World's Biggest Prison!

Israeli PM Ariel Sharon is telling the UN that it no longer occupies Gaza and thus holds no responsibility for it. Yet it wants to control air, sea and land access into and out of Gaza to restrict human and economic traffic. The only land access that it doesn’t directly control is at the Gaza-Egyptian border where it has an agreement with Egypt.

Sharon has effectively turned Gaza into the world’s biggest prison. It controls the movement of the Palestinians living there, economically, socially and by virtual of that, politically and militarily. They are as good as prisoners under house arrest, or some sort of labour slaves in a big pen.

The Israeli government-ordered evacuation from Gaza wasn’t for the benefit of the Palestinian, but to facilitate enhanced defence for Israel and Israelis, and to capitalise on Bush’s earlier promise that Israel could have more settlements in the West Bank – in other words, abandon a inconveniently located occupied outpost for an overall improved land grab (of the West Bank) that will eventually see Israel's most sought-after prize, Jerusalem, inside a new consolidated Israel.

Now, it wants to solicit UN acceoptance of that imposed status quo.

The Palestinian Authority says that as Israel intends to maintain control over goods and people entering Gaza effectively f**king up its economic and social life, Israel must be considered as an occupying power.