions on Gaza in 2006 after Islamic resistance movement won elections. It tightened the blockade when Hamas took power in June 2007 from Fatah movement.
Photo; A Palestinian woman shouts slogans outside the UN offices in Gaza City, January 14, 2010, during a protest against the brutal Israeli blockade. (Reuters photo)
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